Adventure_Water_Drop_low_res

The
Adventures
of a Water
Drop
Begonia Ibarrola
Illustrations
Irene Tejado
Emotional
Stories

Emotional
Stories
-Gustaríame ter unha casa onde vivir e alguén a quen esperar na
porta. Son moi vello pero aínda podo ladrar se vén algún estraño.
O dono do restaurante díxolle:
-Podes vir This a buscar book belongs comida to: cando queiras, así non pasarás fame.
-00-

The Adventures of a Water Drop.
© Begonia Ibarrola
© Primerapersona
First English edition 2013,
Illustrations: © Irene Tejado
Translation and layout: © Sonia Fernández (sfordas@gmail.com) & Emily Polacek
Graphic design and layout: Singulart Visual Communication
Printing: Grafo Industrias Gráficas (Basauri-Bizkaia) Spain
www.primerapersona.com
www.begoniaibarrola.es
www.singulart.es
ISBN: 978-84-95923-96-7
LEGAL DEPOSIT: C-1190-2013
Made in Spain (Made in Europe)
In writing this book every possible effort has been made to obtain permission from the owners
of the relevant rights to reproduce their material here. In the event of any omission, please put
the corresponding request in writing so that the error can be rectified. All rights reserved.

The Adventures of a Water Drop
Begonia Ibarrola
Illustrations by Irene Tejado

Gratitude is not only the greatest of
virtues, but the parent of all others.
Marcus Tullius Cicero

One day, a water drop that had lived under the soil for a long time felt an
irrepressible desire to come out to the surface and see the light. She
didn’t know what was waiting for her up there…
1

At first she felt a bit scared, but, as she peered over a leaf, she realized that
she was in the middle of a forest and that other water droplets were pushing
her: they also wanted to come out and leave.
2

They felt so happy to get together!
They all formed a trickle of water that began to flow smoothly between the
trees and the stones of the forest.
3

Nevertheless, the water drop was a little upset and confused.
“Now I am no different from the other water drops… Why am I not special
anymore?”
And the flowers of the forest answered:
“Because now you are a spring water drop. Thanks for helping us grow.”
4

The water drop felt better; if the flowers thanked her, it must mean that she
was doing a good thing.
Gradually, more and more water drops joined them, and their journey through
the forest was no longer silent.
5

“Why are there more and more of us and why are we making so much noise?”,
she asked.
And the trees of the forest answered:
“Because now you’re a river water drop. Thanks for helping us grow.”
6

She still didn’t know what a river was, but she felt a force that she had never
felt before that pushed her forward.
The river left the forest, and the water arrived in a beautiful valley where many
cows and sheep were grazing quietly.
7

And the animals said,
“Thanks for giving us a drink and helping us grow.”
“But I haven’t done anything”, the water drop answered.
8

“Yes, you do something very important. We have fresh grass to eat and water
to drink because of you; don’t you think that’s important enough?
Then the water drop felt very proud to be part of a river and she happily
resumed her journey.
9

Some time later she went past a strange and noisy place: it was a city. For the
first time, she saw bridges that crossed over the river and saw many people
fishing.
10

And the people said:
“Thank you, river, for providing us with food and cheering us up with your
melody.”
And the water drop felt proud and special again when she heard that.
11

But after she left the town, she began to feel scared, because the river started
to fall forcefully over rocks forming foam. Luckily, it also formed backwaters
from time to time, so the water drop calmed down a bit.
12

One morning, after a long, long time, she saw something amazing: millions
and millions of water drops like herself had gathered in that place, and the
river banks had disappeared.
13

While the poor water drop was staring in amazement, she heard a little boy’s
voice.
“Great! I can finally go swimming!”
“Where am I?”, she asked him.
“This is the sea! I want to thank you for letting me swim, dive and play with
your waves”, the boy answered.
14

She really loved being part of the sea because it was good fun: there were fish
of different shapes and colors, seaweed and water plants… It was beautiful!
Sometimes, the water drop was part of a wave, sometimes she would stay in
a little lagoon and lie in the sun beside the rocks, and some other times she
dove and went to the bottom of the sea for a rest.
15

But one summer day, when she had gotten used to being a sea water drop,
she saw some black clouds come over the horizon.
“Would you like to come with us?,” they asked her. “You’ll be able to fly and
see wonderful places that you’ve never visited.”
16

“Ok, but… won’t it be too dangerous? I can’t fly,” she said, very frightened.
“Don’t worry, we’ll teach you,” a cloud told her, holding out his hand.
17

And the water drop jumped onto his back and began to fly, blown by the wind.
“Thanks for helping me grow and do my job,” the cloud said.
And again the water drop felt proud to be part of a cloud.
18

From up there she saw things she would have never imagined and started to
feel very happy until one day she was cold, very, very cold.
“Winter is coming, so you might turn into snow,” the cloud said.
19

