Bubba and Parker
This is the story of Bubba, he’s a little Hedgehog who bravely walks into a mystical little forest with his teddy bear, Parker. As he navigates through the forest he sees positive displays of attachments between families and friends.
Before taking the long walk into the unknown, he says to his little bear Parker, “So it’s just us.” Heart pounding and feeling like he can’t… He does.
He takes the scary walk into the forest.
As he walks deeper into the forest, he sees so many families supporting each other.
He sees two red wolves kissing, “cuddle,” he says.
As he walks further, he says two Koala’s hugging, “ cuddle” he says.
Hidden in a cave, lit with twinkle lights, he sees a deer family resting, he whispers, “cuhhhh- ddle.”
The little owl family wonders as they watch, “Is there something that he needs?”
Nobody can fulfill his needs, because they don’t know what he wants, so he sadly continues.
As he walks even deeper into the forest he sees a Lake and a little boat. He and Parker get in and as soon as he knows it, he sees two Orcas! “CUDDLE!” He shouts.
But nothing. What is Does Bubba need?
He spots a lighthouse. When he finally gets to shore, he sees more families. This time they look different.
Wait, These families don’t match, he thinks to himself. — But they still look happy.
He walks up to The Big Brown Bear and the little Beaver, “cuddle,” he says. As he thinks to himself, I’m cold and I’m alone.
As he continues, he sees a scarf! How did that get there? Someone must have dropped it.
Little did he know, someone has been watching him the entire time, Mr. Moon!
As Bubba and Parks continue their Journey, he comes across a penguin family, “Cuddle,” he says.
The owl family wonders what he wants, but Mr.Moon knows. Mr. Moon sees the bigger picture and he knows what Bubba wants.
Toward the end of the mystical forest, he sees Betty and Berry Bunny, he says, “cuddle.”
This time, the Bunny’s ask, “Do you need help?” Bubba responds, “help?” He thinks to himself… yes.
“Bubba!” Someone yells from a distance, it’s Bubbas’s mom.
She had some things to take care of, but now she’s back. Sometimes, grownups need to take care of things, so they can’t always be around.
Bubba and his Mom meet halfway and they give each other a big hug.
Bubba sadly whispers, “ I thought I was alone.” His mom replies, “You may not always see me, but you are never alone. Sometimes you need to see the little signs the world leaves you. Let’s cuddle darling.”
Feeling very happy and secure that there is always someone who cares and all he needs to do is ask for help, he ventures off into the next deep dark forest alone!
The End.
Explanation of Bubba and Parker
This is the story of Bubba, he’s a little Hedgehog who bravely walks into a mystical little forest with his teddy bear, Parker. As he navigates through the forest he sees positive displays of attachments between families and friends.
Although he seems that he’s looking to find his own secure attachment, he has difficulty communicating it. He approaches many animals, but they are all too busy to notice him… Until he stumbles across the Bunny Family. The Bunny’s recognize something is wrong when they take the initiative to communicate with questions. This caught him off guard and then he realized… Yes, to answer the question, I do need help.
At that moment, his mother (his attachment object) shows up, to display positive displays of emotion, which reassures him that he is safe. He was able to connect with a “secure base” in a moment of anxiety. This helped him to learn from that experience then he fearlessly decided to venture off independently.
This story is meant to help children connect with the scared little hedgehog who, inside of himself, was unsure, scared, and alone. It is meant to channel deeper feelings that children may not know how to communicate. It is meant to help them relate to a character that feels just like them. Through the story, they are able to visualize a scared kid, who’s being ignored, who keeps on walking, who can’t communicate, and the hedgehog didn’t see the signs, but the child reading it does… The child recognizes that there are others who are looking out for you, even when you don’t know it. You may not always see the signs, but they’re out there. — And maybe, just maybe there’s someone like Mr. Moon for me too.
