Oliver the Owl and the Listening Ears

Chapter 1: Active Listening is Important

In a quiet forest called Whispering Woods, there lived a young owl named Oliver. Oliver was clever and full of wonderful stories, and he loved to talk. He talked at breakfast. He talked at playtime. He talked so much that he rarely noticed when his friends were trying to say something too.

"Guess what happened to me yesterday!" Oliver would begin, and off he'd go, chattering away.

His friends would open their mouths to share their own news, but before they could, Oliver was already on to his next story.

One breezy afternoon, Oliver's friend Remy the squirrel came bounding up to him with a worried look on his face.

"Oliver, I have something to tell you," Remy began. "Yesterday, I..."

"Oh, you'll never guess what I saw!" Oliver interrupted, flapping his wings. "A giant rainbow right over the pond! It had seven colors, and one was purple, and..."

Remy's shoulders drooped. He stared at his paws. "Never mind," he mumbled, and scampered away.

Oliver blinked. "Where's he going? I hadn't even finished my story!"

Later, Oliver tried to chat with Bree the rabbit, who was sitting quietly by a log.

"Bree, let me tell you about my rainbow!" he started.