What happens in the story
Jo is building a tall cup tower on the lawn while Noor bounces a ball. The ball rolls away, the puppy chases it, and its wagging tail knocks the tower over, but nobody sees. When Jo looks up, the tower is down and Noor is standing there with the ball. Jo points at Noor; Noor is surprised. They sit far apart. Then Jo goes to the adult, and together they spot the puppy holding a paper cup in its mouth. Jo looks at the puppy, then at Noor, and brings Noor a cup. Noor waits, then takes it. This time they build on the table, away from the puppy's tail.
It's a story about a mix-up: what someone saw, what they thought, and what changed when they found out more.
Who it's for
- Speech-language pathologists working on perspective taking, theory of mind or mental-state verbs (think, know, see).
- Teachers planning social-emotional learning on misunderstandings, blame and making up.
- Parents whose children are learning that other people can know different things.
- Autistic children and their supporters, who can explore perspective with picture evidence rather than guessing from faces.
Skills you can practise
- Perspective taking: what did Jo see, and what can we see that Jo couldn't?
- Thinking words: Jo thinks…, Jo didn't know…, now Jo knows…
- Cause and effect: the tail hit the tower, so it fell.
- Repair: different ways to show you want to fix things.
- Retelling a twelve-scene story in three parts.
A 10-minute session
- Look at pictures 2 and 3 together. What did Jo see? What can we see that Jo couldn't?
- Tell "The mix-up" (pictures 1 to 4) with the cards in order.
- Model thinking words while pointing: "Jo thinks Noor did it."
- Add "A new clue" (pictures 5 to 8). What changed when Jo saw the puppy?
- Finish with "Making up" and talk about why Jo offers a cup instead of words.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: use pictures 2, 4, 7 and 9 for a short telling.
- Harder: retell the whole story twice, once from Jo's side and once from Noor's. What did each child know at each point?
- Extend: talk about why building on the table might help this time.
Try it at home
Play a gentle "who saw it?" game: move a small toy while one person looks away, then talk about who knows where it is. Never require an apology in one particular form.
Pairs well with
- The Wet Painting: a four-scene cause-and-effect story for younger tellers.
- First Day in the New Classroom: another twelve-scene story with a peer moment to repair.
- How to use story sequencing cards.