The Kite Stuck in the Tree

By the little river stood a small wooden cottage.

On its door hung a sign—

"Ding-Ding's Toolbox."

Today, whoosh—whoosh—the wind was blowing so, so hard.

Thump-thump-thump—!

Bouncy the little squirrel came running.

"Ding-Ding! Ding-Ding! Oh no!"

"My kite—the string snapped!"

Bouncy pointed at a tall, tall tree.

At the very top, a little red kite was stuck.

"The kite is all alone up there..."

"Ding-Ding, I keep thinking about it."

"What if it blows away? What if it gets rained on? I can't even eat my dinner."

"Ah," said Ding-Ding. "That feeling is called worried.

When a scary thought stays in your heart,

and you think about it, and think about it, and just can't put it down."

Ding-Ding picked up the snapped string and turned it over, and over again.

Then she jumped up and shouted:

"Broken? Awesome!"

"A-awesome?" Bouncy's mouth fell wide open.

"That's right!" said Ding-Ding.

"Broken things are just waiting for a brand-new start."

"Come on, let's go bring that kite home!"

Ding-Ding brought out her little ladder and leaned it nice and steady.

Bouncy held on tight down below.

Ding-Ding climbed and climbed, stretching her paw way, waaay out.

Still so, so far to go.

"I can't reach!"

"That's okay, one more time!"

Tink-tink-tonk, tink-tink-tonk.

Ding-Ding tied a broom to a long bamboo pole and held it up high, high, high—

Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble...

Still couldn't reach.

Bouncy let out a big sigh.

"Ohh... the tree is too tall. We'll never get it back."

Ding-Ding sat down too, and looked up at the kite.

She looked, and looked—and suddenly, she tilted her head—

Whoosh—!

A big gust of wind blew Ding-Ding's hat right up into the sky.

The hat spun in a circle, then floated gently back down to the grass.

"Bouncy, look!" Ding-Ding picked up her hat, her eyes shining.

"We can't climb up there—but the wind can fly up there!"

"The wind carried the kite up—so let's ask the wind to bring it back!"

Ding-Ding opened her toolbox.

Little wooden sticks, white paper, and a brand-new long string.

Tink-tink-tonk, tink-tink-tonk.

Done! A little white kite,

with a curvy little hook tied on the end.

"White kite, off you go!"

Whoosh—the white kite rode the wind, flying up, up, up to the very top of the tree.

The little hook, ever so gently, ever so gently—

caught the red kite's string!

"Bouncy, pull together!"

One-two, one-two, pull slowly, reel it in gently—

The little hook softly lifted the string right off the branch.

The red kite followed the white kite,

floating down, down, down, into Bouncy's paws.

"The kite is back!"

Tink-tink-tonk, tink-tink-tonk.

Ding-Ding gave the red kite a brand-new string,

thick and strong—much stronger than before.

"All done! Now even a big, big wind can't scare it!"

Bouncy flew the red kite, and Ding-Ding flew the white kite.

The two kites flew side by side in the sky, like a pair of good friends.

"Thank you, Ding-Ding!" Bouncy laughed a great big laugh.

"That scary, can't-put-it-down worry flew away too!"

Ding-Ding twirled the wrench in her paw and said with a great big smile:

"See? Broken? Awesome!"

Ding-Ding picked up her toolbox and walked back to her little cottage.

Today, she fixed something again.

No, wait—she made a brand-new friend:

a little white kite that can fly up high and help.

Tomorrow, what broken treasure will come knocking on her door?