Ivy and the Tidy-Up Orchestra

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Read in full Ivy and the Tidy-Up Orchestra

15 pages, approximately 8 minutes while listening. Enter the child’s name in the reader above so the narrator can call the child’s name correctly.

1. 1

   Ivy's playroom had become a castle, a shop, a rocket, and a train station. The grand parade had left every toy somewhere else.

2. 2

   “Tidy up,” Dad said. Ivy saw a storm of blocks, books, dolls, and puzzle pieces. Her hands forgot where to begin.

3. 3

   Then Ivy spotted the plush rabbit beneath a blanket. Dad lifted one basket. “Let's give the blocks one home first.”

4. 4

   Ivy turned the basket into a drum: tap, tap, return. The red blocks became the first train back to the shelf.

5. 5

   The books became a rainbow on the low shelf, covers facing out so tomorrow's stories could find them.

6. 6

   At the pretend campsite, Ivy found three dolls and Rabbit's pillow. She carried the soft things home together.

7. 7

   One puzzle piece was missing under the chair. Ivy stopped the song. “Can you help me look?” Dad brought a flashlight.

8. 8

   There it was! The last piece clicked into place, and a clear path appeared across the floor.

9. 9

   Ivy wanted to keep playing, but the room still needed a place for tomorrow's art. She made space beside the easel.

10. 10

    The final note rang from the basket. Little returns had changed the whole room.

11. 11

    The next day, Ivy made a home for a new basket before the toys came out. She drew a picture on its front.

12. 12

    “Blocks have a home. Books have a home. Soft friends have a home,” she sang. The shelves became easy to read.

13. 13

    When the play was over, Ivy chose blocks first. Dad joined for the opening beat, then Ivy kept the rhythm.

14. 14

    The room became ready in small waves. Ivy moved one basket so a friend could reach the clear rug.

15. 15

    Caring for a shared room is a song we make together—one small return at a time.