Ladybug Lily and the Lost Leaf

Lily is a small ladybug.

She is red.

She has black spots on her back.

She lives in a big garden.

The garden is full of flowers and plants.

Lily has a small house.

Her house is under a green leaf.

The leaf keeps her dry when it rains.

Lily likes her house.

It is small, but it is very nice.

Lily is not just a ladybug.

She is a detective.

A detective looks for things.

A detective asks questions.

A detective helps people.

Lily helps the animals in the garden.

She helps the bees.

She helps the ants.

She helps the snails.

She helps everyone.

Every morning, Lily wakes up early.

The sun comes up.

The birds sing.

Lily opens her eyes.

She smiles.

"Good morning, garden," she says.

Lily goes outside.

She looks at the flowers.

The red roses are beautiful.

The yellow sunflowers are tall.

The blue forget-me-nots are small but pretty.

Lily walks on a leaf.

She feels happy.

The garden is her home.

The animals are her friends.

Lily has a small bag.

In the bag, she keeps her detective things.

She has a small notebook.

She has a small pen.

She has a small glass to look at things.

"A good detective is ready every day," Lily says.

Lily walks to her favorite place.

It is on a big rock.

She can see the whole garden from the rock.

She sits down.

She eats a small breakfast.

She drinks little drops of water from a flower.

The garden is quiet today.

The bees are working.

The ants are walking.

The snails are slow as always.

But something is different.

Lily can feel it.

She does not know what it is yet.

But she knows something is wrong.

Then she hears a voice.

"Lily!

Help me!" Lily looks up.

Mrs. Rose is calling.

Mrs. Rose is a red rose.

She is the oldest rose in the garden.

She is wise and kind.

Lily flies down to Mrs. Rose.

"What is wrong, Mrs. Rose?" Lily asks.

Mrs. Rose looks very sad.

Her petals are shaking.

"Oh, Lily," Mrs. Rose says.

"Something bad has happened.

My special leaf is gone!" Lily takes out her notebook.

She writes some words.

"Tell me everything, Mrs. Rose," she says.

"What special leaf?

When did it go?" Mrs. Rose takes a deep breath.

She looks at Lily with worried eyes.

"It was my best leaf," Mrs. Rose says.

"It was big and red.

I had it for many years.

And now it is gone." Lily nods.

She is ready to help.

This is her job.

She is a detective.

"Do not worry, Mrs. Rose," Lily says.

"I will find your leaf." Lily sits on a small stone next to Mrs. Rose.

She opens her notebook.

She has many questions.

"Mrs. Rose," Lily says, "please tell me about the leaf.

Why was it special?" Mrs. Rose closes her eyes.

She is thinking.

Then she opens her eyes.

"That leaf was very old," she says.

"It was on my plant for many, many years.

It was the first leaf I had.

It was the biggest leaf I had.

And it was the most red." Lily writes in her notebook.

The first leaf." "It was on this side," Mrs. Rose says.

She moves a little.

Lily can see the empty place.

There is no leaf there now.

Just a small stick.

Lily looks at the place.

She uses her glass.

She looks very close.

"When did you last see the leaf?" Lily asks.

"Yesterday," Mrs. Rose says.

"It was here in the morning.

The sun made it shine.

It was so beautiful." "And when did you see it was gone?" Lily asks.

"This morning," Mrs. Rose says.

"I woke up.

I looked at my leaves.

The big red one was gone." Lily nods.

She writes more words.

"Did you hear anything in the night?" Lily asks.

Mrs. Rose thinks hard.

"I heard the wind," she says.

"I heard a small noise too.

But I was sleeping.

I did not look." "What kind of small noise?" Lily asks.

"I do not remember well," Mrs. Rose says.

"Maybe a soft sound.

Like something moving on my plant." Lily writes this down too.

"Did anyone come to see you yesterday?" Lily asks.

"Yes," Mrs. Rose says.

"Many animals came.

The bees came for nectar.

The ants walked on me.

A small caterpillar came too.

He was new.

I did not know him." Lily looks up.

She is interested now.

"A new caterpillar?" Lily asks.

"Tell me about him." "He was small," Mrs. Rose says.

