# Tree For Beaver

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 12 Apr 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71211809/at486_treeforbeaver_mixdown.mp3

To finish building his new dam, a beaver needs a log that will be just the right shape. Written especially for this podcast by Alice. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yeah. Hello, My name's Josephine and this is the Animal
[0:17] Speaker 1: Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
[0:22] Speaker 1: There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
[0:25] Speaker 1: with a third premium only story every Friday. If you've
[0:30] Speaker 1: particularly enjoyed an Animal Telles story, then please do let
[0:34] Speaker 1: your friends know so they can enjoy it too. Liam
[0:39] Speaker 1: is from California, USA, and he would like a story
[0:42] Speaker 1: featuring a beaver. You can learn more about these creatures
[0:46] Speaker 1: in the animal facts after the story. Okay, are you ready?
[0:51] Speaker 1: That's good, then I'll begin. Tree for Beaver. Liam was
[0:58] Speaker 1: busy patting down a section of tightly packed sticks with
[1:02] Speaker 1: his tail. Liam was a beaver and this current inspection
[1:07] Speaker 1: was to ensure that everything was firmly in place. He
[1:11] Speaker 1: was very proud of his work. Weeks of searching, gathering,
[1:15] Speaker 1: and gnawing were finally paying off. His dam was almost finished.
[1:21] Speaker 1: Almost There was one more hole he had to fill.
[1:26] Speaker 1: It was a fairly big hole, long and thin. He
[1:31] Speaker 1: would either need a few good branches to fill it
[1:34] Speaker 1: or one large log. As he was tired and it
[1:38] Speaker 1: was getting late, the beaver decided it would be easier
[1:42] Speaker 1: to fetch one large log, with that the job would
[1:46] Speaker 1: be done. It was a particularly sunny day and the
[1:51] Speaker 1: woods were alive with activity. As he started his search,
[1:56] Speaker 1: bees buzzed from flower to flower, birds sang over head,
[2:01] Speaker 1: and the bushes rustled as little mammals scurried by. But
[2:05] Speaker 1: Liam hardly noticed. He only had eyes for the trees.
[2:11] Speaker 1: Liam would often look for trees that had already fallen down.
[2:15] Speaker 1: This made the job much easier for him. But the
[2:18] Speaker 1: first fallen log he came across had clearly been laying
[2:21] Speaker 1: there for a while. The bark was peeling and it
[2:25] Speaker 1: was beginning to rot where it was resting on the
[2:28] Speaker 1: damp grass. This wouldn't do, thought Liam, and so he
[2:33] Speaker 1: kept moving. The next tumble down tree he came across
[2:38] Speaker 1: was much better. It looked good and sturdy, but was
[2:42] Speaker 1: crooked and gnobbily. He needed a log that was straight
[2:46] Speaker 1: and firm to fill the gap in his dam. It
[2:50] Speaker 1: soon became clear that none of the fallen trees were
[2:53] Speaker 1: good enough. He was going to have to find a
[2:56] Speaker 1: suitable tree that was still standing and cut it down himself.
[3:02] Speaker 1: This required yet more searching, but eventually a young oak
[3:06] Speaker 1: tree caught his eye. He gave the trunk a tap.
[3:10] Speaker 1: It sounded solid and reliable, and it was just the
[3:14] Speaker 1: right width. Better still, oak wood was strong. Yes, this
[3:21] Speaker 1: tree would make a great addition to his dam. Liam stretched,
[3:26] Speaker 1: rubbing his jaw in preparation. He placed his hands on
[3:31] Speaker 1: the trunk, leaning forward with his mouth open nice and wide.
[3:36] Speaker 1: His long front teeth were poised to bite deep into
[3:39] Speaker 1: the wood. Excuse me, demanded a voice. What do you
[3:46] Speaker 1: think you're doing? Liam jumped in surprise, his teeth snapping
[3:51] Speaker 1: down on thin air. Looking down on him from a
[3:55] Speaker 1: branch of the oak tree was the round, fuzzy face
[3:58] Speaker 1: of a great horned owl. I was just I was
[4:04] Speaker 1: just about two, Liam stuttered. You were going to chop
[4:09] Speaker 1: down my tree? The owl accused him, eyes narrowing, weren't you? Well, yes,
[4:18] Speaker 1: Liam admitted, that's what us beavers do, and this really
[4:23] Speaker 1: is the perfect tree to finish my dam. Well, you
[4:28] Speaker 1: can't have it, announced the owl. I live here. You'll
[4:33] Speaker 1: have to find another tree to add to your dan.
