In the bright Kingdom of Pebble Hill lived Idris, a little green dinosaur. Idris had soft yellow spots, a round tail, and very careful feet. He liked to help. He helped ladybugs cross paths. He helped baby birds find crumbs. He helped everyone.
One morning, the Kingdom looked strange.
The red flags were pale. The blue roofs were pale. Even the big golden sun on King’s castle door looked gray.
“Oh no,” said Idris.
At the castle gate stood King. King wore a tall crown and purple slippers. He was kind, but today his face was worried.
“Good morning, Idris,” said King.
“Why is the Kingdom gray?” asked Idris.
King pointed toward the Whispery Woods. “Last night, Monster took the Color Bell. Ding-ding! That bell gives our Kingdom its happy colors.”
Idris blinked. “Monster?”
From far away came a sound.
“Grrr-umble! Sniff! Grumble!”
Idris’s little knees went wobble-wobble. Monster was big. Monster had shaggy blue fur, enormous feet, and two twisty horns.
But Idris took one slow breath.
“I am scared,” he said. “But I can still help.”
King smiled. “That is very brave.”
King gave Idris a tiny red backpack. Inside was a round cheese sandwich, a shiny spoon, and one warm blanket.
“For the journey,” said King.
“Thank you, King!” said Idris.
Idris walked to the Whispery Woods. Step, step, step. The trees were tall. Their leaves went hush-hush-hush.
Soon, Idris found a muddy puddle across the path.
“I can do this,” he said.
He put down three flat stones. Plop. Plop. Plop. Then he crossed. Step! Step! Step!
On the other side, a tiny rabbit cried.
“My carrot is stuck in the mud,” said the rabbit.
Idris could have hurried on. The Color Bell was important. But the rabbit was sad.
“I will help,” said Idris.
Idris used his shiny spoon. Scoop, scoop, scoop! Out came the carrot.
“Thank you!” said the rabbit. “Take this orange feather. It may help.”
Idris tucked it into his backpack.
Farther in the woods, he heard a loud sound.
“GRRRR-UMBLE!”
Idris stopped by a dark cave. At the cave door sat Monster.
Monster looked huge. His blue fur was messy. His horns shook. In his giant paws was the Color Bell.
But Monster was not roaring.
Monster was crying.
Big tears rolled down. Splash. Splash.
Idris hid behind a mushroom. His heart went bump-bump-bump.
Then he remembered the warm blanket.
Idris walked out slowly.
“Hello, Monster,” he said in a small voice.
Monster sniffed. “Hello, little dinosaur.”
“Are you hurt?” asked Idris.
Monster looked at the bell. “I heard it ring at night. Ding-ding! It was so pretty. I wanted to hear it close to me. But when I took it, all the colors went away.”
Monster cried again. “Now I am lonely in my dark cave.”
Idris looked at Monster’s sad face. Monster had made a bad choice. But Monster also needed help.
“The bell belongs to everyone,” said Idris kindly. “We can take it back together.”
Monster looked down. “Will King be angry?”
“Maybe,” said Idris. “But we can say sorry. And we can fix the problem.”
Monster nodded. His big horns bobbed. “I want to fix it.”
On the way back, a strong wind blew through the woods. Whoooosh! The Color Bell slipped from Monster’s paws and rolled toward a deep ditch.
“Oh!” cried Monster.
Idris ran. Step, step, step!
He saw the orange feather in his backpack. Idris had an idea.
He tickled Monster’s nose with it.
“Ah... ah... AH-CHOO!” sneezed Monster.
His enormous sneeze blew a pile of dry leaves into the ditch. The leaves made a soft bridge.
Idris carefully crossed the leaves. He reached the bell just before it fell into the water.
“I got it!” cheered Idris.
Monster clapped his huge paws. “Little Idris is clever!”
At the castle, King waited by the gray gate. All the people of the Kingdom waited too. The rabbits, birds, squirrels, and turtles watched quietly.
Monster put the Color Bell on the castle step.
“I am sorry,” said Monster. “I took the bell. I made the Kingdom gray.”
King looked at Monster. Then King looked at Idris.
“Idris helped you come back,” said King.
“Yes,” said Monster. “He was brave and kind.”
King’s face became gentle. “Thank you for telling the truth, Monster. Next time, you may visit the bell. You must ask first.”
“I will ask,” said Monster.
King lifted the Color Bell.
“Ready?” asked King.
“Ready!” called everyone.
Ding-ding!
Red came back to the flags. Blue came back to the roofs. Yellow danced over the sun. Green sparkled on Idris’s spots. The whole Kingdom glowed bright and happy.
King placed a small silver bell around Idris’s neck. It made the sweetest sound.
“Idris,” said King, “you are now the Kingdom’s Helper Dinosaur.”
Then King opened a treasure box. Inside were crunchy apple gems, a golden leaf badge, and a brand-new red wagon.
“For you,” said King.
Idris’s eyes grew wide. “A wagon! Thank you!”
Monster smiled shyly. “May I pull it?”
“Yes!” laughed Idris.
So Monster pulled the red wagon. Idris rode inside with the apple gems. King walked beside them in his purple slippers.
Ding-ding went Idris’s silver bell.
And in the colorful Kingdom of Pebble Hill, everyone knew something important: a small dinosaur with a kind heart could help make a very big day bright again.