Dinosaur Kids

A fable about Doing it with care

Austin’s Careful Bridge

Starring Austin, the Apatosaurus. Austin wants to help Ali cross the muddy ditch, but a bridge that truly helps must be measured, tested, and built with care.

  • Ages 3–6
  • Joining the shelf
  • Book in the works
No. 14
Austin the Apatosaurus character art
Austin the Apatosaurus character art

Meet

Austin

Apatosaurus

Learns
Doing it with care
Grown-up value
Skillfulness
Fable
No. 14

How the story goes

One small trouble. Three turns.

A peek for grown-ups, so you know where the story is headed before you turn the first page.

  1. A small trouble

    A muddy ditch cuts across the path to Tiptop Hill, and Ali wants to jump it. Austin says, “Wait.”

  2. A brave choice

    His logs roll and his first knot pops open, so Austin practices around a stump until his fifth knot stays snug.

  3. A happy turn

    He crosses slowly by himself first. The bridge holds, and they mark the safe middle with bright leaves for smaller feet.

And the moral of the story

“Help that holds is help done carefully.”

Say it together at the last page. It’s short on purpose.

For grown-ups · After the last page

Talk about it.

  1. 1Why do you think Austin said “wait”?
  2. 2What did Austin do when his knot kept popping open?
  3. 3What is something you practiced until you could do it?

Up next · Fable No. 15 · Trusting your part

Cameron’s One-Line Song

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