"He was green.

He looked hungry.

He asked me if he could eat one of my old leaves.

I said no.

My leaves are all my friends." "What did he do then?" Lily asks.

"He went away," Mrs. Rose says.

"He said sorry.

He looked sad." Lily writes more things in her notebook.

"Mrs. Rose," she says, "I think I have my first clues.

I will look for your leaf.

I will ask the animals in the garden.

I will find what happened." "Thank you, Lily," Mrs. Rose says.

"You are a good friend.

You are a good detective." Lily stands up.

She closes her notebook.

"I will start now," she says.

"I will come back when I have news." Mrs. Rose smiles a little.

"Be careful, Lily," she says.

Lily walks away from Mrs. Rose.

She has many things to think about.

Many animals could have taken the leaf.

But she will find the answer.

She always does.

Lily walks back to Mrs. Rose's plant.

She wants to look more carefully.

She wants to find clues.

Lily uses her small glass.

She looks at the ground near the plant.

She sees many things.

There are small footprints.

There are tiny pieces of leaves.

There are some drops of water.

"What are these?" Lily says to herself.

She looks closer at the footprints.

They are very small.

They are in a line.

They go away from the rose plant.

Lily takes out her notebook.

She draws the footprints.

"These are very small," she says.

"Maybe an ant.

Maybe a caterpillar.

Maybe a small bug." She follows the footprints.

They go for a short way.

Then they stop.

The grass is wet here.

The footprints go away in the grass.

Lily looks up.

Where do the footprints go?

She sees many plants.

She sees many flowers.

She sees the trees at the end of the garden.

"I will follow this way," she says.

Lily walks on the path.

She looks at every leaf.

She looks at every flower.

She looks at every stone.

She finds something!

It is a small piece of red leaf.

It is on the ground.

Lily picks it up.

She looks at it with her glass.

"Yes," she says.

"This is from Mrs. Rose's leaf.

It is the same red.

I am on the right way." Lily puts the piece of leaf in her bag.

She walks on.

She finds another piece of leaf.

And another one.

And another one.

The pieces are like a path.

Someone took the leaf and dropped pieces.

Or maybe the leaf was eaten and pieces fell.

Lily writes in her notebook.

"The leaf may be eaten.

Or maybe it was carried." She walks more.

The pieces stop near a big tree.

Lily looks up at the tree.

It is big and old.

Many animals live there.

The birds make nests in the tree.

The bees have a home in the tree.

The ants walk up and down the tree.

"This is a good place to ask questions," Lily says.

She looks around the tree.

She does not see more pieces of leaf.

The path stops here.

Lily sits down on a small stone.

She thinks.

She looks at her notebook.

She has some clues now.

A new caterpillar came to Mrs. Rose.

Small footprints go away from the plant.

Pieces of red leaf are on the ground.

The pieces stop at the big tree.

"I need to ask the animals here," Lily says.

She looks up at the tree.

The bees are coming and going.

She can ask them first.

But before that, she sees something at her feet.

It is another piece of red leaf.

It is very small.

Lily picks it up.

She smiles.

"More clues," she says.

"I will find the answer soon." She puts the piece in her bag.

She gets ready to talk to the bees.

Lily flies up to the bees.

The bees live in a big home in the tree.

The home is gold and brown.

It looks like honey.

Many bees are at the home.

They go in and out.

They are very busy.

Lily lands near the home.

She does not go too close.

Bees can be busy.

They do not always like visitors.

"Hello!" Lily calls.

"I am Lily the detective.

May I ask you some questions?" A big bee comes out.

She is bigger than the others.

She is the queen of the bees.

"Hello, Lily," the queen bee says.

"What do you want to know?" "Mrs. Rose lost her special leaf," Lily says.

"Did any of your bees see something strange yesterday?" The queen bee thinks.

She calls some bees.

"Buzzy!

Honey!

Come here!" she says.

Two bees come down.

They look tired.

They have been working all day.

"These two bees were at Mrs. Rose yesterday," the queen says.

"They got nectar from her." "Hello, bees," Lily says.

"Did you see Mrs. Rose's big red leaf yesterday?" Buzzy thinks.

