It was Katharina's birthday. Lots of visitors came and pressed packages of all sizes into her hands. Birthday presents! Katharina unwrapped picture books, colourful toy blocks, a baby doll, a stuffed polar bear and a toy dog. Soon her bedroom looked like a toy shop.

Katharina needed space for all her new toys. She took her old Teddy, Tapsie, off her shelf and threw him in a corner. Ouch! Tapsie had fallen on the hard building blocks. With some effort, he sat up again and rubbed his sore back. The new toys looked down curiously at him from the shelf.

'Who are you?' they asked. 'Have you lived here long?'

Tapsie nodded. 'I was Katharina's first teddy,' he proudly declared. 'Normally, my place is up there in the shelf.'

'Now it's our space!' claimed the new toys. 'Katharina will probably only want to play with us now. Children love new things. You, on the contrary, are old. Your fur is worn out and your left ear has a kink in it.'

Tapsie looked himself over. His teddy fur had been stroked so often that he was, in fact, threadbare in some places. And his ear? He could still remember the time when he got stuck between the bed and the wall. Katharina's Mummy had managed to get him out again, but since then, his ear has had a kink.

'Could that be the reason why Katharina prefers her new toys?' worried the little bear.

The new toys didn't let up. 'Just look at how thick and shiny my fur is,' boasted the toy dog.

'And mine is a brilliant bright white,' gushed the stuffed polar bear. He stroked his snow white paw over his tummy. 'You're all tatty,' he said, scrunching up his nose.

'You can't even say "Mummy",' added the baby doll. 'You're boring! The girl surely won't want to play with you anymore.'

At that moment, Katharina and her birthday guests burst into the room. They played with the new toys the whole afternoon, leaving the old teddy lying in the corner.

Tapsie could have cried.

'The other toys were right,' he thought sadly. 'Katharina doesn't like me anymore.'

Gradually, evening drew in. The birthday guests said their goodbyes and went home. Katharina played a little longer with her stuffed polar bear. Then it was time for the girl to put on her pyjamas and go to sleep.

The new toys on the shelf became very excited. Which one of them would Katharina take with her to bed?

Katharina's mother came into the room. 'Into bed, birthday girl!' she laughed.

'Soon, Mummy,' said Katharina. 'I still need a soft toy for my bed.'

Her eyes searched around the room. All the toys held their breath in anticipation.

'I'll take... my old teddy! There you are, Tapsie!' Katharina fetched the scruffy old bear out of the corner and hugged him firmly to her chest. Then she climbed into bed with Tapsie in her arms.

The flabbergasted toys stayed behind with their mouths gaping in astonishment.

'Sweet dreams,' whispered Katharina's mummy.

She lovingly tucked the girl and her favourite teddy in — and Tapsie snuggled up happily under the blanket.

'Goodnight, Mummy,' murmured Katharina, already almost asleep. 'It was such a lovely day!'

_{A story by Sascha Schneider aus Bremen.}