Fern and the Curly-Stalked Pear

Fern kept one hoof behind the other. She wanted to go closer, but she stayed beside Mama. Across the clearing, the children had made a pretend market. Fern could see a felt pear with a curly stalk on a little wooden stall.

“Apples!” called Pip the rabbit. “Plums!” called a mouse. “Lovely pears!” Pip added. Their voices came all at once. Fern moved closer to Mama's leg. She wanted to hold that pear. She wanted to buy it with a leaf, as the other children were doing.

But what if everyone looked at her? What if her words came out wrong? Her tummy felt tight. “I'm shy,” she whispered. Mama sat on a low log beside her. “It can feel hard to join in,” she said. “You can take your time. I'll stay here.”