Berrynose the Squirrel's Unexpected Friend
Berrynose the Squirrel's Unexpected Friend — an illustrated stories story. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Books.
Page 1
"Berrynose, hurry!" squeaked Pip, his small voice echoing through the metallic corridors. Berrynose, a young squirrel with a penchant for stargazing, adjusted his oversized goggles. "Coming, Pip! Just admiring Nebula Nibblers," he called back, his gaze fixed on the swirling, candy-colored cosmos visible through the space station's viewport. The station hummed, a symphony of whirs and clicks. "We don't want to be late for Professor Stellaris's nebula navigation lecture!"
Page 2
Professor Stellaris, a wizened owl with spectacles perched on his feathery nose, tapped a holographic projector. "Today, we'll learn about 'Nebula Lensing,'" he hooted. Pip chirped, bouncing excitedly. Berrynose scribbled furiously in his notepad. "Pay close attention, Berrynose," Pip whispered. "Legend says that navigators can locate a hidden 'Candy Comet' with that knowledge."
Page 3
"'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,' Confucius once said," Berrynose announced thoughtfully, adjusting his goggles. "So, Pip, should we start our search for the Candy Comet?" Pip ruffled his feathers, eager for adventure. "Let's do it! Imagine all the delicious sweets!" Professor Stellaris overheard them. "Be warned," he said gravely, "the nebula currents are unpredictable. Few who seek the Comet ever return."
Page 4
Their small spacecraft, the 'Nutty Navigator,' zipped into the nebula. "According to Professor Stellaris's notes, we need to find a sector with high 'sugar-particle density,'" Berrynose explained, tapping on a sensor panel. Suddenly, the Navigator lurched violently! "Asteroid field!" Pip shrieked. "Brace yourself!"
Page 5
Dodging the asteroids, Berrynose noticed something peculiar. "Pip, look!" he exclaimed. Embedded in one of the asteroids was a crystalline structure. "It's a 'Sugar Crystal Compass!'" Pip chirped. "Professor Stellaris mentioned that ancient nebula navigators used these to find the Candy Comet!" He added, "They align to the magnetic field of pure sugar..."
Page 6
Suddenly, a booming voice filled the Navigator's cabin. "Intruders!" A massive, grumpy-looking space slug emerged from behind a giant asteroid. "The Candy Comet is mine!" it bellowed. The Navigator shuddered as the slug fired a sticky goo at their ship. "We're trapped!" Pip cried. "This is worse than I thought!"
Page 7
"Think, Berrynose, think!" Pip urged, frantically pecking at the ship's controls. Berrynose stared at the Sugar Crystal Compass. "The slug hates pure sugar, right?" he pondered aloud. "If we can amplify the compass's signal..." He grabbed a focusing lens from his telescope. "Pip, recalibrate the main deflector dish! Point it at the slug, and I'll focus the compass's energy!"
Page 8
Berrynose focused the lens. A beam of pure, concentrated sugar energy shot from the Navigator, hitting the space slug. The slug shrieked and recoiled. "The signal is working!" Pip cried. "It hates pure sugar!" Berrynose shouted, "Like Helen Keller said, 'Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it!'" With one final blast, the slug retreated into the nebula depths.
Page 9
Following the Sugar Crystal Compass, they arrived at a shimmering, sugary planetoid. "The Candy Comet!" Pip exclaimed, eyes wide with glee. It was a comet made entirely of sweets! Lollipops, chocolate asteroids, and gumdrop rings floated around them. "We did it, Berrynose!"
Page 10
"We learned that even the grumpiest space slug can be defeated with a little ingenuity," Berrynose said, smiling. Pip nodded. "And that working together is sweeter than any candy!" He hopped onto Berrynose's shoulder. "But next time, maybe we take a safer route?" Berrynose chuckled, gazing at the nebula. "Perhaps, Pip, perhaps."
About this story
- Audience: kids (ages 6–12)