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Jack was a friendly boy who lived on a farm called Jellybean Acres. Every day, he got up early in the morning to feed the animals. He enjoyed this chore because all of the animals were happy to see him and eager, of course, to get their breakfast.

Jack always started by going out to the barn to feed a new foal, named Atati, who had been born in the spring. When he saw Jack, Atati pranced around the stall with delight.

“You’ll have to quit your horsing around, now,” said Jack. “I’m giving you some extra food to help you grow big and strong.”

“Thanks, I’m hungry,” said the little foal, and he plunged his muzzle into the fresh hay. Between bites, he asked, “Have you had your breakfast yet?”

Jack was about to answer when the sound of his Dad’s tractor thundered just outside the barn.

VVVVRRRRooooooooom! VVVVRRRRooooooooom!

Jack shouted, “NO. I HAVEN’T HAD BREAKFAST, YET, BUT MY MOTHER HAS BEEN BAKING BREAD.”

“What’s that?” asked the foal, “Your Mom has an aching head?”

But Jack did not hear. He was already on his way to feed the pigs.

Mother Pig had just fed milk to all of her piglets, and now she was ready for her own breakfast. When she saw Jack, she called, “Hello dear. Have you got a big bucket of slop for me today? I hope so, because I’m famished. And after breakfast, I’m going to take a nice, long mud bath.”

“That sounds like fun,” said Jack. He poured some slop into the trough, and Mother Pig asked, “Are you going off to school today?”

Jack was about to answer, but the piglets were rolling around in the pen and making an enormous racket.

Oink! Oink! Snort! Snort!

Oink! Oink! Snort! Snort!

Jack bellowed, “NO, THERE’S NO SCHOOL. IT’S A HOLIDAY.“

“What’s that?” asked Mother Pig, “The mule took a fall today?”

But Jack did not hear. He was on his way to feed the gigantic black bull, who looked rather fearsome but was as gentle as a kitten---a kitten with an extraordinarily deep and rumbling voice.

“Hello little Jack,” boomed the bull, “What’s on the menu for breakfast?”

Jack laughed. “It’s just what you ordered. I’ve got some delicious grass, and for dessert, some tasty sweet corn.”

The bull was excited as Jack put out the food. He shook his horns and stomped his massive hooves, which rattled the chickens nearby so much that they squawked and bawked and filled the barn with a deafening clatter.

Squaaaaaawk! Bawk! Bawk! Bawk!

Squaaaaaawk! Bawk! Bawk! Bawk!

The bull ignored the commotion and eagerly chomped a mouthful of grass. Jack picked up his bucket and hollered, “I HAVE TO GO AND FEED THE SHEEP.”

The bull looked up from his food in surprise. “What? You say you need to sleep?”

But Jack did not hear. He was already on his way out to the barnyard. The sheep were tickled to see him and playfully asked, “Did you bring our breakfast today or did you give it all away? We’re starving.”

Jack knew that the sheep loved a good joke, so he answered, “I just dropped by the horses’ stall. The hungry foal ate it all.”

“Good one, Jack,” said the sheep, “but you can’t pull the wool over our eyes,” and they burst into a chorus of laughter.

Baaaaaaa! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Baaaaaaa! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Jack chuckled as he poured the grain, but was startled by the sound of an ear-splitting Cockadoodledooooooooo!

The sheep were startled, too, and one of them said, “That rooster is late. He must have been sleeping on the job.” All of the sheep fell into fits of laughter.

Baaaaaaa! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Baaaaaaa! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Jack loved to kid around with them, but he had to go. “I have to get back to the barn to feed the chickens and ...”

The rooster crowed again.

Cockadoodledooooooooo!

“...MY DAD TOLD ME TO GATHER SIX EGGS,” he shouted.

Suddenly the sheep became deadly serious. “What? Your Dad has broken his legs?”

But Jack did not hear. He was on his way to the barn. He wanted to finish his chores quickly so he could get back to the house and eat his own breakfast.

The sheep were very concerned. They decided to go into the barn and speak to the other animals. “We have some baaa-d news!” they said, “Jack`s Dad has broken his legs!”

“And his Mom has an aching head!” cried the foal, “She isn`t well at all!”

“And Jack`s not going to school because the mule took a terrible fall!” added Mother Pig.

“And he`s awfully tired,” boomed the bull. “He can hardly hold up his head! He says he needs to sleep, but it`s moo-rning...he just got out of bed!”

All of the animals were worried about Jack and his family. They stayed in the barn and chattered for hours. When nighttime came, they were still too nervous and bothered to get any sleep. They talked and squawked and fretted until they had worked themselves into a frenzy.

Jack was just about to get into bed when he heard the kerfuffle in the barn. He thought he had better go and check on the animals. “What`s all the fuss?” he asked as he opened the door.

The animals were huddled together inside the barn. When they saw him, they exclaimed, “Poor Jack! Are you all right?”

“I`m fine,” he said.

“What about your family? Is everything okay?”

“Of course it is,” said Jack.

“We`ve been so worried about you,” said the animals.

“But why?” asked Jack. He was thoroughly puzzled and gave his head a scratch.

“Because of all the dreadful news you told us this morning!”

“Dreadful news? What do you mean? Everything is fine!”

“But doesn’t your Mom have an aching head?”

“No, I said she was baking bread.”

“But didn’t the mule take a fall today?”

“No, I said it’s a holiday.”

“But didn’t you say you need to sleep?”

“No, I said I would feed the sheep.”

“But you did say your Dad broke his legs?”

“No, I said I would gather six eggs.”

For a moment there was silence as the animals realized they had gotten their stories completely wrong. “Ohhhhh,” they said.

Jack giggled. “What a lot of flapdoodle. Now I know why you were all so worried.”

The bull yawned a giant yawn that was a hundred times bigger than a kitten’s. Then he boomed, “I’m glad that everything’s okay.”

“I’m sleepy,” said the foal, “It’s time to hit the hay.”

“What? We’re going out to play?” asked the mischievous sheep and they fell over laughing. Jack and the others laughed, too.

“No, it’s not time to play. It’s time to turn out the light and say goodnight,” said Jack.

The animals quietly nestled into their beds of hay and, as he gently shut the barn door, they whispered, “Goodnight Jack.”