The Monkey Bar

Hello young readers, I am the heroine of these children’s books, and I am 8 years old! These stories are from my life and I have told them to my parents. My parents have created these books so that I can share my adventures with you. I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences as much as I enjoyed living them. Remember, just like me, you are special and can do amazing things. And always remember, your parents love you very much. With love and adventure, Yours Whyia

Once upon a time, Tom was playing in the playground with his friends,

Phoebe and Whyia, when suddenly Mike came over to tease them.

“Ha-ha, look at Tom playing with the girls and their toys instead of climbing the monkey bars like us! What a baby! He’s obviously not very good at sports.” started Mike.

Tom was angry and wanted to tease Mike back, but Whyia said, “Hey, guys, look at the monkey bars! They’re so fun to play on; maybe he’s right?”.

As they all looked toward the monkey bars, Whyia had an idea.

She hid behind the bars and imagined monkeys playing there.

Then, she said, “Look at me; here I stand! Not a girl, but a monkey instead!” and she transformed into a monkey. She asked the imaginary monkeys why boys always teased one another.

“Why are you guys always teasing each other?

What should I do if other children start to tease me or my friends?” asked Whyia.

The imaginary monkeys gave her an answer. They told her not to tease back, to be proud of herself, and say something clever or keep silent.

Whyia understood and said, “Look at me; here I stand. Not a monkey, but a girl instead!” and she transformed back into a girl to help her friends with the situation.

“Guys, I spoke to the monkeys, and they told me not to tease back. Instead, we should be proud of ourselves and say something clever or just keep silent. Let’s show Mike that we’re better than his teasing!” proposed Whyia. “That’s a great idea, Whyia! Let’s show him that we’re strong and confi dent.” Phoebe agreed.

“Yeah, I’m not a baby just because I’m play with girls. I’m having fun, and that’s all that matters! And I can climb; I just don’t want to right now as I am happy playing with toys!” Tom exclaimed.

The three friends stood up to Mike. Tom, Phoebe, and Whyia stood tall and confi dent, looking Mike straight in the eye. “Mike, we don’t appreciate you teasing us. It’s not kind or respectful”, said Phoebe.

“Yeah, we’re just having fun playing together. There’s nothing wrong with that”, added Tom.

“We don’t need your approval or validation. We’re proud of who we are and what we like to do,” Whyia said.

Suddenly a little girl ran by the group. She quickly snatched Mike’s hat off his head and continued running. Mike was caught off guard and stood there stunned, unsure what to do. He looked at the other children, hoping for some help, but they were just as surprised as he was.

Except for Tom! He quickly sprang into action and chased after the girl, catching up to her in no time. He grabbed Mike’s hat from the girl and returned it to Mike with a smile.

Mike was surprised by Tom’s sports skills, and he couldn’t help but feel grateful. “Thanks, Tom,” Mike said, still a little stunned. “I guess you are pretty good at sports; I was wrong…” pretty good at sports; I was wrong…”

Mike nodded, “Yeah, I get it now. I’m sorry for teasing you earlier.

I didn’t realize how much it could hurt…”

“…I'm defi nitely okay with being friends with your girlfriends, too, even if you’re not climbing like we do.” …I m defi nitely okay with being friends with your girlfriends, too, even if you’re not climbing like we do.”

Phoebe and Whyia smiled at Mike, happy to see him change his attitude toward them. “That’s great to hear, Mike. We can all be friends now; we can climb or play with our toys together,” Phoebe said.

The group then spent the rest of the day playing together on the playground, and Tom, Phoebe, and Whyia showed Mike how much fun they could have together.