Activities Coloring Pages Word Puzzles Word Treasures Return to the Story
Read by Anita Rodgers
Springtime was like a breath of fresh air for Breakers Island. The warmth of the season seemed to invite everyone to come and enjoy the world outside.
The loud sound of the robins’ chorus could be heard through the woods and meadows. Rose was a happy robin. She loved to eat, sing, and collect things.
Rose would cling onto a tree trunk and look at the ground below. She liked to sit on a low perch and watch the people visit the meadow, river, and woods. Rose would find things they left behind that were covered by the leaves.
Sometimes the owners would return and search for the lost item. They had no idea it had already been found and claimed by Rose. It was quickly put away in one of her many hiding places.
Like most robins, Rose had a very good memory of her hiding places. She liked to visit them to make sure all her treasures were safe.
Today, she was looking at a pink seashell from the Sugar Sea. She had found it washed up on the white, sand beach.
Then Rose picked up an eagle feather that she had found at Winter Wind Mountain.
Next, she looked at a brown button she had spotted on the scarecrow in Farmer John’s field.
One of her favorite items from the village of Red Haven was a small candle from a child’s birthday cake. Then Rose picked up a small silver bell. She liked to hear the sound the bell made when she shook it. Ring, ring, ring. She loved all of her treasures.
Rose made her home in a tall tree in Fire Fall Woods. One day, she found a hiding place in a tree trunk. She thought, “This will be perfect for my nest.” Rose built a nest made of twigs and moss. She lined it with grass from the meadow. Moss and bark were added to the outside of the nest. When she was done, the nest looked like a natural part of the tree. It was hard for other animals to spot.
Her good friend, Roy, came by her nest to visit one day. He asked, “Rose, have you found anything new?” Roy liked to see her new things and hear the stories of where and how she had found them.
Rose said, “No, Roy.Not today.”
There was only one thing she kept in her nest. She couldn’t bear to put the straw doll away. It was her most valued treasure.
Roy saw the little doll and asked, “Rose, why do you keep that straw doll here?”
She said, “Roy, I know this doll doesn’t look like much. There is a secret about this doll. It belonged to a princess.”
Roy looked at the doll made of straw. It had blue button eyes and a torn red dress. He asked, “Rose, are you sure about this doll? Why would a princess own a doll like this? It is so plain.”
Rose explained, “Yes, Roy. I’m sure she was a princess. I overheard someone call her a princess. It was last spring. A man and a little girl came to the meadow. The man was fishing in the Summer Star River. The little girl played in the flowers.
Then, she played with the toys in her bag. She took out a straw doll and two teddy bears. She sat them in a circle and put a teapot in the center. She gave each of them a cup and a cookie.”
Rose added, “I was perched on a low limb so I could hear and see everything.”
Roy looked at the doll once more. He thought, “This doll isn’t pretty. It doesn’t even have any hair or shoes.”
Rose continued, “It was getting late in the day. The man showed the little girl the fish he had caught. Then, he told her it was time to pack up her toys. The little girl put her things away but she wasn’t careful when she closed the bag.”
Rose smiled at Roy. She said, “That is when I found the doll that fell from her bag. As they left the meadow, the man said, ‘Come. It’s time to leave, princess.’ The man must be her father so he would know the truth. That is how I know that this lost doll belonged to a princess.”
Activities Coloring Pages Word Puzzles Word Treasures Return to the Story
There is a secret about this doll. It belonged to a princess.