Sammy the squirrel was a very busy squirrel. All autumn, he’d been collecting nuts! He gathered acorns, walnuts, and hazelnuts, and he hid them all in his cozy tree hollow. Sammy loved nuts more than anything in the world. He thought, 'These are *my* nuts, and I don't want to share!'
One chilly evening, as the sun began to set, Sammy was counting his nuts. He had a huge pile! Just then, he heard a tiny sniffle. He peeked out of his tree and saw Rosie Rabbit and Barnaby Bear. They looked very sad.
'What's wrong?' Sammy asked, trying not to think about his precious nuts.
Rosie Rabbit explained, 'We couldn't find enough berries today, and Barnaby's tummy is rumbling!' Barnaby Bear nodded sadly. 'I'm so hungry,' he mumbled.
Sammy looked at his enormous pile of nuts. He remembered how happy it felt when his mama squirrel shared berries with him when he was little. He thought about Rosie and Barnaby, cold and hungry. It didn't feel good to have so much when his friends had so little.
Taking a deep breath, Sammy said, 'Wait here!' He scurried back into his tree hollow and gathered a handful of his best walnuts and hazelnuts. He brought them to Rosie and Barnaby.
Rosie and Barnaby’s faces lit up! 'Oh, Sammy, thank you!' Rosie exclaimed. Barnaby happily munched on a walnut. 'These are delicious!'
Sammy felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It felt even better than having a whole pile of nuts to himself! He sat with Rosie and Barnaby, sharing stories and laughing as they ate.
As the stars twinkled in the sky, Sammy yawned. He was tired, but happy. 'Sharing my nuts made me feel so good,' he said.
Rosie and Barnaby yawned too. 'Thank you for being such a good friend, Sammy,' said Rosie. 'Goodnight!'
Sammy snuggled into his nest, surrounded by his remaining nuts. He knew he would still enjoy them, but now he understood that sharing with friends made everything even sweeter. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of happy times with Rosie and Barnaby. And he knew, even though he loved nuts, friendship was the best treasure of all.