The first of the two tales, 'Mrs. Fox up in a Tree', begins with a surprised human asking Mrs. Fox why she is up in a tree. The resulting exchange between these two characters expands from the fox's reasonable response into a revelation of close-up elements within a fox family's life.
The second tale, 'Jesse and the Talkative Takin', introduces Jesse, a student who has a free day to spend as she wishes. Jesse decides to visit one of her favorite places, the zoo. Once there, with her normal interest and curiosity, she goes about observing zoo residents. That normalcy is unexpectedly unsettled by a rather brave and assertive young takin. The takin wants to talk with Jesse and descends from its pasture into a dry moat to get closer for conversation. The resulting talk session grows from polite introductions to the takin's optimistic outlook regarding reintroduction to the wild, and ultimately, into reinforcement of Jesse's zoo-centered career objectives.