This is Spots, a young leopard who lives in Africa.
Every day at lunchtime, Spots goes to his special clearing.
Swish, swish! The tall grass waves as he walks.
He carries his lunch under a big acacia tree.
Spots can see all the other animals having fun together.
The zebras share their grass and laugh.
The meerkats pass around yummy bugs.
The tall giraffes stretch up to munch leaves together.
GRRRR! goes Spots’ hungry tummy.
But his heart feels even more empty than his tummy.
“I wish I had a friend to share my lunch with,” Spots says softly.
A little yellow butterfly dances past him in the warm sun.
Spots wanted to make new friends.
“Maybe I can join them for lunch!” he thought.
First, he walked up to the zebras.
“Would you like to share my lunch?” Spots asked nicely.
Clip-clop, clip-clop! The zebras ran away fast.
Next, he tried to meet the gazelles.
“Hello! I brought extra snacks!” he called softly.
Zoom, zoom! The gazelles jumped away too.
Then he saw some tiny meerkats.
“I have plenty to share!” Spots smiled his friendliest smile.
Scurry, scurry! The meerkats disappeared into their holes.
Spots sat down under his tree.
“Why does everyone run away?” he wondered.
He looked at his spotted fur in a puddle.
“Is it because I look different?” he asked his reflection.
Then something wonderful happened!
A baby giraffe was munching leaves nearby.
Whoops! Some leaves fell right next to Spots.
“Oh! Those are your leaves,” Spots said kindly.
The baby giraffe looked at Spots with big friendly eyes.
“Would you like to share them?” the baby giraffe asked.
Spots noticed the baby giraffe looked thirsty.
“I have fresh water to share!” Spots said happily.
Splash, splash! They drank water together.
Other animals watched this special friendship.
The zebras came back. Clip-clop!
The gazelles hopped closer. Boing!
The meerkats peeked out. Pop!
Soon, everyone was sharing lunch together.
“Welcome to our lunch party!” Spots and the baby giraffe said.
Now Spots has many friends to share his lunch with.
And his heart feels as full as his tummy!
The End
Let’s Talk About the Story, My Little Adventurer!
🌟 Story Time Questions
1. Before We Continue…
“Let’s imagine together, sweetie… What do you think will happen when Spots meets the baby giraffe?”
2. Friendly Feelings
“My little sunshine, can you show me with your face how Spots felt when:
- He was eating alone?
- The animals ran away?
- The baby giraffe shared leaves with him?”
3. Kindness Detective
“What do you think, my caring explorer… What kind things did you spot in our story?
- What did Spots offer to share?
- What did the baby giraffe share?
- How did they help each other?”
🌟 Let’s Play Together!
1. The Sharing Game
“Sweet pea, let’s pretend we’re at Spots’ lunch party! What would you like to share with:
- The tall giraffe?
- The bouncy zebras?
- The tiny meerkats?”
2. Make-Believe Time
“My little friend, let’s use our imagination! Can you:
- Move like a lonely leopard?
- Stretch tall like a friendly giraffe?
- Show me how to share lunch with someone new?”
3. Friendship Puzzle
“Hey there, my clever detective! Can you find all the new friends Spots made? Let’s count them together!”
🌟 This Story Helps Our Little Ones To:
- Develop Empathy – Understanding how others feel when they’re lonely
- Learn About Friendship – Discovering the joy of making new friends
- Practice Sharing – Understanding how sharing can lead to wonderful friendships
- Build Confidence – Learning that being different makes everyone special
Parent’s Corner:
Take time to act out different parts of the story together. Use stuffed animals or toys to recreate Spots’ lunch party. This helps reinforce the lessons about kindness and friendship while making learning fun and memorable.