Once upon a time, a little Wolf Cub got his furry paws all dirty.
Mother Wolf saw this and said to him:
Son, wash your paws.
I don't want to, they're fine like this.
The Wolf Cub replied.
The Wolf Cub went for a walk in the forest and saw Little Fox sitting in a clearing, playing with a ball and reciting a rhyme:
"My merry bouncing ball so bright,
Where are you bouncing out of sight?
Yellow, red, and blue so true,
I can't keep up with you!"
Little Fox, Little Fox, let's play together!
Said the Wolf Cub.
Of course, it's more fun with two!
Little Fox was delighted.
But wait, what's this? As soon as the Wolf Cub touched the ball, his dirty paws left marks all over it.
No, I won't play with you. Your paws are so dirty that you've made my favorite ball all messy.
Said Little Fox.
The Wolf Cub walked on until he reached the river, where Turtle was launching a white boat on the water and reciting a poem:
"A sailor's cap, a rope in hand,
I pull my boat along the sand.
The frogs all hop behind me too,
They ask me: 'Captain, can we sail with you?'"
Seeing the Wolf Cub by the river, Turtle called out to him:
Hey, Wolf Cub, come play with me!
But as soon as the little Wolf Cub took the white boat in his paws, he got it all dirty because his paws were still messy. He had to give the boat back to Turtle. The Wolf Cub felt sad and trudged home with his head down.
Mommy, nobody wants to play with me. Why?
The Wolf Cub said, barely holding back tears.
Come here, little one. I'll tell you all about water and soap, and then you'll understand.
And Mother Wolf began her explanation.
Why does water wash away dirt? Maybe it just carries it away, like a river carries a tossed stick? Let's check. Hold your dirty paws under the faucet. Did they become clean?
I'm afraid not. That's not how anyone washes. When we wash, we always rub one paw against the other. Why? To scrub and scrape off the dirt. Once the dirt is scraped off, it's easy for the water to carry it away. But we forgot one thing without which it's hard to wash off dirt. What is it?
Soap!
The Wolf Cub answered.
If we washed without soap, we'd always have dirty paws. Soap is dirt's strongest enemy. How does it work? Let's think. Which soap cleans better—one that makes lots of bubbles or one that barely foams?
Mother Wolf continued.
Probably the one that makes more bubbles.
The Wolf Cub replied.
That's right, son. So it's all about the foam! What is foam? Look at it carefully. It's made up of tiny soap bubbles shimmering in the sun, little air balloons with shells made of water. These bubbles grab and carry away the dirt—the particles stick to the foam bubbles, and foam is very easy to rinse off.
So soap bubbles aren't just for fun. They really help paws and faces get clean again.
Now, dear, wash your paws, and then nobody will call you messy and everyone will happily play with you.
Mother Wolf told her son.
The Wolf Cub was delighted:
I understand now! Nobody wants to be friends with someone who's dirty.
And he ran off to wash his furry paws.
Read stories and you'll always know how to be not only clean, but also neat.
