Sketchley Draws a Why

Sketchley is a slim stoat with a brown back, a creamy tummy, and a crayon tucked behind one ear. Sketchley lives in the reeds near the otters’ rock, and Sketchley doesn’t talk very much. Sketchley draws.

One evening, Larkin read a story. “Hedgehog’s kite got stuck in the big tree. Hedgehog sat down under the tree and cried.”

Whyatt said, “Hedgehog cried because the kite was stuck.”

Whynn said, “Also because Hedgehog couldn’t reach it. He’s small.”

Whyla said, “Maybe because it was a brand-new kite.”

Then they all looked at Sketchley, who was quietly scribbling on a little pad.

“Sketchley,” said Whyla, “do you have a why?”

Sketchley’s whiskers twitched nervously. Sharing out loud felt scary, like stepping onto a wobbly log. So instead of saying it, Sketchley turned the pad around.

On it was a drawing. It showed Hedgehog, and above Hedgehog’s head, a little thought-bubble. Inside the bubble was another drawing: an older hedgehog, holding the same kite, smiling.

“Oh,” said Whynn softly. “Maybe the kite was a present. From someone special.”

Sketchley nodded. Then, very quietly, said: “Maybe Grandpa Hedgehog made it. So it’s not just a kite. It’s a Grandpa kite.”

The otters were silent for a moment.

“That’s a really good why,” said Whyatt. “Nobody said that one.”

Larkin looked back at the story. “Let’s see. Hedgehog’s grandpa had made the kite last summer.” She smiled. “Sketchley, you found a reason that was hiding.”

Sketchley’s tummy did a happy little flip. A warm, bright feeling spread from nose to tail, the feeling of having your very own idea seen.

“I didn’t hear it from anyone,” Sketchley said. “I just pictured it.”

“That’s the best kind of why,” said Larkin. “A why of your own.”

From then on, whenever the otters found their reasons, they always waited for Sketchley’s pad to turn around. Sometimes Sketchley’s picture-reason fit the story. Sometimes it didn’t. But it was always Sketchley’s very own.

That is Sketchley’s gift. You don’t have to wait for someone else to say the reason. You can picture it. You can draw it. You can add a why that is all your own.