Henry’s Park Visit

Henry and Grandad walk into the park. Henry wants to sketch the pond. Beside the path, a park keeper is gently tending new plants. “Is this your garden?” Henry asks.

“I help look after it,” she says. “The park is a place lots of people share.” Henry spots walkers, a family with a picnic and children playing on the grass.

One flower bed has a gap. The keeper shows Henry a little plant ready to go in. “We leave room for it to grow,” she says. Henry draws the plant in his book.

Near a bench lies a dropped wrapper. Henry points it out to Grandad. The keeper uses her long grabber to lift it into her bag. Henry watches from the path.

“Why use that tool?” he asks. “Litter can be dirty or sharp,” she says. “Please tell an adult when you find it. Adults can choose a safe way to deal with it.”

At snack time, Henry keeps his own wrapper in their bag for the bin. He and Grandad sit at a table and leave room for another family to join them.

On the way to the pond, Henry keeps to the path beside the new plants. He draws a second picture: people using the park in different ways. “They all belong here,” he says.

Before leaving, Henry shows the keeper his drawing. “You help the park,” he says, “and we can care for it too.” She smiles as another family comes through the gate.