Leo the Little Lion Learns to Share

Once upon a time, in the tall golden grass of the wide open savanna, there lived a little lion cub named Leo. Leo had a bright orange mane that was just beginning to grow, a tail that flicked when he was thinking, and a very, very favorite red ball.

Every morning, Leo would roll his red ball through the grass, chase it up the big baobab hill, and bounce it off the twisted tree roots. "Mine, mine, mine!" he would rumble happily. Leo loved his ball so much he never let anyone else touch it — not even his big sister.

One sunny afternoon, a small striped zebra named Zara trotted up. "Can I play with your ball, Leo?" she asked, her eyes shiny and hopeful. Leo frowned and pulled the ball close. "No," he said. "It's mine." Zara's ears drooped and she walked slowly away.

The next day, a wobbly baby elephant named Ellie came splashing from the watering hole. "Leo! Want to play catch?" Ellie waved her little trunk. But Leo shook his head. "This is my ball," he said firmly. Ellie sighed a small, sad elephant sigh and trundled off.

Soon, Leo was all alone on the hill. He bounced the ball by himself. It wasn't as fun as yesterday. It wasn't as fun as the day before, either. The savanna felt very quiet without his friends.

That night, his mama lion cuddled him close. "Leo, my brave cub," she purred, "a toy is nice. But friends are nicer. When you share, the fun grows bigger and bigger, like the moon at night."

The next morning, Leo rolled his red ball all the way to Zara and Ellie. "I'm sorry," he said. "Will you play with me?" Zara kicked the ball with her striped hoof. Ellie bopped it with her trunk. Leo pounced and giggled. And just like mama said — the fun grew bigger and bigger.

From that day on, Leo shared his ball with everyone. And his little heart grew big enough to hold all his friends inside.