I would like you to meet Freya. I really think you will like her.
Freya has curly brown hair, bright blue eyes, and the main thing everyone knows about her is that she loves animals. She dreams of having her very own four-legged friend to cuddle up and play with.
As soon as Freya wakes up, she remembers that today is a very special day. It is her birthday!
She runs downstairs and sees her Mummy and Daddy in the kitchen. The delicious smell of pancakes fills the air.
They are both smiling at her, and on the dining table she sees a birthday cake with six candles and a box wrapped in shiny paper with a pink ribbon around it.
“Happy Birthday, Freya!” says Mummy. “Shall we have breakfast and then you can open your present?”
“Oh yes, please! Can we have pancakes for breakfast?” Freya’s eyes sparkle with excitement.
“Yes, of course. Can you smell them? They’re nearly ready. I knew that’s what you’d want,” says Mummy.
Freya loves pancakes, but all through breakfast she wonders what’s inside the box.
Freya can hardly wait.
At last, Mummy says, “You can open your present now.”
Inside the box, she finds something unexpected: a small pink collar with paw prints all around.
She looks up, puzzled.
“But I don’t have a dog.”
Then her eyes light up.
“Does this mean I’m getting a dog?”
Daddy smiles.
“Come with me, birthday girl. Let’s take a look outside.”
Daddy takes her to the garden shed.
There, jumping out of a little dog basket, is the loveliest puppy Freya has ever seen!
It has golden fur, floppy ears, and its tail is wagging so fast it’s a blur.
The puppy barks excitedly, and Freya’s heart races with joy.
“Is she mine?” Freya whispers.
“Yes, she’s all yours,” says Mummy, who has joined them. “Happy Birthday!”
Freya bends down to stroke the puppy.
The puppy jumps up and licks her hand.
Freya giggles as she strokes the puppy’s soft golden fur.
“I’m going to call her Poppy.”
Luckily, it’s a Sunday, so Freya has the whole day to show Poppy her bedroom and play with her in the garden.
Poppy loves Freya’s red ball!
Freya throws the ball, and Poppy tumbles after it, her tail wagging furiously.
In the evening, they are both tired.
Freya curls up on the sofa with Poppy on her lap.
She finds a picture book and reads it aloud for them both, but Poppy is soon fast asleep, her tiny snores filling the room.
“You’re my best birthday present ever,” she whispers.
“We’ll have so many adventures together.”
At bedtime, with Poppy curled up safely beside her, Freya drifts off to sleep, dreaming of all the adventures tomorrow might bring.