Diego and the Kingdom in the Clouds
"That one looks like a bunny," Diego said, pointing at a puffy white cloud from the top of Hilltop Hill. "No, that one looks like a castle. Wait — it IS a castle."
The cloud descended slowly, like an elevator made of cotton candy, until it was hovering just above the grass. A drawbridge made of mist lowered, and a small figure appeared — a girl about Diego's age, with hair that looked like cirrus clouds and eyes the color of a summer sky.
"I'm Nimbus," she said. "Welcome to the Cloud Kingdom. We could really use someone from the ground." Nimbus explained that the Cloud Kingdom was responsible for weather — every cloud was carefully crafted to bring rain where it was needed, snow where it was wanted, and sunshine everywhere else. But the system was breaking down.
"The Rain Department and the Sunshine Department won't talk to each other," Nimbus sighed. "They both think they're more important." Diego knew this feeling — it was exactly like when the art club and the science club fought over the shared classroom.
Diego organized a meeting. The rain clouds (gray, serious, very damp) sat on one side. The sun sprites (golden, warm, slightly smug) sat on the other. Both sides argued. Diego listened. Then they said something simple: "You need each other. Without rain, nothing grows. Without sun, nothing dries. The world needs both."
The room went quiet. A rain cloud and a sun sprite looked at each other. "I suppose rainbows are pretty nice," the rain cloud admitted. "And puddles ARE fun to splash in," the sun sprite agreed. An accord was reached. Weather was restored. And Diego was named the Cloud Kingdom's official Ambassador of Balance.
Back on Hilltop Hill, Diego looked up at the sky. A small cloud shaped like a thumbs-up drifted overhead. Diego grinned and gave a thumbs-up right back.
Talk about it
Diego helped two groups stop fighting by showing they needed each other.
Three questions for lights-out
- Why did the rain clouds and sun sprites keep arguing at first?
- How did Diego help them see they both were important?
- What do you think the thumbs-up cloud meant at the end?
Words worth knowing
- Nimbus
- A girl who lives in the Cloud Kingdom and guides Diego
- drawbridge
- A bridge that lowers down to let people enter a castle
- cirrus
- Thin, wispy clouds high up in the sky
- accord
- An agreement between people who were disagreeing
- ambassador
- A person who helps different groups understand each other
What's the main lesson for kids?
Different people and things can disagree but still need each other. Working together and listening helps solve problems.
Why does Diego help the Cloud Kingdom?
He recognizes the problem from his own life—like when clubs at school fight—and knows that both sides are important for things to work well.