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I Will Help You

A concrete story about helping offers a useful starting point for discussing care and reciprocity.

Suggested age: 4–6岁 · Reading level L2 · 12 illustrated pages

Mama Heron is tangled in barbed wire in the river. Her chicks are far away in their nest.

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This book can be read page by page, heard with synthetic Voice 7 narration, downloaded and printed. Enable JavaScript for the interactive reader, or open the story pages below.

A concrete story about helping offers a useful starting point for discussing care and reciprocity.

Read all 12 story pages
Mama Heron is tangled in barbed wire in the river. Her chicks are far away in their nest.
“Ouch!” Mama Heron hurts her wing and leg on barbed wire.
A taxi drives past the river. It doesn't stop. Mama Heron calls out to a bus, which also doesn't stop. A boy cycles past but doesn't stop either.
“I am hurt. I can’t get home to my children.”

“Please help me.”
Lungile walks along the river bank with his push car. He asks Mama Heron why she is crying.
“Why are you crying Mama Heron?”

“I can’t get home to my children.”
Lungile pushes Mama Heron in his push car.
“I will help you,” says Lungile.
Lungile kneels beside the car and talks to Mama Heron.
“Thank you, Lungile!”
Gogo hands Lungile some coins. Afterwards he swims in the river with his friends.
The next day, Gogo sends Lungile to the shop to buy bread.

On the way, he stops to play with his friends in the river.
Lungile stands with his friends and turns out his pockets. They are empty. He walks away. He is very sad.
Eish! The money is gone.
Gogo is cross! She has her hand on her hip and she shouts at Lungile.
“Don’t come home until you find that money!”
Lungile sits on the river bank and cries. Mama Heron flies towards him.
“Why are you crying, Lungile?”
Still crying, Lungile tells Mama Heron what has happened.
“I lost the money Gogo gave me to buy bread. We have no supper now.”

“I will help you.”
Mama Heron looks into the water. Lungile is excited.
Mama Heron’s sharp eyes see the coins shining in the water.
Lungile hugs Mama Heron.
“Thank you, Mama Heron.”

Creators and open license

Created by
Fathima Kathrada, Olivia Villet, Andrea Abbott

Source: Book Dash
Original: I Will Help You from Book Dash
License: CC BY 4.0

Original story text and illustrations unchanged. Website and printable layout prepared by Little Leaf; age, reading level and recommendation are editorial suggestions. Web and printable layout adapted by Little Leaf. Age and reading-level suggestions are editorial. Original stories and artwork belong to their credited creators. Website narration uses the selected synthetic Voice 7.