The Perfect Rock

## **Plot:**

Thunder finds a small blue rock and decides to add it to his rock collection.

## **Transcript:**

**Mouse:** Oh, hi!

Have you ever found something really, really interesting, but you weren't sure what it was?

Well, last week, Thunder found something really nifty that he thought was one thing, but was something else.

It all started one day when he was down by the stream looking for rocks for his rock collection.

**Thunder:** Ooh, this rock is so shiny!

This rock is see-through!

Ooh!

Perfect oval shape, pretty, light-blue color, and it's really big!

This rock is a keeper!

**Mouse:** Yippee!

**Rabbit:** Grabby fluff!

**Mouse:** Good one!

Let's go again!

That doesn't sound good!

**Harriet:** Somebody please help!

**Rabbit:** Uh-oh!

**Mouse:** It's Harriet heron!

**Harriet:** My egg! My egg!

I don't know how it happened.

I just turned my back for a minute and the next thing you know, my beautiful egg was gone!

Oh!

Can you help me?

**Rabbit:** This is a serious problem.

**Mouse:** Don't worry, Harriet.

We'll find your lost egg!

**Rabbit:** For sure!

What does it look like?

**Harriet:** Oh. It's so lovely!

A perfect oval shape, pretty, light-blue color, and it's really big!

**Mouse:** We have to find it, fast!

This egg needs to be with its mother.

**Edwina:** Hey, Thunder!

**Thunder:** Whoa!

**Edwina:** Oh! What's this?

**Thunder:** A new rock for my collection!

Round and smooth, and a beautiful blue.

Isn't it perfect?

**Edwina:** Round, yeah.

Smooth, yeah.

Rock, no.

Too light!

**Thunder:** Not a rock?

Then, what is it?

**Edwina:** Uh... not sure.

**Thunder:** Hmm...

Hey, I've got an idea.

What if we ask someone who knows about rocks, like... Jasper!

**Edwina:** Great idea!

**Mouse:** No egg over here!

**Rabbit:** No egg over here either!

**Harriet:** Where could my darling eggy have gone?

**Rabbit:** Hmm...

It's a puzzle.

We better hop-think on this.

We searched the shore in both directions; no egg.

**Mouse:** So if it's not on the shore, maybe it's in the water!

**Rabbit:** I looked there, but the water's moving.

**Mouse:** Right! Hmm...

What if the water moved the egg?

**Harriet:** Oh no!

Then how will we ever find my eggy?

**Mouse:** I know!

Let's put something else in the water to figure out which way the egg went!

Like... grabby fluff!

**Rabbit:** Thumpeka, that's it!

We'll play "grabby fluff"!

**Mouse:** It's a game Rabbit invented.

I float milkweed pods down the river and Rabbit catches them.

But maybe this time we can float a milkweed pod and not catch it!

**Rabbit:** That way we can follow the pod as the water moves it along.

**Mouse:** And see which way your egg went!

**Harriet:** Oh! What a smart plan!

I'm certain we'll find my darling eggy that way.

**Thunder:** Jasper! Look what I found!

Do you know what it is?

**Edwina:** Thunder thinks it's a rock, but it's too light.

I think it's something else.

**Jasper:** You're right Edwina, this is no rock.

It's not heavy enough.

This is an egg.

**Thunder:** An egg?

**Edwina:** It does kinda look like an egg, but it's so big!

**Jasper:** It's a bird's egg alright, and there's a baby bird inside.

We need to keep it safe and warm until we can find its mother.

**Thunder:** Baby bird?!

**Jasper:** We have to find the mother bird, and fast!

I have an idea who the egg might belong to; Harriet heron; she lives upstream.

I'll go and find her.

You stay here and take care of the egg.

Keep it safe and warm.

**Edwina:** Right.

Take care of the egg.

Got it!

**Thunder:** A baby bird.

In my hands, all this time!

And now I have to take care of it until Jasper finds its mother, but how?

**Rabbit:** There it is!

Oops!

There it goes.

**Mouse:** Uh-oh...

Whoa!

