On Doobetter Hill there was so much to do.
The grass was so green and the sky was so blue.
It was, as you see, on this bright sunny day,
That the Doobetterdees had gone outside to play.
They laughed and they giggled and had so much fun,
They jumped and they jiggled then started to run.
They ran to the east and they ran to the west;
They wanted to see just who could run the best.
Then Oliver Doobetterdee fell behind.
His legs were much shorter than most of his kind.
No, Oliver didn't run well, for you see,
He was always the slowest of Doobetterdees.
He did try his best, but it just was no use.
It seems that poor Oliver ran out of juice.
Soon the Doobetterdees were all far out of sight,
And Oliver felt such a terrible fright!
"How will I get home? Oh, I must find a way.
All I wanted to do was go outside and play.
Now the rest of the Doobetterdees ran away,
And left me alone; this just isn't my day.
I've never been scared but now I must admit,
I'm a smidgen bewildered and scared just a bit.
Still I must keep my wits. I must not lose my head.
So I'll sit down and think up a good plan instead.
Now if I was lost, and I am, don't you see,
Would I follow the river or just climb a tree?
I could wander around, going this way and that,
I could stumble around like I'm blind as a bat,
But what would that do? I might never get home.
I'd be just as lost and I'd still be alone.
I could just start off walking, go off on a lark.
Well, I'd better do something; it soon will be dark.
My friends will all wonder what's happened to me.
They'll surely be worried; they'll finally see
That I'm nowhere around, not a glimpse nor a glimmer.
I hope it's not long; the light's getting much dimmer.
I'll try to be brave and I'll try to be bold,
But it's starting to get just a little bit cold.
I know what I'll do, why, I'll build a nice fire
And keep myself warm as the flame rises higher.
And maybe the Doobetterdees will all see
The fire burning brightly and come rescue me.
Now what do I need? Some dry sticks and some wood,
And something to eat would be very good."
So Oliver gathered the wood and the sticks,
And piled them up neatly-that should do the trick.
Then carefully, Oliver started the blaze.
Smoke stared to rise, and then soon through the haze
He saw something moving from far and away,
And he thought that he heard someone calling to say,
"Oliver Doobetterdee, where are you?"
And Oliver said, "I am here, howdy do!"
Then a voice said, "Oliver, stay where you are!
We're coming to get you. We're not very far.
We see a big fire. Is that where you be?"
And Oliver shouted, "That's right; it's just me!"
And he thought to himself, "What a good plan I had.
With the fire I made, the night wasn't so bad.
And what a smart thing to stay just in one place.
So what if I lost that old Doobetter race.
I'll soon be with all of my Doobetter friends,
And tomorrow we'll play all our games once again."
Just then all the Doobetterdees came in sight,
And they hugged him and said, "Everthing is all right!
We'll take you back home and we'll cook a great meal,
And soon you will see how much better you'll feel.
We'll be there in no time. It shouldn't be long."
And they all went back home singing Doobetter songs.

Michael Daniel is the author of The Littledoobiddles and Doobetterdees. A storyteller know throughout the US, "Uncle Mike" has been called "the next Dr. Suess" by many. He is highly recommended by TOS Magazine. See his website at www.doobetter.com.