The Great Fruitville Bake-Off

Once a year, Fruitville has a Bake-Off.

Everybody bakes something yummy, and everybody comes hungry. It is the tastiest day of the whole year.

Banana-Man baked banana bread. "Extra bananas," he said proudly. "Obviously."

Little Cherry baked cherry tarts with swirly tops. She hummed while she worked, and the tarts came out singing (almost).

Pip baked seed cookies. They were very, very small cookies. "Small cookies for small friends," said Pip, "and big friends can have ten."

Baby Melon made melon pops — cold, sweet, and drippy. She had to taste three, just to make sure. Quality control is important.

All morning, Fruitville smelled like a hug.

At noon, Mayor Mango arrived with a box of ribbons. He tasted the banana bread. "Mmm!" He tasted a cherry tart. "Mmm-mmm!" He tasted ten tiny cookies (he is a big friend). "Oh my!" He licked a melon pop. "Spectacular!"

Then Mayor Mango did something nobody expected.

He gave Banana-Man a ribbon: BEST FOR SHARING — because Banana-Man had already given half his bread away.

He gave Little Cherry a ribbon: MOST GIGGLY — because her tarts made everyone smile before they even took a bite.

He gave Pip a ribbon: TINIEST AND TASTIEST — a very great honor.

And he gave Baby Melon a ribbon: BEST TEAMWORK — because she had helped wash every dish in Fruitville. (There were a lot of dishes.)

"But Mayor Mango," said Pip, "who WON the Bake-Off?"

Mayor Mango smiled his big mayor smile. "Everybody who bakes for their friends wins," he said. "That's the Fruitville rule."

So they pushed all the tables together, and the whole town had a feast — banana bread, cherry tarts, tiny cookies, and melon pops for everyone.

And Banana-Man said the truest thing of all: "Food tastes best when it's shared."

The End. 🧁