Дмитрий Алёхин
Forest Friends

Chapter 1: A New Day in the Forest

The sun is up. It is a new day in the forest. The sky is blue. The air is warm.

A small squirrel wakes up. His name is Squeaky. Squeaky is brown and has a big, fluffy tail. He lives in a big oak tree.

"Good morning, sun!" says Squeaky. He stretches his little legs. He is hungry.

Squeaky runs down the tree. He is very fast. He looks for his breakfast. He finds a big, round acorn under a leaf. "Yum! My favorite!" he says. He eats the acorn. It is good.

Near the river, a big rabbit is hopping. Her name is Rosie. Rosie has long ears and a kind heart. She is looking for her friend.

"Hello, Squeaky!" says Rosie. "Good morning, Rosie!" says Squeaky. "How are you today?"

"I am very well, thank you," says Rosie. "The weather is nice today. It is a good day for a walk."

"Yes!" says Squeaky. "Let's go to the big meadow."

Squeaky and Rosie walk together. They see many flowers. They are red, yellow, and blue. They see a butterfly. It is white. It flies around them.

"Look, it's so pretty!" says Rosie.

The butterfly flies near Squeaky's nose. Squeaky tries to look at it. He turns his head left and right. It is funny. Rosie laughs.

"Hello, Butterfly!" says Squeaky. But the butterfly does not talk. It just flies away.

Squeaky and Rosie continue their walk. They are happy. They are best friends in the big forest.

They hear a sound. It is a loud sound. Tap, tap, tap, tap.

"What is that?" asks Squeaky. He is a little scared.

"I don't know," says Rosie. "Let's go and see."

They walk towards the sound. They see a tall tree. On the tree, there is a woodpecker. His name is Woody. He has a strong beak. He is making a new home in the tree.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

"Hello!" says Woody. "I am busy. I am making my house."

"Your house is very nice," says Rosie.

"Thank you," says Woody. "Would you like to see it?"

Squeaky and Rosie look up. The house is very high. "Oh, it is very high. We cannot fly," says Squeaky.

Woody laughs. "That is true! Well, you are welcome to visit any time. But you must climb!" he says.

The three friends laugh. It is a beautiful morning in the forest. They have a new friend.

The End of Chapter 1

Vocabulary List:

Sun – солнце

Day – день

Forest – лес

Squirrel – белка

Hungry – голодный

Acorn – жёлудь

Rabbit – кролик

Weather – погода

Walk – прогулка, гулять

Butterfly – бабочка

Friend – друг

Sound – звук

Woodpecker – дятел

House – дом

Questions:

What is the squirrel's name?

What does Squeaky eat for breakfast?

Who does Rosie meet?

What sound do they hear?

Who is making the sound?

Chapter 2: The Problem with the River

After talking with Woody the woodpecker, Squeaky and Rosie continue their walk. The sun is still shining. They come to the big river. The water in the river is usually not very deep. There are many stones to jump on.

But today is different.

"Look, Squeaky!" says Rosie. Her big eyes are wide. "The water is high!"

The river is full of water. It is fast and loud. The stones are under the water. They cannot see them.

"Oh no!" says Squeaky. "How do we cross the river? We need to get to the meadow on the other side."

The meadow has the sweetest clover and the best berries. Rosie and Squeaky want to have lunch there.

"I don't know," says Rosie. She is sad. "The water is too fast for me. I am not a good swimmer."

"I am a good swimmer," says Squeaky. "But the water is too strong. It will take me away!"

They sit by the river. They look at the water. They are thinking. What can they do?

Suddenly, they hear a voice. It is a slow and kind voice.

"Hello, little friends. Why are you so sad?"

Squeaky and Rosie look up. It is Old Toby. Old Toby is a big turtle. He is very old and very wise. He lives near the river.

"Hello, Mr. Toby," says Rosie. "We are sad because we cannot cross the river. The water is too high."

Old Toby nods his old head. "Ah, yes. The rain last night was very heavy. The river is angry today."

"Do you know how we can cross?" asks Squeaky.

Old Toby thinks for a moment. "Hmm. I can swim very well. The water is not a problem for me. I can carry one of you on my back. But I am not very big. I can only take one at a time."

"Hooray!" says Squeaky. "Thank you, Mr. Toby!"

"Who will go first?" asks Old Toby.

Rosie looks at the water. She is a little scared. "Squeaky, you can go first."

"Are you sure?" asks Squeaky.

"Yes," says Rosie bravely. "I will wait here."

Squeaky carefully climbs onto Old Toby's hard shell. "Hold on tight!" says Old Toby.

Slowly and calmly, Old Toby walks into the water. He starts to swim. Squeaky holds on tightly. The water moves around them, but Old Toby is strong and steady. Soon, they are on the other side.

"Thank you, Mr. Toby!" says Squeaky, jumping onto the grass.

"You are welcome, little Squeaky," says Old Toby. Then he swims back to get Rosie.

Rosie closes her eyes and gets on Toby's shell. The trip is smooth. Soon, she is with Squeaky on the other side.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Toby!" says Rosie.

"You are welcome, my dears," says the old turtle. "Now, enjoy your day. Be careful!"

Squeaky and Rosie are happy. Their friend, Old Toby, helped them. Now, they can play in the sunny meadow.

The End of Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Lunch in the Meadow

Squeaky and Rosie are in the big meadow. The sun is warm on their fur. The grass is green and soft.

"I am so hungry!" says Squeaky. His stomach is making a little noise.

"Me too!" says Rosie. "Let's find some food."

Rosie hops to a patch of green clover. Clover is her favorite food. "This looks delicious!" she says. She eats the sweet leaves. "Yum!"

