CHAPTER 1
 
The "Make Friends" Badge
 
 
One day, Violet and Tigerlily were walking to their Mouse Scout meeting. Well, Violet was walking. Tigerlily jumped up into the hedge next to the sidewalk and began swinging from branch to branch. Violet didn't pay much attention. Tigerlily never walked if there was a more challenging route to take.

"I wonder what badge we'll be working on next," Violet said. "I hope it's flower fashions!" The night before, Violet had thought of a way to make a tutu out of dandelion petals. She couldn't wait to try it. She did a little pirouette as she imagined how the dandelion petals would
 
Tigerlily gave a final swing from a branch and let go. She soared through the air and landed right in front of Violet. "Maybe it will be something fun, like building canoes," Tigerlily said.

"Whatever badge it is, I hope we have a good snack today!" Violet said.

"I'm in the mood-a for some Gouda!" Tigerlily said.

"Be a smarty. Eat Havarti!" Violet said. They giggled together the rest of their walk.

Violet and Tigerlily were the last Scouts to arrive at the meeting. They quickly joined the other girls in a circle on the floor. Soon they heard the shrill tweet of an emergency whistle. Miss Poppy had arrived. "QUIET, EVERYONE!" she bellowed. Then she looked at the Scouts and smiled.

"Today we are going to talk about friendship! What could be more special than having a good friend? Someone to share your feelings with. Someone to laugh with, someone to cry with, some- one to talk to when you are lonely. That is what friendship is."

Violet looked around the room and felt a warm glow for her fellow Acorn Scouts.

She admired Junebug's intelligence and Cricket's kind heart. Petunia could always make her laugh, and even Hyacinth was nice when she wasn't so busy being perfect. And of course, she couldn't forget Tigerlily! There was no better friend in the world.

Miss Poppy became dreamy-eyed. "Why, I remember MY best friend and all the escapades we had when WE were Scouts.
 
In fact, there was this one time--" she chuckled, then stopped herself. "Well, we were young and silly. But the important thing is, we were good Scouts. That is all that matters."
The Mouse Scouts looked at their leader in awe. Miss Poppy--young? And the thought of her having a friend? It seemed impossible!
 
Petunia narrowed her eyes. "How come we've never heard of this friend?" she asked. Miss Poppy smoothed her skirt and squared her shoulders. "That was another time and place," she said. "Now, then. If you haven't guessed, today we will start work on your 'Make Friends' badge!"

Violet felt a quick stab of disappointment. She had her heart set on making a dandelion tutu. Oh well, she thought. I can always make it on my own.

Tigerlily didn't mind. She knew all about friendship already, so she would have plenty of time left over to do some- thing fun.

"This will be the easiest badge ever!" she said.

Just then Miss Poppy leaned forward, and her expression became serious.

"Remember: Friendship isn't all sunshine and giggles. It takes understanding, compassion, and respect. Sometimes you will have to think of your friend before you think of yourself. Sometimes you will disagree. Sometimes you might wonder why you were ever friends in the first place. Some friendships last forever, while others don't stand the test of time. To have a good friend, you have to be a good friend. And that can be hard work!"

Miss Poppy stopped and looked around the room. The Scouts looked at each other. Then Tigerlily laughed. "Don't worry about us, Miss Poppy. We are going to be friends forever!"

"I hope so," said Miss Poppy.

"For the next few weeks, we will work on our 'Make Friends' badges. Every day you will strive not only to be a good friend to those you know, but also to be friendly to someone you do not know. During this time, you will keep a friendship journal in which you will record your thoughts on friends and your efforts to be friendly. We will start today by making friendship bracelets, and at the end of the month, we will have a Celebration of Friendship."

The Scouts were beaming. Tigerlily was right; this badge was going to be a piece of cake! Then Miss Poppy cleared her throat.

"Oh, there is one more thing I forgot to mention," Miss Poppy said. "We will not be working on this badge on our own. The Maple Scouts are also working on their 'Make Friends' badges. They will be joining us at our next meeting to begin planning our Celebration of Friendship event . . . which we'll be doing together." "The Maple Scouts?" Violet gasped.

"But they're boys!"
 
 

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Excerpted from Mouse Scouts: Make Friends by Sarah Dillard
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.