At the bright morning zoo, Dinosaur El pequeño Gael woke up with a smile. He was a little green dinosaur with a round tummy, soft feet, and a brave heart. He liked helping everyone.
“Good morning, zoo!” said Gael.
The parrots chirped. The seals splashed. The monkeys bounced. Even the sleepy lions gave a tiny roar.
Near the gate stood Robot. Robot was shiny and kind. He had square feet and a red button nose.
“Beep-beep! Trouble!” said Robot.
His little wagon had stopped. One blue wheel was gone.
“Oh,” said Gael. “We find it!”
King came from the small zoo castle. King wore a gold crown that was a little too big. It slid over one eye.
“My royal wheel!” said King. “It belongs on the wagon. It carries fruit for all the animals!”
Then Book opened on a bench. Yes, Book could talk. Book had big paper pages and knew many things.
“Flip, flip,” said Book. “A blue wheel rolled toward the tall grass.”
Gael nodded. “Let’s go. Stomp, stomp, stomp!”
Robot rolled beside him. King hurried behind them. Book rode in Robot’s backpack.
They passed the giraffes. They passed the penguins. They passed a pink flamingo standing on one leg.
“Did you see a blue wheel?” asked Gael.
“No,” said Flamingo. “But I saw something big go that way. Very big.”
In the tall grass, they heard a rumble.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Robot’s lights blinked. “Beep. I feel small.”
King held his crown. “I feel small too.”
Gael took a slow breath. “We stay together.”
Out came Giant.
Giant was huge. He had huge boots, huge hands, and a huge sneeze.
“AH-CHOO!” said Giant.
The grass danced. Book’s pages fluttered.
Gael looked closely. Giant did not look angry. Giant looked sad.
“Hello,” said Gael in a gentle voice. “Are you okay?”
Giant sniffed. “I found a blue round thing. I thought it was a cookie. But it was not a cookie. It rolled under my boot. Now it is stuck. And my foot hurts.”
“Oh,” said Gael. “That is Robot’s wagon wheel.”
“I am sorry,” said Giant.
“It is okay,” said Gael. “We can help.”
Robot tried to pull the wheel. “Pulling! Beep-beep!” But he was too little.
King pushed with both hands. “Royal push!” But he was too little too.
Book said, “Flip, flip. Try together.”
Gael put his strong dinosaur tail against Giant’s boot. Robot pulled. King pushed. Giant lifted his foot just a tiny bit.
“One, two, three!” said Gael.
Push!
Pop!
The blue wheel came free.
“Yay!” cried Robot. His lights flashed green, yellow, and purple.
But Giant still had a sore foot. Gael saw a thorn in Giant’s boot.
“Please hold still,” said Gael.
With one careful claw, Gael took out the thorn.
Giant smiled. It was the biggest smile at the zoo.
“My foot feels better!” said Giant. “Thank you, little Dinosaur.”
“You are welcome,” said Gael.
Giant looked at the wagon wheel. “I can help now.”
He carried Robot’s wagon with one gentle finger. Back at the gate, Robot clicked the blue wheel into place.
Click!
The wagon rolled again.
Roll, roll, roll!
King filled it with bananas, apples, fish, and crunchy leaves. Every animal got a snack.
Giant got a basket of giant-sized strawberries. “These are much better than wheels,” he laughed.
King placed a small, shiny medal around Gael’s neck. It had a blue wheel on it.
“Dinosaur El pequeño Gael,” said King, “you are the Zoo Helper Hero!”
Robot gave Gael a tiny golden wagon bell. Ding-ding!
Book gave him a bright sticker shaped like a star.
Gael wore the medal, held the bell, and smiled wide.
“We did it together,” he said.
The zoo cheered. The parrots chirped. The seals clapped their flippers. Giant danced very carefully.
Boom, boom, wiggle!
And from that day on, whenever someone at the zoo needed help, they heard a happy little voice say, “We stay together. Stomp, stomp, stomp!”