Zara Zooms to the Park

A lively story about holding hands, stopping, looking and listening near roads.

Zara loved the park. It had a big slide, a bouncy swing, and a sandpit with a bucket and spade. This morning, she was so excited that she could hardly eat her toast.

“Come on, Dad!” she said. “Let us go!” She put on her hat and her shoes, and she zoomed out of the door and down the path like a tiny rocket. Her father called, “Zara, stop at the gate, please!”

Zara skidded to a halt. “Why?” she said. “The park is that way.” Her father caught up and took a breath. “Because the road is between us and the park,” he said. “Cars can go fast, and they cannot stop quickly.”

He held out his hand. “At the edge of the road, we have a rule. Stop, look, listen, and think.” Zara put her little hand in his big one. “Stop,” she said, and she stopped her feet.

“Look,” said her father. They looked left. They looked right. They looked left again. A blue car was coming, so they waited. It rumbled past, and the air whooshed on their faces.

“Listen,” said her father. They listened for the sound of engines. There was only a bird singing. “Think,” he said. “Is it safe?” Zara checked once more. “Yes,” she said. “It is safe now.”

They walked across the road, holding hands and keeping to the crossing. On the other side, Zara let out a big breath. She had done it, all the way. She felt very grown up.

In the park, she ran to the slide and went down, whee! Her father sat on the bench and smiled. “You are fast, Zara,” he said. “And now you are safe, too.” Zara waved from the top of the slide and shouted, “Stop, look, listen, think!”

Print a habit tracker →