# The Boy Who Shared His Lunch

- Link: https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/kindness-and-friendship/the-boy-who-shared-his-lunch/
- Published: 2026-10-30T02:32:56+05:30
- Author: MAHENDRA MANCHIKALAPATI

[English Language Lab](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/)/[Stories for Kids](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/)/
[Kindness & Friendship](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/kindness-and-friendship/)/
The Boy Who Shared His Lunch

✦An original friendship story about thoughtful sharing

# The Boy Who Shared His Lunch

A spare lunch container gives Kabir a chance to help. First, he learns to ask what
his classmate actually needs.

📖 4-minute read🍃 Ages 5–11✨ Offering help with choice

[Begin reading ](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/kindness-and-friendship/the-boy-who-shared-his-lunch/#sf-story-text)
[More kindness & friendship](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/kindness-and-friendship/)

![Two boys talk at a shaded school lunch table while one offers a closed clean food
container, with a teacher nearby.](https://thecuriosi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/
10/boy-who-shared-his-lunch-illustration.png)

**A place at the lunch table**Read together · Retell · Imagine

Settle in and read at your pace

A story to read together

## The Boy Who Shared His Lunch

Take your time. Let the story unfold.

Kabir liked opening his lunchbox because there was always a small surprise inside.
Sometimes it was a slice of orange. Sometimes it was a folded note from his father.
On Tuesday, the surprise was an extra little container. “There is more fruit than
you usually eat,” his father said. “You may offer some if your teacher says it is
suitable. Ask first, and let your friend choose.”

Chapter one

### An unopened bag

At lunchtime, Kabir noticed Arun turning his schoolbag upside down. Out came a pencil,
a crumpled picture, and one very small sock. No lunchbox appeared. Arun checked 
again, then sat still. Kabir wanted to slide all his food across the table at once.
Instead, he moved nearer and spoke quietly. “Are you looking for your lunch?” Arun
nodded. “I left it beside the door.” Kabir remembered how easily a busy morning 
could leave one important thing behind.

Chapter two

### A quiet question

“Would you like me to ask our teacher what we can do?” Kabir said. Arun agreed. 
Their teacher checked the school lunch arrangements and helped Arun get a meal. 
Kabir showed her the spare closed container too. She checked that the fruit was 
suitable for Arun and that sharing followed their class rules. Then Kabir offered
it. “Would you like some?” “A little, please,” Arun replied. He chose a few pieces,
and Kabir kept the rest. Nobody had to make a speech about it.

Chapter three

### More than food

They talked while they ate. Arun’s crumpled picture showed a boat with a huge red
sail. Kabir asked why it had three flags. Each flag, Arun explained, belonged to
a different imaginary island. Soon they were planning a whole sea voyage on the 
back of an old worksheet. Kabir realised that sitting together mattered as well 
as the extra fruit. Arun had wanted a normal lunch with a friend, not an audience
watching him solve a problem.

Chapter four

### Something to bring tomorrow

The next morning, Arun arrived with his lunchbox firmly tucked inside his bag. He
also carried a fresh drawing of their boat. “I made your island,” he told Kabir.
It had a lighthouse shaped like an orange. Kabir laughed. At lunchtime, they opened
their own meals and spread the drawing between them. There was nothing to repay 
and no list of favours to keep. Yesterday had been an awkward day made easier. Today
there was a voyage to finish, and enough room at the table for another friend.

The end

### Story path

[01An unopened bag](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/kindness-and-friendship/the-boy-who-shared-his-lunch/#sf-chapter-1)
[02A quiet question](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/kindness-and-friendship/the-boy-who-shared-his-lunch/#sf-chapter-2)
[03More than food](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/kindness-and-friendship/the-boy-who-shared-his-lunch/#sf-chapter-3)
[04Something to bring tomorrow](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/kindness-and-friendship/the-boy-who-shared-his-lunch/#sf-chapter-4)

### Word basket

**container**a box or other object that holds things

**offer**to ask whether someone would like something

**suitable**right for a particular person or situation

**awkward**uncomfortable or difficult for a moment

**Read it together**

Kindness includes privacy and choice. Follow school rules about food sharing and
ask a trusted adult to check dietary needs. Arun does not owe Kabir a gift or a 
favour.

## After the final page

There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.

Remember

Why did Kabir ask a quiet question?

Think

How did the teacher help?

Imagine

What did the boys share besides fruit?

**Make something:** Draw a lunch table with space for a new friend. Add speech bubbles
showing an offer and a kind way to accept or decline it.

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