Ch. 1The Big Forest Talent Show

Next, Benny the Bear walks into the soft grass. Benny the Bear is a large, fuzzy brown bear wearing a small blue hat. He carries a big orange ball in his paws. Benny is very strong and he loves to jump. He *can* **play basketball** with his friends every afternoon. Benny throws the ball high into the air and it goes into the net! But Benny has a small problem today. He looks at the big, blue lake near the trees. Benny *can't* **swim** in the deep water because he is a little bit scared of the waves. "Don't worry, Benny!" says a very small voice from the water. It is Pip the Penguin. Pip the Penguin is a tiny, round penguin with a bright yellow beak and an orange scarf. Pip is very slow on the grass. He *can't* **run fast** like Leo the Lion. But Pip loves the cold water. Pip jumps into the lake with a big splash. He *can* **swim** very fast like a little fish. Pip splashes the water with his wings and happy bubbles appear. Benny laughs at the bubbles. Pip *can* **swim**, and Benny *can* **play basketball**. Every animal has a special talent they *can* do.

Now, it is time for the big surprise of the Talent Show. In the middle of the park, there is a blue bicycle. There are also shiny red rollerblades on the ground. Leo the Lion looks at the bike and the wheels. "Who *can* **ride a bike**?" Leo asks the group. Benny the Bear tries to sit on the small black seat. Benny is too big for the bicycle! Benny *can't* **ride a bike** because he wobbles and falls into the flowers. Zelda the Zebra looks at the red rollerblades. She puts the boots on her hooves. Zelda tries to move, but her legs go in different directions like a noodle. Zelda *can't* **rollerblade** on the path. She sits on the grass and sighs. "This is very difficult for us!" Zelda says. Suddenly, they see a mysterious box under a bush. The box is bright purple and it glows with a soft, magic light. There is a golden key on the ground. Pip the Penguin looks at the glowing box with big eyes. "What is inside the magic box?" Pip asks. *Can* they find a way to learn new things? *Can* they use the magic of sport to help? The animals wait and watch the glowing purple box.