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One day Billy said, “What a fine garden you have, Mother! There are such pretty flowers in it, and so many good things to eat. May I have a garden, too?”
“Yes,” answered his mother. “You may have a little garden of your own if you will take care of it. The sunny corner of the yard, near the fence, will be a fine place. Here are some seeds for you to plant.”
Billy took the seeds and started off. As he went down the path, he saw a rake.
“Where are you going?” asked the rake.
Billy said, “I am going to the sunny corner of the yard, to make a garden.”
“May I go with you?” said the rake.
“What can you do to help me?” asked the boy.
“I can take away the sticks and stones,” answered the rake.
“Then you may come with me,” said Billy.
So the boy and the seeds and the rake went down the path together. Soon they saw a spade.
“Where are you going?” cried the spade.
“We are going to the sunny corner of the yard, near the fence, to make a garden.” said Billy.
“May I go with you?” asked the spade. “What can you do to help us?” said Billy.
“I can dig up the ground, and I can make holes for your seeds,” answered the spade.
“Then you may come, too,” said Billy.
So the little boy and the seeds and the rake and the spade went down the path together. Soon they saw a hoe.
“Where are you going?” asked the hoe.
Billy said, “We are all going to the sunny corner of the yard, near the fence, to make a garden.”
“May I go with you?” said the hoe. “What can you do to help us?” asked Billy.
The hoe answered, “I can keep the weeds away from your garden. The little plants cannot grow if there are weeds in the garden.”
“Then you may come, too,” said Billy. So they all went down the path together. Soon they met a fat green toad.
“Where are you going?” asked the toad.
Billy said, “We are all going to the sunny corner of the yard, near the fence, to make a garden.”
“May I go, too?” asked the toad.
“What can you do to help us?” asked the little boy.
“I can catch the bugs that would eat your plants,” answered the toad, “and I can watch the garden for you at night.”
“Then you may come, too,” said Billy.
So the boy and the seeds and the rake and the spade and the hoe and the toad all went down the path together.
Soon they came to the sunny corner of the yard, by the fence. Then the rake and the spade and Billy all went to work to make a garden.
The rake took away all the sticks and the stones. The spade dug up the ground and made holes for the seeds.
Billy planted the seeds that his mother had given him. There were seeds of beets and carrots and beans, and some flower seeds, too.
In a few days the seeds began to grow. Little plants peeped up out of the ground. Then the hoe went to work. It kept all the weeds away.
The toad ate the bugs and watched the garden at night.
Every day that summer Billy worked in his garden. He saw the plants grow large and tall. Some of them had buds and then flowers.
And one day after a long time Billy took some fresh vegetables and some lovely flowers to his mother, and said, “These are from my own little garden.”
—— Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
