The Charming Gift by Disney Book Group

C rash!
    The noise thundered through the castle, followed by the sound of breaking glass.
    â€œOh, no!” Belle cried. She jumped up from her chair by the fireplace. “What happened?”
    â€œI think it came from the library,” Mrs. Potts the teapot said worriedly.
    Belle rushed down the hallway. She hadn’t lived at the castle for very long, but she could always find her way to the library! It was her favorite room in the entire castle.
    Mrs. Potts zoomed after Belle on a tea cart. Her son, Chip the teacup, squealed as the cart zipped around the corners on two wheels. By the time they arrived at the library, Belle was already inside—along with Lumiere the candelabrum and Cogsworth the mantel clock.
    â€œOh, my word!” gasped Mrs. Potts. “Whatever happened in here?”
    â€œIt must have been the storm,” Belle said. She pointed to the window. A thick tree branch had crashed through it! Papers swirled around the library as icy wind and snowflakes blew through the broken window.

    â€œMama, it’s cold in here!” Chip exclaimed.
    â€œThe castle records!” cried Cogsworth. “Hundreds of years of history!” He tried to leap into the air to grab some of the pages, but instead he fell flat on his face! Tiny gears and springs bounced across the floor.
    â€œHold on a minute, everybody,” Belle said. “Let’s not panic. First things first. We need to cover the window to block the wind!”
    â€œThere is a board in the closet,” suggested Lumiere.
    â€œThat should do the trick,” Belle replied. She grabbed the board from the closet and quickly covered the hole with it.
    â€œThere,” Belle said, her teeth chattering. “Better already…even if it is a little chilly in here!”
    â€œBetter?” Cogsworth repeated. “Look at this terrible mess! It will take hours to put all these papers in order again!”
    â€œNot if we all work together!” Belle exclaimed. “Lumiere, would you light the fire?”
    â€œBut of course,” the candelabrum replied.
    â€œA spot of tea will warm you right up, dear,” Mrs. Potts said. She poured the steaming tea into Chip. “It will warm you both up!”
    â€œThank you, Mrs. Potts,” Belle said after she took a sip of tea. “Hot tea is just the thing for a frosty winter day.”
    â€œAh, ah, ah,” Cogsworth corrected her, wagging his hand back and forth. “It’s not winter yet . Not until December twenty-first.”
    â€œOf course.” Belle laughed. “But it’s hard to remember that winter isn’t here yet when it’s so bitterly cold out!”
    â€œMark my words, there will be a lot more snow by morning,” Mrs. Potts said wisely. “I can feel it in the air.”
    â€œThat’s all the more reason to make sure we tidy up the library today—so that tomorrow, we can play in the snow! That’s one of my favorite things to do…after reading, of course,” Belle replied. Then she turned to Cogsworth. “You must know all about the library’s filing system. Where do we start?”
    â€œEvery item must be catalogued and cross-referenced. Then I like to color-code each item before I file them alphabetically by topic,” Cogsworth reported.
    â€œI have an idea,” Belle said. “What if we start by organizing the papers by year?”
    â€œI suppose that would work,” Cogsworth said, nodding his head.
    Belle gathered an armful of papers and carried them over to a warm spot near the fire. She soon discovered that the castle’s history was almost as exciting as her favorite book! There was a tattered treasure map, and even a picture of a dragon that lived in the mountains long ago!
    A few moments later, Belle found a golden piece of paper printed with fancy lettering.

    â€œWhat’s this?” Belle asked curiously.
    Mrs. Potts hurried over and glanced at the