The Little Chair with a Broken Leg

By the little river stood a small wooden cottage.

On its door hung a sign—

"Ding-Ding's Toolbox."

Today the sun was shining bright, and the little birds sang on the roof.

Thump... thump... thump—

Baby Bear came walking slowly, hugging a little chair.

"Ding-Ding... Ding-Ding... oh no."

"My little chair went crack, and one of its legs broke right off..."

Baby Bear hugged the little chair tight, tight, tight.

"Daddy made me this little chair."

"I sit on it every day, eating honey and listening to stories."

"Now it can't stand up anymore..."

Baby Bear's lips wobbled, and his eyes went all wet.

Ding-Ding knelt down and patted him gently.

"Does your heart feel all achy, like you want to cry?"

"That feeling," said Ding-Ding, "is called sad.

When your favorite thing gets broken,

your heart feels achy and teary inside,

like a little rain falling in your heart."

Ding-Ding took the little chair and turned it over, and over again.

She looked at the broken leg, too.

Then she jumped up and shouted:

"Broken? Awesome!"

"A-awesome?" Baby Bear's mouth fell wide open.

"That's right!" said Ding-Ding.

"Broken things are just waiting for a brand-new start."

"Come on, let's give this little chair a change!"

Ding-Ding took out her sparkly glue.

Tink-tink-tonk, tink-tink-tonk.

She glued the broken leg—right back on!

"Let Ding-Ding try it first."

She pressed down gently with both paws—

Crack!

The leg popped loose again.

"That's okay, one more time!"

Tink-tink-tonk, tink-tink-tonk.

Ding-Ding made a brand-new wooden leg and put it on.

Huh? The new leg was a tiny bit short.

The little chair leaned to one side—

wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble,

rocking this way and that, it just couldn't stand still.

Baby Bear let out a big sigh.

"Ohh... the little chair can't stand still. Nobody can sit on it now."

Ding-Ding sat down too, and looked at the little chair.

She looked, and looked—and suddenly, she tilted her head—

Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble.

Baby Bear reached out and gave the little chair a gentle push.

The chair rocked forward, rocked back.

"Hee-hee! It's like a little boat rocking on the river."

"Baby Bear, look!" Ding-Ding jumped up, her eyes shining.

"It can't stand still—but rocking is so much fun!"

"We kept trying to make the little chair stand steady—

but a chair that rocks can also become a rocking chair!"

Ding-Ding opened her toolbox.

She dug and dug, looked and looked—found it!

Two pieces of curved wood,

like two curvy moons, like the belly of a little boat.

Tink-tink-tonk, tink-tink-tonk.

First she trimmed all four chair legs nice and even.

Then tap and tap, screw and screw—

she fastened the curved wood tight under the chair's legs.

All done!

"Little chair, off you go!"

Ding-Ding reached out and gave it a gentle push—

Rock forward, rock back,

rocking and rocking, rocking and rocking,

nice and steady—it didn't fall over!

Then it was Baby Bear's turn.

He climbed up onto the rocking chair and rocked and rocked—

"Wow!"

Rock forward, rock back,

like sitting in a little boat, rocking across the river.

"My little chair can play with me now!"

Tink-tink-tonk, tink-tink-tonk.

Ding-Ding tightened the rocking chair's screws,

and polished the curved wood smooth, smooth and shiny.

"All done! Rock it slowly, rock it gently—nice and steady!"

Baby Bear hugged his rocking chair and headed happily home.

"Thank you, Ding-Ding!"

"Daddy's little chair is still here,

and it can still rock with me, back and forth!"

Ding-Ding twirled the wrench in her paw and said with a great big smile:

"See? Broken? Awesome!"

Ding-Ding picked up her toolbox and walked back to her little cottage.

Today, she fixed something again.

No, wait—now there's a brand-new rocking chair:

when Baby Bear eats honey and listens to stories,

it will rock him gently, back and forth.

Tomorrow, what broken treasure will come knocking on her door?