[4:36] Speaker 1: Liam spluttered and muttered. He didn't want to give up
[4:40] Speaker 1: this tree so quickly. It was just what he needed.
[4:45] Speaker 1: Can't you find another tree to live in? The beaver pleaded,
[4:49] Speaker 1: there's so many around here. The great horned owl spread
[4:54] Speaker 1: her wings, dropping to land beside the beaver. She was
[4:58] Speaker 1: as large as Liam and glared at him eye to eye.
[5:03] Speaker 1: You find another, she said forcefully, I was here first.
[5:10] Speaker 1: Intimidated by the large bird, Liam could only agree she
[5:15] Speaker 1: was right. He could find another tree, after all, he
[5:19] Speaker 1: was surrounded by a forest of them. Leaving the grumpy
[5:24] Speaker 1: owl behind, Liam began his search again, this time heading
[5:29] Speaker 1: up hill to a grove of fir trees. There, pine
[5:33] Speaker 1: fresh scent filled the air with a pleasant smell. The
[5:37] Speaker 1: ground was covered with a bed of fallen needles, over
[5:40] Speaker 1: which the beaver trod carefully. Now here was a fine
[5:45] Speaker 1: looking pine tree. It looked just the right shape and size,
[5:50] Speaker 1: and the soft wood would be easy to gnaw through. Yes,
[5:55] Speaker 1: this would do quite nicely. He selected the right spot
[5:59] Speaker 1: on the trunk, opened his jaws wide and prepared to bite.
[6:05] Speaker 1: But something struck him on the top of his head.
[6:09] Speaker 1: It was a pine cone, and it rolled to a
[6:12] Speaker 1: stop a short distance from his feet. How unlucky he
[6:16] Speaker 1: was to be stood on that spot Just as it fell.
[6:20] Speaker 1: He turned his attention back to the tree, opening his mouth,
[6:25] Speaker 1: and another pine co bopped him on the head, rubbing
[6:30] Speaker 1: the spot between his ears, Liam looked upwards. High above him,
[6:35] Speaker 1: a squirrel was glaring down at him, holding a pine
[6:39] Speaker 1: cone aloft. I'll throw another one if you dare bite
[6:44] Speaker 1: that trunk, the squirrel warned. But I need this tree
[6:49] Speaker 1: for my damn. Liam protested, Well, you can't have it,
[6:54] Speaker 1: said the squirrel. I live here. This tree has the
[6:58] Speaker 1: tastiest pine coast for miles around. I'm not going to
[7:03] Speaker 1: let you take it from me. Liam groaned and moaned,
[7:08] Speaker 1: trying to come up with a good argument. Please, he asked,
[7:13] Speaker 1: as sweetly as he could manage. My home won't be
[7:16] Speaker 1: finished without it, and my home will be gone if
[7:20] Speaker 1: you take it. The squirrel replied with a wiggle of
[7:24] Speaker 1: the pine cone, so back off. Liam didn't have a choice.
[7:30] Speaker 1: He didn't want another pine cone to the head. No matter,
[7:35] Speaker 1: he sighed to himself, I'd just have to find another
[7:39] Speaker 1: better tree. On the hill's opposite slope, the fir trees
[7:45] Speaker 1: gave way to other kinds. Liam would tap tree trunks
[7:49] Speaker 1: every now and again to see how they sounded. After
[7:53] Speaker 1: a while, he noticed that the trees were no longer green,
[7:57] Speaker 1: but instead had bright red leaves on their branches. Liam
[8:02] Speaker 1: had found a patch of red maple. The trees looked spectacular,
[8:07] Speaker 1: a deep scarlet amongst the green forest, and it wasn't
[8:11] Speaker 1: long until one of them caught Liam's eye. It was
[8:15] Speaker 1: tall and thin and didn't have too many branches to remove.
