8 Mama rabbit settles her little ones between her paws on her large handkerchief. The hedgehogs sit in a row. The turtle slowly makes her way in the distance. The owl sleeps with one eye open inside his hole in the tree, and on the branches assemble birds and squirrels. Little Mouse climbs onto Big Deer’s lap and says, “Let’s begin!” The birds give a final trill. And then, everyone stops moving. Even the leaves stop rustling. Big Deer opens his big book and starts reading. In the forest of Four-Winds Mountain, he is the only one who knows how to read. Listening to his stories is like going on a journey. Little Mouse doesn’t miss a beat. She trembles when the brave sailor loses the mermaid; she smiles when the princess waltzes with the prince; and she laughs her head off when the wolf falls into the pig’s cooking pot. When each story is over, she can’t help but ask for more: “Keep going, please, Big Deer! One more story, pleeaaaase…”
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