world cultures · Ages 6-8

The Kite That Would Not Come Down for Dinner

During a spring kite festival, a child learns how families in parts of China send wishes skyward, then works with neighbors to bring a stubborn kite safely home.

The whole story

1. Mei held her swallow kite beside the river. It was spring, and the kite festival had begun.

2. Auntie Lin told Mei that, in parts of China, people send wishes skyward on kites. Mei whispered, “Please carry mine high.”

3. Mei released the kite. Up it flew, above the willow trees and the river.

4. Then the wind changed. Mei’s kite caught in a willow, and dinner time came.

5. Mei tugged once. She tugged twice. The kite stayed put, as if it had ordered dessert first.

6. Mei asked the neighbors for help. Auntie Lin brought a long bamboo pole, Mr. Zhao brought a step ladder, and Jun brought a very serious plan.

7. They did not pull hard. They loosened the string, lifted the branch, and waited for the breeze to help.

8. The kite slipped free and came home. Mei hugged it, and everyone cheered.

9. At last, Mei sat down to dinner. Her wish had gone skyward, and her kite had come home with a whole neighborhood’s help.

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