Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived an old man named Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith was known to be grumpy and grumbled all the time. One day, while he was walking in the village, he stumbled upon a young boy who was crying.

"What's wrong?" asked Mr. Smith.

"My brand new kite got stuck in a tree, and I can't get it down," the young boy said between sobs.

Mr. Smith thought for a moment and then offered to help the young boy retrieve his kite. They went to the tree, and Mr. Smith climbed up to get the kite. When he reached the kite, he found that it was dry.

"This kite is dry and good," said Mr. Smith. "I'll bring it down for you."

But as he was about to bring the kite down, a sudden gust of wind came and blew the kite even higher into the tree. Mr. Smith was not happy, and he grumbled and grumped all the way back down the tree.

The young boy, however, had a solution. He brought a bucket of water and sprinkled it on the tree, making the tree wet. When Mr. Smith climbed up the tree again, the kite easily slid down the wet trunk, and he was able to bring it down.

The young boy was overjoyed, and Mr. Smith was finally happy too. From that day on, whenever Mr. Smith saw the young boy playing with his kite, he would smile and remember the good times they had together.

And that's the story of how a grumpy old man and a young boy became friends, and how a wet tree helped them make a bad situation good.

Reflections

1. Why was the young boy crying at the beginning of the story?
2. How did Mr. Smith feel about helping the young boy retrieve his kite?
3. Why did the young boy sprinkle water on the tree?
4. How did the wet tree help Mr. Smith retrieve the kite?
5. How did Mr. Smith feel at the end of the story?
6. Why do you think the old man and the young boy became friends?
7. What lesson did you learn from this story?
8. What would you have done if you were in the young boy's shoes?
9. What would you have done if you were in Mr. Smith's shoes?
10. How do you think the young boy and Mr. Smith's friendship will continue in the future?