📖 Story
In a wide green meadow, where tall grass grew among yellow and purple flowers and a few trees stood like green umbrellas, there lived a kind kangaroo named Kenza. Kenza had soft brown fur, two long ears that moved with every sound, and a strong tail to lean on when she stood up. And she had something very special: a warm pocket on her tummy, big and soft, in which she had carried her little son Kanouz when he was a baby.
But Kanouz grew up. He began hopping around the meadow by himself and playing with his young kangaroo friends, so Kenza's pocket became empty. Sometimes Kenza looked at her pocket and said: My dear pocket, you used to be full of warmth and laughter, and now you are so quiet. Yet she was happy that her son had grown big and strong, and every morning she hopped across the meadow, ate the tender grass, drank from the blue pond and greeted her neighbors.
One morning a strong wind blew over the meadow. The grass bent left and right, leaves flew through the air and the birds hid in their nests. Kenza was hopping back to the shade of her tree when she heard a tiny, weak voice: peep, peep! Kenza stopped, raised her long ears and looked through the grass. There, under a big yellow flower, she saw two little ducklings, one yellow and one a little greenish, shivering with cold and fear.
Kenza bent down and said gently: Hello, little ones. Why are you here all alone? The yellow duckling, whose name was Battout, said: We were walking behind our mother to the pond when the wind blew and rolled us into the grass, and now we cannot see our mother. The green duckling, whose name was Battoush, said: And the grass is so tall and we are so small. We do not know the way! Kenza looked at them and thought for a moment, then smiled and said: Do not be afraid. I have a wonderful idea.
Kenza opened her warm pocket with her little hands and said: Come in here. My pocket is warm and safe, and I will carry you to the pond. The ducklings looked at the pocket in surprise, then hopped in one after the other. Inside the pocket they felt warm, stopped shivering and poked out their little heads to see the world from above. Battout said: How wonderful! Now we are taller than the grass! Battoush laughed and said: And taller than the flowers too!
Kenza hopped very carefully, one small hop and then another small hop, so the ducklings would not be shaken too much. As she hopped, she heard another voice crying behind a gray rock. She came closer and saw a little white bunny with long ears like hers, wiping his tears with his paws. Kenza asked: What is your name, little one, and why are you crying? The bunny said: My name is Thaljoun. I came out of my burrow to play, the wind frightened me and I ran far away, and now I do not know where my home is.
Battout called from inside the pocket: Come with us, Thaljoun! Kenza's pocket is very warm! Kenza looked at her pocket and wondered: Is there room for three? Then she smiled and said: This pocket has room for everyone who needs help. She opened the pocket, Thaljoun hopped inside and sat between the two ducklings. Battout shifted a little and Battoush shifted a little, and there was a place for each of them. The three poked their heads out together, and Kenza's pocket looked like a little window with three smiling faces.
Kenza said: Now we will look for Mother Duck first, because the pond is close. Then we will look for Thaljoun's home. Kenza hopped toward the blue pond as the wind calmed little by little. On the way the three little ones sang together: We hop, we hop over the grass, in Kenza's pocket we are not afraid, the heart is big and the pocket is warm, and friends are together everywhere. Kenza laughed as she listened to their song and felt that her pocket was full of laughter again.
Halfway to the pond, Kenza came to a little stream running fast because of the wind. She stopped and said: My little ones, I am going to make a big jump over the stream, so hold on to each other tightly. Battout shut his eyes, Battoush held on to his brother's wing, and Thaljoun put his paws on their shoulders. Then Kenza leaned on her strong tail and made a high leap over the water, landing softly on the other bank. Battout opened his eyes and cried: We flew! And everyone laughed, even Kenza herself.
After the stream, Kenza passed an old tortoise walking slowly with her house on her back. The tortoise asked: Where are you hopping with such a lovely load, Kenza? Kenza said: I am taking the little ones back to their families. The tortoise said: What a beautiful deed! Go right at the white rock; it is the shortest way to the pond. Kenza thanked her, and the three little ones said together in one voice: Thank you, Grandmother Tortoise! The tortoise smiled and went on her way.
