Synopsis
Franklin and his friends are playing a game called "Find the Acorn." Fox has hid the acorn and no one can find it. He points out where it was and everyone gets mad. Not only was it someplace that even Squirrel couldn't find, but he told them that they were "cold" (far away from the acorn) when actually they were "hot" (right by it.) Beaver can't believe that Fox fibbed. Fox promises to play fair from then on. Later on, Franklin is at home. Bear comes to his house and presents him with a paper bird construct that he made. He really likes it and wonders if Franklin likes it too. He asks Franklin if it's the best thing he ever made. Franklin, looking at the thing and remembering that honesty is the best policy, tells him that maybe it isn't the best thing and starts pointing out things that are wrong with it. This only angers Bear, who leaves in a huff. Franklin doesn't have too much time to think about it, as he's baking homemade cookies with his Mom. They're ginger cookies and Mrs. Turtle reminds him to use three shakes of ginger. Franklin thinks to himself that if three shakes make them taste good, then four shakes would make them even better. So he tries this, but accidentally makes the last shake an especially large one. After the cookies are done, he takes them to his friends in the tree fort. He asks them to try them and they all find them disgusting. One says that they don't even think they're cookies. They ask who made them and Franklin tells them that he did. They all try to say nice things about them now, but the damage is already done. When Franklin returns home, he tells his parents about what happened. He has them try the cookies. It's obvious that they too think they're disgusting, but they try to say nice things about them. Mr. Turtle suggests that Franklin try one of them himself. Franklin does and quickly spits it out because it's disgusting. He admits to his Mom that he used more ginger than he was supposed to. His parents explain that sometimes it hurts when friends tell the truth. For that reason, even if you don't like something a friend gives you, you should always try to find something complimentary to say about it. Mrs. Turtle gives an example: a really wild hat Aunt Tortoise gave her. It looks wacky, but she called it such things as "stylish." Franklin realizes that there's something he has to do. He apologizes to Bear for saying mean things about the bird construct he gave him. Bear admits that is kind of funny looking and Franklin tells him that he likes it anyway. Bear says that he likes Franklin's cookies.
