Once upon a time, in the middle of a big, blue pond, lived a little yellow duck named Drake. Drake had soft, fluffy feathers and two bright orange feet. He loved to swim. He loved to quack.
But most of all, Drake loved to play in the mud. His very best friend was a green frog named Fred. Fred had big, round eyes and long, strong legs. Fred loved to hop.
Fred loved to jump. And Fred loved the mud too. One sunny morning, the two friends played near the edge of the water. They rolled in the soft, brown dirt.
Squish! Squish! They splashed in the sticky, wet mud. Splat!
Splat! They laughed and played until the sun was high in the sky. Soon, Drake was not yellow anymore. He was completely brown!
And Fred was not green anymore. He was a messy, muddy brown too. 'Oh no,'said Drake. He looked at his wings.
'I am a dirty duck. ''Oh dear,'said Fred. He looked at his legs. 'I am a messy frog.
'Just then, Mama Duck swam over. She saw the two muddy friends. She smiled a very kind smile. 'It looks like someone needs a bath!
'she said. 'It is time for the Pond Bathhouse! 'Drake and Fred looked at each other. They did not want to stop playing.
But they did not like being sticky and dirty. 'Okay,'said Drake. 'Let's go to the Bathhouse. 'They swam across the sparkling water to a special spot.
It was the Pond Bathhouse. It was a cozy corner of the pond with warm water and soft lily pads. The sun made the water shine like tiny diamonds. 'Wow,'said Fred.
'It looks so nice. ''Are you ready to get clean? 'asked Mama Duck. 'Yes!
'quacked Drake. 'Ribbit! 'said Fred. First, they had to get wet.
They dipped their heads under the water. Whoosh! Then they popped back up.
Splash! The water felt warm and cozy. It felt like a big, wet blanket. Can you make a splash sound?
Splash! Next, Mama Duck brought the special soap. It was made from sweet-smelling flowers. It smelled like strawberries and sunshine.
'Hold out your wings,'said Mama Duck. Drake held out his wings. Mama Duck put a little bit of soap on him. She rubbed it in gentle circles.
Swish, swish, swish. 'Now your tummy,'said Mama Duck. Drake giggled. 'That tickles!
'he said. Giggle, giggle. Then it was Fred's turn.
Fred hopped onto a soft rock. Mama Duck put the soap on his back. She scrubbed in little circles. Scrub, scrub, scrub.
Fred laughed. 'That feels funny! 'he said. Ribbit, ribbit.
Soon, white bubbles started to appear. There were big bubbles. There were small bubbles. There were floating bubbles everywhere.
Pop! Pop! Pop! The bubbles floated up into the air.
Drake tried to catch a bubble with his beak. 'Scrub a dub dub,'sang Drake. He scrubbed his beak. 'Wash and rub,'sang Fred.
He scrubbed his legs. They worked together to wash the mud away. The brown dirt mixed with the white bubbles and floated away down the stream. Goodbye, mud!
'Time to rinse! 'said Mama Duck. Drake and Fred dove deep into the water. Whoosh!
They swam around and around. The warm water washed off all the soap. They came up for air and shook their bodies. Shake, shake, shake!
Water droplets flew everywhere like tiny diamonds. Drake looked at his feathers. They were bright yellow again! He looked shiny and new.
Fred looked at his skin. It was bright green again! He looked fresh and clean. 'I feel so light,'said Drake.
He flapped his wings. Flap, flap, flap. 'I feel so fast,'said Fred. He kicked his legs.
Kick, kick, kick. Mama Duck gave them both a big, warm hug. 'You look wonderful,'she said. 'Being clean is healthy.
It keeps your feathers strong and your skin happy. 'Drake smiled. 'I like being clean,'he said. Fred nodded.
'Me too,'he said. 'But I still like mud. 'Mama Duck laughed. 'You can play in the mud tomorrow,'she said.
'But tonight, you are sparkly clean. 'Drake and Fred swam back to the middle of the pond. The water felt even better now. They were not heavy with dirt.
They were light and bouncy. They did a happy dance in the water. Spin, spin, spin. The sun went down over the pond.
The water turned orange and pink. It was time to sleep. Drake and Fred closed their eyes. They dreamed of bubbles and splashes.
They dreamed of being happy and healthy. And they lived happily ever after, splish splash.