Friends From Other Flower Pots

Swimming pools are fun for people- not for Beetles at least at first. After he is shot out of his flower pot and into the water by a garden hose Beetle faces the terror of being adrift in the open water without knowing how to swim and without being able to take proper safety precautions. Normally a shy loner to save himself Beetle must open his mouth and do what is so hard for him- call for help.Various backyard inhabitants answer his call. Their efforts together with his own resolve get Beetle out of danger. A nearby floating leaf serves as his initial refuge. Once aboard Beetle begins a character transformation: he goes from shy to confident from loner to leader from rescued to rescuer.Beetles courage is rewarded with a crew all of which have their own skills. The spider that he rescues spins his web to make a sail. The centipede he rescues offers her many legs to row. Both acts of generosity surprise Beetle. Even though he never met a centipede or a spider both bugs are negatively stereotyped. Overcoming these generalizations is a struggle that calls for courage. It is a call that Beetle answers and quickly begins to pay off. For the basic life raft that he navigated alone morphs into a mighty ship that commands the very waters Beetle formerly feared. Work becomes play. The pool is now a playground. Scary strangers are now friends from other flower pots.That calls for a celebration back at Beetles place...and everyone is invited.