Benny The Beaver Saves The Day
After the rains, Benny the Beaver discovered that the gopher family’s home was in trouble! The river was getting too full and was sure to flood their house. All the other beavers were busy helping other families, so it was up to Benny to help. But, oh no! Benny had never built a big dam before and felt a little scared.
Benny’s grandfather, Gilbert, saw Benny looking worried.
Gilbert asked, “Do you know how to chop wood, dig up grass, and scoop mud?” Benny nodded yes.
Gilbert smiled and said, “That’s all you need to know to build a dam. Start with one stick; if it doesn’t want to stay where you put it, add some mudd and grass until it does. Then, add another stick and do the same. Keep this up until the water stays where it should and your dam looks strong. It’s not hard in small steps, but it is hard work and will take determination to finish.
Benny started to work as his grandfather instructed. He put down one stick, then another. Some sticks didn’t stay put, so he tried again, adding mud and grass to make them stick. It was hard at first because the water didn’t agree with what Benny was trying to do, but he kept at it, stick by stick. Sometimes, the water got in the way, but he adjusted and tried again.
After what seemed like a long time, Benny looked at what he was making, and it started to look like a dam—a real dam. Benny kept at it, adding more and more as the river reminded him to hurry. Soon, the river was calm, moving around Benny’s dam and staying away from the home of gophers.
The gophers were happy and safe, thanks to Benny's many little steps.
Coloring Exercise
Have students color this free image of a beaver making a dam.
