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Illustration of page 1 of story The Workshop of Tangle Vines

At the foot of the hill, Lumi found a door where no door had been before. It shone in

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The Workshop of Tangle Vines

5-9 years old • 7 minute • handling frustration

Inside a hollow fern, Lumi and Pip hurry to build a leaf-lift for a fading moon-moth. Their tugging tangles the living vines, until frustration pushes them toward a kinder, steadier way to fix what went wrong.

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Read in full The Workshop of Tangle Vines

20 pages, approx 7 minutes while listening. Enter the child’s name in the reader above so the narrator can call the child’s name correctly.

  1. 1

    At the foot of the hill, Lumi found a door where no door had been before. It shone in the side of a giant fern, thin as a leaf-edge and bright as spilled moonmilk. Pip pressed one ear to it and whispered, “Something inside is humming.”

  2. 2

    The door curled open, and Lumi stepped into a workshop as tall as a cloud. Vines slid along the walls, weaving leaf baskets, ladders, and swaying bridges with slow, careful loops. Pip’s tail puffed when a tiny stool politely finished itself beside his paws.

  3. 3

    On a workbench made from a curled frond lay a moon-moth, soft and pale as a sigh. One wing drooped over a cushion of moss. “Her nest is up there,” Lumi said, pointing to a high fern window where moonflowers nodded in the dark.

  4. 4

    A patient vine brushed Lumi’s wrist, then curled toward a pile of broad silver leaves. Pip bounced. “A leaf-lift! We can carry her home!” The vines began to weave a basket, but only when Lumi moved her hands and Pip moved his forepaws slowly enough to be followed.

  5. 5

    The first side rose neatly, leaf over vine, vine over leaf. Then one stubborn tendril curled backward instead of forward. Lumi frowned at the crooked loop, glanced at the moon-moth’s dimming glow, and chose to pull it straight before the vine had finished turning.

  6. 6

    The tendril sprang sideways and tickled Pip’s nose. “I’ve got it!” he cried, pouncing with all four paws. Lumi yanked harder from the other side, and for one breath the basket looked almost fixed—until every vine in the rim shivered at once.

  7. 7

    The shiver ran up the walls like a sneeze through grass. Ladders twisted into corkscrews, baskets squeezed flat, and a bridge tied its own middle into a plump green knot. Lumi let go too late, landing on a pile of leaves beside Pip with a breathy oof.

  8. 8

    Pip scrambled up and shook leaves from his ears. The leaf-lift basket hung from the bench in a lopsided clump, its handle trapped under three tight coils. High above, the moonflowers waited, but the nearest vine-ladder had curled into a spring no paw could climb.

  9. 9

    Lumi reached for the knot again, but the moon-moth gave one tiny flicker. Its glow shrank from lantern-bright to seashell-soft. Pip’s pounce crouch melted away, and Lumi’s hot cheeks cooled into worry. Pulling harder suddenly felt too loud for such a small light.

  • 10

    “Wait,” Lumi whispered, surprising herself. She tucked both hands under her arms, and Pip sat on his paws to keep them still. Around them, the maker-vines creaked softly, tangled but listening. The old hurry had nowhere left to go.

  • 11

    For a moment, Lumi and Pip only watched. The tight coils did not wriggle until the last yank-mark quivered through them, then they tucked themselves tighter like sleepy fingers. “They’re not being naughty,” Lumi murmured. “They’re copying us.” Pip looked at his paws as if they had surprised him.

  • 12

    Lumi let out one slow breath, long enough for a dangling tendril to uncurl half a curl. Pip tried it too, though his breath came out with a tiny whistle. The vines eased another little bit. Not fixed—just listening.

  • 13

    “No pulling,” Lumi said, picking up a fallen silver leaf. With one fingertip, she traced a new path: loosen, lift, loop, wait. Pip nodded solemnly, then added a small pawprint beside the waiting place. The maker-vine nearest them brushed the plan and trembled, as if saying, I can follow that.

  • 14

    Lumi touched only the loosest strand and lifted it no higher than a beetle’s back. Pip held a leaf steady instead of leaping, his claws tucked safely away. The vine slid through one loop, then another. The basket’s rim rounded out like a smile returning.

