There comes The Rainbow Bear,

a jolly good fellow that he is,

He says, 'It is just as I said!

Ms. Tattle tale and the Elegant Elephant,

Have put all sorts of ideas in my head!'

‘All sorts of ideas?

What do you mean, my man?

Come here, sit still, be gentle now,

Here take all the bananas you can!’

‘That’s all good, but hear me out,

Ms. Tattle Tale doesn’t like her title

And wants to revolt!’

‘Wants to revolt? How do you mean?

Is she sorry? Surely she has more sense now,

She is going on seventeen!’

Alas, there is more to the tale,

The elegant elephant has sided with her,

They say the tiltle is mean, and on the pale,

When I speak, they silence me, I spoke till I felt weak,

And, they listened till I could hardly speak.

Listen, Rainbow Bear, you are kind,

You are soft,

But, her tantrums you mustn’t mind.

Let her rant, let her speak freely,

She understands from your understaning and

That’s key to friendship, my dear friend.

This is story about an unlikely friendship!                                                      

 As the fierce forest grew, so did the animals who lived there. Tigers, lions, jackals, foxes, butterflies, and hundreds of other varieties found a home in the deep jungle. Among all the other animals, there lived a mouse with his own group of friends. With small ears and a long pointy tail, Munchkin Mouse climbed trees, nibbled on left-over food and scurried everywhere. 

In the middle of the forest, there was a big lake where the Rainbow Bear, Ms. Tattle Tale and the Elegant Elephant regularly went to drink water and bathe. One day, as they were on their way to the lake, the Munchkin Mouse was crossing the road. He got frightened when he saw the elephant – ‘‘looking at his size, I could easily be trampled’’, he thought. This posed a problem for the mouse. So, he decided to confront the elephant and make a request.

 He looked at the Elegant elephant cordially and said, "Dear Sir, you are big and powerful, and tiny as I am, I fear being trampled. Therefore, I request you to change your route to the lake. If you do so, I will remember to return the favor in your time of need." 

The Rainbow Bear smiled. Ms. Tattle Tale smiled. The elegant Elephant smiled. And, said “Dear Mouse, don’t be afraid. I didn’t mean to frighten you – rest assured we will change the route to the lake from today. I will not ask any favor from you, I am a big elephant, and you my friend, are small." 

The Munchkin Mouse thanked the Elegant Elephant for his consideration, and the Rainbow Bear, Ms. Tattle Tale and the Elegant Elephant stayed away from the route near the Mouse’s house.

After some time, one day the Elegant Elephant was headed to the lake by himself. The Rainbow Bear was traveling for work and Ms. Tattle Tale had a doctor’s appointment and was meeting him at the lake. Unfortunately, some bad animal-hunters had setup traps near the lake and the Elegant Elephant struggled hard but could not set himself free from the strong nets.

Suddenly, the Elegant Elephant remembered the promise of the mouse. When Ms. Tattle Tale showed up at the lake, he sent her to remind the mouse of his promise and ask for help on his behalf.

And so, Ms. Tattle tale brought the mouse to the place where the Elegant Elephant had been trapped. The mouse started nibbling on the strong nets with his sharp teeth and cut them loose. The Elegant Elephant broke free from the nets and was grateful, he thanked the Munchkin Mouse for his timely help, and they became great friends thereafter. 

Moral Of the story: Never underestimate anybody by their size and appearance.

• Our good Rainbow Bear, is very, ahem, colorful. He eats bananas by the dozen, hugs when he is happy, and can sleep for days. He is also the reigning champion in the forest-wide ‘Best Fur’ contest. Oh, and he doesn’t like Wednesdays. 

• Turtle, Ms. Tattle-tale, must carry this name for the full year. As you may imagine, she was very upset when she received this title in the Annual Forest Social. Otherwise, she loves to nibble on grass, likes to ride on our dear Elegant Elephant’s back and has a great giggle. Look at that smile, isn’t she adorable?!

• How to best introduce our dearest friend? He is so elegant; it became his name! He has the kindest heart, the most graceful walk, and is a complete mush machine. Forest folks come to him to seek counsel, and ask for help. He is a little sensitive about his tail, so please never bring that up in conversation.

Good stories are those that inspire. Our friends have found in each other a friendship that inspires, that takes strength in leading one another, and that stands the test of time and adventure. Join us as we celebrate their friendship and more. Welcome to the family of happy, thoughtful, fair toys.

Our friends at Telegraph would concur. Let's look at the base arguments in support of this theory:

• Active play is a natural and primary way that children learn. It is essential to their healthy growth and progress, particularly during periods of rapid brain development.
• Play helps children to learn important social skills, use their imagination, concentrate and be more self-directed.
• Play is not meaningless, nor does it represent an absence of learning; it is essential to helping them grow into successful, well-rounded and happy adults. 

Why the disconnect then, you may as well ask? We are playing the devil's advocate here so, lets list down the counter-arguments: 

• Playtime is too often disregarded as “frivolous and pointless” by parents and educators alike. Perhaps the reason is the increasing pressure placed on children to succeed academically through higher test scores and greater knowledge retention, thus prompting parents and school leadership to reduce playtime in favor of more time in the classroom or library. At home, parents sometimes feel that free time is better spent reading, studying, learning a musical instrument, with some simply fearing that their children playing outside is just too dangerous and/or that they don’t have any time to supervise them.
• The rise in virtual sports and increased usage of mobile devices among children has adversely affected their desire to step outside to play sports. 

Is there a fine balance to bridge the growing divide? Sure is. Here is what we can do:

• As noted, spending time outside is also a great opportunity to spend quality time together as a family. As the family explores new places together, the bonding apart, this enables the greatest learning experiences your child can get in the long term.
• Playtime is more than an opportunity for young, energetic kids to run around and learn new skills. It is also a free time to socialize, play new games and explore one’s imagination. After-all, we learnt much of our coping skills while we navigated the many rounds of truth and dare. Yes? Okay, then. 

Let the games begin!