In the bright, wiggly town of Tumbleton, Pip wakes up. Pip is three. She has the biggest laugh in her street and the smallest shoes. Today, Pip wants to go to Grandma Dot's house. Grandma Dot lives behind the giggle bush, next to the hiccup pond.
Pip stands at her door with her little backpack. “I want to find a shortcut,” she says to her cat, Crumble. Crumble blinks. He is orange and stripy and likes sardines. “A shortcut, Pip?” says Crumble, hopping to her feet. “That means we get there faster, right?”
Pip nods. Her pigtails bounce. But Pip is very clever. She wants a shortcut that is... longer. She giggles. “Let's find a shortcut that makes the walk more fun!”
Off they go, skipping past the blue mailbox and the wobbly fence. Pip sings, “Shortcut, shortcut, which way now?” Crumble curls his tail. “Try the left path!” he miaows.
The left path is twisty. It passes under the tickle tree, where leaves laugh in the wind. Pip stops. Something glitters in the grass. “Look, Crumble!” she squeals. “What's this?”
She picks up two little boots. They are red with green buttons. The boots wiggle in her hands. “Dancing boots!” says Crumble, licking his whiskers. “Try them on, Pip!”
Pip slips her feet inside. The boots start to jiggle. Pip's toes tingle. The boots begin to hop! Pip hops. Crumble hops. The boots hop and skip and spin in big, silly circles.
“Are we going the right way?” asks Crumble, a bit dizzy. Pip laughs, “I don't know! These boots want to boogie!”
The boots hop left, then right, then backward. They bounce over a puddle full of giggling frogs. “Hello, frogs!” sings Pip. The frogs ribbit and clap.
Past the puddle, the boots stomp through the giggle bush. Pip and Crumble pop out with leaves in their hair. “This is a very funny shortcut,” says Crumble.
“It's a shortcut that's very, very long!” Pip grins. The boots march up a tiny hill, then twirl Pip down. She lands in a soft pile of dandelions. “Whoops!” Pip cries, and she giggles again.
Suddenly, the boots stop. Pip stands still. There is a little door in the ground. It has a shiny knob. “What's this?” Pip asks.
Crumble sniffs. “Maybe a shortcut to the shortcut!” he says.
Pip knocks. The door pops open. Out peeks a round mouse with a sparkly hat. “Hello!” says the mouse. “Are you here for the shortcut?”
Pip nods. “But our shortcut is very long,” she says.
The mouse winks. “All the best shortcuts are,” he says. “Would you like a snack for your journey?” He hands Pip a cookie shaped like a star. Crumble gets a fishy biscuit.
“Thank you, funny mouse!” Pip says.
The boots wiggle. Pip and Crumble wave goodbye and skip on. They sing, “Shortcut, shortcut, where will you go? Fast or slow, we never know!”
Suddenly, the sky grows sparkly. Little stars start to fall. The stars twinkle and bounce on the grass, making funny noises. “Boing! Plonk! Whee!” Pip laughs and tries to catch them. Crumble bats at a star with his paw.
A star lands on Pip's nose. It tickles. Pip giggles so much she falls over. “Crumble!” she laughs, “This shortcut is the best kind of silly!”
As they walk, the boots slow down. They march to the end of the path. Ahead is Grandma Dot's house, with smoke curling from the chimney.
Grandma Dot waits at the gate. She claps her hands. “You took the long way, didn't you, my clever Pip?” she says.
Pip hugs Grandma Dot. “We found dancing boots, a mouse, and raining stars!” she says.
Crumble purrs. “And lots of laughs!” he adds.
Grandma Dot smiles. “Every way to my house is the right way, as long as you're smiling.”
Pip takes off the magic boots. “They want to dance for someone else now,” she says gently. She places them by the gate.
The last star falls, making a soft “pop!” The sun peeks out. Pip, Crumble, and Grandma Dot sit together, warm and happy.
Pip sighs. “I like long shortcuts best,” she says.
Grandma Dot nods. “Sometimes, the longest way is the happiest way.”
Crumble stretches. “And the funniest!”
They all laugh as the sky sparkles. Pip feels safe, silly, and loved. The shortcut is over, but the giggles keep going, all the way to bedtime.