**Harriet:** Eggy!

**Rabbit:** Look! Let's go!

**Harriet:** Oh dear!

**Mouse:** Oh, I hope the egg's alright!

**Edwina:** Gotta take care of the egg.

**Thunder:** It's alright, little egg, I'll take care of you.

I'll hold you and stroke you and sing you a lullaby.

[Sings] La, la, la...

**Edwina:** Lullaby! Great!

[Loud off-key singing] Baby egg!

Baby egg!

Egg! Egg! Egg!

Baby egg!

**Thunder:** Uh, maybe a lullaby's not such a good idea.

**Edwina:** No lullaby? OK.

What now?

**Thunder:** What if we hop-think?

**Edwina:** Yes!

**Thunder:** Jasper said to keep the egg safe and warm.

But how?

**Edwina:** Um...

Leave it out in the sun?

**Thunder:** No, it might get too hot, and it wouldn't be safe.

**Edwina:** You're right.

Oh, I know!

I'll just breathe on it, like this!

Or... maybe... not.

**Thunder:** Are you OK?

**Edwina:** Uh-huh.

**Thunder:** We better think of something else.

Hmm...

What do birds do?

Well, birds put their eggs in nests.

What if we build a nest?

**Edwina:** Yes! Yes! A nest!

Gotta build a nest!

Woo-hoo! Yeah!

**Mouse:** Uh-oh.

**Harriet:** Oh no! My little eggy could be anywhere!

**Thunder:** Aww... so cute.

I wonder what we'll call you when you hatch?

Violet? Buttercup?

Dragonfly?

Oh! Hey! I could give you a name like mine... or Edwina's.

How about... Thunderina!

Would you like that little Thunderina?

Would you?

**Edwina:** There!

Now the egg has a nest.

**Thunder:** I guess, but... how do we keep it warm?

**Edwina:** Easy!

**Thunder:** Stop!

Edwina!

What are you doing?

**Edwina:** Uh, sitting?

Like a mother bird.

**Thunder:** Well, it's a nice idea, but... you're too big.

**Edwina:** Right. Can't sit.

Too big.

How do we keep the egg warm?

Got it!

Woo-hoo!

This dandelion fluff will make it soft and warm!

**Thunder:** This nest doesn't seem too solid.

**Edwina:** Nah! It's perfect!

That tickles!

Oops!

**Thunder:** See what I mean?

**Edwina:** You were right.

Is the egg OK?

**Thunder:** Yes.

We still have the same problem.

How do we keep the egg safe and warm?

Well, toot my horn.

That's it!

Oh...

I think little Thunderina's sleeping.

**Edwina:** Thunderina?

Cute.

Now what?

**Thunder:** We wait... until the baby bird hatches.

**Rabbit:** Hey!

**Mouse:** Look! Thunder's tracks!

Maybe he saw the egg!

**Rabbit:** There's Jasper!

**Jasper and Rabbit:** Have you seen a mother bird?

Have you seen a lost egg!

**Rabbit and Jasper:** Yes!

**Harriet:** Jasper!

Have you found my eggy?

It's so lovely.

Perfect oval shape, pretty, light-blue color and it's really big!

**Jasper:** That's it!

Follow me!

**Harriet:** Eggy!

Ooh!

My baby!

My widdle eggy-weggy! Whoo!

Not a mark!

Not a scratch!

Ooh!

Thank you for taking such good care of my eggy!

Oh! Whoa!

It's time!

It's time!

Oh! It's really, really time!

**All:** Wow!

**Harriet:** It's a... girl!

**Thunder:** Yeah!

**Mouse:** So Thunder's perfect rock turned out to be a really big egg.

And because he and Edwina and Harriet, of course, protected and took care of the egg, a baby heron hatched!

Now we have a cute, little chick!

**Harriet:** Here, Thunder.

You can keep this.

**Thunder:** Oh, Harriet.

Thank you.

Now I can start a shell collecting!

**Rabbit:** She sure is sweet.

Have you thought of any names?

**Edwina:** How about... Thunderina?

**Harriet:** Thunderina?

I like it.

**Thunder:** Aww!