The meadow glowed gold in the morning sun. Finn sat on a flat stone near the library steps, his green picture book open on his lap.
Finn flipped through the pages. His webbed feet tapped a happy rhythm. He sounded out the words: 'cat… dog…' Then he heard footsteps crunching on the path and closed the book with a soft thud.
A badger, a rabbit, and a squirrel came puffing down the path. They stopped in front of Finn and peered at his book.
'Read us the frog story!' they chimed. Finn shook his head and hopped backward. His webbed feet slipped on the damp grass. The three friends stepped closer, their voices overlapping.
Finn took a deep breath. He opened the book and pointed to the first word. His voice was a whisper. 'Frog.'
He tried again, louder: 'F-R-O-G… frog!' A ladybug crawled onto the page, her red spots bright against the letters.
Finn read about a frog who jumped into a muddy pie. The badger, the rabbit, and the squirrel giggled at every slip and slide.
Finn added a silly croak to the story. The book seemed to glow, and the frog on the page wiggled its legs.
Finn closed the book and hopped to a lily pad in the pond. He let out a loud ribbit that echoed across the water.
The ripples carried his happy sound to the waiting friends on the bank.
The next morning, Finn sat with his friends again. He opened the book and began to read. His voice was clear and strong.
Finn read and read, and the meadow listened. Every word came out bright and true.