  • 15

    Then Pip’s tail brushed a hidden coil. Twang! The handle sprang up, looped over Lumi’s elbow, and tipped the half-mended basket sideways. Silver leaves fluttered down like startled fish. Pip froze, ears flat. Lumi’s mouth opened—then closed before the shout could fly out.

  • 16

    The old hurry rushed back into Lumi’s hands, hot and buzzy. Pip’s legs bent for a rescue-pounce, every whisker aimed at the tangled handle. But Lumi pressed her free palm against her own chest. “Pause with me,” she whispered, and Pip landed his paws back on the moss.

  • 17

    They counted three quiet beats by the moon-moth’s tiny flicker. On the third, Lumi turned her elbow the way the vine wanted to bend, not the way she wished it would. Pip nudged the basket from below, slow as a snail parade. The handle slipped free with a soft leafy sigh.

  • 18

    The maker-vines woke in ripples. One ladder untwisted, the bridge smoothed its middle, and the leaf-lift basket opened wide enough for a dream. Lumi settled the moon-moth inside while Pip guided the handle. Together, they rose toward the high fern window, where the moonflowers leaned close.

  • 19

    At the window, Lumi and Pip tucked the moon-moth into her moonflower nest. Her wings opened, soft and slow, and her glow spread over their faces. Pip bumped his head gently against Lumi’s arm. “I wanted to help fast,” he said. Lumi smiled. “Me too.”

  • 20

    When Lumi and Pip rode down, the workshop was calm again. On the bench waited one tiny new basket, woven from the very vines they had tangled, with two small handles side by side. Inside lay a single silver leaf, curled into the shape of a peaceful breath.

    • For parents

    Go further with your child after the story

    The Workshop of Tangle Vines is a 20-page English adventure for 5-9 years old. Through a vivid problem and a safe, earned resolution, children see why build a leaf-lift basket, untangle the living vines, and carry a sleepy moon-moth home matters; parents get a natural opening for a short conversation and a five-minute practice at home.

    Story guide

    The Workshop of Tangle Vines for whom?

    Children 5-9 years old who are beginning to practise handling frustration in real moments, not just in pretend play.

    Story problem solved

    The adventure gives a child a safe rehearsal space for build a leaf-lift basket, untangle the living vines, and carry a sleepy moon-moth home. Parents can notice the character’s choice, then connect it to one small moment at home without turning the story into a lecture.

    The synopsis does not reveal the ending

    Inside a hollow fern, Lumi and Pip hurry to build a leaf-lift for a fading moon-moth. Their tugging tangles the living vines, until frustration pushes them toward a kinder, steadier way to fix what went wrong.

    Learning goals

    What will your child learn?

    • Notice the moment when build a leaf-lift basket becomes useful.
    • Try the next part of the process: untangle the living vines, and carry a sleepy moon-moth home.
    • Name one choice the child could practise during the next ordinary day.
    Talk together

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    Questions after listening

    1. Which detail first showed Inside that the adventure was changing, and how did they respond?
    2. What did the friends learn about handling frustration after their first idea did not work?
    3. Where could your family try one tiny version of “build a leaf-lift basket” this week?
    Activity with your child · 5–10 minutes

    Make a tiny handling frustration plan

    1. Ask your child to point to one moment in The Workshop of Tangle Vines when build a leaf-lift basket mattered.
    2. Together, name one ordinary family situation where the same choice might help; let your child suggest the first move.
    3. Act it out for five minutes, then ask what felt easier and what kind of help would be useful next time.

    Short answer, easy to look up

    Frequently asked questions

    What can children learn from The Workshop of Tangle Vines?

    The story makes handling frustration concrete: children watch Inside notice a problem, make a choice, and adjust it when the world answers back. The learning stays connected to the characters rather than sounding like a rule sheet.

    How should a parent talk about handling frustration after the story?

    Start with the story detail your child remembers. Ask what the characters noticed, what they needed, and what a small version of that choice might look like at home; there is no need to test for a single correct answer.

    Is this story suitable for shared reading?

    Yes. The page-by-page illustrations and short English scenes suit a calm read-aloud for 5-9 years old; pause when your child wants to predict, and return to the same story later if a particular choice feels important.

    Content information

    TalePillow Studio · Updated Aug 17, 2026

    Editorial methodResponsible unit