Polly Darton: Oh, hi there. My name is Polly Darton, and I’d like to sing a song for you, but I can’t. The song I’d like to sing’s called, “14 Carrot Love”, but as you can see, I only have (slowly counting carrots) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 carrots. Mm-hmm.
(Benny Rabbit, with a carrot in his mouth, hops by behind her, and then stops to look on)
How can I sing a song about 14 carrot love, when I only have 13 carrots?
(she notices Benny)
Benny: Uh-oh. (tries to sneak away)
Polly Darton: Look! Did you see that bunny with that carrot?
(Benny stops, looking skyward, his escape foiled)
I wonder if he’d let me borrow it. (calls) Here bunny, bunny, bunny!
Benny: (spitting out the carrot) Hey! Don’t call me Bunny! The name is Benny!
Polly Darton: Well, I’m sorry, Benny. I was wondering if I could borrow that carrot there.
Benny: (shocked) No! No way, no chance! No how! This is my carrot, and I gotta get downtown, so goodbye! (picks up carrot in his mouth again)
Polly Darton: Oh please? You have one carrot and I have 13 carrots. (Benny puts carrot back down) If I add your carrot and my 13, I’ll have (slowly counting carrots) 1, 2…
Benny: Yeah yeah yeah…
Polly Darton: …3, 4…
Benny: Come on, I gotta get downtown!
Polly Darton: …5, 6, 7, 8…
Benny: Yeah yeah yeah…
Polly Darton: …9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 carrots.
Benny: 14, yeah.
Polly Darton: And I can sing my song.
Benny: No, no way, forget it!
Polly Darton: Aw, please? Don’t do it for me – do it for the little children! Please?
Benny: (Squeaks his teeth as he thinks about it) Oh, all right all right all right. You can borrow my carrot. But you have to give it back. And you can’t, I say you can’t nibble on it, okay?
Polly Darton: Okay, okay. Thank you! Thank you, you –
Benny: Yeah yeah yeah…
Polly Darton: …wonderful little bunny, you!
Benny: (appalled) Don’t call me Bunny! The name is BENNY!!!
(music starts, she now sings)
Polly Darton: These carrots from the garden
Are gathered as you see
In one great big bunch
As pretty as can be
Benny: (unimpressed) Yeah…
Polly Darton: The bunch has 13 carrots
But it only takes a shove
(Benny starts getting into the beat)
To add another carrot
And get 14 carrot love!
14 carrot love!
(Benny starts squeaking his teeth in time to the music)
14 carrot love!
That is what we got here –
14 carrot love!
It’s better than some flowers
Or candy on a ring
(Benny’s really getting into it)
And it’s all ’cause of you-ou
I have this song to sing
Together: 14 carrot love!
14 carrot love!
That’s what we got here –
14 carrot love!
(music ends, but Benny keeps singing, leaning back on the fence)
Benny: 14 carrot love! 14 carrot love!
Polly Darton: (calling to him) Hey hey! Benny! Song’s over, Benny!
Benny: (still singing) That’s what we’ve got here! 14 ca- (stops) Oh yeah yeah yeah, right right, well I gotta go anyway. Yeah yeah, I’m just gonna take my carrot here, and get outta here …
Polly Darton: Hey, hey you can have all those carrots, Benny. Just my way of sayin’ thank you.
Benny: (blown away) Oh! Oh gee, well, um … but I don’t know what to say!
Polly Darton: Aw, you know he really is a sweet little bunny!
Benny: (shouting) Don’t call me Bunny! The name is Benny!
(squeaks his teeth as last notes of the song replay)