She has yellow stripes on her body.

"Yes," she says.

"I saw it.

It was very red.

It was the most beautiful leaf on her plant." "Did you see anything strange?" Lily asks.

"I saw a small green caterpillar," Honey says.

Honey is a young bee.

"A caterpillar?" Lily asks.

"What did he look like?" "He was small and green," Honey says.

"He had black spots on his back.

He looked hungry.

He was eating a small leaf when I saw him." "What time was this?" Lily asks.

"In the afternoon," Honey says.

"Was he near the red leaf?" Lily asks.

"He was on Mrs. Rose's plant," Buzzy says.

"But not on the big leaf.

He was on a small leaf below." Lily writes in her notebook.

"Green caterpillar.

Small.

Black spots.

Hungry.

In the afternoon." "Did you see him later?" Lily asks.

"No," Buzzy says.

"We went back to our home before dark." "Did you see anyone else at the plant?" Lily asks.

"Yes," Honey says.

"Some ants came.

They walked on the plant." "Did the ants take anything?" Lily asks.

"I do not know," Honey says.

"We did not watch them.

We were busy with our work." Lily writes more notes.

"Thank you, bees," she says.

"You have helped me a lot.

I will go talk to the ants now." "You are welcome, Lily," the queen bee says.

"Good luck.

We hope you find Mrs. Rose's leaf." Lily flies away from the bee home.

She is happy.

She has more clues now.

A green caterpillar with black spots was at the plant.

And some ants were there too.

Lily lands on a leaf.

She thinks.

She looks at her notebook.

"The caterpillar," she says.

"He was hungry.

Maybe he ate the leaf at night.

But why are there pieces here?" She looks at her bag.

The pieces of red leaf are inside.

They are small but they are clues.

"I need to find the ants now," Lily says.

"And I need to find the caterpillar too." She flies to the ground.

She knows where the ants live.

They have a home near the big tree.

Lily walks to the ant home.

The ant home is a small hill of brown dirt.

The home has small holes.

Ants go in and out of the holes.

"Hello, ants!" Lily calls.

An ant comes out.

He is small and brown.

He looks at Lily.

"Hello, Lily," the ant says.

"What can I do for you?" "Hello," Lily says.

"I am the detective.

May I talk to your leader?" "Yes," the ant says.

"Wait here.

I will get her." The ant goes back into the hill.

Lily waits.

She sees many ants walking.

They carry food.

They carry small pieces of leaves.

They carry small seeds.

A bigger ant comes out.

She is the queen ant.

She is bigger than the others.

"Hello, Lily," the queen ant says.

"How can I help you?" "Mrs. Rose lost her special red leaf," Lily says.

"Some bees saw your ants at Mrs. Rose's plant yesterday.

Did any of your ants take the leaf?" The queen ant looks surprised.

"Take the leaf?" she says.

"No, no.

We did not take Mrs. Rose's leaf." "But your ants were there?" Lily asks.

"Yes, some were there," the queen ant says.

"But we did not take it.

Some of my ants saw something.

Let me call them." The queen ant calls.

"Andy!

Come here!" Two small ants come.

They are carrying small seeds.

"These ants were at Mrs. Rose's plant yesterday," the queen says.

"Tell Lily what you saw." Andy puts down his seed.

He looks at Lily.

"Yes, we were there," Andy says.

"We saw the big red leaf.

It was beautiful." "Did you see anyone near the leaf?" Lily asks.

"Yes," Tom says.

"We saw a small green caterpillar.

He was looking at the leaf." "Looking at it?" Lily asks.

"What did he do?" "He just looked," Tom says.

"He looked very sad.

He looked very hungry.

He stayed there for a long time.

He just looked at the big red leaf." "Did he touch the leaf?" Lily asks.

"No, not when we were there," Andy says.

"He just looked.

Then he went away." "Which way did he go?" Lily asks.

"To the big tree," Andy says.

"He walked slowly.

He looked very tired." Lily writes more in her notebook.

The caterpillar was looking at the leaf.

He was hungry.

He went to the big tree.

"Thank you, ants," Lily says.

"Have you seen the caterpillar today?" "Yes!" Tom says.