[8:20] Speaker 1: Liam liked the color too. It would fit nicely into
[8:24] Speaker 1: his dam. Wriggling his tail happily, Liam positioned himself to
[8:30] Speaker 1: take the first bite. Nobody told him to stop or
[8:35] Speaker 1: threw anything, so the beaver gave the wood a large,
[8:39] Speaker 1: satisfying chomp. My goodness, what are you doing, screeched a
[8:45] Speaker 1: tiny voice. With his teeth still embedded in the bark.
[8:50] Speaker 1: Liam strained to look up. There was a little mouse
[8:54] Speaker 1: peering down from a hole just above his head. You're
[8:58] Speaker 1: biting my bedroom water all, she complained. Feeling guilty, Liam
[9:04] Speaker 1: pulled his teeth from the trunk and tried to smooth
[9:08] Speaker 1: over the bite. Mark. I'm terribly sorry, he said. I
[9:13] Speaker 1: was looking for a tree to add to my dam,
[9:16] Speaker 1: and this one looked perfect. Oh, I see, said the
[9:21] Speaker 1: mouse crossly. Well I wish I could help, but myself
[9:25] Speaker 1: and my family live here. As she said this, five
[9:30] Speaker 1: more tiny heads poked out of the hole. Surrounding her.
[9:35] Speaker 1: Liam ummed and ard as he rubbed his anxious hands together.
[9:40] Speaker 1: I'm not having much luck to day, he sighed, But
[9:44] Speaker 1: I understand as some one once told me you were
[9:49] Speaker 1: here first. He left the tree and the mice behind him.
[9:55] Speaker 1: It was disappointing that he couldn't have the pretty maple tree,
[9:59] Speaker 1: but hopefully there were other trees just as good. It
[10:03] Speaker 1: was growing late, and Liam realized he'd almost looped all
[10:07] Speaker 1: the way back to home again. If he didn't find
[10:10] Speaker 1: something soon, he'd have to start all over again. It
[10:15] Speaker 1: was at that moment that a white tree trunk caught
[10:18] Speaker 1: his eye. It was a birch tree growing amongst others
[10:23] Speaker 1: beside the river, and it was just the size he
[10:26] Speaker 1: was looking for. He'd go as far as to say
[10:29] Speaker 1: it was perfect, but Liam wasn't about to jump right
[10:34] Speaker 1: in and start chewing. No, not this time. He checked
[10:38] Speaker 1: the branches above for large grumpy owls. He checked high
[10:43] Speaker 1: up amongst the leaves for pine cone throwing squirrels, and
[10:47] Speaker 1: he checked for any holes in the trunk for signs
[10:50] Speaker 1: of mice. There was nothing to be seen. Finally, a
[10:55] Speaker 1: truly perfect tree. Finally Liam could do what beavers did best.
[11:02] Speaker 1: He bit down, forcefully, sinking his big beaver teeth into
[11:07] Speaker 1: the birch trunk to rip off a large piece of bark.
[11:12] Speaker 1: Ah came a tiny, high pitched scream. Liam looked around desperately,
[11:20] Speaker 1: but there was nobody in sight. Was he hearing things?
[11:24] Speaker 1: Put me down? Came the voice again. Liam was still
[11:30] Speaker 1: holding the piece of bark between his teeth. He dropped
[11:34] Speaker 1: it into his hands to see that there was a
[11:36] Speaker 1: little caterpillar clutching it, looking terrified. I'm so sorry, Liam cried,
[11:44] Speaker 1: all in a panic. Here, let me help you gently.
[11:49] Speaker 1: He helped the caterpillar back onto the birch tree. I'm
[11:53] Speaker 1: terribly sorry. I didn't think anyone lived in this tree,
[11:57] Speaker 1: Liam tried to explain. I thought it was empty empty.
[12:03] Speaker 1: The caterpillar replied, there's only me and my three hundred brothers,
[12:08] Speaker 1: sisters and cousins. Oh no, groaned Liam. Trust me to
[12:14] Speaker 1: pick a tree so popular, then, I guess I won't
[12:17] Speaker 1: be taking this tree for my dam either. We'd sure
[12:22] Speaker 1: prefer it if you didn't, said the caterpillar. It would
[12:26] Speaker 1: take us a long time to find a new one.
[12:29] Speaker 1: We're only little, you see. Never mind, said Liam with disappointment.
[12:35] Speaker 1: I'll just find a different tree for my dam. As
[12:40] Speaker 1: he left, he noticed that the sky above was darkening.
