One sunny morning, a silver saucer landed in the school playground. Out stepped Zoe, a small green alien from planet Gloop. She had three fingers and the biggest eyes you ever saw.
The children froze. ‘An alien!’ cried Nina. Everybody ran inside and peeked through the windows. Zoe stood alone in the middle of the playground, looking very small and very lost.
Only Basil went out. ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘My name’s Basil.’ Zoe blinked. ‘Hello,’ she said, in a voice like tinkling bells. ‘I’m Zoe. I came to learn about Earth. Do you have a school?’
‘Come in!’ said Basil. He showed Zoe the classroom, the library and the painting corner. Zoe loved the paints. She painted a bright purple planet with seven moons. Everyone crowded round.
At playtime, Zoe met the other children. Zoe showed them how to jump so high that you could touch the clouds. Nina said, ‘I’m sorry I ran away.’ ‘It’s all right,’ said Zoe. ‘Everyone’s scared sometimes.’
When it was time to leave, Zoe gave Basil a hat that played music. ‘To remember planet Gloop,’ said Zoe. Basil hugged Zoe tight. ‘Come back soon,’ said Basil. ‘We’ll save you a seat.’
The saucer flew off in a swirl of stars. The whole school waved until it disappeared. And in the classroom, one desk had a name card that said: ‘Reserved for Zoe’.
The little lesson
People who look or sound different from us can become wonderful friends.
Let’s talk about it
- What could you show a visitor from space?
- How did Basil make Zoe feel welcome?
Finish stories to collect Basil as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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