Pula Saves the Pandas

‘An excellent way for kids to learn about money’
PULA
SAVES THE PANDAS
story
wise
KIDS
DOUG LOCKHART & MARINA ZORINA

This book belongs to:
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OUR MISSION
Building foundations for financial literacy in the next generation
who then passed it on to
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who then passed it on to
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who then passed it on to
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KNOWLEDGE SHOULD ALWAYS BE SHARED.
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PULA
SAVES THE PANDAS
Download free kids savings charts,
saving jar wrappers, Storywise play money
and parent guides from our website.
www.storywisekids.com

In the bamboo bear forest,
lived a family of panda bears.
They sat, they ate, THEY PLAYED AND LAUGHED,
just like they had for years.
They climbed the precious bamboo trees.
They hid and had such fun.
They were happy in their forest home,
except but JUST FOR ONE.
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His name was Pula Panda,
he appeared all FRONT TO BACK,
he had black fur where the white should be
and white fur in the black.
He was born a little different,
but he knew DEEP DOWN inside,
he was just like all the others,
and should feel WELCOME in the tribe.
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He always helped where he could,
WAS KIND AND SO POLITE,
but they never tried to include him.
SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT.
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Poor Pula’s heart was really hurt,
but he was BRAVE and he was STRONG.
He wanted to find a place to live,
where he felt he could belong.
And then one day they said to him,
‘you shouldn’t hang about,
we simply do not have space here,
for a bear BORN INSIDE OUT!’
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So he left and walked until he heard
a ta-wit and a TA-WOOO.
And there he found a friendly bird,
perched on the green bamboo.
HELLO’said a wise old owl
to the young and tired bear,
‘what, and why, and how
do you find yourself walking here?’
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‘I’m looking for a place to stay,
a place where I belong.’
‘A home,’ he said, ‘where I don’t feel,
the way I look is WR O N G .’
‘It really matters not to me
the colour of your skin.’
Take these bamboo seeds’ he said,
‘And GROW A FOREST you can live in.’
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So Pula got to planting,
and the seeds grew up real quick.
The bamboo grew up green and tall,
and the forest GREW LUSH AND THICK.
‘Just plant your seeds every day.
and remember this simple thing,
to always plant A FEW MORE seeds,
than the bamboo trees you’re using.’
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He never stopped the planting,
to add to his new home.
but still, HE FELT ALONE.
He had so much space to live and play,
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Then one day at home he heard
a ta-wit and a TA-WOOO,
and way up in his favourite tree,
sat someone that he knew.
HELLO AGAIN’ said the owl,
‘you are a special bear,
I’ve been watching you plant your seeds,
every day now, for a year.’
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‘Look at what you’ve done,’
said the owl with a little grin.
‘You’ve grown a whole new forest
for ALL OF US to live in.’
‘I see you took my advice,’
said the owl, ‘And I don’t doubt,
‘you always PLANTED MORE
than the bamboo you took out.’
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Pula looked around,
and was amazed at what he saw.
So many friends had come to stay.
He WOULDN’T BE LONELY ANYMORE.
So Pula and the wise old owl,
and his new friends too,
all PLANTED SEEDS EVERY DAY
as their home of bamboo grew.
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It was only two days later
that a panda came along
saying, PLEASE can you help us,
our bamboo has all gone!’
The wise old owl flew in one day
and said, I AM BEMUSED,
the bears in the other forest
are not replacing what they’ve used.’
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‘We’ve eaten all the bamboo trees
and not planted anymore.’
‘We’ve been silly,’ she added tearfully,
‘we have NOTHING LEFT IN STORE.’
‘You can live right here,’ said Pula,
‘but you will have to all agree,
to PLANT MORE SEEDS than plants you eat,
just like my friends and me.’
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The other pandas could not believe
that the inside-out bear
had saved their thoughtless tribe
from a life of HUNGER AND DESPAIR.
They were wrong and they were SORRY
then Mama said with so much pride,
‘you taught us it’s not how you look
but WHO YOU ARE INSIDE.’
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They also came to realise,
and agreed without a doubt
TO ALWAYS PLANT A LITTLE MORE,
than what they all took out.
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SAVING PRINCIPLES #1
CONSUME LESS THAN YOU MAKE
Probably the most important principle of saving is to consume less than
you make – it’s basic budgeting. This willl ensure that you always have
something to add to your savings to make them grow and grow.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM PULA?
DISCUSSION
What did Pula do with the seeds that the owl
gave to him?
He planted them every day so that his bamboo forest
could grow and grow.
FOUR SIMPLE STEPS
to start creating the right saving habits.
1 SET A GOAL: Find something your child really wants.
Research the cost and ensure it is ‘gettable’ within four to six
weeks with their pocket money. Remind your child that they need
to wait for the things they really want, but they will get there.
2 MAKE SAVING VISUAL: Create a saving jar.
Use a glass jar so that your little savers can see their
savings progress. Give them weekly pocket money
(for doing simple chores) to put into the jar. Add a
bit extra yourself (visible growth). Make it fun. Remind
them about their goal to keep them inspired and on track.
DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION
What was the rule that the owl suggested to Pula?
The owl recommended that Pula should always use less
bamboo than he planted so that his bamboo forest would
always keep growing.
Why do you think Pula managed to grow such a
beautiful big bamboo forest?
Pula always planted more bamboo than he used.
You should apply the same principle to money – earn
more than you spend – so your savings can grow.
3 DELAY GRATIFICATION: Keep them going for four to six weeks.
Remind your little ones that you often need to wait for what you
really want. If you can create the right conversation with your
child and instil the right behaviours then they will be well
on their way to developing good saving habits..
4 CELEBRATE AND REPEAT: When they have reached their
goal, celebrate it. Make sure they get what they were saving
for, and if possible, make them pay the money over to the
cashier themselves. And then repeat. As they grow older you
can make the goals bigger and the saving time longer.
Visit www.storywisekids.com
to download a kids savings planner and more.
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story
wise
KIDS
For Bella and her friends
Written by Doug Lockhart
Illustrations by Marina Zorina
Edited by Natalie Bell
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
If you have feedback for us on Pula’s story,
please leave a review on Takealot.com.
https://bit.ly/3loZCMS
First published in 2021 by STORYWISE KIDS
Sunset Beach, Milnerton, 7441, Cape Town, South Africa
Concept, text and illustrations copyright © Doug Lockhart 2021.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise),
without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-928539-95-7 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-928539-94-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-928539-96-4 (ebook)
A copy of this book can be found at the
National Library of South Africa Pretoria Campus.
www.storywisekids.com
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‘Children develop financial habits by the age of 7.’
Dr David Whitebread and Dr Sue Bingham, University of Cambridge
A 2013 Cambridge University study found that our approach to money is set by
the age of 7. The ‘habits of mind’ created in a child’s early years are fundamental
to equipping them with the best habits for being successful with money.
Using the power of story, StoryWise books champion the right habits through
endearing characters. The stories create a platform for discussion and include fun
activities to teach children sound financial principles, setting them up with the
right money habits for the rest of their lives.
In this story, Pula learns that if you consume less than
you grow, you will always be able to provide
for the future.
Visit www.storywisekids.com for more books in the series.
story
wise
KIDS
www.storywisekids.com
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