When he was not busy tending his little blue cottage on Thimbleberry Lane, Nigel Chipmunk often liked to walk down to Passalong Pond, where his friend Mudpuppy lived. Mudpuppy was a stout, gray salamander who was always trying to improve himself. He did leg-lifts each morning, ate only the worst-tasting foods because he thought they were better for him, and even one summer tried to read every book in the Thimbleberry Library so he might become a more interesting salamander. In spite of Mudpuppy's attempts at perfection, Nigel very much enjoyed his company, especially since Mudpuppy was such a good boatman.
The delightful Cynthia Rylant in Thimbleberry Stories
