In case you didn't know a certain member of the family (initials BJ) was called Cuddle Bunny (at least by me) when she was little.  Will she thank me for reminding her of this - that remains to be seen.  It seems I had to make up another story, probably to get her to take a nap again.

BJ CUDDLEBUNNY


Where's my cuddlebunny?" Papa asked as he sat with the big story book. He patted the small space next to him in his reading chair, and BJ slipped in.

At times like this she thought it was very special and fun to be little. In whole family she was the only one who fit in that little space next to Papa. When he read to them, she got to see the pictures in the book first.

When Mama made cookies, BJ could have the spoon all to herself. Her brothers and sisters had to share the bowl.

Sometimes, though she did not think it was so great to be the littlest. She was not tall enough to reach the cookie jar when Mama put it up on the second shelf. Papa always told her that little bunnies should to stay out of the way when he was working with his tools.

The worst thing of all was that because she was so little she often got overlooked, and left out. No one asked BJ to come along when her sisters went berry�picking. Most of the time they didn't even think about her, and if she asked to go they said no.

"After all, she's too little to reach the tops of the bushes. Besides she couldn't carry many berries anyway," Suzie or Amie would say.

When the other bunnies played games in the meadow they ran and jumped faster and farther than BJ could. She was usually left far behind.

"Wait for me," she'd call as her brothers and sisters hopped away laughing. They never did wait, though.

One day after they left her behind again BJ hopped sadly off in the opposite direction. The only company she had was her favorite bunny-doll, Peaches.

In short time, without even noticing where she was going, she came to the berry patch where her sisters always went. Sitting under a bush she watered the bush with her tears as she talked to Peaches.

"I didn't want to play their silly games," she said. "But it would have been nice if they had asked anyway."

Peaches agreed, naturally. She always agreed with Bj in her own silent way.

They sat together a short while before BJ noticed that there were lots of ripe berries on the underside of the bush she was under. Her sisters had just picked every berry they could find just two days earlier.

BJ ate her fill of berries, and there were still lots left. She decided to take a surprise home for Mama, and Papa.

Maybe she'd even share some with the others if they asked nicely enough. She would clean off the bottom branches of several bushes, and show them that little bunnies could help too.

With long strings of grass that grew nearby she wove a basket that she lined with moss, and filled with berries. BJ placed another layer of damp moss on top to keep them cool. Then she put on a layer of dry soft grass so Peaches could sit comfortably on top for the trip home.

She stopped a couple of times on the way home to pick flowers for Mama, and some mushrooms for Papa's supper. "Listen to all that noise in the valley." %GMK%She said to Peaches as they got closer to home.

At the top of the hill above her home she stopped to watch her brothers and sisters running all over. It looked as though they were involved in some sort of scavenger hunt as they looked into hollow logs and under every bush. All the while they were yelling back and forth to each other.

"Over there?"

"No, not here. How about there?"

As she started down the hill BJ heard a couple of shouts at once; "Look - Up there!"

Suddenly everyone was running straight at her.

"Oh no, Stop!" she called, afraid that they would spill her berries.

In short order her family was all around her, asking; "Where have you been? Why didn't you tell anyone where you were going? What's in the basket?" (The last question came from one brother whose nose had noticed a sweet smell coming from that covered basket.) Before she could answer any of the questions Mama was there looking concerned, and Papa looking very stern.

BJ gave them her basket, after taking Peaches out, of course. She told them where she had gone, and why; trying not to sound mean about it. She couldn't help gloating just a little when she told them about the berries on the bottom of the bushes.

"See, Mama, I could be a big help finding the berries the taller bunnies don't see."

Papa had a very strict lecture for her about going off on her own. Although she pointed out that she wasn't all alone; Peaches was with her the whole time, BJ understood and promised she wouldn't do it again.

The whole family enjoyed special berry turnovers for dessert that night after a lovely salad with sliced mushrooms.

All of the problems of being the littlest didn't change but the others did make more effort to include her in their plans at least sometimes, especially on berry picking trips.