By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller
Moral of the Story:
Your first impression is your last first impression, so make it unforgettable. A
kind hello is the soft spark that begins every friendship. Listening with your
heart makes others feel safe and seen. Being different becomes a gift when
kindness leads the way. Helping others first makes your presence a blessing
they remember. Courage often begins as a quiet little try. Working together
turns lonely worries into shared confidence. A loving greeting can become a
story that lives in someone’s heart forever.
The golden sun rose gently over
Savanna Valley. Warm light spilled across tall grass, swaying trees, and
sparkling streams. It was the morning of the First Hello Festival, the happiest
day in the whole year for the animals of the valley.
Every year, the animals gathered to
celebrate new friendships, kind greetings, and helpful hearts. They shared
food, music, stories, and smiles. Most of all, they tried to give their very
best first impressions to one another, because they believed something very
special.
They believed that your first
impression is your last first impression, so it should be unforgettable in the
best possible way.
Near the center of Savanna Valley
stood a giant acacia tree that everyone called the Grand Welcome Tree. Colorful
ribbons fluttered from its branches. Baskets of fruit and flowers stood in a
circle at its roots. This was where the First Hello Festival began every year.
At the edge of the clearing, a young
giraffe named Gracie watched the busy animals with wide, curious eyes. Gracie
the Giraffe was tall and slender with soft brown spots that looked like puzzle
pieces on her creamy coat. Her long neck swayed gently when she walked, and her
big brown eyes always seemed to glow with kindness.
But inside her heart, Gracie felt a
little nervous.
“What if I say the wrong thing?” she
whispered. “What if I trip over my own long legs. What if no one remembers me
at all?”
Her mother, Ginny the Giraffe,
lowered her head until their noses touched.
“Gracie,” she said softly, “first impressions
are not about perfect words or fancy moves. They are about the kindness you
show the very first time you meet someone.”
Her father, Grant the Giraffe,
nodded.
“Your first impression is your last
first impression, so make it unforgettable with love, not with worry. Smile
first. Listen first. Help first. That is more than enough.”
Gracie took a deep breath and tried
to hold those words in her heart. Smile first. Listen first. Help first.
Nearby, Ellie the Elephant was
trying very hard to hang a welcome banner across two tall wooden poles near the
Grand Welcome Tree. Ellie’s trunk was strong, but the banner kept slipping and
sliding down. The words on the cloth drooped sadly toward the ground.
Ellie’s ears flapped with
frustration. “I will never make a good first impression,” she sighed. “Everyone
will see a messy banner and think I cannot do anything right.”
Gracie watched from a distance. Her
heart tugged gently. This was her chance to try. She remembered her parents’
words. Smile first. Listen first. Help first.
Gracie walked slowly toward Ellie,
her long legs taking careful steps through the grass. When she reached the
elephant, she lowered her neck so her face was close to Ellie’s worried eyes.
“Hello,” Gracie said softly, with
her warmest smile. “My name is Gracie the Giraffe. This banner already looks
very special. Would you like some help to lift it a little higher?”
Ellie blinked in surprise. No one
had greeted her so kindly all morning.
“You would help me,” Ellie asked.
“Even though I keep getting it wrong.”
Gracie nodded. “Everyone needs help
sometimes. We can make this first impression together.”
Gracie gently took one side of the
banner in her teeth and lifted it high with her long neck. Ellie used her
strong trunk to wrap the other side around the second pole. Together they
pulled, tied, and adjusted until the banner hung straight and proud between the
poles.
The bright letters read, “Welcome to
the First Hello Festival.”
Animals all around the clearing
began to cheer.
Leo the Lion padded over with his
golden mane shining in the sun. “That looks amazing,” he rumbled in a friendly
voice. “What a welcome for every new friend who arrives.”
Timo the Tiger circled the banner
with wide eyes. “You two make a very good team,” he said. “I will always remember
that you made the festival look this inviting.”
Ellie’s cheeks flushed with joy.
“Thank you, Gracie,” she said. “I was so worried everyone would remember my
mistakes. Now I think they might remember our teamwork instead.”
