Illustrated bedtime story
Benny and the Fox
Ages 3 to 65 mins62 pagesEnglish
Friendly Benny the elephant keeps meeting a speedy, sneaky little fox, discovering through muddy mishaps and laughter that friendship can grow between the most different animals.
- Feels like
- GentlePlayfulReassuring
- About
- FriendshipKindnessConfidenceBelonging
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What to expect
A light, repetitive woodland tale with silly physical comedy and a tender friendship premise. Families may appreciate Benny’s cheerful persistence, the animal antics, and the welcoming focus on enjoying someone’s differences.
Benny, the baby elephant, loved making friends. He waved hello to monkeys, rabbits, and turtles all through the forest. One sunny morning, Benny saw a small red fox sitting on the big rock, with bright eyes, pointy ears, and a tail as fluffy as a cloud. Benny smiled and asked, 'Hello, I’m Benny, want to be friends?'
The fox looked Benny over and said, 'No, thank you.' Benny blinked and asked, 'Why not?' The fox hopped down and said, 'We couldn’t be friends because I’m a fox and you’re an elephant.' Benny said, 'That’s okay.'
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The fox shook his head and said, 'We couldn’t be friends because I run very fast.' Then he shot down the path and zipped around the fallen log. He popped back beside Benny and asked, 'See?' Benny grinned and said, 'I can run fast too!'
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP! The ground shook, birds flew up, rabbits jumped away, and a squirrel dropped three acorns. Benny splashed straight into the muddy puddle, SPLOOSH! Mud flew everywhere.
The fox tried to hide a laugh as Benny looked up, all muddy and silly. Benny asked, 'Was it funny?' The fox said, 'A little.' Benny laughed.
The next morning, Benny came back and asked, 'Want to be friends now?' The fox said, 'No,' again, and Benny asked, 'Why?' The fox pointed at the narrow gap and said, 'We couldn’t be friends because I can fit through tiny spaces.' He slipped between the two big rocks.
One blink later, he was gone… Then his bright face popped out the other side. Benny peered in and said, 'I can do that.' Benny squeezed into the gap.
For one tiny moment, it looked just fine… STUCK! Benny pushed and wiggled, but he couldn't get to the other side. A family of rabbits used Benny as a bridge!
Then the fox burst out laughing, and Benny laughed too. When Benny finally wriggled free, both of them were still giggling. The next morning, Benny came back again and asked, 'Want to be friends now?' The fox gave a small smile and said, 'No,' again, and Benny asked, 'Why?'
The fox said, 'We couldn’t be friends because I can sneak through the forest without making a sound.' He tiptoed through the grass and slipped behind the bush. Then suddenly… 'Hello.'
Benny jumped so hard his ears flew up. The fox grinned, and Benny said, 'I can be quiet too.' The fox sat down to watch. CRUNCH, CRACK, THUMP!
Birds flew up, and a green frog leaped into the pond. A spotted young deer peeked out from the bushes and asked, 'What was that?' The fox fell over laughing, and Benny laughed too. Soon they were both giggling so hard they could barely stand.
When the laughter stopped, Benny said, 'I’m not fast or tiny or quiet.' The fox said, 'Nope.' Benny nodded and said, 'That’s okay.' The fox tilted his head and asked, 'Why do you keep coming back?'
Benny thought for a little moment, then shrugged and said, 'Because I like you.' Benny said, 'And every time I see you, I have fun.' The fox looked down at his paws and went very still. Then the fox said, 'I have fun too.'
Benny asked, 'You do?' The fox nodded and said, 'I think we’ve been friends for a while.' Benny wrapped his trunk around the fox’s paw as the fox said, 'I’m Finn,' and Benny said, 'I’m Benny.' Finn said, 'I know.'
From that day on, Benny and Finn were best friends. Finn was still faster, Benny was still louder, and somehow they fit together just right.
The End
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