The Picnic with Two Feelings
An original Tuck In Books story

Nori the little bear packed a blue blanket, three cups and a pear. Today was picnic day. He wanted to sit under the apple tree with Aunt June and his cousin, Kit. He put his boots by the door before breakfast was finished.

Then rain tapped the window. It made little rivers down the glass. Aunt June looked outside. “The garden is very wet. We will have our picnic inside.” Nori put one boot on anyway. He had been thinking about that tree all morning.

“I wanted the garden,” he said. His paws squeezed the blanket. “You really wanted to go out,” Aunt June said. “Disappointed might be a word for that. Does it fit?” Nori nodded. He did not want to spread the blanket yet.

Kit arrived wearing a coat with yellow pockets. “Can we make a picnic house?” Kit asked. “With the blanket?” Nori looked at the space beside the table. A picnic house sounded interesting. He could put the cups by its door. But he still wanted the tree.

“I want to make it,” he said. “And I don't want to make it.” Aunt June sat beside him. “Maybe you are excited about Kit's idea and sad about the garden.” Nori looked at her. “Both?” “Both can be here,” she said.

Kit waited. Nori rubbed the soft corner of the blanket between his paws. “I don't know which one is bigger.” “You don't have to choose,” Aunt June said. “Would you like me beside you, or would you like a little space?” Nori moved the cups to make room beside him.

Together they spread the blanket on the rug. Kit set a cushion at one end. “This is our picnic door.” Nori put the pear in the middle. He remembered the apple tree again. “Still sad,” he said. Aunt June nodded. The picnic did not need him to pretend otherwise.

They took turns making up visitors. A tiny mouse wanted a crumb. An enormous elephant could only fit its trunk through the picnic door. Nori laughed at the elephant. A moment later, he watched another raindrop run down the window.

After they ate, the bears drew a map of their picnic house on a big sheet of paper. Kit drew the cushion. Nori drew the three cups. Then he added an apple tree outside. “That can stay in my picture,” he said. “Even though we didn't go there today.”

When Kit went home, Aunt June helped Nori put away the blanket. “What was today like?” she asked. Nori thought about the wet garden, the elephant and the cups. “Some happy. Some sad.” Aunt June held the cupboard open. Nori put the blanket on its shelf. There was room for both.

The End

A few words for tonight
- Choose a settled moment to read about Nori's changed plan.
- Offer one question about the character, without requiring an answer.
- Let the ending hold more than one feeling.

Read more: https://www.tuckinbooks.com/stories/emotions/
Free for personal family reading.