Mara and the Two-Breath Backpack

Full text

Read in full Mara and the Two-Breath Backpack

15 pages, approximately 5 minutes while listening. Enter the child’s name in the reader above so the narrator can call the child’s name correctly.

1. 1

   Mara was ready for school. Then her backpack zipper stuck. She pulled. Her cheeks grew hot. “It’s not fair!”

2. 2

   Dad knelt close. “Your feeling is big. What can your body do first?” Mara put one hand on her belly.

3. 3

   In went one slow breath. Out went a slower breath. Mara took one more. The zipper stayed stuck. She did not.

4. 4

   “I feel frustrated,” Mara said. The fog began to clear. “This is hard—not bad.”

5. 5

   Mara asked, “Dad, will you help me find the snag?” Asking for help was a smart next step.

6. 6

   Dad held the fabric still. Mara eased the zipper down, then took two breaths before pulling up. Zip!

7. 7

   “One small step,” Mara said. She did not have to fight the whole backpack.

8. 8

   At the school gate, crayons rolled everywhere. Mara’s heart hurried. She paused, breathed twice, and pointed to blue.

9. 9

   “Let’s start here,” Mara said. One calm choice made room for another.

10. 10

    Mara carried her brave little card: “Pause. Breathe twice. Ask. Choose one safe step.”

11. 11

    The next morning, a shoelace knot would not loosen. Mara felt the familiar heat rise.

12. 12

    She paused before pulling. One breath. Two breaths. Her hands had more room to try.

13. 13

    A friend nearby looked worried about a noisy game. Mara said, “Want to breathe with me?”

14. 14

    Together they named their feelings and chose the quiet reading corner. The next safe step was theirs to choose.

15. 15

    Courage is not never feeling overwhelmed. Courage is making a little room for the next kind choice.