In a small Mumbai apartment, where the evening diya flickered, a little mouse named Mushak sat on the kitchen shelf and sighed.
"Bappa," he whispered. "I lost my laddoo."
Bappa looked up, his elephant eyes calm and warm in the lamplight. "The one Dadi gave you?"
Mushak nodded. A tiny tear rolled down his whiskers.
"Then we will find it together," said Bappa.
They tiptoed past the steel thali. Past the rice tin. Past the old brass pot where the water stayed cool.
"Stop," said Bappa. "Look under the doormat."
There, tucked in the corner, sat the laddoo — safe and warm.
Beside it sat a tiny ant, looking very sorry.
"I was so hungry," said the ant. "I only took one small bite."
Mushak looked at Bappa. Bappa smiled. He broke the laddoo into two soft pieces.
"One for you," he said. "One for our little friend."
They sat together under the diya's light. Mushak ate his piece slowly. It tasted sweeter than any laddoo he had ever eaten.
"Bappa," whispered Mushak, "I thought I lost everything."
"You did not lose it," said Bappa. "You found it. And you shared it."
Mushak snuggled close. Outside, Mumbai hummed its quiet night song — a train, a scooter, a distant laugh.
"Good night, Bappa," whispered Mushak.
"Good night, little Mushak," said Bappa. "Good night, little laddoo, shared and sweet."
Read each sentence. Write T for True or F for False.
a) Mushak lost a laddoo that his Dadi gave him. ______
b) Bappa found the laddoo on the kitchen shelf. ______
c) The ant said it was very hungry. ______
d) Bappa broke the laddoo into three pieces. ______
Draw a line from each word to its meaning.
Words:
Whiskers
Tiptoed
Snuggled
Laddoo
Meanings:
Long hairs near a mouse's nose
Walked quietly and carefully
Moved in close for comfort
A round Indian sweet
Use the word bank to complete each sentence.
Word bank: whiskers · tiptoed · laddoo · diya
a) Mushak's _____________ trembled when he cried.
b) They _____________ past the rice tin to stay quiet.
c) The _____________ was tucked under the doormat.
d) The evening _____________ flickered by the window.
Draw the moment Bappa breaks the laddoo in half to share it with the ant.
What do you think Mushak's face looks like in that moment?
(Draw in the space below.)
My drawing shows: ______________________________
Ask your child these questions after reading. There are no right answers.
Have you ever lost something you loved? How did you feel?
Why do you think Bappa shared the laddoo instead of keeping it?
If you found a laddoo and a hungry ant, what would you do?
What made Mushak's laddoo taste "sweeter than ever"?
New words from today's story. Say them out loud.
Laddoo — say it like: LAH-doo A round Indian sweet made of gram flour and ghee.
Diya — say it like: DEE-yah A small clay lamp lit in Indian homes.
Whiskers — say it like: WISS-kurz Long hairs near a mouse's nose.
Snuggled — say it like: SNUG-uld Moved close for warmth and comfort.
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