Once upon a time there lived a family of furry white rabbits. They lived in a hole in the ground.
Skippy the rabbit was smaller than his brothers, Hoppy and Jumpy. He was also a little bit clumsy, because a wild dog hurt his leg while chasing after him when he was a tiny, fluffy bunny.
As the rabbit brothers grew older, it was time for Father Rabbit to teach his sons what he knows.
“First we will start with basic things, like hunting for food. Let’s go find some lettuce.”
“You are too small. You won’t be able to hunt for food,” said Hoppy, looking at Skippy with a big, fat sneer on his face.
“I can,” answered Skippy. But when he had to fetch a pile of lettuce leaves, he was so nervous, trying to prove them wrong, that he dropped his lettuce leaves on the muddy ground and had to start all over again.
“See, you can’t,” said Jumpy, as he pulled Skippy’s ear.
“Now, let’s learn how to give our enemies a big fat kick if they dare come near us,” said Father Rabbit.
“You can’t,” sang the brothers.
“I can,” answered Skippy. But as he tried to kick his bad leg gave in under him, and he fell with his face in the mud.
“See, we told you you can’t,” said his bruothers, as they practiced their new kicking skill on him. This caused him to fall back in the mud.
By this time he was no longer white, and big wet tears streaked down his brown, muddy cheeks. When Mother Rabbit saw the state he was in, she scolded him. Poor Skippy. Could things get any worse?
“Today I am going to teach you one of the most important skills a rabbit needs,” said Father Rabbit. “One day you will be grown-up like me, and you’ll have to build a house for your family. You will need to build a hole. Let’s start.”
Hoppy and Jumpy dug two deep and cozy holes. “Look at that,” they said to Skippy. “You won’t be able to do that,” they laughed.
“You’re right,” said the miserable Skippy, and lay on a grassy patch. He lay there, crying, until he eventually cried himself to sleep.
“Toohoo, toohoo,” he heard. As he looked up, he saw Beady the owl. “Go away,” he snapped. “I was sleeping.”
“Toohoo, toohoo. Whoo are yoou?” said Beady.
“I am Skippy the small, useless rabbit that can’t do anything right.”
“Toohoo, toohoo, is that really true?”
“Yes. I can’t hunt for food, I can’t kick, and I can’t dig a hole.”
“Toohoo, toohoo, a wolf was watching, toohoo. He saw your family live. He knows where your hole is, and he’s coming tonight. Toohoo, toohoo!)
Beady left Skippy there to think about what he said.
“What will I do? I’m useless,” he asked himself. “But I have to try. I love my family.
So he used all his strength, and soon had a deep and cozy hole.
“Next, I have to get some food. My family better not go hunting, in case the wolf gets them,” he thought.
So he gathered together all the lettuce he could. “Hmm, that looks nice. Thanks for the meal,” said Springy, a rabbit from another family.
“No you can’t eat this,” said Skippy. “Our family is in danger, and we need this food to survive.”
“You don’t get to tell me what I can’t do, little mouse,” said Springy, trying to grab the lettuce.
Fwapp! Skippy balanced himself nicely and gave the bully a mighty kick, sending him rolling in the mud. “Sorry, what was that?” he grinned.
Skippy got his new home ready and ran to fetch his family. “Come quick,” he said. “A wolf saw us train and knows where we live. We must move.”
“Where will we go,” asked Mother Rabbit.
“Just come,” said Skippy. “I will show you.”
In the distance they heard the howl of the wolf. Suddenly they believed Skippy, and ran with all their might.
They found an impressive hole. “I wonder who built this,” said Father Rabbit. “I did,” said Skippy. “No way,” said the brothers
They saw the food laid out. “Hmm, I wonder whose house we’re in. There is so much food here. Where does it come from?” said Mother Rabbit. “I brought the food,” said Skippy. “”Stop telling lies,” his brothers snapped.
“It’s true,” said a voice in the corner. “I’m Springy, and I saw everything. I saw Skippy build this hole. I saw him fetch all this yummy food. I was hungry and tried to take it from him. He gave me such a kick that I’ve been unconscious till a few minutes ago.”
“Skippy, you can,” said Hoppy and Jumpy.
“I’m proud of you, my son,” beamed Father Rabbit.
Skippy was shocked. “Wow. It’s true,” he said. “I really can!” He went to sleep with a big smile on his face.
Moral: You may be smaller, uglier, different from your friends. You are still you and that makes you special. That makes you a winner. You can! Don’t believe the people who laugh at you. Believe that you can.
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