One morning, when Frog woke up, he sensed something was off. “The world must have changed!”
He opened his window and exclaimed, “Oh no! Everything is white!”
Confused, he rushed outside, only to slip and fall in the snow. He slid all the way to the riverbank and landed on the icy surface. “How can I take a bath without water?” Frog worried.
Shivering on the riverbank, he saw Duck gliding smoothly on her ice-skating shoes. “Hey, Frog!” she called out. “The weather is fantastic! Let’s go ice skating together!”
“No! I’m freezing!” Frog replied.
“But skating is fun!” Duck insisted. “I’ll teach you!”
She handed Frog her skates and scarf, then pushed him gently from behind. Frog skated a few feet but fell again. “Don’t you think it’s fun?” Duck asked. Frog could only chatter his teeth; all he felt was the cold.
“You have a warm feather coat, but I’m just a bare frog,” he lamented.
“Oh, you’re right. You can keep the scarf,” Duck said before heading home.
A while later, Pig trotted by with a bundle of firewood. “Aren’t you cold?” Frog asked.
“Not at all!” Pig replied. “I love this fresh, crisp air. Winter is the most beautiful season!”
“You have a layer of fat to keep you warm, but I have nothing,” Frog said. “Poor Frog!” Pig thought. “I wish I could help him.”
Meanwhile, Rabbit was happily hopping in the snow. “Wow!” he cheered. “Exercise keeps you healthy! Let’s cheer for fitness!”
“Frog, why don’t you join me? Staying fit is fun!” Rabbit called.
“I’m freezing!” Frog replied. “You have warm fur; what do I have?” With that, he trudged home, feeling defeated.
The next day, his friends invited him to play snowball fights, but Frog couldn’t muster any enthusiasm.
“I’m freezing!” he mumbled. “I’m just a bare frog…” He dragged his heavy legs back home, feeling lonelier than ever.
For days, he sat by the boiler, dreaming of spring and summer. He burned through all the firewood.
When the fire finally went out, Frog ventured outside to find more wood, but couldn’t find a single piece in the snow.
As he wandered, he lost his way. Exhausted, he lay down in the snow. In the vast whiteness, there was just a small green dot—bare Frog.
His friends soon spotted him. “I’m so cold!” Frog groaned.
“We’ll help you!” Rabbit exclaimed. Together, they carefully carried him back home.
Rabbit collected some wood to stoke the fire, Pig prepared a nourishing soup, and Duck cheered Frog on from the side.
That night, Rabbit read stories about the wonders of spring and summer, while Pig knitted Frog a colorful sweater. Frog basked in the warmth of his friends’ care, wishing he could spend the entire winter like this.
Slowly, Frog began to recover and was finally able to get out of bed. Clad in his new sweater, he stepped back into the snow. “How do you feel?” Rabbit asked with concern.
“Great!” Frog replied with a smile.
The long winter had passed. That morning, when Frog opened his eyes, a brilliant light streamed in through the window. He leaped out of bed and dashed outside.
The sun hung high in the sky, and the world was a vibrant green. “Wow!” he shouted joyfully. “It’s wonderful to be a frog! I can feel the sunshine on my smooth back.” His friends were thrilled to see Frog so excited; they couldn’t imagine life without him.