At the pond Kenza saw a big duck swimming here and there, calling anxiously: Battout! Battoush! Where are you? The ducklings shouted together: Mother! We are here! We are in Kenza's pocket! Mother Duck turned and flew over the water to the shore, and the ducklings climbed out of the pocket and ran to her. She gathered them under her wings and said to Kenza: Thank you, Kenza. I was so frightened. I will never forget your kindness.
Kenza said: You are most welcome. Now there is still Thaljoun; we must find his home. Mother Duck said: I saw many rabbits near the big tree with wide branches, over there by the hill. Kenza thanked her, and the ducklings waved their little wings and said: Goodbye, Thaljoun! Goodbye, Kenza! Kenza hopped toward the hill, with Thaljoun now alone in the pocket, poking out his head and searching with his eyes for his home.
At the big tree Thaljoun saw a small burrow among the roots, and in front of it a white rabbit looking left and right. Thaljoun shouted: That is my mother! That is my home! He jumped out of the pocket and ran to his mother, who hugged him and kissed his long ears. The rabbit said: I have been looking for you everywhere, Thaljoun. Then she looked at Kenza and said: You carried my son in your pocket even though he is not your child. What a kind heart you have! Kenza said: All the little ones of the meadow are all of ours.
In the evening Kenza returned to her tree and found her son Kanouz waiting for her. Kanouz said: Where were you, Mother? The wind was blowing and I was worried about you. Kenza told him everything that had happened: about the two lost ducklings, about crying Thaljoun and about the pocket that had room for everyone. Kanouz was delighted and said: You are the bravest mother in the meadow! When I grow up, I will help little ones just like you.
From that day on, all the animals of the meadow knew Kenza. If a little one got lost, they told him: Go to Kenza, her pocket has room for everyone. Battout, Battoush and Thaljoun visited her every morning, played around her and asked her to carry them in her pocket for just one hop, for fun. And Kenza always agreed, laughing.
On a quiet night Kenza looked at the pocket she had thought was empty and said: I was wrong, my pocket. You are never empty, for you are full of love. Then she slept under the tree, with the green meadow calm around her and the stars shining above, knowing that a kind heart, like her pocket, always has room for everyone who needs help.
But Kanouz grew up. He began hopping around the meadow by himself and playing with his young kangaroo friends, so Kenza's pocket became empty. Sometimes Kenza looked at her pocket and said: My dear pocket, you used to be full of warmth and laughter, and now you are so quiet. Yet she was happy that her son had grown big and strong, and every morning she hopped across the meadow, ate the tender grass, drank from the blue pond and greeted her neighbors.
One morning a strong wind blew over the meadow. The grass bent left and right, leaves flew through the air and the birds hid in their nests. Kenza was hopping back to the shade of her tree when she heard a tiny, weak voice: peep, peep! Kenza stopped, raised her long ears and looked through the grass. There, under a big yellow flower, she saw two little ducklings, one yellow and one a little greenish, shivering with cold and fear.
Kenza bent down and said gently: Hello, little ones. Why are you here all alone? The yellow duckling, whose name was Battout, said: We were walking behind our mother to the pond when the wind blew and rolled us into the grass, and now we cannot see our mother. The green duckling, whose name was Battoush, said: And the grass is so tall and we are so small. We do not know the way! Kenza looked at them and thought for a moment, then smiled and said: Do not be afraid. I have a wonderful idea.
Kenza opened her warm pocket with her little hands and said: Come in here. My pocket is warm and safe, and I will carry you to the pond. The ducklings looked at the pocket in surprise, then hopped in one after the other. Inside the pocket they felt warm, stopped shivering and poked out their little heads to see the world from above. Battout said: How wonderful! Now we are taller than the grass! Battoush laughed and said: And taller than the flowers too!
Kenza hopped very carefully, one small hop and then another small hop, so the ducklings would not be shaken too much. As she hopped, she heard another voice crying behind a gray rock. She came closer and saw a little white bunny with long ears like hers, wiping his tears with his paws. Kenza asked: What is your name, little one, and why are you crying? The bunny said: My name is Thaljoun. I came out of my burrow to play, the wind frightened me and I ran far away, and now I do not know where my home is.
