The first leaf of spring

An authentic photograph from the Guardians’ archive; it does not depict a character or an episode from the story.

A fictional story · Read with an adult

Nina had a question ready for everything. Why did rain make puddles? Why was one leaf lighter than another? And why, that morning, would the tortoise not come out of its shelter?

‘Perhaps it hasn’t seen us,’ she said. Her grandfather put a finger to his lips, but he was smiling. ‘Let’s try looking a little more carefully ourselves.’

They sat down some distance away. The wind moved the grass one way; an ant headed another. In her notebook, Nina drew a small house, a big sun and two people with their hands on their knees. There was no need to reach out.

A little time passed. Then a head appeared beside the shelter. The tortoise stayed still. Nina was about to call to it, but remembered her drawing: hands on knees, a gentle voice.

The tortoise took a few steps. It stopped again. Nina did not know what it would do next. And she discovered that this was exactly what made it interesting to watch: it was not a toy with a button, and it did not have to perform for them.

‘Can I give it this leaf?’ she asked, pointing to a little plant.

‘First we would need to be certain which plant it is and whether it is suitable. Today, we can leave it where it grows.’

Nina added a leaf to her drawing. This time, it was still attached to the plant.

When it was time to leave, the tortoise had chosen another corner of the enclosure. Nina did not follow it. Beneath her drawing, with her grandfather’s help, she wrote: today I learnt not to hurry.

Let’s talk about it together

• What did Nina do to avoid disturbing the tortoise?
• What did she notice while she was waiting?
• Why did she not pick the leaf to offer it to the animal?

An activity without touching

With an adult, choose a quiet spot where you can observe a habitat, even one without tortoises. Draw three things: something that moves, something that provides shelter and something you do not know yet. Do not collect animals or plants. At the end, share a question, not just an answer.