Kenny the Kangaroo Keeps His Cool - A Children's Story

 

Kenny the Kangaroo Keeps His Cool

By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller

Moral of the Story:

Staying calm helps us make better choices when life feels unfair. Anger clouds our judgment, but patience clears the path to peace. When we pause before reacting, we give kindness time to speak. Our true strength is shown not in shouting, but in staying steady. Peace begins inside the heart of the person who controls their emotions. Each time we choose calm over anger, we grow wiser and stronger. People listen more when our words are gentle instead of loud. Keeping our cool turns conflict into understanding and respect.

In the warm red hills of Sunny Skies Outback lived a young kangaroo named Kenny. He was tall, quick, and full of energy. Everyone admired how high he could jump and how fast he could run. But there was one problem—Kenny had a temper.

When things did not go his way, he stomped, pouted, and shouted. If he lost a race, he blamed the ground for being too slippery. If his friends teased him, he kicked up dust in anger. Kenny’s heart was good, but he did not yet know how to keep his cool.

One afternoon, the animals gathered for the Great Outback Games, a friendly competition that everyone looked forward to all year. There were races, relays, and even a long-jump contest. Kenny was sure he would win every event.

“I am the fastest jumper in the Outback,” he boasted proudly.

Joey the Jackrabbit laughed. “You are good, Kenny, but remember last year when you tripped on a pebble?”

Kenny frowned. “That pebble was in the wrong place. It was not my fault.”

His friend Ellie the Emu shook her head. “You will do better this time if you stay calm.”

“Calm?” Kenny repeated with a snort. “I do not need calm. I need to win.”

When the race began, Kenny shot off like a rocket. His powerful legs carried him far ahead, and he grinned with confidence. But halfway through, he slipped on a loose patch of sand and tumbled into a bush. The crowd gasped.

Joey and Ellie hopped past him and crossed the finish line together. Kenny pulled himself out, his fur covered with leaves. His face turned red.

“That was not fair!” he shouted. “Someone must have pushed sand on the track!”

Mrs. Koala, who was the judge, approached gently. “Kenny, no one pushed sand. It was just part of the course.”

Kenny kicked at the dirt. “Then the course is unfair!” he yelled, his voice echoing through the field.

The other animals grew quiet. Kenny’s anger made everyone uncomfortable. Even Joey, who usually teased him, looked sad.

Later that evening, Kenny sat alone under a gum tree, feeling embarrassed. He picked up a small pebble and tossed it into the dust. “Why do I get so mad?” he whispered.

Just then, Old Wally the Wise Wallaby hopped over. He had watched the games from a shady hilltop. “You know, Kenny,” he said kindly, “fire is useful when controlled but dangerous when wild.”

Kenny looked confused. “Fire? What does that have to do with me?”

Wally smiled. “Anger is like fire. A small flame can keep you warm, but if you let it grow, it burns everything around you.”

Kenny sighed. “I did not mean to make everyone upset. I just hate losing.”

“Everyone loses sometimes,” said Wally. “But the real test is whether you can stay calm enough to learn from it. The next time you feel anger rising, take a deep breath, count to five, and speak softly. That is how real champions act.”

Kenny nodded slowly. “I will try.”

The next morning, the animals gathered for the long-jump contest. Kenny wanted to prove he had changed. When it was his turn, he took a deep breath, remembered Wally’s advice, and launched into the air. His jump was strong and graceful, but he landed just behind Ellie the Emu’s mark.

“You almost won!” Ellie said. “That was so close.”

Kenny felt a flicker of frustration but stopped himself. He closed his eyes and counted softly, “One, two, three, four, five.” Then he smiled. “Good job, Ellie. You earned it.”

Ellie’s eyes widened. “Kenny, that was very kind.”

For the rest of the day, Kenny practiced staying calm. When Joey accidentally bumped into him during the relay, Kenny started to yell but caught himself. He took another deep breath and said, “It’s all right, Joey. Let’s finish strong.”

By the end of the games, everyone noticed the change in him. Even Mrs. Koala smiled and said, “Kenny, you showed great sportsmanship today. You kept your cool.”

Kenny felt proud, not because he won a medal, but because he had learned to control his temper.

That night, under a glowing Outback moon, he hopped up the hill where Old Wally sat watching the stars.

“I did what you said,” Kenny told him. “When I felt angry, I took a breath and stayed calm.”

Wally nodded. “And how did it feel?”

Kenny smiled. “Like I won something even bigger than a race.”

Wally chuckled. “That is because you did. You won control over yourself. And that, my friend, is the greatest victory of all.”

From that day forward, Kenny became known as the kangaroo who kept his cool. When younger animals got upset, they would say, “I am going to do what Kenny does—count to five and stay calm.”

Even when things went wrong, Kenny learned to laugh and look for solutions instead of shouting. He discovered that peace brought more friends, more fun, and more joy than anger ever could.

And every time someone lost their temper, Kenny would smile and say, “Fire can destroy or warm, but I choose to keep mine gentle.”

Poem:

When tempers flare and voices rise,
Take a breath and close your eyes.
Peace will come if you wait a while.
Kindness speaks with a quiet smile.
Count to five, then think it through.
Let calm decide what you should do.
The strongest hearts are patient, too.
Keeping cool is a strength of yours.

Questions for Discussion:

1.     What happened when Kenny let his anger control him?

2.     What did Old Wally teach Kenny about the power of staying calm?

3.     How can you keep your cool the next time you feel angry or frustrated?