✦An original kindness and friendship fable
The Sharing Monkey
Monu counts equal mango pieces for a picnic, then discovers that sharing also means asking when and how friends can join.
A story to read together
The Sharing Monkey
Take your time. Let the story unfold.
Monu the monkey found ripe mangoes on the woodland ground beneath his favourite tree. He chose the sound ones for a picnic with Rabbit, Hedgehog, and Bat. Monu liked numbers, so he counted the pieces very carefully. Each friend would have exactly the same amount. He arranged four broad leaves in a neat row and sat back with a satisfied smile. “That is fair,” he told himself. “Everything is ready.”
The empty place
Rabbit arrived first. Hedgehog came next, carrying a small cup. They waited for Bat while the afternoon light crossed the grass. Monu frowned at the fourth leaf. “Why is he late?” Rabbit asked what time Monu had invited everyone. “I left a message saying afternoon.” Hedgehog reminded him that Bat usually rested during much of the day. Monu had thought about the number of pieces, but not about whether his plan suited the friends who would eat them.
Asking instead of guessing
They agreed to meet again near evening, when Bat was usually awake. Before leaving, Rabbit said she had already eaten and wanted only a little fruit later. Hedgehog preferred a small piece at a time. Monu looked at his four equal portions. “You may choose,” he said, moving the leaves into the shade while they tidied up. They saved suitable fresh fruit for later and put scraps in the garden compost with the keeper’s help. The picnic would begin again with fresh portions when everyone returned.
A fourth voice
At the next gathering, Bat joined them from a low branch. Monu explained his first plan and asked what would work better. Bat liked the evening time and wanted a clear space near his perch. Rabbit chose a small portion. Hedgehog took one piece and waited before deciding on another. Monu did not need to watch every bite. He put the remaining prepared fruit where the friends could ask for more. Their different choices stopped looking like a mistake in his careful counting.
The question before the numbers
After eating, the friends invented a guessing game. Bat described sounds from his evening journeys. Rabbit described smells from the garden path. Hedgehog and Monu tried to name the places. By the time the sky turned dusky, they had planned another meeting. This time, Monu began with a question. “When can everyone join?” He still enjoyed counting things. He counted four voices, four places, and many different ideas for their next game. Sharing had given him a much more interesting puzzle than making every leaf look exactly the same.
The end
After the final page
There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.
What had Monu forgotten when he planned the first picnic?
Why did the friends choose different portions?
What question did Monu ask before the next gathering?
Make something: Plan an imaginary picnic for four invented characters. Ask what time, seating, and portions suit each one; draw a plan that lets everyone choose.
