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The Story That Blew Away · Ages 7–9 · Listen, sequence, read and explore

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A Learn with Alicia original · Read together

The Story That Blew Away

Written by Alicia Lund

Look, listen and imagine

Press Play story. The pictures will change with the narration.

Read aloud by Alicia Lund

Picture 1 of 7

Amara loved creating stories.

Sometimes she told them to her toys. Sometimes she drew them on paper. And sometimes she made herself laugh before she even reached the ending.

Today, she had a new story to share.

Six pictures. Six pages. One very big elephant.

She carried it to the Reading Tent, pressed tightly against her yellow shirt.

“Can we hear it?” asked a boy on the mat.

Amara nodded. She laid her pictures on a little table.

“This is Mouse,” she began. “And Mouse has invited—”

WHOOSH!

The tablecloth lifted. The pages fluttered.

“My STORY!”

Amara caught one against her tummy. Another landed on her head. The rest flew straight out of the tent.

For a moment, everyone stared. Then the boy jumped up.

“I see the elephant!”

He pointed towards the butterfly wall. A page was caught between two bright paper wings.

A little girl crouched beside a parent’s chair.

“There’s something under here.”

She pulled out a picture of a broken chair. The parent looked down at his own chair.

“Mine is still all right,” he said.

Everyone giggled. But one page was still missing.

They looked behind the books. They looked beside the screen. They looked inside Amara’s bag.

Nothing.

Then someone said, “Why does that grandmother have a tail?”

A page had caught on the back of her dress.

Grandmother turned one way. The page turned with her. She turned the other way. So did the page.

“Stand still, Jjajja!” laughed Amara.

She gently pulled it free. Six pages. All found.

Back on the mat, the children spread out the pictures.

The boy put the broken chair first.

“Once upon a time, Mouse broke a chair.”

“No,” said Amara. “The elephant sat on it.”

Amara had found all six pictures—but her friends still didn’t know how her story went.

Can you help them put the pictures in order and tell the story?

Explore more original stories →

THE STORY CONTINUES · PLAY TOGETHER

The pages are everywhere!

The wind scattered Amara’s story pictures. Collect Mouse and Elephant’s pages, put their tea-party story together, then tell it in your own words.

These are Amara’s six story pictures. Arrange them before you read A Very Big Guest.

AGES 7–9 · TRY THE PICTURE CHALLENGE BEFORE READING

Look closely at the six pictures. Decide what could happen first, next and last. There can be different ideas—try yours before opening Amara’s story below.

Tell Mouse and Elephant’s story

Choose the picture you think comes first, then what could happen next. Tap a picture on your strip to put it back. Tell someone why you chose your order.

    Choose your beginning.

    Listen to the story again ↑

    Keep your first idea, then read the story below. You can return and change the order afterwards.

    AFTER THE PICTURE CHALLENGE · DISCOVER AMARA’S STORY

    AGES 7–9 · READ & EXPLORE

    A Very Big Guest

    You’ve tried arranging the pictures. Now read the story Amara brought and discover how Mouse and Elephant’s tea party unfolds.

    This is the Mouse-and-Elephant story inside Amara’s adventure. Read it together here, or open the illustrated book.

    Open the illustrated book ↗
    Read A Very Big Guest here

    Mouse had invited Elephant to tea.

    He had set out his best cup, his best chair and six crunchy biscuits.

    Elephant squeezed through the doorway.

    “Lovely,” he said.

    He picked up the cup. It disappeared between his toes.

    “Is this the cup,” he asked, “or have I picked up a crumb?”

    Mouse fetched a bigger cup. Then Elephant sat down.

    CRACK!

    “Oh,” said Elephant from the floor.

    “That was my best chair,” whispered Mouse.

    “I’m very sorry.”

    Elephant’s trunk began to tickle. He wriggled it. He curled it. He tried to hold his breath.

    “Please don’t—” began Mouse.

    AAAAAA-CHOO!

    Six biscuits shot into the air. Mouse caught one. Elephant caught two. The other three landed in the flowerpot.

    Mouse looked at his chair. He looked at his cup. Then he looked through the doorway.

    “Bring the biscuits,” he said. “I have an idea.”

    Outside, Elephant sat comfortably on the grass. Mouse brought a clean bucket for his tea.

    “Much better,” said Elephant.

    Mouse climbed onto his friend’s knee. And there they sat, sharing the three biscuits that hadn’t landed in the flowerpot.

    Would you change your picture order now? Return to the game, compare your sequence or tell a different version. Return to your picture order ↑

    AFTER THE ACTIVITIES · WORDS FROM THE BOOK

    Little words. Big discoveries.

    Explore words from A Very Big Guest and The Story That Blew Away. Open a card, read the meaning and try the action. You can explore a few words at a time.

    invited

    It means: Asked someone to come and join you.

    “Mouse invited Elephant to tea.”

    Try it: Pretend to invite a friend to a tea party.

    squeezed

    It means: Moved through a tight or small space.

    “Elephant squeezed through the doorway.”

    Try it: Use your hands to show a wide doorway, then a tiny doorway.

    crunchy

    It means: Firm and crisp, making a cracking sound when bitten.

    “Mouse had six crunchy biscuits.”

    Try it: Make a pretend crunching sound. What else is crunchy?

    trunk

    It means: An elephant’s long nose, used for breathing, smelling and picking things up.

    “Elephant’s trunk began to tickle.”

    Try it: Make an elephant’s trunk with your arm. Curl it gently.

    fetched

    It means: Went to get something and brought it back.

    “Mouse fetched a bigger cup.”

    Try it: Pretend to fetch a cup and bring it to Mouse.

    comfortably

    It means: In a relaxed way, without feeling cramped or uncomfortable.

    “Elephant sat comfortably on the grass.”

    Try it: Show how you might sit comfortably to hear a story.

    crouched

    From The Story That Blew Away

    It means: Bent down low by bending the knees and lowering the body.

    “A little girl crouched beside a parent’s chair.”

    Try it: Pretend to look under a chair for a missing page. Crouch if comfortable, or show the movement with your hand.

    Be the word detective

    Choose a word, act it out or give a clue, and let your partner guess. Swap roles when ready.

    Choose a few words at a time. Come back for more whenever you like.