Gracie felt a warm glow spread
through her whole body. She had been afraid that her first impression would be
awkward or clumsy. Instead, she had given a kind hello, listened to Ellie’s
worry, and helped her succeed.
Her first impression was not loud.
It was lovely.
As the day went on, more animals
arrived at the festival. Zara the Zebra brought painted stones for a game near
the stream. Milo the Monkey set up a storytelling corner under a shady tree.
Birds fluttered above, singing cheerful tunes that floated on the warm breeze.
Whenever a new animal walked into
the clearing, Gracie remembered her promise. Smile first. Listen first. Help
first.
When a shy meerkat named Madi stood
at the edge of the crowd, unsure where to go, Gracie walked over with Ellie.
“Hello,” Gracie said kindly. “I am
Gracie, and this is Ellie. Is this your first time at the festival?”
Madi nodded nervously. “I am afraid
no one will want to play with me,” she whispered.
Ellie smiled and swished her tail.
“We remember what that feels like. Come hang ribbons with us and then help Leo
with the fruit table.”
Soo,n Madi was laughing and working
side by side with her new friends.
When a young lion cub dropped his
plate of fruit, Gracie knelt down and said, “It is all right. Accidents happen.
Let us pick it up together and get you a new plate.” The cub’s eyes filled with
relief. He would always remember the tall giraffe who cared more about his
heart than his mistake.
The sun began to sink low in the
sky, painting the Savanna Valley with soft orange and pink colors. The animals
gathered in a big circle around the Grand Welcome Tree.
The oldest elephant in the valley,
Grandmother Elara, stepped forward and spoke in a gentle, steady voice.
“Today we have seen many first
impressions,” she said. “Some were shy. Some were bold. Some were quiet. Some
were full of laughter. The first impression that will stay with me most is the
sight of Gracie the Giraffe and Ellie the Elephant lifting that banner
together. It was a picture of kindness, courage, and teamwork.”
Ellie smiled proudly. Gracie’s heart
beat fast, but this time it was not from fear. It was from joy.
Grandmother Elara continued. “Your
first impression is your last first impression, so make it unforgettable in a
good way. Let it be filled with kindness, listening, and helpful hands. That is
what truly lasts.”
The animals all nodded. Some
clapped. Some trumpeted. Some roared with happy approval.
Gracie looked around at her new
friends. She saw smiles that felt like sunshine. She saw eyes that shone with trust.
She saw hearts that had been touched by simple acts of welcome.
She whispered softly to herself, “I
was so worried about what to say. All I needed was a kind hello and a willing
heart.”
That night, as stars shimmered above
Savanna Valley, animals told stories about the First Hello Festival. Many of
those stories began with the same memory.
They remembered a tall giraffe named
Gracie who smiled first, listened first, and helped first. Her first impression
had truly become unforgettable, not because she was perfect, but because she
loved with her whole heart from the very beginning.
Three
Story Questions for Young Readers
1.
Why did Gracie choose to greet Ellie
the Elephant with kindness before doing anything else
2.
How did Gracie’s helpful heart
change the way the other animals felt about her
3.
What is one kind thing you can do
the very first time you meet someone new
Teacher
Guide for Discussion
1.
Talk about the meaning of a first
impression. Ask students what someone might notice first about them and what
they would like others to feel in that first moment.
2.
Ask students to name three things
Gracie did that made her first impression so kind and memorable. Write these on
the board and let children add their own ideas.
3.
Discuss times when students felt
nervous meeting someone new. How could Gracie’s three ideas, smile first, listen
first,and help first, make those moments easier
4.
Invite students to role-play
greeting a new classmate. One child can pretend to be new, and the other can
practice a kind first hello. Then they can switch roles so everyone gets to
try.
5.
Encourage students to create a class
promise about first impressions. They can decide together how they want to
greet new friends in the classroom so that every new student feels welcome and
safe from the very first day.
Thank you for reading about Gracie
the Giraffe and her golden first hello. May every child who hears this story
remember that they carry a beautiful gift inside them. With one kind smile, one
gentle greeting, and one helpful act, they can create a first impression that
shines in someone’s heart for a very long time.
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