Little Rabbit had a bright blue cap. The cap was small and smooth. It fit right on her head. It meant, "You keep the surprise safe." Little Rabbit felt proud. She smiled. She put the cap on.
The surprise was a gift box under the old oak tree. Friends were coming soon. The box was tied with a red ribbon. Inside were tiny paper stars and a soft song. Little Rabbit hopped in the grass. She sat by the box. She watched.
"Can you help me watch?" she asked. "Look with your eyes. Look with your ears."
Duck paddled by. "Quack. I will look!" said Duck. Squirrel clipped from the tree. "I will help too!" said Squirrel. Bear ambled slow. Cat padded soft. All the friends stood near.
Sudden, a small sound. A tiny leaf fell. Little Rabbit looked. She found a crumb near the ribbon. "Who left this crumb?" she wondered. Duck blinked. Squirrel sniffed. Bear tapped the ground. Cat twitched her whiskers.
Clue one: the crumb. Clue two: a small paw print on the dirt. Clue three: a strip of blue yarn under the oak root. "We are detectives," said Little Rabbit. "Let us look."
They looked high and low. They looked by the stone. They looked by the pond. They looked behind the bush with yellow flowers. Little Rabbit asked, "Do you see the ribbon moved? Is the box's lid a bit loose?"
"Yes," said Cat. "A little loose."
"Who could be curious?" asked Little Rabbit. "We must ask kindly."
They sat in a friendly circle. One by one they asked, "Did you take a star? Did you play with the ribbon?"
Squirrel looked down. His hands were sticky. His cheeks had tiny jam bits. He whispered, "I wanted to see the stars. I did take one. I am sorry."
Little Rabbit touched Squirrel's paw. "Thank you for telling," she said. "Thank you for being honest."
Squirrel helped put things back. He smoothed the ribbon. He set the star in the box. Duck sang a small song. Bear rolled a pinecone into place. Cat curled and watched.
Little Rabbit kept her blue cap straight. She wrote a note. She said the nice things in her note. It said, "We watched. We found clues. We helped. Squirrel told the truth. All is safe." She glued the note to the box. The final report was glued on the box.
Friends smiled. The surprise was safe. Little Rabbit took off her cap and hugged her friends. The sun went soft. All was calm and happy.