Gina the Playground Helper

Gina loved the playground. The sun warmed the yellow slide, the swings made a happy squeak-squeak sound as they flew to the sky, and the sandbox sand felt like gritty sugar between her toes. She loved helping, too, giving her friend Sam a big push on the swing so he could fly "to the moon!"

Suddenly, a little cry cut through the happy noises. A small boy named Leo was standing at the bottom of the twisty tunnel slide, pointing a shaky finger. His bright red toy truck was stuck right at the very top, just out of reach. "My truck!" he wailed, big tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I can help!" Gina declared, running over. Her first idea was to climb up the slide. She put her feet on the slippery plastic and pushed. Slip, slide, thump! She landed softly in the sand. She tried again, a little faster. Slip, slide, thump! Leo's cries grew louder, and Gina felt a wiggle of worry in her tummy. This was harder than she thought.

Gina stopped and tapped her chin. "Helping has to be smart," she thought. Then, a brilliant idea popped into her head like a soap bubble! Slides weren't for climbing up; they were for sliding down! She raced to the ladder, climbed the sturdy steps one by one, carefully picked up the red truck, and then—WHOOSH!—she slid down the tunnel and landed right in front of Leo, holding out his toy.

Leo's face lit up like a firefly. He hugged his truck tightly and gave Gina his biggest smile. "You saved him!" he cheered. Gina felt a warm, happy feeling fill her all the way to her toes. Being a helper was the best feeling in the whole wide playground.