Poppy
the Panda Makes a New Friend
By Bill Conley - America’s Favorite
Children’s Storyteller
Moral
of the Story:
True friendship begins with
kindness, grows through understanding, and blossoms when we open our hearts to
others who may be different from us. Poppy the Panda learns that friends can
come from anywhere and that love, laughter, and compassion know no boundaries.
Every act of kindness plants a seed of connection, and those seeds grow into
lifelong friendships that brighten the world.
High in the bamboo forests of Harmony
Hills, where the morning mist painted the trees in shades of silver and
green, lived a cheerful young panda named Poppy.
Poppy loved her home, the tall
bamboo groves, the sparkling streams, and the quiet rustle of leaves in the
wind. She spent her days munching on bamboo shoots, rolling down soft grassy
hills, and napping in the shade. But sometimes, even in all that beauty, Poppy felt
a little lonely.
All the other pandas lived with
their families farther up the mountain. Poppy was the only one her age in this
part of the forest. She often looked out at the distant hills and wondered what
it would be like to have a friend, someone to laugh with, to play with, and to
share stories under the stars.
One sunny morning, as Poppy was
gathering bamboo for lunch, she heard an unfamiliar sound, a faint hum mixed
with a soft splashing. Curious, she followed the noise to the riverbank. There,
standing knee-deep in the water, was a red panda she had never seen before.
He had bright russet fur, a striped
tail, and a wide grin as he skipped stones across the river.
“Hello,” Poppy called out politely.
The red panda looked up in surprise,
then smiled. “Oh, hello there. I didn’t know anyone else was nearby.”
“I’m Poppy,” she said, walking
closer. “I live just over that hill.”
“I’m Rico,” he said
cheerfully. “I just moved here with my family. We came from the valley below.”
Poppy’s eyes lit up. “Really? I’ve
never met a red panda before.”
Rico chuckled. “And I’ve never met a
giant panda. You’re much taller than I thought.”
They both laughed. Then Poppy asked,
“What are you doing?”
“Skipping stones,” Rico said,
showing her how to toss a flat pebble so it bounced across the water. “Want to
try?”
Poppy nodded eagerly, picked up a
rock, and tossed it with all her might. It plopped into the water with a big
splash.
Rico laughed so hard he nearly fell
over. “Well, that’s one way to do it.”
Poppy giggled too. “Maybe I’ll call
it panda skipping.”
The two new friends spent the whole
afternoon together, skipping stones, racing through the trees, and sharing
stories about their families.
As the sun began to set, they sat
beside the river, watching the sky turn orange and pink. “You know,” said
Poppy, “I used to think I didn’t need a friend. But today was the happiest I’ve
been in a long time.”
Rico smiled. “Me too. My family
moves a lot, and it’s hard to make friends. But I think Harmony Hills might be
the perfect place after all.”
Poppy grinned. “That’s because now
you have me.”
From that day on, Poppy and Rico
were inseparable. They explored every inch of the forest, climbing trees, splashing
in the streams, and collecting wildflowers for their favorite meadow.
But not everyone in Harmony Hills
understood their friendship.
One afternoon, while Poppy and Rico
were building a fort out of bamboo, two older pandas walked by. “Why are you
playing with him?” one whispered loudly. “He’s not one of us.”
Poppy froze. Rico’s smile faded. The
words stung more than either of them expected.
Later, as they sat quietly by the
river, Rico sighed. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe I don’t belong here.”
Poppy looked at him firmly. “Don’t
say that, Rico. You do belong here. You’re my friend, and friendship isn’t
about how we look; it’s about how we care for each other.”
Rico smiled weakly. “You really
think so?”
“I know so,” said Poppy. “We’re both
pandas, just different colors of the same heart.”
Rico’s eyes sparkled. “Different
colors of the same heart. I like that.”
The next day, Poppy decided to show
everyone what friendship really meant. She climbed the tallest rock in the
clearing and called all the animals together.
“Today is Friendship Day,”
she announced proudly. “And everyone is invited.”
The pandas, monkeys, rabbits, and
birds gathered around, curious.
“What’s Friendship Day?” asked one
of the older pandas.
“It’s a day to celebrate kindness,”
said Poppy. “To remember that friends can come from anywhere, and that love
grows when we share it.”
Rico stepped forward and handed a
bamboo flower to one of the older pandas. “This is for you,” he said with a
smile. “Because kindness doesn’t have to match fur; it matches hearts.”
The older panda blushed and accepted
the flower. Then the monkeys began clapping, the birds started singing, and
soon the whole forest joined in a cheerful dance.
Rico played the flute he had carved
from bamboo, and Poppy twirled in the meadow, her fur glowing in the sunlight.
Laughter filled the air, and joy echoed across Harmony Hills.
From that day on, no one cared that
Rico was a red panda and Poppy was a giant panda. They were simply known as the
best of friends, a reminder to everyone that love and friendship know no
borders, no colors, and no limits.
And every year after that, the
animals of Harmony Hills celebrated Friendship Day in their honor, a day where
every heart, no matter how different, came together as one.
Moral
of the Story Poem:
A friend is found when hearts are
kind.
Not in the fur or face we find.
For love will bloom where kindness stays,
And light will shine through caring ways.
Though colors change, our hearts still blend.
For every soul can be a friend.
True friendship’s gift will never end.
When love and laughter gently mend.
Let’s
Talk About It Together:
1.
How did Poppy and Rico show kindness
and courage in their friendship?
2.
Why is it important to be friends
with those who are different from us?
3.
What can you do to make a new friend
and show kindness today?
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