William, our little superhero, loved two things very much: birds and bouncing! He was only four, but he could jump higher than anyone else in his family. One sunny morning, William was bouncing on his bed in his Denver home. His mom, who was an amazing artist, was drawing a funny monster in her sketchbook.
"Look, Mom! I'm a bird!" William shouted, flapping his arms.
Mom chuckled, "That's a mighty strong bird we have here!"
Suddenly, William bounced so high he bumped his head on the ceiling! He landed on the bed with a thump.
"Woah!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head. That was a little scary. But you know what? It didn’t hurt that bad!
Mom rushed over, "Are you alright, sweetie?" she asked, checking his head.
William, being the brave little guy he was, just grinned. "I'm tough! Like a monster truck!" he declared. He knew it was important to be strong, even when things got a little bumpy. Just like when he learned to ride his bike! He fell a few times, but he kept trying, and now he could zoom around the park like a rocket. That's what resilience is all about!
Mom smiled. "That's my boy! Always resilient." She knew how much William loved going to the zoo to see the animals, especially the big, strong gorillas. They always looked so powerful and determined.
"Do you think a gorilla could bounce as high as me?" William wondered, his eyes wide with curiosity.
Mom giggled, "Maybe not that high! But they are very strong and can climb really high trees."
William puffed out his chest. "One day, I'm going to climb a tree as high as a gorilla!" he announced. He knew he couldn’t actually climb a tree that high yet, but he could dream, couldn't he? He pictured himself swinging from branch to branch, just like his favorite furry friends at the zoo.
"Well, maybe not that high," Mom said with a wink, "but how about we practice climbing on that big pile of pillows I have?"
And so they did! Mom built a magnificent pillow mountain, and William, with his boundless energy, climbed and tumbled, giggling all the way. Each time he slipped, he reminded himself, "Be strong, like a gorilla!" And each time, he got back up, even more determined to conquer the pillow peak.
As they played, their dog, Sparky, a fluffy white ball of fur, barked and wagged his tail excitedly. Sparky loved to play with William and his mom. He would jump and twirl, trying to catch the pillows as they tumbled down.
"Look, Sparky wants to play too!" William scooped up Sparky and gave him a big hug. "You're strong too, Sparky!"
Sparky licked William’s face, happy to be included in the fun.
After their playtime, William snuggled next to Mom on the floor, feeling happy and tired. He learned something important today. It wasn't about being the strongest or the bravest, but about never giving up. Being resilient meant bouncing back, just like he did after bumping his head! And that made him feel like a superhero, even more than jumping high or climbing trees.
