When the little wooden train picks up, first, Mrs Elephant, then Mr Bear and finally Mrs Walrus, the driver is full of foreboding. His train cannot possibly carry such weighty passengers up to town. But it does. He warns them not to overdo the shopping or they will never complete the return journey but they take no notice and as the little train chugs homewards it has a preposterous load. When Mrs Elephant sneezes, disaster of the worst kind happens; the train falls apart. But the ingenious animals are able to turn calamity into an unexpected surprise picnic for everyone. The day ends on a happy note.