Gerald the giraffe was a very friendly giraffe, but he was a little bit sad. All the best, juiciest leaves on the tallest tree were just *too* high for him to reach! He stretched and stretched, and wiggled his long neck, but they were always just out of reach. He sighed a big, giraffe-sized sigh.
His best friend, Penelope the parrot, noticed Gerald’s sad face. “What’s wrong, Gerald?” she chirped. Gerald explained about the yummy leaves. Penelope listened carefully. “It’s okay to ask for help, you know!” she said. “Maybe we can find a way together.”
Gerald thought about that. He usually tried to do everything himself. But Penelope was right. “Okay,” he said. “But what can we do? I’m already stretching as high as I can!” Penelope flew up to the tree and looked around. She spotted Bartholomew the baboon swinging through the branches.
“Bartholomew!” Penelope called. “Could you maybe… just maybe… bend a branch down for Gerald?” Bartholomew was happy to help. He carefully bent a branch down, down, down until the juicy leaves were right in front of Gerald’s nose!
Gerald happily munched on the leaves. They were the most delicious leaves he had ever tasted! “Thank you, Penelope! Thank you, Bartholomew!” he said. He realized that asking for help wasn’t a bad thing at all. It meant his friends cared about him.
From that day on, Gerald wasn’t afraid to ask for help when he needed it. He learned that even though he was a tall giraffe, he didn’t have to do everything alone. And sometimes, with a little help from his friends, he could reach even his biggest dreams. He also learned that trying your best is always important, even if you need a little boost!
As the sun began to set, painting the sky in beautiful orange and purple colors, Gerald snuggled close to Penelope. He was full of yummy leaves and happy thoughts. He knew that tomorrow would be another wonderful day, full of stretching, friendship, and maybe even more delicious leaves. Now close your eyes, little one, and dream sweet dreams, just like Gerald the giraffe.