In the heart of Willow Meadow, where butterflies danced and bees hummed in the sun, lived a group of animal friends who loved to play together.
They were always thinking of fun new games, but one warm spring morning, Hedgehog had an idea.

“Let’s each grow our own pumpkin,” he said, “and see who can grow the biggest one by autumn!”

The others gasped with excitement. Squirrel clapped her paws, Duck flapped her wings, and Mole gave a cheerful squeak.
Everyone agreed, the race was on!

Each animal chose a patch of soil in the garden.
Squirrel planted her seeds quickly and carefully, patting the soil just right.
Duck splashed water generously on hers.
Mole dug the neatest little furrows you ever saw.
Hedgehog even sang to his pumpkin seeds every morning.

As the weeks passed, the pumpkin vines began to grow. But so did the problems.

Squirrel’s vine drooped one day in the heat. “I think I watered it too little,” she said sadly.
“I can help,” said Duck, who waddled over and shared her watering can.

Mole’s vine got tangled in weeds. “I can’t see where it starts or ends!” he cried.
“Let me help you clear it,” said Squirrel, already scratching at the soil with her paws.

Hedgehog’s vine started strong, but one day the wind knocked it sideways. “I don’t know what to do,” he sniffled.
Duck and Mole came at once, bringing little sticks and twine to hold it upright.

And before long, something wonderful started to happen.
They stopped working only on their own pumpkins and started helping with everyone else’s.
They shared tools, ideas, water, sunshine, and even songs.

By late summer, there was a surprise waiting for them in the middle of the garden.

A single giant pumpkin had grown, bigger than any of them had ever seen!
None of them could even remember whose patch it had started in.

They stood in a circle around the pumpkin, their eyes wide.

“It’s the biggest pumpkin in Willow Meadow,” whispered Mole.
“But it wasn’t mine,” said Duck.
“Or mine,” said Squirrel.
“It was all of ours,” said Hedgehog, smiling.

The animals had learned something far more important than winning.
They’d learned that helping each other made the work easier, the fun greater, and the results even sweeter.

When autumn came, they held a picnic around their giant pumpkin.
They scooped it, cooked it, and shared pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and even pumpkin juice.

The Great Garden Race had no winner, but it had something better, a garden full of laughter, a table full of friends, and one enormous pumpkin to share.