“Mia!” Pip, the deer mouse, calls from the opening of her hollow in the cypress tree. “Mia! Come down. I have exciting news.”

“What is it, Pip?” Mia, the blue jay, answers from a branch above Pip.

“It’s almost time for the Harvest Festival!” Pip exclaims. “We need to start preparing for it.”

Mia tilts her head, “The festival is only a week away. We will need decorations, games, food, and the huge pumpkin carved for the center of the community garden. Let’s go!”

In the garden, Pip marvels at the pumpkin, "Isn’t the Knucklehead pumpkin enormous?”

“It is!” Mia agrees.

Pip circles the pumpkin, examining it from all sides. “We should plan a design for the carving.”

“Let’s get to work,” Mia says fluttering down to Pip.

“You fly overhead and make an announcement,” Pip suggests. “Invite everyone to help.”

Mia takes to the air, and announces, “If you would like to help make the Harvest Festival special, meet at the pumpkin, please.”

Pip climbs a rock near the pumpkin, “Welcome everyone.”

“Let’s see..,” she continues. “Oliver, the bullfrog, can you hop around and coordinate everyone?”

“Earl, the squirrel, please gather acorns and other nuts for the feast.”

Josie and Walter, the twin turtles offer their help, “Can we set up the decorations?”

“And, can I help with the decorations too?” Moonbeam, the skunk, asks. “I love to collect flowers in the meadow. They make bouquets, garlands, and wreaths.”

“Great idea, Moonbeam,” Pip agrees. “Josie, Walter, and Moonbeam will work on the decorations.”

Slowly, Pip assigns everyone a task to complete for the festival. “This is going to be the best Harvest Festival! Let’s get to work.”

“Pip, we should start carving the pumpkin,” Mia points out.

“Yes. We can carve a smiling face. Or, maybe, we can carve a scene from the Watercolor Woods with everyone in it,” Pip thinks aloud.

Mia flies up and lands on the pumpkin, “What if we paint both? A happy face with our friends and neighbors around it?”

Pip’s eyes light up, “That is a wonderful idea, Mia! Let’s sketch it out on the pumpkin.”

Using a sharp rock, Pip outlines the design. “What do you think, Mia?”

“Let me see…,” Mia steps back to look at the outline. “Everyone will love it!”

Gathering various sharp rocks and sticks, Pip and Mia begin carving the design.

“The first was hard, but carving is going nicely now,” Mia smiles.

“I can already see it coming together,” Pip smiles too.

“My talons work great for carving details, especially around the eyes,” Mia continues to work.

Pip stops to see Mia’s progress, “This pumpkin will be the highlight of the festival!”

Juniper, the chipmunk’s, eyes widen with excitement. “I am handing out snacks for all the volunteers. Here is your snack. I love this design. Everyone will love it!”

“Wow, what a pumpkin!” Oliver says, stopping by with an update. “Everyone is working hard. The decorations, the games, and the food are coming along nicely.”

Pip grins, “That’s wonderful news, Oliver.”

Mia nods, “It’s going to be a Harvest Festival to remember. That’s for sure!”

“You should see the canopy that Juniper, Harmony, and Rosemary created from colorful leaves and vines.” Oliver shares.

“Jasper and Henry collected pinecones and berries to string around the stage area,” Oliver continues.

“It is all wonderful,” Pip squeaks.

The Watercolor Woods friends and neighbors meet daily to finish the preparations.

“We did it!” Pip announces from the center of the garden. “We really did it!”

“The festival begins tomorrow!” Mia smiles. “Everything looks great!”

Pip tells everyone, “We should all go home and get plenty of rest. Then, come back tomorrow evening for the festivities. See you then!”