By Grandpa Peet
Illustrated by Pam Astrup
The Mouse family lived right under the northwest root of the old elm tree. They all came out to look at the leaves. There was Papa Mouse, Mama Mouse, Sissy Mouse, Bennie Mouse, and Little Jasper.
Just then a breeze came huffing and puffing out of the north. It puffed so hard that some of the leaves in the old tree fell off. And the Mouse family went back into their home under the northwest root of the old elm tree to seek shelter from the breeze.
Bennie said, “The leaves are falling. That is the way Mother nature warns us that winter is coming.” Bennie was the one that always had his nose in a book. He was very knowledgeable and knew lots of interesting things that he had learned from his reading.
Sissy went into her room to get a pencil and a sheet of paper. She told everyone, “I am going to draw a picture of the prettiest leaf. Then I am going to color it. That way we will be able to look at the picture and remember how pretty the leaves were all winter long.”
Mama thought that was a wonderful idea. She told Sissy, “Draw the leaf so that it fills the whole sheet of paper.” And Papa said, “I’ll go into my workshop and make a frame for Sissy’s picture. Then we can hang it right in the living room.”
Little Jasper didn’t hear any of the family’s conversation. He had gone outside and was running and jumping in the leaves. He even tried to catch one of them as it fell to the ground. But the big leaf floated down and completely covered Little Jasper.
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