1Bramble was the fastest little bunny in Buttercup Meadow. He hopped so quickly that his ears flapped and the wind whistled past his whiskers. "Faster, faster!" was his favorite thing to say.
2One morning Bramble zoomed across the meadow to reach the big oak tree. He got there first, of course. But when his friends arrived, they were all smiling about something he had missed.
3"Did you see the butterflies by the stream?" asked one friend. "No," said Bramble. "I hopped right past." "Did you smell the honeysuckle?" asked another. "No," said Bramble. "I was going too fast."
4Bramble sat down in the grass. He had won the race to the oak tree, but he had missed everything along the way. Somehow, that did not feel like winning at all.
5The next morning, Bramble tried something new and rather difficult for a fast bunny. He hopped slowly. One hop, then a pause, then another gentle hop.
6And oh, what he found! A ladybug with seven tiny spots. A dewdrop shining on a leaf like a little jewel. A soft patch of clover that smelled like green sunshine.
7His friends caught up to him, surprised. "You're going so slowly today, Bramble!" "I know," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "I didn't want to miss anything."
8That night, Bramble curled up in his cozy burrow, his heart full of butterflies and honeysuckle and seven-spotted ladybugs. Fast was fun, he thought sleepily. But slow was full of wonders. Goodnight, Bramble. Goodnight.
