Goldie Gooseberry and the Three Blackberries

Goldie Gooseberry and the Three Blackberries
(Another picture book story -- but this time there are pictures)

Once upon a time in the backyard berry patch, there lived a ripe, beautiful gooseberry named Goldie. Gooseberries, like Goldie, look sweet and beautiful on the outside, but inside they can be very sour.

One day Goldie rolled off of her bush…bump!
She should have gone straight back to her own bush, but…Goldie never did what she was supposed to do.

Instead, she wandered off until she came to a beautiful, sunny meadow. In the meadow, Goldie met a strange looking bug. “Eeewe! You look squishy. That’s yucky,” said Goldie.
“And good morning to you, miss,” said the bug. “I am a little different, but for someone like me, squishy is just what I want to be.”

Next Goldie followed a path into a forest of tall prickly sticks. “Ouch! That hurt,” said Goldie as she bumped into one of the prickly sticks.

“Hello,” said a big deep voice.
“Hello,” said a medium-sized voice.
“Go away,” said a little quiet voice.
“Who’s there,” demanded Goldie.
“Just us, the Three Blackberries” replied the voices. “You’d better go home,” they all said.

Goldie didn’t like being told what to do, so…she stayed and stared at the Three Blackberries.
“Eeewe! You’re creepy,” said Goldie.
“Well, we are a different color,” said Papa Blackberry.
“And we live in a different neighborhood,” said Mama Blackberry.
“Get lost,” said Baby Blackberry.

Goldie ignored Baby Blackberry and decided instead to climb up for a closer look.
“Be careful,” said Papa Blackberry.
“The thorns might hurt you,” said Mama Blackberry.
“Stay out of our bush,” said Baby Blackberry.
But Goldie didn’t listen to the Three Blackberries. She climbed higher and higher until she sat right down on Papa Blackberry’s branch. “Ugh!” It was too prickly.

Next she tried sitting on Mama Blackberry’s branch, but it was too slippery and she almost fell off. “You really need a new decorator,” said Goldie.
When she sat on Baby Blackberry’s branch, he said “Don’t touch my branch!”
But…she did anyway. It was very bouncy, so...Goldie started bouncing up and down until...she bounced right off of the branch and up...up...up into the air.

“Watch out,” said Papa Blackberry.
“Oh, dear,” said Mama Blackberry.
“Oops!” said Baby Blackberry.

Fortunately for Goldie, birds don’t like sour gooseberries and he spit her out. So...sometimes being sour isn’t necessarily all that bad.