Sunny the
Squirrel and the Lemonade Stand
By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller
Moral of the Story:
Working together
makes dreams grow faster than working alone. When we give our time and effort
to help others, we grow in kindness and strength. Every goal starts with a
small idea, but teamwork makes that idea bloom. Entrepreneurship means turning
creativity into something that blesses others. Supporting our community brings
joy far greater than money ever could. Learning to plan, work, and share
teaches responsibility and gratitude. Generosity multiplies when hearts unite
for a good cause. When we serve others with love, we find success in every
sweet sip of effort.
In the sunny town of Maple Grove, where the
flowers danced in the summer breeze and bees buzzed lazily among the daisies, a
cheerful group of animal friends attended Acorn Hollow School. It was a small forest school tucked
between oak trees, and it was loved by everyone in the community.
One warm
morning, Sunny the Squirrel
heard their teacher, Miss Willow the Wise
Owl, make an announcement. “Class,” she said, adjusting her
spectacles, “our school roof needs repairs before the rainy season. We need to
raise money to help fix it. I’m open to ideas; who has one?”
Sunny’s paw
shot up. “What if we have a lemonade stand? Everyone in the forest gets thirsty
in summer!”
Her best friend, Benny the Bunny, added, “And we
could bake cookies to sell, too! My mom’s carrot cookies are the best!”
Miss Willow
smiled. “Those are wonderful ideas. You’d be helping your school and learning about teamwork, planning, and
entrepreneurship. What do you all think?”
The whole class
cheered. “Let’s do it!”
That afternoon, the little animals met under
the Big Oak to plan their fundraiser. They spread out notebooks, markers, and a
few fallen leaves to take notes on.
“I’ll bring
lemons from my family’s tree,” said Sunny.
“I’ll bake cookies,” said Benny proudly.
“I’ll make signs!” chirped Penny the
Parrot, fluttering her wings. “I can paint bright colors so everyone
can see them.”
“I’ll build the stand,” said Ralph the
Raccoon. “I’m good with wood.”
Together, they
made a plan. The stand would open Saturday morning at the edge of the meadow,
right near the walking trail where forest families liked to stroll. They named
it The Acorn Hollow Lemonade & Cookie
Stand.
Friday afternoon was filled with activity.
Benny stirred flour, sugar, and shredded carrots while humming a happy tune.
His kitchen smelled like cinnamon and love. Sunny squeezed lemons until her
paws hurt, mixing them with honey and cool spring water. Penny painted a giant
yellow sign that read:
“FRESH LEMONADE AND COOKIES HELP OUR SCHOOL!”
Meanwhile,
Ralph hammered and nailed together planks of wood to build the stand. He even
painted it bright blue and added a shelf for cookies and a hook for Sunny’s
pitcher.
When everything
was ready, they stood back and admired their work. “It’s perfect!” said Penny.
Ralph nodded proudly. “Tomorrow, we’ll make our school proud.”
Saturday morning arrived with golden sunlight
and the smell of summer in the air. The friends put on aprons, arranged their
cookies neatly on a tray, and filled cups with sweet, cold lemonade.
“Ready?” asked
Sunny, her tail twitching with excitement.
“Ready!” said Benny, Ralph, and Penny together.
Soon, the first
customers arrived: Mama Deer and her two fawns. “Oh, how
lovely!” said Mama Deer. “We’d love three lemonades and two cookies.”
Sunny poured
carefully. “That will be five forest coins, please!”
The fawns
giggled as they sipped their drinks. “This is the best lemonade ever!”
More animals
came—foxes, chipmunks, owls, even a family of hedgehogs. Everyone wanted to
help the school and taste the treats.
By midday, the
coin jar was half full. “We’re really doing it!” shouted Benny. “We’ve raised
enough for new paint for the classroom!”
But just then,
the wind blew strongly, knocking over their sign and spilling half a pitcher of
lemonade. “Oh no!” cried Sunny. “We’re out of juice!”
Ralph looked
determined. “Don’t worry. I’ll run home and grab more lemons!”
“I’ll help,”
said Benny. “And I’ll bake another batch of cookies while we’re there!”
While the boys
worked, Penny stayed with Sunny to greet customers and explain that more
lemonade was coming soon. “Thanks for being patient!” Penny chirped. “We’ll
have fresh lemonade in no time!”
Within an hour,
Ralph and Benny returned, panting but smiling, with more lemons and cookies.
Together, the friends mixed, baked, and poured until the stand was bustling
again.
By sunset,
every cup and cookie was sold. The animals gathered around the table to count
the coins.
“Twenty, forty,
sixty… one hundred!” said Sunny, her eyes wide. “We raised one hundred forest
coins!”
The friends
squealed with joy. They hugged, laughed, and danced around their empty stand.
When they
delivered the coins to Miss Willow, her eyes sparkled with pride. “You did it!”
she said. “Your teamwork, kindness, and creativity will fix our school roof. I
am so proud of each of you.”
Sunny grinned.
“It was fun too! We learned that when everyone does their part, great things
happen.”
Miss Willow
nodded. “And you discovered something else—that giving feels even better than
receiving.”
That night, as
the friends walked home under the stars, Benny said softly, “We didn’t just
make lemonade; we made a difference.”
Sunny smiled.
“And that’s the sweetest part of all.”
Poem: The Lemonade Lesson
With lemons
bright and cookies sweet,
Our little stand was quite a treat.
We mixed and baked with hearts that cared.
And joy was something we all shared.
We worked as
one, side by side,
With hope and laughter as our guide.
To help our school, we did our best.
And found that giving feels so blessed.
For when we
serve and when we share,
We spread God’s love everywhere.
Discussion Questions:
1. How did the friends work together to make their
lemonade stand a success?
2. What lesson did they learn about helping their school
and their community?
3. How can you use your talents to make a difference for
others?
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