"I saw him this morning.

He was near the old stone.

He was eating something." "What was he eating?" Lily asks.

"I could not see," Tom says.

"I was busy.

But he was eating fast." Lily writes this in her notebook.

The caterpillar was near the old stone.

He was eating something fast.

"Where is the old stone?" Lily asks.

"It is over there," the queen ant says.

She points with her small leg.

"Near the wall.

By the wild grass." "Thank you, ants," Lily says.

"Thank you very much." "Good luck, Lily," the queen ant says.

Lily walks away from the ant hill.

She knows where to go now.

She will go to the old stone.

She will find the caterpillar.

Her heart is beating fast.

She is close to the answer.

Very close.

Lily walks to the old stone.

The old stone is big and gray.

It is at the side of the garden.

Around the stone, the grass is tall and wild.

Lily walks slowly.

She does not want to scare the caterpillar.

She wants to talk to him.

She comes near the stone.

She looks around.

She does not see the caterpillar.

She looks behind the stone.

She looks under the stone.

She looks on top of the stone.

But she does not see him.

Lily sits down.

She thinks.

"Maybe he is not here now," she says.

"But he was here this morning.

Maybe he left some clues." Lily uses her glass.

She looks at the ground around the stone.

She looks at the grass.

She finds something!

It is more pieces of red leaf.

Small pieces.

They are very small.

"Yes," Lily says.

"He was here.

He was eating." She looks more.

She finds something else.

It is a small place where the grass is pressed down.

Like someone slept there.

"He slept here," Lily says.

She follows the small marks.

They go away from the stone.

They go to a small bush.

Lily walks to the bush.

She listens.

She hears something.

It is a small sound.

A small soft sound.

"Hello?" Lily says.

"Is anyone there?" The sound stops.

"Hello," Lily says again.

"I am Lily.

I am a detective.

I will not hurt you." For a moment, nothing.

Then a small voice answers.

"Hello," the voice says.

Lily looks into the bush.

She sees him.

A small green caterpillar.

He has black spots on his back.

He is very small.

He looks tired and sad.

"Hello," Lily says again.

"I am Lily." "I am Charlie," the caterpillar says.

"Charlie the caterpillar." "Hello, Charlie," Lily says.

"May I sit and talk with you?" "Yes," Charlie says.

He moves to make space.

Lily sits down on a small stone in the bush.

She looks at Charlie.

He is very small.

He looks new.

He looks like a new caterpillar.

"Charlie," Lily says, "are you new to this garden?" "Yes," Charlie says.

"I came two days ago.

I came from over the wall.

My mother left her eggs there.

I am all alone now." "Where is your family?" Lily asks.

"I do not know," Charlie says.

"I am all alone.

I am looking for a good home.

I am looking for food." Lily feels sad for Charlie.

He is small and alone.

"Charlie," Lily says, "I need to ask you something." "Yes?" Charlie says.

"Did you see Mrs. Rose's red leaf yesterday?" Lily asks.

Charlie looks down.

His face is sad.

"Yes," he says quietly.

"I saw it." "Did you eat it?" Lily asks softly.

Charlie is quiet for a long moment.

Then he speaks.

"Yes," he says.

"I ate it.

I am very sorry.

I did not know it was special.

I was so hungry." Lily looks at Charlie.

He is crying small tears.

"It is okay, Charlie," Lily says.

"Tell me what happened." Charlie wipes his tears.

He starts his story.

Charlie takes a deep breath.

He looks at Lily with sad eyes.

"I came to the garden two days ago," he says.

"I was hungry.

I had not eaten for a long time.

I walked and walked.

I looked for food." "What did you eat?" Lily asks.

"At first, I ate small leaves from the wild plants," Charlie says.

"But there were not many.

I was still very hungry." "Then what happened?" Lily asks.

"Yesterday, I came to Mrs. Rose's plant," Charlie says.

"I saw the big red leaf.

It was the most beautiful leaf I had ever seen.

It looked so sweet.

I was so hungry." "What did you do?" Lily asks.

"I asked Mrs. Rose," Charlie says.

"I asked if I could eat one small leaf.

But she said no.

