Gathering Treats for a Forest Picnic

On a warm autumn morning, wise and kind Shelly the turtle decided to organize a special picnic for her friends. She had long wanted to share her knowledge about the wild berries and fruits of the forest, as she knew exactly where the juiciest treats could be found. This time, Shelly decided that their picnic would be unique—all the treats would be gathered by themselves, exploring the forest and discovering its treasures along the way.

When her friends—Rocky the raccoon, Sia the squirrel, Hop the bunny, and Topa the hedgehog—gathered at Flower Meadow, Shelly told them about her plan.

“Friends, today I’m going to show you how to find the tastiest berries and fruits in our forest!” she said with a smile. “We’ll collect treats for our picnic and discover where the true treasures of the forest are hidden.”

The friends were thrilled and eagerly anticipated the journey. Each of them was already imagining the delicious berries and nuts they would soon taste.

Sia, who especially loved fruits, asked excitedly:

“Shelly, where do we start? Which berries should we look for first?”

Shelly thought for a moment and replied:

“Let’s start with strawberries. They grow in sunny clearings and often hide under leaves. Their scent is sweet, and their taste is delicate and fragrant.”

Together, the friends set off to a small clearing where wild strawberries grew. Shelly showed them how to gently move the leaves aside to avoid damaging the delicate berries. Sia quickly found the first berry and proudly held it up to show her friends.

“Look, I found one! It’s small but so red!” said Sia, carefully placing the strawberry on her leaf to bring it to the picnic.

Hop, full of enthusiasm, began searching for berries too, hopping from bush to bush and laughing as he collected strawberries. Rocky and Topa followed him, enjoying the process and knowing they would soon gather enough berries for everyone.

Once they had enough strawberries, Shelly suggested moving on to find acorns and nuts for Rocky and Topa.

“Let’s head to the oak tree,” Shelly said. “There are always plenty of acorns and nuts there, perfect for sharing with friends.”

When they reached the tall oak tree, Rocky immediately began gathering acorns and nuts, delighting in each treat he found.

Topa, who loved nuts, happily collected a few for the picnic and looked gratefully at Shelly:

“Thank you, Shelly, for showing us this place. Now I know where to find nuts anytime.”

Meanwhile, Hop, who never stayed still, discovered a bush full of bright red berries. They were deep red and smelled sweet.

“Shelly, what are these berries? They look so beautiful!” he asked, pointing at the bush.

Shelly approached and smiled:

“Those are rowan berries. They’re not very sweet, but they make a great tea or a colorful addition to our table. Let’s gather a few to add bright colors to our picnic.”

The friends happily gathered a few clusters of rowan berries and continued their journey through the forest, picking various fruits and berries and enjoying their time together.

Once their basket was filled with treats, Shelly suggested heading back to the meadow to start the picnic.

On the meadow, they spread out some leaves and arranged the berries, nuts, and acorns they had gathered. Everything looked so beautiful and appetizing that the friends could hardly wait to start the picnic.

Sia, taking the first berry, said:

“How wonderful that we gathered all this ourselves! Now our picnic will be truly special.”

Rocky and Topa nodded in agreement, enjoying the treats and knowing that each berry and nut had been collected by them.

From that day on, each time they had a picnic, they remembered this day, when Shelly taught them how to find the forest’s treasures and enjoy them together. Their picnics became a special event, filled not only with delicious treats but also with memories of friendship and joyful moments shared.