Mia Rabbit hopped down the path. She saw her friend Oliver Turtle sitting on a log.

“Oliver!” Mia shouted. “Come with me. I’m going to pick blackberries near the pond.”

“Wait for me!” Oliver answered.

Mia led the way. She dashed through the dandelion field. She slid under the wooden fence. She zipped around the red barn. She stopped to rest at the old oak tree.

Mia looked around. “Oliver, where are you?” she asked.

“Here I come,” came a voice from far down the path. Mia sighed and sat down the tree. She wished Oliver could go faster.

Mia sat down to think. She thought and thought for a long time while Oliver plodded along. “I have an idea, Oliver,” she said when Oliver finally reached the tree. “I’ll carry you. Then we’ll be able to go faster.”

“Okay,” Oliver said. “If you want to.”

Mia stooped down so Oliver could climb on his back. Oliver held on tightly as Mia began hopping down the path. “Here we go!” Mia shouted.

“Oof! Oof!” Mia grunted with each bounce. “Oliver, I think you’re too heavy. We’ll have to try something else.”

Mia sat down to think. “I know,” she said. “I’ll pull you down the path.”

Mia quickly flipped Oliver over on his back and grabbed his legs before Oliver could pull them inside.

“Here we go!” Mia shouted, dragging Oliver behind her.

Oliver pulled his head and arms in, but his shell still bounced along. “I don’t think I like this,” he said. “There must be a better way.”

Mia sat down to think. “Why don’t I push you along?” she asked. “Put your legs inside your shell, too, and I’ll roll you like a ball.”

“Gladly,” exclaimed Oliver.

“Ready?” Mia asked.

“I guess so,” Oliver mumbled from inside the shell.

“Here we go!” she shouted, pushing the shell as she hopped along beside it. Oliver began rolling along. “Oliver, it’s working!” Mia said.

“I’m getting a little dizzy,” Oliver said as he went round and round.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be there soon,” said Mia. “Look, Oliver, you’re going as fast as I am. Now you’re going faster. Wait, Oliver, slow down! Oliver, you’re going too fast! Oliver, stop!”

But Oliver could not stop.  He was rolling down the hill.

“Oliver, where are you going?” Mia shouted, racing as fast as she could after Oliver. But Oliver kept rolling and rolling – right into the water.

Mia ran to the edge of the pond. “Oliver, where are you?” she shouted in despair. “Please come back, Oliver!”

“Over here,” came a voice from across the pond. Mia looked up. There was Oliver! He was sitting on the other side of the pond eating blackberries.

“How did you get there?” Mia asked.

“Why, I swam, of course,” Oliver said, chewing a blackberry.

Mia sat down to think. “I may be a fast runner, Oliver, but you are a fast swimmer.”

“Hop on over,” said Oliver.

Mia raced around the pond. Soon she and Oliver had picked all of the blackberries.

“Let’s go home,” said Oliver.

Mia smiled. “And let’s take our time.”