Once upon a time, in a swampy land, there lived an alligator named Al. Al loved to play with his friends, the ant, bat and cab. One day, they were playing a game of catch with a ball when suddenly, the ball flew into a tree and got stuck.

Al decided to climb up the tree to retrieve the ball, but as he was climbing, he slipped and fell. Just then, an ax fell from the tree and landed on Al's tail! Al was in so much pain that he started to cry.

His friends the ant, bat and cab immediately came to the rescue. The ant used his strong legs to carry the ax away, while the bat used his wings to fly up and retrieve the ball. The cab offered Al an apple to make him feel better.

Al was so grateful for his friends' help that he decided to throw a big party for them. They had a great time eating apples, playing catch and dancing the night away. And from that day on, Al never forgot the importance of having good friends by his side.

The end.

Reflections

1. Who is Al?
2. Who are Al's friends in the story?
3. What did Al and his friends do with the ball?
4. Why was Al crying?
5. How did Al's friends help him?
6. What did Al learn from this experience?
7. What did everyone do at the party?