When you need a helping hand. At the bottom of the ocean, a busy seahorse runs a popular restaurant. But all that cooking and serving is too much work for one tiny creature! Thankfully, when things go wrong, a friend offers to help…
Make your child the main character. Replace this (_____) with your child’s name.
When you need a helping hand
It was lunchtime at the Seahorse Supper Shack, and lots of hungry sea creatures had come along for a bite to eat.
The owner of the underwater restaurant, _____, was pleased to see so many customers in his shack.
Occie the octopus was there for a bowl of hot seaweed soup. Yum!
Sherbert the shark ordered a plankton pie, which he always ate in one enormous gulp.
Cruncher the crab was looking forward to a big pile of pink sea mushrooms.
_____ was delighted. he loved making his friends happy, and he was the best cook in the whole wide ocean!
He got to work in the kitchen. He rolled out pastry for the pie. He stirred the soup. He sliced sea mushrooms.
The sound of happy chatter filled _____ ears as he began bringing out food to the diners.
There was just one problem. Quite a big problem, in fact. He could only carry one dish at a time, balancing it on his curly tail.
…But there were so many hungry mouths to feed! _____ found himself rushing backward and forwards.
One meal after another, the food came out of the kitchen, and _____ started to feel dizzy from all the dashing about!
Soup, pie, mushrooms. Mushrooms, pie, soup. Pie, pie, pie. Soup, soup, soup.
As he busily ran back and forth, something was happening in the kitchen. Without anyone there to watch it, the soup started to bubble over.
First, the seaweed soup spilled onto the top of the stove. Then, it began splashing out onto the kitchen surfaces.
By the time _____ had a chance to check on the kitchen, there were puddles of hot seaweed soup all over the floor.
Exhausted and frustrated, _____ began mopping up the mess. What a disaster. How could he possibly do so many jobs at once?
Meanwhile, the diners in the restaurant were eating and chatting, chatting and eating. The food was delicious.
After a while, Occie the octopus began to wonder where her soup was. She decided to go and ask _____, who was in the kitchen.
When Occie opened the kitchen door, she couldn’t believe the mess!
There was her friend, working all by himself to clean it up.
“_____!” she cried. “What’s happened?”
The little seahorse told his friend all about how busy he had been and how nobody had been watching the soup. He let out a sad sniff.
Occie rested a tentacle on his shoulder. “You sweet seahorse,” she said. “You only need to ask for help. That’s what friends are for.”
_____ frowned and shook his head. “But I should be able to do this. It’s my restaurant.”
“I understand,” said Occie. “But asking for help is an important part of life.”
She smiled, thinking of the times she too had needed help. “Do you remember when I hurt my arm? Cruncher the crab bandaged it in seaweed.”
“Or how about when I lost my glasses? I had half the ocean looking for them!”
_____ remembered it well. He laughed.
“And the time you kindly showed me how to make sea salt porridge,” Occie said.
“Oh yes,” said _____. “I do remember that.” He went quiet for a few moments, and then he nodded.
“So come on then,” said Occie. “Let me help you. I can carry lots of plates, and you can focus on the kitchen.”
It didn’t take too long for the friends to get back on track. _____ used his cooking skills as he chopped, fried, and stirred.
Occie used her delivery skills, carrying out eight plates of food at a time.
Between them, they had discovered the dream combination for running a restaurant.
When all the food was eaten and everyone had left, _____ beamed.
“Thank you so much, Occie. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“And I’ve learned the importance of asking for help,” he added. “There’s no problem in asking for help, and it can make all the difference!”
_____ took a deep breath. “So I’d like to ask you…”
“Would you like a job here? I would really appreciate another pair of hands.”
Occie chuckled and clapped her tentacles happily. “I would love to,” she said. “And FOUR extra pairs of hands is even better, right?!”
