Rusty was a big, blue monster truck with enormous tires. He loved doing one thing more than anything else: jumping! He’d zoom across the field, rev his engine, and BOOM! He’d soar into the air. Rusty thought jumping was the BEST, and he liked to jump all by himself.
One sunny afternoon, Lily the little ladybug and Barnaby the bumblebee came to watch Rusty jump. “Wow, Rusty! That looks like so much fun!” buzzed Barnaby. Lily waved her tiny wings excitedly. “Can we try?” she asked.
Rusty frowned. “Hmm… jumping is a *big* truck thing,” he said. “You’re too small! You might get bounced around.” He revved his engine and zoomed off for another jump, leaving Lily and Barnaby feeling a little sad.
But as Rusty jumped and jumped, something felt… different. It wasn’t as fun anymore. He looked over at Lily and Barnaby. They were building a little tower of pebbles, but they weren’t smiling like they were before. Rusty realized jumping wasn’t as joyful when his friends weren’t happy.
Rusty slowly drove back to Lily and Barnaby. “I’m sorry,” he rumbled. “I was being a bit grumpy. Maybe… maybe I can give you a little ride while I jump? You can hold on tight!”
Lily and Barnaby’s faces lit up! Lily carefully climbed onto Rusty’s roof, and Barnaby buzzed around his windshield. Rusty wasn’t able to jump *quite* as high with his friends along for the ride, but it was the most fun he’d ever had! He laughed as they giggled with every bump and bounce.
“This is amazing!” shouted Lily. “Thank you, Rusty!” Barnaby buzzed happily, “Jumping is even better with friends!”
From that day on, Rusty always shared his jumping fun with Lily and Barnaby. He learned that even the biggest, most exciting adventures are better when you share them with the people you care about. And as the sun set, Rusty, Lily, and Barnaby all snuggled together, happy and tired from a day full of jumping and friendship.