Read the story.

The Country Bunny

Listen, class! said Miss Cottontail. Two rows of small brown rabbits looked at their teacher. A new rabbit hopped into the underground classroom.

Miss Cottontail said, ‘I’d like everyone to meet Bennie. He’ll be joining us.’

The brown rabbits looked at their new classmate. His fur was white, with little brown spots. They’d never seen anyone who looked like that before. Bennie wiggled his ears and sat down.

‘We’ll start with reading,’ Miss Cottontail said. She asked Bennie to read aloud

‘I don’t know how,’ Bennie admitted. Miss Cottontail gave him a special alphabet book for beginners.

‘Don’t worry, Bennie. You’ll learn,’ Miss Cottontail said. ‘We’ll help you.’
Bennie’s left ear drooped. He studied the alphabet book.

Next was maths. ‘Can you do subtraction?’ Miss Cottontail asked Bennie.

He shook his head.

Miss Cottontail gave Bennie a special maths book for practice.

‘Don’t worry, you’ll learn,’ whispered Della. ‘We’ll help you.’

Bennie’s right ear drooped.

At break, the bunnies went outdoors. Bennie sat alone at the end of the playground, near the lilac bush.

‘Bennie doesn’t want to play,’ Roger said.

Della hopped over to Bennie. ‘Where are you from?’ she asked him.

‘From the country,’ Bennie answered. ‘I’m not used to being in a city.’

Della was curious. ‘What’s it like in the country?’ she asked.

Before long, Bennie was telling Della all about the country. He told her about the wide meadows of grass and flowers. He talked about the forests filled with mice and deer. He said that rabbits in the country had to watch out for foxes, stoats, polecats, owls and hawks.

Della shivered. ‘We’re safe here,’ she said. ‘We don’t have to worry about scary animals.’

Bennie watched the other rabbits playing tag. He scanned the sky.

Just then, a dark shadow fell in the playground. Bennie yelled, ‘Look out!’

Della looked up. A huge hawk, its sharp talons open, was heading straight towards the group playing tag.

‘RUN!’ Bennie shouted. ‘Under the lilac bush! Now!’

The brown rabbits scrambled to the cover of the bush just in time. The hawk swooped over the playground, flapped its wings then flew away.

‘Bennie saved us!’ Della cried.

‘I’m glad I spotted that hawk,’ said Bennie.

‘Thank you,’ Roger said. ‘We don’t know much about hawks.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Bennie answered, with a smile. ‘You can learn. I’ll help you!’