Chapter 1: Leo at the Playground
Leo is a little boy. Leo is three years old. Leo loves to play at the playground. Every day, Leo holds his blue ball in his hands. Leo smiles. He is happy.
One sunny morning, Leo walks to the playground with Mama. “Look, Mama, the sun is shining!” says Leo.
“Yes, Leo, it is a bright and happy day,” says Mama. Mama holds Leo's hand. Leo feels safe.
Leo runs to the slide. He sees a little girl. The little girl has curly hair. She is sitting on the swing. Leo sees her. Leo waves his hand.
The little girl does not wave back. She looks at Leo, but she is quiet. Leo is quiet too.
“Mama, who is that?” asks Leo.
“That is Maya. She is new here,” says Mama. “She just moved to our street. Maya's family is from far away.”
Leo looks at Maya. Maya looks a little shy.
Leo picks up his blue ball. He walks over. “Hi, I am Leo,” says Leo, smiling. “Do you want to play with my ball?”
Maya looks at the ball. She smiles, just a little smile. “I am Maya,” she says. “Yes, I like balls.”
Leo is happy. Leo bounces the ball. The ball goes “boing, boing, boing.” Leo laughs. Maya laughs too.
Leo says, “Let's roll the ball!”
Maya nods. Leo rolls the ball to Maya. Maya rolls the ball back. The ball is fast. The ball is slow. Leo and Maya laugh. They feel happy.
Mama sits on a bench and watches. Mama smiles. “You are playing nicely,” says Mama.
Leo and Maya play. They roll the ball. They giggle. They clap their hands.
Chapter 2: A Little Problem
Leo wants to play a new game. “Let's play catch!” says Leo.
Maya shakes her head. “No, I do not know how,” says Maya.
Leo is surprised. “It is easy!” says Leo, and he shows Maya how to catch the ball.
Maya tries. The ball drops. Maya looks sad.
Leo says, “That's okay, Maya. You can try again.”
Maya tries again. She drops the ball again. Maya looks away. She is quiet.
Leo feels a little sad too. He wants Maya to feel happy. He wants Maya to play.
“Mama, Maya looks sad,” says Leo.
Mama comes closer. Mama kneels down. “Sometimes, things are different in different places,” says Mama. “Maybe Maya played with the ball in another way where she lived before.”
Leo thinks. He thinks very hard. Leo asks, “Maya, how did you play with balls at your old home?”
Maya smiles. “I kicked the ball with my feet,” she says. “We played a game called ‘kick-ball.' I like to kick the ball.”
Leo's eyes open wide. “Let's play kick-ball!” says Leo.
Maya nods. Leo puts the ball on the grass. Maya runs and kicks the ball. The ball goes far. Leo runs and kicks it back. Maya claps. Leo laughs. Maya laughs too.
“You play kick-ball so well, Maya!” says Leo.
“Thank you, Leo! I can show you how,” says Maya. She shows Leo how to stand, how to kick softly, how to kick hard.
Leo tries. “Oh! It goes far!” says Leo, laughing.
“You did it, Leo!” says Maya.
Mama smiles. “You are learning from each other,” says Mama.
Chapter 3: The Best Way to Play
After a while, Leo sits next to Maya. Maya sits next to Leo. They are happy.
“Maya, I like to roll the ball,” says Leo.
Maya smiles. “I like to kick the ball,” she says.
Leo thinks. He thinks and thinks. “Maybe we can do both!” says Leo.
Maya nods. “Yes! We can roll, and then we can kick,” says Maya.
Leo rolls the ball to Maya. Maya kicks the ball back to Leo. Leo claps. Maya giggles. Mama claps too.
“Leo, thank you for playing with me,” says Maya.
“Thank you for teaching me kick-ball,” says Leo. “I like playing with you, Maya.”
Mama kneels down. “It is fun when we try new things together,” says Mama. “Everyone is different. We learn new things from each other. That's what makes friends special.”
Leo smiles. “I like friends. I like learning.”
Maya nods. “Me too. I like you, Leo. You are kind.”
Leo and Maya play until the sun is low. They roll the ball. They kick the ball. They laugh. They are happy.
Mama says, “It's time to go home, Leo.”
Leo waves at Maya. “See you tomorrow, Maya!”
Maya waves. “See you, Leo!”
Leo holds Mama's hand. Leo feels happy inside. Leo learned something new. Leo made a new friend.
Everyone is special. Everyone is different. Playing together is the best way to learn.
And tomorrow, Leo and Maya will play again.
