Theo and the Little Dinosaur’s Way Home

Theo knew the names of lots of dinosaurs. He had never expected to meet one at his garden gate. A little triceratops rustled out of the ferns. It looked left. It looked right. ‘Are you lost?’ Theo asked.

Beyond the gate, enormous footprints curved through the mud. Theo knelt beside one. ‘Someone much bigger came this way.’ The little dinosaur sniffed the print, then nudged his sleeve. Together, they followed the trail.

The trail reached a stream. The little dinosaur stopped at the water’s edge. Theo found a flat stone and filled the gap between two stepping stones. ‘One small step,’ he said. Then another. Soon they were both across.

From the hilltop, they could see the whole green valley. ‘Hellooo!’ called Theo. The little dinosaur lifted its head and gave a wobbly honk. Far away, a familiar answering call rolled over the ferns.

A great triceratops hurried into the meadow. The little one ran to meet her, and they touched noses with a soft, happy rumble. Theo smiled. He had found something better than a dinosaur footprint: a way to help a friend.

At the garden gate, Theo waved goodbye. Two sets of footprints led home through the ferns, one large and one small. Tomorrow he would draw them in his dinosaur notebook. Tonight, he had a whole story to tell.