To all the children who see the world with kind eyes,
and to my dear friends 
May you always be brave, gentle, and full of wonder.

One sunny morning, a young squirrel named Nino woke up early. He wanted to explore the big forest. Nino was small but very curious. He packed some nuts in his tiny bag. Suddenly, he heard a sound outside. It was a rabbit! "Hello!" said the rabbit. "My name is Tilly. Can I come with you?"

Nino smiled and said, "Yes, let’s go together!" They walked into the forest side by side. The trees were tall and green. Birds were singing in the sky. Tilly and Nino were happy. They talked and laughed as they walked. Soon, they found a small river. But there was no bridge to cross it.

“We can’t go across,” said Tilly. “But we can find a way,” said Nino. Nino saw some stones nearby. He picked them up one by one. Tilly helped too. Together, they made a path of stones. Step by step, they crossed the river. They were proud of their teamwork.

As they walked deeper into the forest, they heard a strange sound. It was like a cry. “Who is that?” asked Tilly. They followed the sound slowly. Behind a bush, they saw a baby bird. It had fallen from its nest. “Oh no! It’s hurt,” said Nino. They wanted to help.

Nino found soft leaves to make a bed. Tilly gave the bird some water from her bottle. They stayed with the bird for a while. The bird stopped crying. It looked at them and smiled. “We can’t leave it alone,” said Tilly. “Let’s take it to the big oak tree.” That’s where its nest was.

They carried the bird gently. The big oak tree was very tall. But the nest was low enough to reach. Tilly stood on a rock. Nino helped her put the bird back. The bird’s mother came flying! She chirped happily. The bird was safe again.