Hazel the Curious Squirrel

In a lush green forest, lived a small, curious squirrel. His name was Hazel. Hazel loved to play. He would leap and bound, jumping from branch to branch.

Hazel loved his home very much. "My forest is so beautiful!" he would say. He would smell the colorful flowers and watch the sparkling stream.

One day, Hazel saw something shiny. "What's this?" he wondered. It was a plastic bottle. It looked so ugly next to the pretty flowers!

Hazel walked a little further. He heard a rustling sound. "What's that?" he asked. It was a plastic bag caught in a bush!

Hazel felt very sad. "My beautiful forest is getting dirty!" he said. His eyes filled with tears. He didn't want to play anymore.

Just then, he heard a voice: "Hoo hoo! Why are you sad, little squirrel?" It was the Wise Owl, sitting on a branch of a tree.

"Our forest is getting dirty!" said Hazel. The Wise Owl said, "This is litter, Hazel. Litter harms our forest. We must keep our home clean."

Hazel thought and thought... Then he shouted happily, "Then let's clean it up!" He started to push a piece of litter with his tiny paws.

Seeing him, his friend Hoppy the Rabbit came to help. "I will help too!" he said. Together, they gathered the litter.

Soon, all their friends arrived. Everyone helped. The forest was clean and sparkling again. Together they all cheered with joy: "Protecting nature is a job for everyone!"