Steady, Isabella!

Friendship
3 min read
Ages 4–5

Isabella and Mama bear are in a rustic kitchen with a pie on the windowsill.

“Everyone who helped me this year gets a thank-you feast!” said Isabella. Squirrel, who found her lost mitten. Rabbit, who taught her to hop. And Goose, who honked her awake when she fell asleep in a leaf pile. Mama did the hot oven part. Isabella did the hardest part: waiting for the apple-and-honey pie to cool. “Thank you, Mama!” Isabella bowed. She always bowed to say thank you. Low, low, LOW. “Straight to the Big Maple, slowly!” said Mama.

Isabella holds a pie on a path next to an apple tree with bees flying nearby.

Up the hill went Isabella, slow as a snail with a suitcase. “Thank you, apple tree, for the apples!” She bowed. The pie went wibble. The pie went wobble. “Steady… STEADY!” “Thank you, bees, for the honey!” She bowed lower. The pie went wibble. The pie went wobble. It slid to the very edge and stopped on her chin. “Steady… STEADY!” Nearly there!

Isabella, Squirrel, and Rabbit have a picnic under a red-leafed tree.

Under the Big Maple stood Squirrel, Rabbit and Goose. “HAPPY THANK-YOU DAY, ISABELLA!” they shouted. Uh-oh. You know what Isabella does now, don’t you? “Thank YOU!” And she bowed her lowest, biggest, bowiest bow. The pie went wibble. The pie went wobble. The pie went…

Squirrel, Rabbit, and Goose gather around a flat pie on a red and white checkered cloth under a red-leafed tree.

SPLAT. Nobody said a word. Not even Goose. The pie was as flat as a sat-on hat. Isabella’s lip went wibble. Her lip went wobble. Then she did what Isabella always did. She bowed to the pie. “Thank you, pie,” she said. “You were a very good pie.” Isabella giggled. Rabbit snorted. Squirrel squeaked. Goose honked. Then Isabella had an idea.

Isabella and Goose have a picnic with a pie under a large autumn tree.

“Everybody, run home and bring ONE thing!” said Isabella. Off they ran. Back they came. Nuts from Squirrel. Carrots from Rabbit. And from Goose, a corn cob as long as her neck. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Isabella bowed and bowed. “No, thank YOU!” And everybody bowed back. Goose bowed so low she tipped into the leaves. Down the path, ants carried home the last bit of pie. It went wibble. It went wobble. “Steady… STEADY!” said the ants.