cover
At the sunny riverbank, Barney the Beaver stands atop a mossy stone, green-and-gold leaf wings strapped to his arms. Other beavers stack mud nearby as he prepares to leap toward the shimmering water below.
Barney the Beaver sat by the river, staring at the clouds while other beavers stacked mud. "I want to fly!" he whispered. He gathered green and gold leaves and tied them together with vines. "Look at my wings!" Barney announced. The older beavers shook their heads. Barney climbed a mossy stone and jumped. SPLASH! He landed in the mud. The beavers laughed. "Silly Barney," they said. But Barney smiled through the mud. His dream was still alive in his heart.
In a late-afternoon forest clearing, Barney the Beaver crouches over a dirt rocket sketch while Paul the Pug piles sticks and wire beside him, and Oscar the Owl perches on a branch studying the design. Sun-dappled leaves frame their workshop.
Paul the Pug trotted from the nearby campsite carrying a bundle. "I heard a splash! Are you okay, Barney?" he asked. Barney nodded sadly. "I want to fly, but my wings broke." Paul dropped sticks, string, and shiny wire. "Let's build something better!" Oscar the Owl swooped down from his tree. "I know about wind and flying," Oscar hooted wisely. "We can help you!" Barney's eyes sparkled. Together, they began sketching plans in the dirt. "A wooden rocket ship!" Barney cheered.
At the flooded riverside beneath a night sky, the toppled pine-wood rocket lies half-broken while Barney the Beaver hammers a plank, Paul the Pug steadies it, and Oscar the Owl lights the scene with the campfire. Mud surrounds them.
For days, they hammered and glued. They used pine wood, sticky sap, and Paul's wire. The rocket ship stood tall and proud! Then dark clouds rolled in. Thunder boomed! Rain poured down, flooding the river. CRASH! The storm knocked the rocket over. "Barney, forget your toys! Help us stack mud!" his father called. Barney's heart sank. Paul nudged him gently. "Don't give up now." Oscar added, "Storms always pass, my friend." By campfire light, they worked through the night, fixing every broken piece.
In the morning light at the riverside clearing, the wooden rocket rises on glowing engines while Barney the Beaver smiles through a window port. Below, Paul the Pug and Oscar the Owl wave amid cheering beavers and pine trees.
Morning sun broke through the clouds. The rocket ship gleamed, stronger than before. Barney climbed inside nervously. "You can do this!" Paul barked happily. Oscar nodded wisely. "Believe in yourself." Barney pressed the button. The engines hummed and rumbled. Suddenly, the rocket lifted off! Higher and higher Barney soared, above the river and trees. "I'm flying! I'm really flying!" he shouted joyfully. Below, all the beavers cheered and waved. Dreams really do come true with courage and good friends.