Battout called from inside the pocket: Come with us, Thaljoun! Kenza's pocket is very warm! Kenza looked at her pocket and wondered: Is there room for three? Then she smiled and said: This pocket has room for everyone who needs help. She opened the pocket, Thaljoun hopped inside and sat between the two ducklings. Battout shifted a little and Battoush shifted a little, and there was a place for each of them. The three poked their heads out together, and Kenza's pocket looked like a little window with three smiling faces.
Kenza said: Now we will look for Mother Duck first, because the pond is close. Then we will look for Thaljoun's home. Kenza hopped toward the blue pond as the wind calmed little by little. On the way the three little ones sang together: We hop, we hop over the grass, in Kenza's pocket we are not afraid, the heart is big and the pocket is warm, and friends are together everywhere. Kenza laughed as she listened to their song and felt that her pocket was full of laughter again.
Halfway to the pond, Kenza came to a little stream running fast because of the wind. She stopped and said: My little ones, I am going to make a big jump over the stream, so hold on to each other tightly. Battout shut his eyes, Battoush held on to his brother's wing, and Thaljoun put his paws on their shoulders. Then Kenza leaned on her strong tail and made a high leap over the water, landing softly on the other bank. Battout opened his eyes and cried: We flew! And everyone laughed, even Kenza herself.
After the stream, Kenza passed an old tortoise walking slowly with her house on her back. The tortoise asked: Where are you hopping with such a lovely load, Kenza? Kenza said: I am taking the little ones back to their families. The tortoise said: What a beautiful deed! Go right at the white rock; it is the shortest way to the pond. Kenza thanked her, and the three little ones said together in one voice: Thank you, Grandmother Tortoise! The tortoise smiled and went on her way.
At the pond Kenza saw a big duck swimming here and there, calling anxiously: Battout! Battoush! Where are you? The ducklings shouted together: Mother! We are here! We are in Kenza's pocket! Mother Duck turned and flew over the water to the shore, and the ducklings climbed out of the pocket and ran to her. She gathered them under her wings and said to Kenza: Thank you, Kenza. I was so frightened. I will never forget your kindness.
Kenza said: You are most welcome. Now there is still Thaljoun; we must find his home. Mother Duck said: I saw many rabbits near the big tree with wide branches, over there by the hill. Kenza thanked her, and the ducklings waved their little wings and said: Goodbye, Thaljoun! Goodbye, Kenza! Kenza hopped toward the hill, with Thaljoun now alone in the pocket, poking out his head and searching with his eyes for his home.
At the big tree Thaljoun saw a small burrow among the roots, and in front of it a white rabbit looking left and right. Thaljoun shouted: That is my mother! That is my home! He jumped out of the pocket and ran to his mother, who hugged him and kissed his long ears. The rabbit said: I have been looking for you everywhere, Thaljoun. Then she looked at Kenza and said: You carried my son in your pocket even though he is not your child. What a kind heart you have! Kenza said: All the little ones of the meadow are all of ours.
In the evening Kenza returned to her tree and found her son Kanouz waiting for her. Kanouz said: Where were you, Mother? The wind was blowing and I was worried about you. Kenza told him everything that had happened: about the two lost ducklings, about crying Thaljoun and about the pocket that had room for everyone. Kanouz was delighted and said: You are the bravest mother in the meadow! When I grow up, I will help little ones just like you.
From that day on, all the animals of the meadow knew Kenza. If a little one got lost, they told him: Go to Kenza, her pocket has room for everyone. Battout, Battoush and Thaljoun visited her every morning, played around her and asked her to carry them in her pocket for just one hop, for fun. And Kenza always agreed, laughing.
On a quiet night Kenza looked at the pocket she had thought was empty and said: I was wrong, my pocket. You are never empty, for you are full of love. Then she slept under the tree, with the green meadow calm around her and the stars shining above, knowing that a kind heart, like her pocket, always has room for everyone who needs help.
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