The rocket Starlight was on a mission to explore the farthest corner of the galaxy. Uma was the captain. Yara the robot was the engineer. Mateo the alien was the cook. And the three of them loved adventures.
One day, Yara beeped, ‘Captain, there’s a planet ahead! It’s called Planet Grin.’ Uma grinned. ‘With a name like that, it must be a funny place!’ They landed on its surface with a gentle bump.
But the planet wasn’t funny at all. The people were grey and gloomy. They shuffled along, staring at their feet. Nobody smiled. Nobody giggled. Not a single chuckle could be heard.
‘What happened?’ asked Uma. A tired old resident sighed. ‘Long ago, the Great Giggle Stone fell into a hole. Without it, we forgot how to laugh. We’ve been sad ever since.’ Uma looked at Yara. ‘We have to help.’
Uma climbed onto a crate. ‘Knock knock!’ she shouted. The residents stared. ‘Who’s there?’ asked one, because that’s the polite thing to say. And the crew told the funniest joke they knew. ‘What’s a rocket’s favourite meal? Launch!’
There was a silence. Then someone went ‘Hee.’ Someone else went ‘Ha.’ Then a baby burst out in a giggle. And a grandpa started to snort. Soon, the whole street was in stitches!
Right then, the ground rumbled. Up from the hole popped the Giggle Stone, bobbing on a bubbly fountain of laughter. It had been waiting for someone to bring back the fun. The whole planet cheered.
As the Starlight flew off, the planet danced beneath them, brightly coloured and full of laughs. ‘Mission accomplished,’ said Uma. ‘Best mission ever,’ giggled Mateo. And they were still laughing on the way home.
The little lesson
Laughter is contagious, and sharing it is one of the best gifts of all.
Let’s talk about it
- What makes you laugh the most?
- How did the crew help the planet remember to laugh?
Finish stories to collect Uma as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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Bella’s Visitor from the Stars
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