She said her leaves were her friends." "And then?" Lily asks.

"I went away," Charlie says.

"I was sad.

I was still hungry.

I walked around the garden.

I looked for food.

But it was hard to find food.

The other plants were not good to eat." "Yes," Lily says.

"Some plants are not good for caterpillars." "In the afternoon, I came back," Charlie says.

"I came back to look at the red leaf.

It was so beautiful.

I just looked at it.

I did not touch it." "The ants saw you," Lily says.

"They told me." "Yes," Charlie says.

"I just looked.

I was very sad.

I was very hungry." "Then?" Lily asks.

"Then night came," Charlie says.

"I was tired.

I went to sleep near the old stone.

But I could not sleep.

My stomach hurt.

I was so hungry." Charlie's voice is very small now.

He looks down.

"I went back to Mrs. Rose," he says.

"In the night.

She was sleeping.

I climbed up her plant.

I came to the red leaf." "And you ate it?" Lily asks gently.

"Yes," Charlie says.

"I ate it.

I ate all of it.

I am so sorry, Lily.

I am so so sorry.

I knew it was wrong.

But I was so hungry." Charlie starts crying again.

"I took some pieces with me," he says.

"I came here.

I ate some more pieces this morning.

They are gone now." Lily writes everything in her notebook.

But her heart feels sad too.

Charlie is a small caterpillar.

He was very hungry.

He was alone.

"Charlie," Lily says softly, "what you did was wrong.

You should not take things without asking." "I know," Charlie says.

"I know.

I am very sorry." "But I understand," Lily says.

"You were very hungry.

You were lost and alone." "Will Mrs. Rose be angry?" Charlie asks.

"Will she be sad?" "She is sad," Lily says.

"She loved that leaf very much." Charlie cries more.

"What can I do?" he says.

"I cannot give the leaf back.

I ate it.

I cannot make it come back." Lily thinks.

She looks at Charlie.

He is small and sorry.

He is not a bad caterpillar.

He just made a bad choice when he was hungry.

"Come with me, Charlie," Lily says.

"We must go talk to Mrs. Rose." Charlie's eyes get bigger.

He looks scared.

"Talk to Mrs. Rose?" he says.

"She will be angry with me." "Maybe," Lily says.

"But you must say sorry.

And we will find a way to help." Charlie is scared.

But he stands up.

He follows Lily.

They walk slowly back to Mrs. Rose.

Lily walks first.

Charlie walks behind.

He looks very small and sad.

On the way, they pass the ants.

The ants stop their work.

They look at Charlie.

"Lily!" the queen ant says.

"You found him!" "Yes," Lily says.

"We are going to talk to Mrs. Rose." The ants follow.

They walk behind Charlie.

They want to see what will happen.

They pass the bees.

The bees see them too.

The queen bee comes down.

"Lily!" she says.

"What is happening?" "We are going to talk to Mrs. Rose," Lily says.

"Charlie has something to say." The queen bee follows too.

Some other bees come too.

They fly above.

They want to see.

When they come to Mrs. Rose, there are many animals there.

The ants.

The bees.

The snails are there too.

Even some birds are watching from the tree.

Mrs. Rose sees them.

She looks at Lily.

Then she looks at Charlie.

Charlie is very small.

He looks at the ground.

"Lily?" Mrs. Rose says.

"Did you find my leaf?" Lily takes a deep breath.

"Mrs. Rose," she says, "I have found out what happened to your leaf.

But the leaf is gone.

It cannot come back.

Charlie has something to tell you." Charlie steps forward.

He is shaking.

He looks at Mrs. Rose with sad eyes.

"Mrs. Rose," he says in a small voice.

"I am so sorry.

I ate your special leaf." Mrs. Rose is quiet for a long time.

She looks at Charlie.

Charlie cries small tears.

"You ate my leaf?" Mrs. Rose says quietly.

"Yes," Charlie says.

"I was so hungry.

I came to ask you again, but you were sleeping.

So I just took it.

I am so so sorry." "That was my oldest leaf," Mrs. Rose says.

"I loved it." "I know," Charlie cries.

"I did not know how special it was.

I only saw food.

I was so hungry.

