Kenz and the New Girl Noor

On Monday morning, a new girl came to Kenz's kindergarten.

She had short, shiny black hair and a yellow dress. She stood by the door holding her mother's hand very tightly, and she did not smile.

"Everyone, this is Noor," said Miss Huda, the teacher. "Noor has just moved here from far away. Let's make her feel welcome."

"Hello, Noor!" said all the children together.

Noor said nothing. She looked down at her shoes.

At playtime, everyone ran out into the sunny yard. Some children raced to the climbing frame. Some dug in the sandpit. Kenz and her friends Lina and Sami played tag around the big tree, shrieking and laughing.

Kenz was so busy running that at first she did not notice Noor. But when she stopped to catch her breath, she saw her. Noor was sitting all alone on the bench by the fence, swinging her legs and watching the other children play.

Kenz pushed her pink glasses up her nose. Noor looked a little bit like a small bird sitting by itself on a wire.

"Lina," said Kenz, "the new girl is all by herself."

Lina shrugged. "She didn't say hello back. Maybe she doesn't want to play."

"Come on, Kenz!" called Sami. "You're it!"

Kenz ran off again. But she kept thinking about Noor on the bench.

At home that evening, Kenz was quiet at dinner.

"You look like you are thinking big thoughts," said Baba.

"There's a new girl at school," said Kenz. "Her name is Noor. She sat alone all playtime. Lina says maybe she doesn't want to play, because she didn't say hello."

Baba put down his spoon. "Do you remember when we went to visit your cousins in the big city, and you went to the park there?"

Kenz remembered. All the children there had known each other. They spoke fast and played games she didn't know. She had stood next to Mama's legs and had not said a word.

"Did you want to play?" asked Baba gently.

"Yes," said Kenz slowly. "I wanted to play so much. But my tummy felt funny and my words got stuck."

"Maybe Noor's words are stuck too," said Mama.

Kenz thought about that all through her bath and all through her bedtime story. Before she fell asleep, she had a plan.

On Tuesday morning, Kenz and Mama walked to kindergarten the long way, past the garden by the mosque. There were pink flowers growing by the path, and the gardener, Uncle Salim, let Kenz pick one.

At playtime, Noor was sitting on the bench again. Kenz walked over to her. Her own tummy felt a little bit funny now. What if Noor didn't like her?

But she remembered the park in the big city, and she was brave.

"Hello, Noor," she said. "I'm Kenz. This is for you." She held out the pink flower.

Noor looked up. She looked at the flower. She looked at Kenz. Then, very slowly, a small smile appeared on her face, like the sun peeping out from behind a cloud.

"Thank you," Noor said softly. Her voice was quiet, and she said the words in a slightly different way from the other children.

"Do you want to play with me?" asked Kenz.

Noor's smile wobbled. "I don't know your games," she whispered.

"That's okay," said Kenz. "I can teach you. And maybe you can teach me a game from your old home!"

Noor's eyes lit up. "There is a game with stones," she said. "You throw one stone up and catch the others before it comes down."

"Show me!" said Kenz.

They found five smooth pebbles near the sandpit. Noor threw one up into the air, scooped up another pebble from the ground, and caught the first one before it fell, all in one quick movement.

"Wow!" said Kenz. "Again!"

Kenz tried. The stone bounced off her hand and rolled away. She tried again. This time she caught it, but forgot to pick up the other stone. Both girls burst out laughing.

Soon Lina came over to see what was so funny. Then Sami came. Then two more children.

"What are you playing?" asked Sami.

"Noor's game," said Kenz proudly. "She's really good at it. She can teach us."

Noor taught everybody. She showed them how to throw the stone not too high and not too low. She clapped when Sami caught his first one. Her quiet voice got a little louder, and her smile got a little bigger.

Then Kenz and Lina taught Noor how to play tag. Noor ran so fast that nobody could catch her, and her black hair flew out behind her like a little flag.

When the bell rang, Noor walked inside holding Kenz's hand. She was still holding the pink flower in her other hand.

At home time, Noor's mother was waiting at the door. Noor ran to her and talked very fast in another language, pointing at Kenz and showing the flower. Noor's mother smiled at Kenz with shiny eyes and said, "Thank you. Yesterday she was sad. Today she is happy."

That evening, Kenz told Mama and Baba everything.

"I was a little bit scared to talk to her," she admitted. "But I remembered how it felt to be the new one."

"That's what kindness is," said Mama. "Remembering how it feels to be someone else, and then doing something about it."

The next morning, Noor came to kindergarten with something in her hand. It was a little drawing of two girls, one with curly hair and pink glasses, one with short black hair and a yellow dress. They were holding hands under a pink flower as big as a tree.

Kenz stuck it on her wall at home, right next to her bed.

Lesson: Being new can feel lonely. A small kind act, like a smile or an invitation to play, can make someone feel welcome.