Then Snoutie thought he heard the splashing of water somewhere up ahead, and the two friends soon found themselves on the banks of the forest stream. The stream was so wide and fast that there was no point in even thinking about crossing it. The travelers began to feel a little tired and hungry.

“I think we’ll find a tasty lunch on the other side of the stream,” said Snoutie. “We just have to figure out how to get over there.”

“But first let’s sit down and rest,” answered Michelle.

A large, flat, brown rock lay near the shore. The tired travelers decided to sit on it and take a little break.

But as soon as they sat down, they felt the rock begin to move.

“You’re not very courteous, are you, young creatures? You have just sat down right on the roof of my house, which, if you must know, is not a bench for tourists!” said a scratchy voice.

Michelle jumped up in alarm, and Snoutie grunted in fear and rolled off onto the grass.

“There’s no reason to jump up and grunt!” continued the grumpy voice.

“Oh, please excuse us,” said the travelers in unison, still unsure who the voice belonged to. “Would you be so kind as to tell us the best place to cross this stream? It’s so wide and so fast.”

“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you,” said the same grumbling voice, and a small, wrinkled head popped out from under the stone they had just been sitting on.

“I am Turtle,” said the head in a scratchy voice. “Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you, too,” said Snoutie, embarrassed. “My name is Snoutie, and this is Michelle. We are traveling through the forest. We want to cross to the other side of the stream to find something tasty to eat, but we don’t know how to do it.”

“Walk down that way a little farther. It’s narrower there and the wind has blown a lot of branches into the water,” explained Turtle. “You won’t find it very hard to cross at that point. You’ll probably meet Croaky the Feel Good Froggy and Beaver the Builder and his little beaver cubs on your way. Once you get across the stream, you should follow Burly Boary’s tracks along the well-trodden path. You will pass the leaning tree, where Robin the Elder has built his nest at the very tippy top. Then you will see a thicket of burdock, where Loppy the Bunny has dug his den. After that, you will come out into a large field that has been completely turned over by Sir Mole. Lots of sweet potatoes and wild strawberries grow there.”

Snoutie and Michelle thanked Turtle and happily ran on down the stream. They soon heard the splashing of water and a loud croaking coming from somewhere behind a growth of ferns.

They had already reached the stream and were preparing to walk into the water when they suddenly heard someone quite nearby croak out in a singsong voice:

“Don’t cross the stream there! Do-o-o-on’t! Cro-o-o-a-a-a-k-k-k! It’s deep there.”

Snoutie and Michelle looked over to the place where they had heard this croaked warning coming from and saw an enormous frog rocking back and forth on a yellow water lily. His cheeks were puffed out and he looked very important and serious. When he saw our travelers, he jumped up high in air and plopped down into the water, but then he neatly emerged from the stream and made his way up to where they were standing on the shore.

“Thank you very much,” said Snoutie. “You know, I am slightly acquainted with your relatives, the green frogs.”

“Some relatives!” snorted their new acquaintance self-importantly. “I am much bigger and stronger than any other frog. I am Croaky the Feel Good Froggy! And, if you have noticed, I am not just green like they are; I am green with brown spots. And what’s more, no one else croaks as loudly as I do. Cro-o-o-a-a-a-k-k-k!” Croaky the Feel Good Froggy showed off his skill with pride, causing Michelle to hide behind Snoutie’s back.