Barnaby Rabbit Stories Read online

  “I’m sorry Mrs Christmas,” said the elf. “I couldn’t find a doctor, and besides, young Barnaby here says that his mum is better than any real doctor. If Father Christmas will see him, then maybe Barnaby can tell his mum what’s needed.”

  “I suppose we have no choice if the presents are to be delivered this year. Follow me,” said Mrs Christmas, and she rushed as quickly as her legs could carry her up a winding staircase that led to the top of the castle.

  Long before they arrived at Father Christmas’s bedroom, a loud coughing could be heard. Wheeze wheeze, cough cough, wheeze wheeze, and so it went on, echoing all around the castle.

  A toy soldier opened the bedroom door and they entered. Lying on a large bed was Father Christmas.

  “The poor dear has been like this for days,” said Mrs Christmas. “I just don’t know what to do.” She looked at Barnaby, “I’m very sorry little rabbit, I didn’t mean to be rude to you. Father Christmas has never missed Christmas Eve before.”

  Barnaby said that no apology was necessary, and he was sure that his mother’s medicine would save the day. He put his hand in his coat pocket and tried hard to think. “The cough sweets!” he shouted. “I’ve got the cough sweets. Here, Father Christmas, suck one of these. My mum made them and they’ll get rid of any cough.”

  Father Christmas opened his mouth and Barnaby popped one of the cough sweets in, then they all waited. Wheeze, wheeze, cough… Silence. No coughing, no wheezing.

  “My young rabbit,” said Father Christmas, “that is wonderful.”

  “Here’s another one,” said Barnaby. “Keep it with you just in case, although you should be alright.”

  “Well my dear,” said Father Christmas to Mrs Christmas, “the presents will be delivered after all thanks to this remarkable young rabbit and his mother.”

  “And me,” said the wood elf. “I found him!”

  Father Christmas let out a loud “Ho, Ho, Ho.” and arranged for Barnaby Rabbit to have something warm to eat and drink before the long journey home to Orange Blossom Wood.

  “We mustn’t let Mrs Rabbit worry about her young Barnaby,” said Father Christmas. “And, as everyone knows, Father Christmas won’t come down the chimney unless the children are asleep! So off you go Barnaby, and a Merry Christmas.”

  Barnaby said his goodbyes and was soon flying home in the strange craft. It was almost dark when they arrived back at Orange Blossom Wood. The elf landed right on the edge of the meadow so that Barnaby wouldn’t have to wear the blindfold. After waving goodbye to the elf, Barnaby made his way home.

  “Goodness me, you’ve been a long time,” said Mrs Rabbit. “How is Father Christmas?”

  “He’s much better now that he’s had one of your cough sweets,” replied Barnaby, then, sitting next to his mother, in front of a warm fire, Barnaby told her all about his exciting journey in the strange flying craft piloted by the wood elf. And the gigantic ice castle where Father Christmas lives with Mrs Christmas. And how the cough sweet worked almost straight away.

  But all too soon, Barnaby Rabbit was yawning. It was time for sleep. Barnaby, tired, but still excited, put his Christmas stocking on the end of his bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

  Next morning, Christmas morning, Barnaby awoke and rushed to the Christmas stocking. It felt very light. He put his head inside it. Then, further inside it. The stocking was empty. Barnaby showed the empty stocking to his mother. “Maybe the cough sweet didn’t work long enough,” he said. “And maybe Father Christmas didn’t get to deliver the presents after all.”

  Mrs Rabbit tried to comfort her son. “Never mind love, at least you tried, and there’s always next year.”

  Barnaby agreed, although he was rather unhappy at not getting any presents. “Can I go and tell my pals about the cough sweets mum?” he asked.

  “Of course you can, but wrap up warm, it’s been snowing again.”

  Barnaby opened the front door and what he saw…. Well, he nearly fell over. Outside, on the snow was a large parcel with his name on it, and a message. It read: To Barnaby Rabbit, a Special Present From Father Christmas.

  “Mum, MUM!” he called. “He’s been. Father Christmas has been!”

  Before you could say, Dorothy Boggy Bottoms, Barnaby had demolished all the wrapping paper and standing back, he looked at his present in total amazement. Before him was a large model of the strange craft that the wood elf had taken him in to see Father Christmas.

  Lights flashed, knobs turned, levers pulled and switches switched. It was beautiful. Of course, it couldn’t fly. Only the real one could do that! But Barnaby didn’t care; it was the best Christmas present ever!

  The End

  Barnaby Rabbit Plays Hide and Seek.

  “Eight, nine, ten. Coming, ready or not!” called Barnaby Rabbit, who was playing his favourite game in Orange Blossom wood with his friends; the Big Badger, Sammy Squirrel, Peter Partridge, Harry Hedgehog and Philipa Pheasant.

  Barnaby opened his eyes and looked around. All his friends had disappeared. ‘I wonder where they are,’ he thought. He looked inside the big hollow log. There was no-one there. He looked up into the old oak tree.

