Leo the mouse was a very polite mouse. He lived under the floorboards of Old Man Tiber’s bakery, and he loved the smell of warm blueberry muffins. One afternoon, little Lily dropped a plump, juicy blueberry right near Leo’s hole. It was the biggest blueberry Leo had ever seen!
Lily giggled. “Here you go, little mouse!” she said. Leo, being a polite mouse, scurried out and took the blueberry. It was SO good! He nibbled and munched, and when he was finished, he felt a little…thirsty.
He peeked up at Lily. “If you give a mouse a blueberry,” Leo squeaked (though Lily couldn’t understand the words), “he’s going to want a tiny drop of water!” Lily, being a very kind girl, understood perfectly. She carefully dripped a little water from her water bottle near Leo’s hole.
Leo lapped up the water. Ah, much better! But now his whiskers were a little sticky. “If you give a mouse a blueberry *and* water,” Leo thought, “he’s going to want something to wipe his whiskers with!” He spotted a soft, fluffy piece of cotton from Lily’s art project.
He tugged at the cotton, and Lily, seeing what he was trying to do, gently handed him a small piece. Leo cleaned his whiskers, feeling very grateful. But now, the cotton was covered in blueberry juice! “If you give a mouse a blueberry, water, and something to wipe his whiskers,” Leo realized, “he’s going to want a place to put the messy cotton!”
Lily smiled and showed him a tiny, empty teacup. Leo carefully placed the cotton inside. Now, the teacup looked a little lonely. “If you give a mouse a blueberry, water, a whisker-wiper, and a teacup,” Leo thought, “he’s going to want a tiny blueberry muffin to go with his tea!”
Lily laughed. She didn’t have a whole muffin, but she crumbled a tiny piece of one and put it near the teacup. Leo nibbled the muffin crumb, feeling very happy and full. He helped Lily tidy up the crumbs, pushing them into a little pile with his nose.
Finally, Leo felt sleepy. All that blueberry goodness had made him very tired. He snuggled into a cozy corner near Lily’s feet. “If you give a mouse a blueberry,” he yawned, “he’s going to want a nice, quiet place to rest.” Lily gently stroked his head. She knew that being kind and helpful made everyone feel good, especially a little mouse after a delicious treat.
And as Lily drifted off to sleep, she knew that even the smallest act of kindness could lead to a very sweet dream. She smiled, thinking about Leo, the polite mouse, and his love for blueberries. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.