Squeaky runs to a big bush. The bush has many red berries. "Berries!" he shouts happily. He picks a berry and eats it. It is juicy and sweet. "So good!"

They eat and eat. They are very happy.

After lunch, they are full and tired. They decide to rest under a big sunflower. The flower is very tall and gives good shade.

"This is a perfect day," says Rosie. She lies down in the soft grass.

"Yes," says Squeaky. "But the best part was when Old Toby helped us. He is a good friend."

"True," says Rosie. "We are lucky to have so many friends in the forest."

They talk about their friends. They talk about Woody the woodpecker and his new house. They talk about the white butterfly.

Suddenly, they hear a new sound. It is not a happy sound. It is a very sad sound. It sounds like someone is crying.

"Listen!" says Squeaky. He sits up. "Do you hear that?"

"Yes," says Rosie. Her long ears move. "Someone is crying. Where is it coming from?"

The sound comes from near the big rock. Squeaky and Rosie walk quietly towards the rock. They are careful.

Behind the rock, they see a little animal. It is a small hedgehog. She is crying. Her name is Prickles. She has many spikes on her back, but right now she looks very small and sad.

"Hello?" says Rosie softly. "Why are you crying? Can we help you?"

The little hedgehog looks up. She has tears in her eyes. "I am lost," she says. "I cannot find my way home. I live near the old pine trees, but I don't know where they are."

She cries again. "And I am all alone."

Squeaky and Rosie look at each other. They know they must help.

"Don't cry, little one," says Squeaky. "My name is Squeaky. This is my friend Rosie. We will help you find your home."

"Really?" says Prickles. She stops crying. "You will help me?"

"Of course!" says Rosie. "That's what friends are for. We know where the old pine trees are. It is not far from here."

The little hedgehog smiles for the first time. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Squeaky, Rosie, and their new friend Prickles start walking. They are going to the old pine trees. No one should be lost and sad in their forest.

The End of Chapter 3

Vocabulary List for Chapter 2 & 3:

Chapter 2:

River – река

Water – вода

Deep – глубокий

Stones – камни

Cross – пересекать

Swim – плавать

Turtle – черепаха

Wise – мудрый

Shell – панцирь

Carry – нести

Chapter 3:

Meadow – луг

Hungry – голодный

Clover – клевер

Berries – ягоды

Shade – тень

Cry – плакать

Hedgehog – ёжик

Lost – потерявшийся

Home – дом

Help – помогать

Questions for Chapter 2:

Why can't Squeaky and Rosie cross the river?

Who helps them?

How does he help them?

Questions for Chapter 3:

What do Squeaky and Rosie eat for lunch?

What sound do they hear after lunch?

Who is making the sound?

What is Prickles's problem?

How do Squeaky and Rosie help her?

Chapter 4: Finding the Pine Trees

Squeaky, Rosie, and their new friend Prickles started their journey. The little hedgehog walked slowly. Her short legs were not as fast as Squeaky's or Rosie's.

"Don't worry, Prickles," said Rosie kindly. "We are not in a hurry. We will walk with you."

"Thank you," said Prickles. "The old pine trees are my home. I live there with my family. I went for a short walk this morning, but I turned around too many times. I lost my way."

Squeaky ran ahead a little. He climbed up a small tree to see better. "I see tall trees over there!" he shouted. "They are very dark green. Are those pine trees?"

Prickles tried to see. "I am not sure. Everything looks big from down here."

Rosie had an idea. "I know! Pine trees have a special smell. The air smells clean and fresh near them. Can you smell anything?"

They all stopped. They closed their eyes and sniffed the air.

Squeaky sniffed. "I smell the river." Rosie sniffed. "I smell flowers." Prickles sniffed deeply. Then she smiled a big smile. "I smell it! I smell pine! It is that way!" She pointed her little nose to the left.

"Great!" said Squeaky, jumping down from the tree. "Let's go that way!"

They walked towards the smell. The forest was beautiful. They saw many birds and insects. They talked along the way.

"What is it like to have spikes?" asked Squeaky. He was very curious.

"It is very useful!" said Prickles. "When I am scared, I can roll into a ball. My spikes protect me. Also, in the autumn, I can carry fallen leaves and fruits on them to my home."

"Wow!" said Rosie. "That is amazing!"

Suddenly, the path became steep. There was a small hill.

"Oh no," said Prickles. "My legs are little. This hill is big for me."

"Don't worry," said Squeaky. "We can help you."

Squeaky and Rosie went behind Prickles. Gently, they pushed. "One, two, three, push!" said Squeaky.

They pushed Prickles up the hill. It was hard work, but they did it together.

At the top of the hill, they saw them. Tall, dark green trees with pointy tops. The air was full of the wonderful smell of pine.

"The pine trees!" shouted Prickles. "You found it! This is my home!"

She was so happy. She started to run towards the trees. "Mama! Papa! I am home!" she called.

From behind a big pine tree, two bigger hedgehogs appeared. They ran to Prickles and hugged her.

"Our little Prickles! We were so worried!" said her mama.

Prickles turned to Squeaky and Rosie. "Mama, Papa, these are my new friends! They helped me find my way home. They are very kind."

"Thank you!" said Prickles's parents. "Thank you for bringing our daughter home. You are true friends."

Squeaky and Rosie were very proud and happy. They said goodbye to Prickles and her family.

The sun was starting to go down. The sky was turning orange and pink.

"It is time to go home," said Rosie.

"Yes," said Squeaky. "It was a good day. We helped a new friend."

They walked back towards the river, thinking about their adventure. The forest was a friendly place, especially when you had good friends by your side.

The End of Chapter 4

Vocabulary List:

Journey – путешествие

Slowly – медленно

Family – семья

Smell – запах, нюхать

Pine trees – сосны

Useful – полезный

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