  “I can see you!” he called, as he noticed Sammy’s tail hanging out from a hole in the tree trunk.

  “Oh dear,” said Sammy. “I guess my tail is too bushy.”

  Then Barnaby saw a large something trying to hide behind some daffodils. “See you!” he called.

  “Oh dear,” said the Big Badger. “I’m just too big to hide behind flowers.”

  Nearby, was a small pile of leaves. Barbaby walked over and prodded them. “Ouch!” he said. “I bet that is Harry Hedgehog under there.”

  “Oh dear,” said Harry. “I guess I’m too prickly.

  Walking further into the wood, Barnaby had an idea. “Philipa Pheasant, where are you?” he called.

  “Over here,” came the reply. “Oh dear, said Philipa. “I guess I’m too silly.”

  But where was Peter Partridge? Barnaby Rabbit looked everywhere, and eventually gave up.

  “He’s on your head!” cried his friends.

  “Oh dear,” said Peter Partridge. “I guess I’m just too clever!”

  Everyone laughed. It was such a good game, they decided to play it again.

  The End

  Barnaby Rabbit and the Digging Machine.

  It was so cold in Orange Blossom wood that every log, twig and blade of grass was covered in white. Everywhere shimmered and sparkled in the early morning sunlight. Barnaby Rabbit looked outside and shivered.

  “Gosh Mum, has it been snowing?”

  Mrs Rabbit joined Barnaby at the window. “No Barnaby,” she said, “it hasn't been snowing, but it does look like Jack Frost has been very busy in the night.”

  “Jack Frost?” replied Barnaby, snug ling up against his mother's warm fur. “I've never seen him. What does he look like?”

  “Nobody knows. He is never seen because he works so fast, but we always know when he has been.”

  Barnaby Rabbit stared at the frost, wishing it was snow, but at the same time, wondering how Jack Frost managed to cover everything and yet, not be seen. As these thoughts moved around in Barnaby’s head, he saw in the distance, underneath a large oak tree, Sammy Squirrel clawing the ground, move around a little, stop, claw the ground, move, stop, and claw the ground again. Barnaby was fascinated by this and asked his mummy if he could go out to see exactly what Sammy Squirrel was doing.

  “Of course you can,” said Mrs Rabbit. “But you make sure you wrap up really warm. It's bitterly cold today.”

  ‘Mum is right, it really is cold today,’ thought Barnaby as he stepped outside. “What are you doing?” he asked, as Sammy Squirrel clawed at yet another piece of hard ground.

  “I’m hungry,” replied Sammy, without stopping for a moment to look at his friend. “I have buried lots of acorns, and now I can’t get them because the ground is so hard.”

  “Burying acorns seems a silly thing to do
,” said Barnaby, laughing so much, that he fell over.

  Sammy Squirrel suddenly stopped and looked at his friend. “You don’t know much about squirrels do you?”

  Barnaby Rabbit slowly shook his head and got to his feet, feeling a little ashamed that he had laughed at his friend.

  “Well, we squirrels wait for the acorns to fall from the tree, and then we bury them in the ground so we can eat them when it’s winter, but sometimes, they are hard to find, and this frozen ground is making it very hard indeed.”

  Barnaby Rabbit stood perfectly still. Only the twitching of the whiskers at the end of his nose could be seen to move. Barnaby was deep in thought. "What you need,” he said, “Is a digging machine!”

  “A digging machine!” exclaimed Sammy Squirrel. “Where are we going to find one of those?”

  “I know just the place. You wait here and I’ll be back as soon as I can,” shouted Barnaby, as he ran off into the woods.

  It was quite some time before Barnaby Rabbit arrived back at the oak tree.

  “I thought you were going to get a digging machine,” said Sammy Squirrel, looking very disappointed.

  “I have,” replied Barnaby. “I’ve brought my friend Ben. He is the best digging machine in Orange Blossom Wood.”

  Ben was a big badger who used to play tricks on other woodland folk, by jumping out from behind a bush or tree and shouting 'Boo!' But now, everybody knew Ben to be a kind, helpful badger, and he began to dig away at the hard frosty ground with his strong claws

  Many holes were dug and many acorns were found, much to the delight of Sammy Squirrel. “He’s found some, he’s found some,” he cried, unable to contain his excitement.

  Sammy put so many acorns into his mouth that his cheeks puffed out like furry balloons. He then ran as fast as he could, straight up the oak tree and disappeared into a hole in the tree-trunk. He did this several times before stopping, at which time, he was quite out of breath.

  “Thank you so much, I don’t know what I would have done without you and your digging machine,” he said to Barnaby Rabbit, and then went over to thank Ben.

  After a quick game of ‘hide the acorn’, the three friends parted company and Barnaby Rabbit went home.

  “Was that Ben Badger I saw you with today?” asked Mrs Rabbit, as she put some wood on the fire.

  “No Mum,” Barnaby said, laughing. “That was Ben Badger the Digging Machine.”

  The End