The Rabbit and the Carrot
by
Matt Zurbo
The boy wanted to catch the rabbit, so he put the carrot on a string.
“Are you mad?” the rabbit wailed. “I don’t want to eat. I want to sing!”
“To sing?” said the boy. “Then eat this carrot. It will help you voice!”
“La, la, lo, lo, mi, my, no!” said the rabbit, and hopped away.
The boy thought about this. The boy put a bunch of carrots on the end of a string.
“Ho, ho! I don’t think so!” boomed the rabbit. “I don’t want to be in a cage! I want to leap and jump so high, as if I can fly!”
“Hm…” said the boy. The rabbit was too fast for him.
The boy still wanted to catch the rabbit, so he put the whole bowl of carrot salad on a string.
“Come on! I’ll be nice to you,” he said. “Eat the thing!”
“No, no!” said the rabbit. “I don’t want to be a pet. I want to tumble and wrestle, and play!
“That’s enough!” the boy stomped his feet, and called his friends Louis, Jacinta and Pete.
They got in a circle and put the tall glass of carrot juice on the end of a string.
“I’d rather not be trapped!” said the rabbit, hopping about. “I want to laugh big laughs, and dream spectacular dreams, and do amazing things!”
The boy put the carrot cake on the end of the string.
And the carrot chocolates, and the carrot flavoured ice cream and wonderful, delicious things.
“Nope,” said the rabbit. “This grass will do me.”
“Gah!” shouted the boy. “Why can’t you be like other rabbits!?”
“I am,” said the rabbit.
“I don’t think so!” insisted the boy.
“Absolutely,” said the rabbit. “Deep down, we all want to laugh big laughs, and dream spectacular dreams, and do amazing things.”
“Oh,” said the boy.
“But,” the rabbit added. “I could use a friend.”
And the boy thought hard about this and threw his string away, and he and the rabbit ate a big carrot each,
laughed big laughs,
dreamed spectacular dreams,
and did amazing things.
THE END
365 kids books in 365 days 