The story opens with a grandmother tucking in her granddaughter for the night. She tells the girl not to hang her foot over the bed, or the big brown bear with get it! At that moment, a paw sweeps across the edge of the bed! Then (Nona, as the grandmother is called) simply picks up the teddy bear and snuggles it next to the girl. To the bear, she warns it to stay in bed or the Penny-Snather will get it.
Now, this is the type of story where magic happens because the young girl believes. There's really no talking toys at all. But because the girl believes it, mostly due to her grandmother, the teddy bear can also speak its mind. When Teddy asks Nona about the Penny-Snatcher, Nona explains that it comes in the night to snatch up belief.
"Belief in what?" the girl asks.
"Magic," replies Nona. "Belief is just as valuable as coins. That's why it's called the Penny-Snatcher. It's looking for that precious treasure to snatch up!"
So basically, the girl begins to wonder about Nona's story when she starts having trouble hearing Teddy. Believing the Penny-Snatcher has stolen her belief of talking toys, she tries to get it back.
In the end, the Penny-Snatcher is nothing more than personified disbelief. Since the girl is approaching an age where childhood magic would start to disappear, the grandmother is trying to prepare her for that. But Nona has one more lesson to teach:
"No matter how old you get, always keep the belief with you. In that way, you'll always be able to access the magic."
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