The Ice Cream Tornado

It’s a sunny but brisk day in Bearville. Benji Bear and Mummy skip into the park holding hands. They find a cosy spot by a tree and put down their picnic basket.

Before we eat, let’s look for bugs! Mummy says. Benji grabs his magnifying glass. Here I come, buggy bugs! They spot a ladybird, a beetle and...

KABOOM! A humongous rainbow sprinkle crashes near them. Holy moly! Benji screams. What is—? Incoming! Delicious ice cream tornado! Police Bear shouts, running through the park. Quick, shelter in the village hall!

Benji scoops up the picnic basket, and Mummy drives them all away. The village bears are sheltering in the hall, but... CRASH! A huge rainbow sprinkle hits the building. The walls shake and their picnic baskets topple.

Nooooo! the bears cry out, watching their sandwiches splatter on the floor. Benji shakes his head. I’ll stop the tornado. I can’t let it ruin our picnics! Police Bear laughs. You can’t, Benji.

But I can with— Don’t be silly, our Bear Firefighters will whoosh it away. And the firefighters shoot off, sirens blaring – NEE-NAW! NEE-NAW! They swerve past rainbow sprinkles, eating ice cream that falls by the window, and reach the tornado.

It spins fast, flinging all kinds of ice cream flavours: strawberry, chocolate, lemon, bubble gum, broccoli, and chilli! Water on! a firefighter shouts, licking his lips. They blast the tornado with a powerful jet. But...

The ice cream tornado freezes the water and charges at them. They jump back in the fire engine and… VROOM! They race back to the village hall. We can’t stop it! the firefighters howl.

It froze our water with a yummy frosty breeze! Oh no! We’re doomed to become delicious ice lollies! the bears cry out. I love ice lollies, but I don’t want to be one, Benji says. I’ll stop the tornado! He runs to the door.

This is crazy! Police Bear shouts. Don’t do it. Mummy chases after Benji. What’s your idea? I am all ears. Let’s melt it with my magnifying glass from the top of Bear Hill.

That sounds bananas but brilliant. Let’s save Bearville – and our picnics! They dash out and drive off. Mummy dodges chocolate flakes, bounces over fudge chunks, and wipes cream off the windscreen until they finally reach the top of Bear Hill.

As frozen treats pile up around them, Benji leaps on Mummy’s shoulders and holds high the magnifying glass. The sun peeks past the clouds and shines a hot beam of light through the glass, zapping the Ice Cream Tornado.

It melts and melts and melts, becoming a lake of rainbow sweetness. To celebrate, the bears burst outside and belly flop into the lake. Benji and Mummy return and everyone cheers. HOORAY! Police Bear hugs them.

How did you save us? Well, Benji did what any bear with a magnifying glass would, Mummy says with a chuckle. Benji smiles. Can we eat our picnic now? My tummy’s rumbling.