“Snow? What’s that?,” the water drop asked very scared.
“Don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Just relax and let yourself go; the wind will
take you to the earth and will drop you in some beautiful place.”
20

And no sooner had the cloud said these words, the water droplet became a
snowflake and the wind dropped her gently on the top of a mountain.
She was still dizzy from the flight when she heard a voice saying:
“Thanks for coming, as the saying goes: «A snowy year, a good year».”
21

“Who are you and why are you thanking me?,” the water drop asked.
“I’m the mountain, and I was waiting for you. Thanks to you, many people
will come to visit me. Then in spring you will turn into water and wake up the
flowers on my slope that are now sleeping.”
22

The water drop felt very happy to be part of the snow and to see so many
people having such a good time.
23

But one spring day, the sun warmed up the mountain so much that the snow
melted and the water drop began to slide smoothly down the mountain until
she arrived at a forest.
24

After such a long ride, she felt really tired so she hid under a leaf and fell
asleep. And she dreamt of the spring and the river, of the sea, of the cloud, of
the snow… and of all those who had shown their gratitude during that long,
long journey.
25

Advice
to parents
It is very important to know your child’s emotional
world. It is advisable to educate them in the feeling
of gratitude and to teach them how to express their
gratitude by means of their words or actions. To
teach them to be grateful you can do as follows:
• Show yourself grateful for life, for nature, for the
work for the family, etc...
• Help them express their gratitude for any help
they get.
• Thank them for any small help with displays and
words of affection
• Teach them the habit of saying thanks for
everything they get
• Help them perform some act of service, both to
people close to them and other people in need.
• Make him appreciate everything they have and
get for free
• Talk about the things they should be grateful for.
• Teach them appreciate the little things and pay
attention to details.
• Remind them that they should not only feel, but
also show their gratitude

Emotional
Stories
GRATITUDE
Definition
Gratitude or thankfulness is a feeling by which a person
acknowledges, both inwardly and outwardly, gifts or
favors received and tries to correspond in some way.
Gratitude is an attitude that comes from the heart as an
appreciative response to what people have done for us.
Gratitude is the way to develop generosity.
How it manifests
Gratitude can manifest through signs of affection,
with a smile or words like “thanks”, if they come from
the heart and not out of a sense of obligation. It is
important to show it to the people that have helped
us or been thoughtful to us. “Please” and “thank you”
are two common expressions in daily life that appear
in relationships with others over and over again. The
first is a call for help to request something. The second
shows the acknowledgement of the benefit that has
been received. At its most superficial level, they appear
as instinctive complimentary formulas, but when they
are felt deep down, interpersonal relationships become
richer and deeper.
When it can be felt
Kids may feel grateful in a number of situations:
• when they receive a gift
• when they receive help from somebody else.
• when they have asked for a favor and it has been
granted.
• when a friend shares something with them
• when someone downplays their mistakes downplays
or acts like his failures are not important
• when they realize what others do for them
• when they are supportive friends
• when adults compliment or praise them for something
they have done
• when they feel loved

ACTIVITY
Choose, cut and paste the
things for which you are
most grateful to your family:
- for loving me
- for their gisfts
- for listening to me
- for teaching me things
- for letting me play
- for helping me
- for being my friends
- for taking care of me
- for cheering me up

The
End

The Collection
Emotional
Stories
Chusco the Stray Dog
Chusco was an old dog that was sick
and lived in the street. He dreamt of
having a home and an owner who
loved him. One night, his friends
decided to help him.
The Story of Dracolino
Dracolino was a little dragon that
preferred to sing rather than breathe
fire. His parents didn’t understand him,
and at the beginning they were angry
because he was different from the rest
of their family. That made him feel awful,
until one day…
Crisol and his Star
Somewhere in the universe, in a place
called Tierra Cristal, lived a town of
people who could talk to the stars.
When children turned seven years old,
a big party was celebrated, and they
had to choose a star to communicate
with. Crisol was anxious; he was
having his party that night and then he
would have to pick out his star.
Story of a Can
This is the story of a tin can that had
different owners and uses. At the beginning
she was just a can of tomato,
but then she was used as a ball, tin
cup, plant pot… Every time she had a
new function, she found out new things
about herself that made her really
happy.
Timothea the Giraffe
Timothea the giraffe didn’t have many
friends in the savannah because she
looked down on everyone and treated
them with disdain. The rest of the animals
tried to get away from Timothea
when she came around so that they
didn’t have to listen to her, until one
day…

Gratitude
This is the story of a water drop that
had lived under the soil for a long time
until one day she felt an irrepressible
desire to see the light. Travel along with
the droplet and live her adventures.
A story about gratitude.
3 years and older.
It contains collectible fact sheets
for parents and educators and an
activity for kids.
Emotional
Stories
www.primerapersona.com
GRL- N
Reading grade equivalent- 3
Interest level- grades K-3
ISBN: 978-84-95923-96-7 / IBIC: YBCH
$13.95 U.S. / $13.95 Can. / 12,00€ EU