Invitations

"Invitations" by David Cory is a charming children's book that weaves together a series of delightful tales featuring animal characters who invite friends to various gatherings. Through its engaging narrative and whimsical illustrations, the book explores themes of friendship, community, and the joy of coming together. Each story showcases the magic of camaraderie and the excitement of sharing special moments, making it a heartwarming read for young audiences. Cory's gentle prose and imaginative scenarios encourage children to appreciate the value of social connections and the joy of inviting others into their lives.

• Children

								
“Have you heard the news?” asked the Old Brown Horse.

“What news?” enquired Little Jack Rabbit, hopping along with the
friendly steed under the warm rays of Mr. Merry Sun in the Big Blue
Sky.

“Why, the circus is at Turnip City,” answered the Old Brown Horse.
“The Circus Elephant, the funny clowns, and the roller skating bears.”

“Oh, oh, oh!” exclaimed the little rabbit. “I want to see them.”

“You don’t mean to say you’ve never been to the circus!” whinnied the
good Old Horse. “Well, you’ve got a treat.”

    “Oh, take me to the Circus
     To see the elephants dance!
     Oh, take me to the Circus
     Where the horses neigh and prance;
     Where all the clowns make funny jokes
     And try to tease the Circus Folks,”

begged the little bunny, hopping back into the Old Bramble Patch.

“So you’d like to go to the circus, eh?” asked Mr. Rabbit, winking at
Lady Love, who was making Turnip Tea for Old Mrs. Bunny.

“Please take me,” begged the little rabbit.

“All right, I’ll hire the Billy Goat Stage Coach to take us, and
maybe a few friends,” answered Mr. Rabbit, and up he hopped to call
dear Uncle Lucky on the telephone:

    “Central, give me Clover Dell,
     One, two, three, ring Happy Bell.”

    “Hello, hello, who’s calling me?
     The wire’s buzzing like a bee,”

answered the old gentleman rabbit.

“Listen, Uncle Lucky! I’m hiring the Billy Goat Stage Coach to take
us all to your circus at Turnip City,” explained Mr. Rabbit.

“Well, I’ll come over with a bushel of passes,” answered the dear
generous old gentleman bunny. “What time do you go?”

“At seven o’clock to-morrow morning. We must get an early start,”
answered Mr. Rabbit.

“Now, whom shall we invite?” he enquired, turning to his small bunny
son, who was hopping about, so happy to know he was going to the
circus to see the animals and the clowns, and maybe a monkey and a
bear and a Mexican dog without any hair.

“Whom shall we invite?” repeated Mr. Rabbit.

“All your friends and all my friends, and maybe some more,” answered
the bunny boy with a hop, skip and jump out on the porch of the
little white house in the Old Bramble Patch.

Just then the little canary bird in her gold cage began to twitter:

    “The birds within the Shady Wood
     And on the Meadow Green,
     Are building nests of twigs and strings
     And moss pressed in between.

     But I’m content within my cage
     To sing my sweetest song.
     For discontent, my little boy,
     Will often set you wrong.”

“I’m not discontented,” replied the little bunny boy, “I’m happy.
Father is going to take me to the circus,” and he hopped down the
path through the bramble bushes.

“Timmie Meadowmouse, Timmie Meadowmouse!”

“What do you want?” asked the tiny mouse, peeking out of his little
round house of woven grass.

“Want to go to the circus? Father is going to hire the Billy Goat
Stage. We start at 7 to-morrow morning.”

“I’ll be up bright and early,” answered Timmie Meadowmouse, darting
back into his little house to get out his best Sunday-go-to-meeting
suit.

“Timmie Meadowmouse will go,” cried Little Jack Rabbit, hopping back
into the house.

“Nobody will refuse, I imagine,” laughed Lady Love. “Whom else have
you invited?”

“I’m going over to the Barnyard,” answered Little Jack Rabbit. “I’ll
invite everybody I meet,” and off he hopped. By and by, after a
while, but not nearly a mile, he spied Granddaddy Bullfrog on his big
log near the bank of the Old Duck Pond.

“Oh, Granddaddy Bullfrog! Father is going to hire the Billy Goat
Stage Coach to take us all to the circus to-morrow morning. We start
at 7, right after breakfast. Will you come along?”

“To be sure I will,” answered the old frog. “I haven’t been to the
circus for a long time. Hurrah! I’ll be a kid again and eat a ton of
peanuts—maybe!”

“Be at the Old Bramble Patch on time,” shouted the little rabbit, who
by this time was half across the Sunny Meadow on his merry way.

    “Hello, hello! What brings you here?”
     Asked the Weathercock from on high.
     Always first to spy anything
     With his wonderful lookout eye.

“I’m inviting all my friends to the circus,” replied the little
bunny, with a happy laugh. “We all leave to-morrow morning at 7,
right after breakfast. Where’s Cocky Doodle?”

“Here I am,” crowed the little rooster. “I heard you. I’ll go to the
circus. Many thanks.”

    “Cackle, cackle, what do you think,
     This morning the sky was yellow and pink.
     Mr. Merry Sun was just out of bed—
     His nightcap crinkled all over his head,”

cackled Henny Jenny, who had just laid a pretty white egg in her
little round nest.

“Will you come to my circus party?” asked Little Jack Rabbit. “We
start to-morrow morning at seven from the Old Bramble Patch. Father
has hired the Billy Goat Stage Coach to take us all to Uncle Lucky’s
Circus at Turnip City.”

    “Oh, yes, I’ll wear my nicest dress
     And my pinky coral comb.
     You’ll surely bring me back again,
     For it’s very far from home.”

“Of course we will,” answered Little Jack Rabbit.

“Don’t forget me,” cried Goosey Lucy.

“Will you come?” asked the little bunny.

“To be sure,” answered the nice lady goose. “Don’t forget Ducky
Waddles.”

“Where is he?” asked the bunny boy, looking here and there and
everywhere.

“He went for a swim in the Old Duck Pond,” answered Henny Jenny.

“Why, I just came from there,” replied the little bunny. “I didn’t
see him. I saw only Granddaddy Bullfrog.”

“Well, you see him now,” quacked a familiar voice, and there stood
Ducky Waddles himself. He had just waddled around from behind the Big
Red Barn.

“Will you come to my circus party?” asked Little Jack Rabbit.

“I couldn’t refuse,” laughed the nice little duck.

Now, I wonder next who will be invited to the Circus. Listen, and
you shall hear, for the little bunny has just hopped around the Big
Haystack.

“Mrs. Cow, won’t you come to the circus?”

“Where is it?” enquired that nice lady cow, whipping her tail to and
fro to scare away the flies. “I can’t go far for my little baby calf
needs me ’most all the time.”

“At Turnip City,” answered Little Jack Rabbit.

“Oh, dear! You must excuse me,” replied Mrs. Cow. “That’s too far
away. I’ll wait for Uncle Lucky’s Circus to come to Rabbitville. But
thank you, just the same.”

“Now, who else?” thought the little bunny, when, all of a sudden, he
spied Turkey Tim.

“Won’t you come to my circus party?”

“Yes, indeed,” answered the big turkey gobbler. “What time, and
where, and how?”

“To-morrow morning at seven o’clock we all go in the Billy Goat Stage
Coach. Be on time at the Old Bramble Patch,” and away hopped Little
Jack Rabbit, his long ears catching the turkey gobbler’s poetry
answer:

    “I’ll be there before it’s seven,
     I’ll be first of the umpty-’leven.”

Pretty soon the little bunny spied Squirrel Nutcracker in his gray

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