I was alone.

I had not eaten for many days.

But that does not make it okay.

I am sorry.

I am very sorry." Mrs. Rose is quiet again.

She looks sad.

The other animals are quiet too.

They wait to see what Mrs. Rose will say.

Lily speaks gently.

"Mrs. Rose," she says, "Charlie is new to the garden.

He came from over the wall.

He has no family here.

He was very hungry.

He did a bad thing.

But he is sorry.

He is very sorry." Mrs. Rose looks at Charlie.

He is so small.

He is crying.

"Charlie," Mrs. Rose says, "look at me." Charlie looks up.

His eyes are red from crying.

"Where is your family?" Mrs. Rose asks.

"I do not know," Charlie says.

"I am alone." "How old are you?" Mrs. Rose asks.

"Two weeks," Charlie says.

Mrs. Rose's face becomes softer.

He is just a baby.

A baby caterpillar all alone in a new garden.

"Oh, Charlie," Mrs. Rose says.

"You are so young.

So small." "I am sorry, Mrs. Rose," Charlie says again.

"I will go away from your garden.

I will not eat any more of your leaves." "Wait, Charlie," Mrs. Rose says.

"Wait." Mrs. Rose looks at Charlie for a long time.

The other animals wait.

No one speaks.

Then Mrs. Rose says, "Charlie, what you did was wrong.

You should not take things without asking.

Even if you are hungry." "I know," Charlie says.

"I will go away.

I am sorry." "But," Mrs. Rose says, "you are a baby.

You are alone.

And you came back to say sorry.

Many would not do that." Charlie is quiet.

He waits.

"I forgive you, Charlie," Mrs. Rose says.

Charlie's eyes get big.

"You forgive me?" he says.

"Yes," Mrs. Rose says.

"I am sad about my leaf.

But the leaf is gone now.

There is nothing we can do.

I do not want to be angry with you." "Thank you, Mrs. Rose," Charlie says.

"Thank you so much." "But Charlie," Mrs. Rose says, "you cannot stay alone and hungry.

We must find a home for you.

We must find food for you." Charlie looks at her with hope.

Lily smiles.

The other animals smile too.

"I can help!" the queen bee says.

"There are many flowers in our garden.

There are many leaves on plants that do not need them.

Charlie can eat those." "And we can show him!" Tom says.

"We know the garden well.

We can show Charlie the best plants to eat.

The ones that do not mind." "And he can sleep near our home," the queen ant says.

"We will keep him safe." "I have an old leaf I do not need," a snail says.

"Charlie can have it." "My plant has many leaves," another flower says.

"He can eat some of mine.

They are good for caterpillars." Mrs. Rose smiles.

The garden is kind.

The garden is full of friends.

"You hear, Charlie?" Mrs. Rose says.

"You have friends now.

You have a home.

You will not be hungry again." Charlie cries again.

But these are happy tears.

"Thank you," he says.

"Thank you all." Lily closes her notebook.

The case is solved.

"And Mrs. Rose," she says, "I am sorry I could not bring back your leaf." "Lily, you did your work well," Mrs. Rose says.

"You found out what happened.

You helped a small caterpillar.

That is the best work a detective can do." The animals all cheer.

The bees buzz happy songs.

The ants dance.

The birds sing.

Charlie looks at Lily.

He smiles for the first time.

"Thank you, Lily," he says.

"Thank you for finding me.

Thank you for being kind." "You are welcome, Charlie," Lily says.

"Now eat well.

Grow big.

And remember, when you have a problem, ask your friends." "I will," Charlie says.

The animals walk together.

They show Charlie around the garden.

They show him the best plants.

They show him a safe place to sleep.

Lily watches them go.

She is happy.

She goes back to her home under the green leaf.

She puts her notebook in her bag.

She puts her glass in her bag.

Another case is solved.

The lost leaf is found.

And Charlie has a home now.

Lily looks at the garden.

The sun is going down.

The flowers are closing.

The birds are going to their nests.

"Goodnight, garden," Lily says.

The garden is quiet.

The garden is happy.

And Lily, the small ladybug detective, smiles.

She is ready for the next case.

But for now, she sleeps.