Once upon a time, there was a farmer who lived on a farm with all kinds of animals. He had chickens, ducks, goats, a cow, pigs, and even a dachshund dog. One day, the farmer decided to build a new hen house for his hens, but he needed some help.

So, he asked all the animals on the farm to come and help him build the hen house. The chickens, of course, were very excited and pecked at the ground eagerly. The ducks quacked in agreement, the goats bleated, and the cow mooed. Even the pig and the dachshund barked their agreement.

The farmer handed out tools to each of the animals, and they all got to work. The chickens pecked away at the wood, the ducks used their beaks to hold the nails in place, the goats butted their heads against the walls to help straighten them, and the cow used her horns to dig holes for the posts. The pig and the dachshund were in charge of keeping everyone hydrated with water from the nearby pond.

The hen house was coming along nicely, but the farmer noticed that something was missing. Suddenly, he remembered the goose who lived in the granary. The farmer went to the granary and asked the goose to come help with the hen house. But the goose just honked and shook its head.

The farmer was a little confused, so he asked the goose why it didn't want to help. The goose replied, "I can't help build the hen house because I'm afraid of the grass!"

Everyone on the farm was so surprised that they all stopped what they were doing and looked at the goose. The farmer asked, "Afraid of the grass? But it's just grass! What could be scary about that?"

The goose looked around nervously and then said, "Well, you see, I heard that there are snakes hiding in the grass, and I'm afraid they'll bite me!"

Everyone on the farm started to laugh, and the farmer said, "Don't worry, goose. Snakes don't live in this grass. We've never seen one here before."

The goose was relieved and decided to help with the hen house after all. And with everyone working together, the hen house was finished in no time.

The hens were so grateful that they laid the biggest, most delicious eggs ever, and the farmer and all the animals on the farm had a big feast to celebrate. And from that day on, the goose was no longer afraid of the grass and was happy to help with anything on the farm.

Reflections

1. Why was the farmer building a new hen house?
2. What did each animal on the farm do to help build the hen house?
3. Why was the goose afraid of the grass?
4. How did the farmer convince the goose to help build the hen house?
5. Why did the hens lay the biggest and most delicious eggs ever?
6. What happened at the end of the story that made everyone on the farm happy?
7. Can you think of a time when you were afraid of something, but then found out there was nothing to be scared of?
8. How did the animals on the farm work together to build the hen house?
9. What did the farmer learn about the goose after it helped build the hen house?
10. Why was the story called "The Goose Who Was Afraid of the Grass"?