In a sunny meadow near the edge of a whispering forest lived a small bunny named Toby. Toby had the softest gray fur, bright curious eyes, and the fastest feet among all the little animals. He loved to run, jump, dig, and explore.
But there was one thing Toby did not love at all.
Baths.
Whenever his mother called, “Toby, it’s bath time!” he would wrinkle his little nose, wiggle his whiskers, and hop away as fast as he could.
“I’m not dirty!” Toby would say.
“Just a little dusty!”
“Maybe tomorrow!”
Tomorrow came again and again… but Toby still refused to bathe.
Every day Toby played outside with his friends: Lily the lamb, Max the squirrel, and Penny the duck. They rolled down grassy hills, built tiny forts from sticks, and chased butterflies across the meadow.
But as the days passed, Toby’s fur became messy.
Then dusty.
Then muddy.
Little leaves got stuck in his tail. Dirt covered his paws. His soft gray fur turned brown and sticky.
Still, Toby refused baths.
“I like playing too much,” he said. “Baths take forever!”
One bright morning, Toby hopped to the meadow to play.
“Lily! Max! Penny! Let’s race to the big oak tree!” he called.
But his friends didn’t move.
Lily sniffed the air.
Max wrinkled his nose.
Penny flapped her wings a little farther away.
“Um… Toby,” said Lily gently, “you smell a little… muddy.”
“And your fur is very sticky,” said Max.
“I think you need a bath,” said Penny.
Toby looked down at his paws. They were covered in thick brown mud.
“I’m fine!” he insisted.
But when he tried to play tag, his paws slipped.
When he tried to climb the log, he slid right off.
And when he tried to sit beside his friends…
They shuffled away again.
“We want to play with you,” said Lily kindly, “but it’s hard when you’re so dirty.”
Toby’s ears drooped.
For the first time, he felt very sad.
Slowly, Toby hopped back home.
His mother was watering the carrot garden when she saw him.
“What’s wrong, little one?” she asked softly.
“My friends don’t want to play with me,” Toby sniffled.
His mother brushed a leaf from his ear.
“Did they tell you why?”
Toby nodded.
“They said I’m too dirty.”
Mother Bunny smiled gently.
“Being clean helps us stay healthy,” she said. “And it helps everyone feel comfortable playing together.”
Toby looked at the small wooden tub beside the house.
The one he always avoided.
He sighed.
“…Maybe I should try a bath.”
Mother Bunny filled the tub with warm water.
Splash.
Toby dipped one paw in.
“It’s… not too bad,” he said.
Soon he was washing the mud from his paws.
Scrubbing behind his ears.
Rinsing the dust from his fluffy tail.
Mother Bunny even made tiny soap bubbles that floated through the air.
Toby tried to catch them with his nose.
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
Suddenly… bath time was actually fun.
When Toby finished, his fur was soft, bright, and fluffy again.
He smelled like fresh clover and sunshine.
“Wow!” said Toby, looking at his reflection in the water.
Mother Bunny smiled. “See what a little cleaning can do?”
Toby hopped quickly back to the meadow.
“Lily! Max! Penny! I’m back!”
His friends turned around.
Lily’s eyes sparkled.
“Your fur is so fluffy!”
Max laughed. “And you smell like flowers!”
Penny flapped happily. “Now let’s play!”
They raced across the meadow, rolled down the hill, and laughed louder than ever.
And from that day on, whenever Mother Bunny called,
“Toby, it’s bath time!”
Toby didn’t run away anymore.
Instead he said,
“Okay! But can we make bubbles again?”
And that is how little Toby the bunny learned that staying clean helps everyone play happily together.
Enjoy another bedtime story: The Princess and the Pea