Benny The Honest Beaver: The Story of Lincoln’s Hat
By Bill Conley - America’s Favorite
Children’s Storyteller
Moral
of the Story:
Honesty is the strongest foundation
for leadership, for it builds trust, respect, and peace. A true leader is not
the one who seeks power but the one who does what is right, even when no one is
watching. The Honest Beaver learns that character and truth are worth more than gold and that one honest choice can light the way for others to follow.
In the tall pine forest of Maple
Hollow, where the river flowed clear and steady, lived a young beaver named Benny.
He was clever and hardworking and always wore a tall black hat made from woven
bark and twigs. Benny loved that hat; it made him feel important and brave, like
someone he had heard stories about from the wise old owl: Abraham Lincoln,
the honest man who once led the humans with kindness and truth.
Benny admired Lincoln deeply. Every
time he put on his tall hat, he stood a little straighter and spoke a little
kinder.
One morning, as Benny worked by the
riverbank, he heard a cry from the woods.
“Oh no! My apples! My apples are
floating away!”
It was Sally the Squirrel,
waving her tiny paws in panic.
Benny looked down the river and saw
red apples bobbing away with the current. Without thinking twice, he jumped
into the water, paddled hard, and gathered them one by one in his strong tail.
When he returned to shore, Sally
hugged him gratefully. “Thank you, Benny! You saved them all!”
Benny smiled modestly. “It was
nothing, Sally. It’s what Honest Abe would have done.”
Sally tilted her head. “Honest Abe?”
Benny nodded. “The great leader from
the old stories. They say he was honest, kind, and fair to everyone.”
Sally grinned. “Then you’re just
like him!”
Benny blushed beneath his fur.
“Well, I try to be.”
Later that afternoon, as Benny was
stacking branches near his dam, he noticed something shiny sticking out of the
mud. He dug it up—and gasped.
It was a beautiful golden locket
shaped like a heart.
He turned it over in his paws. “This
looks valuable,” he whispered.
Part of him wanted to keep it. It
was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. But another voice inside
reminded him of something Honest Abe once said: ‘When I do good, I feel
good. When I do bad, I feel bad.’
Benny took a deep breath. “Then I’d
better do good.”
He put the locket in his tall hat and
hurried into the forest to find its owner.
Along the path, he met Frankie
the Fox, who was polishing some shiny rocks. “Hey, Benny,” Frankie said
slyly. “Whatcha got there?”
Benny hesitated. “I found this by
the river. I’m looking for who it belongs to.”
Frankie’s eyes gleamed. “A golden
locket? You’re lucky! You should keep it.”
Benny shook his head. “No, it’s not
mine. Keeping it would be wrong.”
Frankie laughed. “You’re too honest,
Benny. No one will even know!”
Benny straightened his hat. “I will.
And that’s enough.”
He continued his search, passing
through the pine grove and across the meadow. Soon, he reached the edge of the
clearing where Mama Deer was searching frantically near the tall grass.
“Oh dear,” she sighed. “I can’t find
my locket anywhere. It was a gift from my mother.”
Benny’s heart leapt. “Is this it?”
he asked, holding out the golden heart.
Mama Deer’s eyes filled with tears.
“Yes! Oh, thank you, Benny! I thought it was gone forever.”
She smiled gently. “You truly are
the most honest beaver in the forest.”
That evening, word spread quickly
through Maple Hollow about Benny’s honesty. All the animals gathered near the
big oak tree to thank him.
Old Owl flapped down from his branch
and said, “Benny, your honesty has made the whole forest proud. True leaders
are those who choose right even when it is hard.”
Benny smiled. “I only did what
Honest Abe would have done.”
The owl nodded. “And that’s why you
are a leader too.”
The animals cheered. Sally the
Squirrel shouted, “Three cheers for Honest Benny!”
Benny’s heart swelled with joy. But
later that night, as he sat by the river, he thought deeply. “Maybe being
honest isn’t just about telling the truth,” he said softly. “Maybe it’s about
caring enough to do the right thing, even when no one’s looking.”
The moon reflected in the water,
shining bright and pure, and Benny whispered a little prayer. “Thank you, God,
for showing me that honesty always matters.”
From that day on, Benny wore his
tall hat not to feel important, but to remind himself of what mattered
most: truth, kindness, and doing good. Whenever he helped another animal or told
the truth when it was hard, he would tip his hat to the sky and say, “That
one’s for you, Honest Abe.”
And soon, the animals began to
follow his example.
The fox stopped taking what wasn’t
his.
The squirrels learned to share their acorns.
Even the busy beavers worked together more fairly, dividing their wood evenly
among families.
Maple Hollow became a place where
honesty, kindness, and fairness grew like trees beside the river, strong,
rooted, and full of life.
And every year on Presidents Day,
the animals gathered around Benny’s dam. They told stories of Abraham Lincoln
and how he taught the world that honesty is the greatest kind of power.
Benny would smile humbly and say,
“Abe once said, ‘Whatever you are, be a good one.’ I may only be a beaver, but
I’ll be the best one I can be.”
Then all the animals would cheer and
tip their hats toward the stars, where the light of truth still shone bright
over the forest of Maple Hollow.
Moral
of the Story Poem:
Honesty shines both near and far,
It shows the world who we truly are.
A truthful heart will always lead.
To kindness, love, and every good deed.
Like Lincoln’s hat, both tall and true,
Let honesty shine in all you do.
For leaders great and hearts sincere,
They are built on the truth that’s crystal clear.
Discussion
Questions:
1.
What did Benny the Beaver learn
about honesty and leadership?
2.
How did his decision to return the
locket help others in the forest?
3.
Why do you think honesty is one of
the most important qualities a person or leader can have?
No comments:
Post a Comment