The Feast with One Basket

A forest tale of scarcity, smart choices, and shared rewards

By Ross Boulton © 2025

In Heartgrove Clearing, wide and green,

The critters planned a grand cuisine.

But when they checked the berry bin—

One basket’s worth was all within!

Milo squeaked, “Let’s bake a tart!”

Crabbie squawked, “No, jam’s an art!”

Lantern twirled, “What about a pie?”

Grizzle yelled, “Let’s make the sky!”

Maple flapped her wings with care,

“We only have this much to share.

We can’t bake five—just pick one treat.

Or end up chewing moss and wheat!”

Lantern hovered near the stash,

And cast a glow on every dash.

“One pie,” she blinked, “means no to jam.

Each ‘yes’ we choose says three times ‘scram.’”

“I’ll have it all!” young Grizzle cried,

And whipped up jam that boiled and fried.

He used a pot, a pipe, a hose—

And stuffed in ten wild garden toes.

He poured it out—a globby drop.

It fizzed. It coughed. It wouldn’t stop.

Milo blinked, “This jam’s alive…”

Crabbie shrieked, “My tongue won’t thrive!”

Owliver said, “Let’s take it slow.

A single treat is all we grow.

The rest, for now, must wait their turn—

Each meal we miss is one we learn.”

“So pie,” he said, “means juice is gone?”

“And jam must sleep ‘til autumn’s yawn?”

Lantern blinked, “It’s not goodbye—

Just pause… until the berries fly.”

The next day brought a calmer crew.

They voted pie, as most folks do.

They saved some seeds in squirrel jars—

For future feasts beneath the stars.

Grizzle grumbled, “Pie’s okay…”

Then helped to wash the plates away.

“A treat with friends,” he softly said,

“Beats berry blenders in my shed.”

Maple carved a board of wood,

With berry math all understood.

“Tarts need ten. Jam needs eight.

Juice takes six—but makes you late.”

And under trees where stories bloom,

The forest shared one pie, one room.

They laughed, they learned, they planned ahead—

And dreamed of jam when leaves turned red.

For Parents, Teachers, and Thoughtful Readers

On its surface, “The Feast with One Basket” is a lighthearted tale of forest friends learning to pick one dessert. But beneath its rhymes and crumbs lies a serious lesson in economics, leadership, and emotional maturity.

This story introduces scarcity in its purest form: limited resources and unlimited wants. The forest animals can only afford one treat, and every choice means letting go of something else. Opportunity cost—what we give up when we choose—is introduced not as jargon, but as a shared experience of trade-offs, flavor, and fairness.

Each character embodies a type of economic actor:

• Grizzle the Badger represents impulsive overreach—trying to have it all without limits, and paying the price in messy outcomes.

• Maple the Goose models democratic coordination—inviting a vote, valuing fairness, and planning ahead.

• Lantern the Beetle plays the role of the economist—shining literal and figurative light on hidden consequences.

• Owliver the Grey is our philosopher—reminding us that wisdom is often choosing less for more meaningful reasons.

The story doesn’t pretend we can solve scarcity—it teaches us to live with it wisely.

In classrooms, this fable can launch conversations about:

• Budgeting (Why can’t we afford everything?)

• Group decision-making (How do we choose fairly?)

• Sustainability (What do we save for the future?)

• Emotional regulation (How do we respond when we can’t have it all?)

For adults, it quietly echoes our own dilemmas—family finances, community priorities, policy debates. It’s a mirror of every moment we must say “no” to some things in order to say “yes” to what matters most.

I Wrote This: The Feast with One Basket

By Ross Boulton © 2025

This story is part of my Forest Economics Series—a collection of woodland fables designed to teach young readers the fundamentals of economics through rhythm, character, and charm. Each tale turns a big idea—like trade, scarcity, value, or choice—into a shared forest moment that children can see, feel, and remember.

The Feast with One Basket explores one of the most foundational lessons in all of economics: scarcity. The forest friends must choose what to make with their single basket of berries, learning that every “yes” means saying “no” to something else. That’s opportunity cost in action—told not with charts, but with crumbs, giggles, and glowing insight.

Grizzle’s failed “everything jam,” Maple’s thoughtful vote, and Lantern’s berry-lit wisdom offer more than just laughs. They model how real decisions work: with limits, trade-offs, and collaboration.

My goal was to make these economic truths feel natural and even delightful. After all, when children learn to choose with care—and to share with heart—they’re not just becoming better economists. They’re becoming better citizens.