[12:44] Speaker 1: It was time he headed home. All that time and effort,
[12:48] Speaker 1: and he'd still not found his perfect log to finish
[12:51] Speaker 1: his dam. In the failing light of the evening, he
[12:55] Speaker 1: stared at the empty hall with frustration. I'd just have
[13:00] Speaker 1: to look again to morrow, he said. That night, Liam
[13:05] Speaker 1: was restless. The wind whistled through the hole, and he
[13:09] Speaker 1: could hear the dam creaking as the stick shifted due
[13:13] Speaker 1: to it being unfinished. If I don't find the right
[13:17] Speaker 1: log to morrow, then there's a danger the whole dam
[13:20] Speaker 1: will collapse and wash away. That would mean having to
[13:24] Speaker 1: start all over again. By the time the sun came up,
[13:29] Speaker 1: Liam was tired from a lack of sleep. Worse still,
[13:33] Speaker 1: he was worried that he had another day of disappointment
[13:36] Speaker 1: ahead of him. He stood before the hole in his dam,
[13:41] Speaker 1: and his shoulders sagged. Oh what's the point, he said,
[13:47] Speaker 1: I spent all of yesterday looking. I'm never going to
[13:51] Speaker 1: find the perfect log for this hole. Does it have
[13:55] Speaker 1: to be a log? Asked a familiar voice. It was
[13:59] Speaker 1: the owl sat on a tree branch overhanging the water. Oh,
[14:05] Speaker 1: it's you, said the beaver. Why are you asking? Are
[14:09] Speaker 1: you still worried I'll cut down your tree? Not at all,
[14:14] Speaker 1: replied the owl. You could have chewed down my tree,
[14:18] Speaker 1: and I don't think I could have stopped you. But
[14:20] Speaker 1: you didn't. Well you were there first, Liam reminded her. Exactly,
[14:28] Speaker 1: smiled the owl. And it wasn't just me, You were
[14:32] Speaker 1: considerate towards now you didn't answer my question. Does it
[14:37] Speaker 1: have to be a log? Well, no it doesn't, admitted Liam.
[14:44] Speaker 1: But finding enough smaller branches and sticks can take even longer.
[14:48] Speaker 1: I thought the perfect log would be easier. Will these
[14:53] Speaker 1: sticks and branches do? Called the squirrel. He was stood
[14:58] Speaker 1: beside a large pile of wo on the river bank,
[15:01] Speaker 1: alongside the mouse family and the caterpillar. Well yes, said Liam,
[15:08] Speaker 1: looking stunned. But why you just wanted a home, same
[15:15] Speaker 1: as us, said the owl. You were kind enough to
[15:19] Speaker 1: leave us ours, so we decided to help you with yours.
[15:24] Speaker 1: The pile of branches and sticks were made up of oak, pine, maple,
[15:29] Speaker 1: and birch. That's so nice of you, Liam said gratefully.
[15:36] Speaker 1: Shall we help you to get them to fit? Asked
[15:38] Speaker 1: the mouse. I'd like that, said Liam, and so the
[15:44] Speaker 1: new friends got to work animals that Although not the
[15:53] Speaker 1: largest rodents in the world, beavers can grow to over
[15:57] Speaker 1: a meter in length that's three feet. Their fur is
[16:02] Speaker 1: very thick and is waterproof. All rodents need to chew
[16:07] Speaker 1: because their front teeth never stop growing. This makes them
[16:11] Speaker 1: the ideal tools for chewing through tree trunks. Their teeth
[16:16] Speaker 1: also look orange as the enamel that coats them is
[16:19] Speaker 1: rich in iron. Beavers are great at holding their breath
[16:24] Speaker 1: for up to fifteen minutes. That's helpful when down building
[16:28] Speaker 1: or making repairs. Thank you for your suggestion, Liam. We
[16:33] Speaker 1: hope you enjoyed the story, and thank you to all
[16:36] Speaker 1: of you across the world for listening to it. Remember
[16:40] Speaker 1: if you prefer your stories advert free, then please consider
[16:44] Speaker 1: our premium service through Apple or Supercast for a tiny fee.
[16:49] Speaker 1: The stories are advert free. Join us next time for
[16:53] Speaker 1: another great animal tale. Goodbye,

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