Nadia came home from school to find something terrible. The plate of chocolate chip cookies that Mom had baked that morning was completely empty. Only a few crumbs were left on the counter.
Who ate all the cookies? Nadia asked her brother Max. Not me! Max said, holding up his hands. I just got home. Nadia looked at him carefully. He did not have any crumbs on his face.
She decided to investigate like a real detective. First, she looked for clues in the kitchen. She found a trail of tiny crumbs leading from the counter toward the back door.
Nadia followed the crumbs across the floor, out the back door, and into the garden. The trail led to the big bush next to the fence. She peeked behind it.
There was a squirrel sitting on the ground with chocolate all over its paws! It had found a way through the window screen and helped itself to the cookies.
The squirrel looked up at Nadia, stuffed the last piece of cookie into its cheeks, and scrambled up the fence. Hey, come back! Nadia laughed.
She went inside and told Mom the whole story. Mom could not stop laughing. I guess I need to close the window when I bake, she said.
Mom and Nadia baked a new batch of cookies together, and this time they made sure every window was shut tight. Nadia saved one cookie and left it outside for the squirrel. After all, it had good taste.