This story was inspired by the resilience and quiet courage of children who experience frequent new beginnings. For many military children, moving to a new place often means learning to make new friends again and again. Dandelion is written in honor of those children—and for any child who has ever felt alone.
There was a dandelion that grew next to a school playground in a very busy city. Each day, it watched the children play during recess, wishing for a friend of its own.
On this particular day, the little dandelion spotted a new girl with honey colored hair sitting by the fence.
She sat by herself, twisting a blade of grass in her hand. The dandelion heard the other children whisper that she had just moved here with her family from somewhere far away.
When the little girl saw the dandelion swaying gently in the wind, she smiled and said hello. She told the dandelion all about the place where she was from.
The dandelion’s heart filled with joy at this unexpected friendship.
Children playing nearby came over and asked, “Who are you talking to?” The honey-haired girl, feeling shy, replied quietly, “To the little flower.” A girl scoffed and said, “That’s not a flower, that’s a weed!” All the other children laughed.
The dandelion felt sad to see how hurt her new friend was and wished she could make her feel better.
Every day at recess, the honey-haired girl sat by the fence, talking to the little dandelion. The weather began to change. The days grew warmer, and it hadn’t rained in some time.
The little girl, noticing the dandelion had begun to wilt, poured some of her water onto the flower. “You must be thirsty; you can have some of my water,” she said warmly.
A sandy-haired boy watched her and asked what she was doing. She told him she was giving her friend a drink because she seemed thirsty. He looked at the weed and then back at her. After a moment, he poured some of his water onto the dandelion too.
The dandelion felt happy watching as the boy and girl became fast friends. They played together every day during recess, always stopping by to say hello to their flowery friend.
Just before school ended, the dandelion underwent a remarkable change. It was no longer a single yellow flower. It had blossomed into a beautiful, fairy-like flower.
The honey-haired girl proudly showed all her classmates that the flower had changed; even the children who had teased her thought it was magical.
A great, big gust of wind blew the dandelion’s seeds up into the sky. They floated over playgrounds and neighborhoods where new friendships were waiting to grow.
This story was inspired by the resilience and quiet courage of children who experience frequent new beginnings. For many military children, moving to a new place often means learning to make new friends again and again. Dandelion is written in honor of those children—and for any child who has ever felt alone.