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Teaching values to children is extremely important.This story teaches the values of respect and responsibility,

promotes love and kindness to animals.

The only way to have a friend is to be one. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

While we try to teach ourchildren all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. - Angela Schwindt

There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness. - Han Suyin

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness. - Seneca

No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul ofa child. The effort of every true education should unlock that treasure. - Emma Goldman

Tell me and I forget; show me and I remember; involve me and I understand. - Anonymous

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There lives a little girl not too far way. Her name is Anastasia. She is as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. On beautiful sunny days she loves to take her favorite doll, her rabbit and a bright red car outside to play. Carefully she spreads out her blanket on the grass and arranges her toys in a circle. On this day, she wants to teach them how to be kind to other children. “Listen,” she says to her friends. “I hear crying.”

There sitting under a tree shivering with tears running down his cute little nose was a small puppy covered with mud. “Oh, you poor puppy. Who do you belong to? Are you lost?” “I don’t belong to anybody and I don’t have any place to be so I guess I’m not lost.” He looked so sad, dropping his head almost touching the ground. “Well that just won’t do. My name is Anastasia and I would love to have you as my puppy.” Lifting up the muddy puppy in her arms she whispered in one of his muddy ears, “Would you be my puppy?” She felt his tail and body wiggling as he sniffled, looked up into her beautiful eyes and said yes. She quickly gathered up her toys, wrapped the little puppy in her blanket and skipped home. “You are so small and cute,” Anastasia said. “You will fit into my pocket. Wait until the family and friends see how cute you are.”

The puppy was excited to have a home. He started sniffing dad’s large shoes in the hallway and then left a trail of dirty paw marks as he hurried into the kitchen, sliding on the clean floor and landing next to the refrigerator. “Oh my, what a dirty puppy!” Mother exclaimed. “Don’t worry mother, I’ll clean up his mess.”“What smells?” Father asked smiling as he looked down at the muddy puppy. With that smile, Anastasia knew that she could keep the puppy as long as she took care of him.

Mother helped Anastasia bathe the puppy in warm soapy bub-bles. The muddy puppy was transformed into Anastasia’s beauti-ful golden color friend. He smelled so good!

Even mother was very pleased with how clean he was.Father spoke up and said, “Let’s name the puppy.”

Anastasia thought for a little while. He is so cute and fuzzy.His color reminds her of her favorite caramel candy, “Let’s call him Caramel.”

Everyone fell in love with Caramel. Soon Caramel found a favorite sleeping spot inside one of dad’s slippers. Each morning dad would have one warm slipper and one cold one. Every morning Caramel waits for his warm milk that dad gives him. Soon, Caramel learns to say thank you by bringing in dads newspaper for him to read.

Another favorite time for Caramel is waiting for mother. She is the goddess of cooking the best meatballs in the world. Caramel sits under the table all day waiting until the meatballs are ready. Mother gives him a large bowl and he always licks it clean enough to see his own reflection.

“What an appetite!” Mother always says.

Caramel also has a very important chore to do. He takes Anastasia to the playground for a walk every day. Caramel loves Anastasia because she is the kindest and sweetest girl he ever met. They enjoy playing ball together. Anastasia throws the ball and Caramel learns to catch it. He becomes so good that he can run and jump high, catching the ball in midair. She laughs and giggles as she throws the ball over and over again.

“Here Caramel, go catch this one!” Anastasia picked up her ball and threw it in the air again. The ball bounced off the tree and flew into the bushes. Caramel jumped up in the air and rushed after the ball through the grass as fast as he could.

“Sorry, Caramel, I didn’t mean to throw the ball that far!” Anastasia rushed after him.

“Caramel, where are you?” Anastasia looked behind the bush. The ball was hiding right under the tree but she could not see Caramel anywhere.

“Caramel, come back, please!” Anastasia was calling over and over again, but Caramel was nowhere to be found. Anastasia looked under the bench where they used to play and inside the sandbox and on the swing. He was missing. Somebody took Caramel!

Back at home, Mother said, “Oh, dear! What are we going to do?” Father said, “We will find him!” Father was a man of few words. He did not say anything else; he got dressed and quickly left the house. Anastasia was sitting in her room with tears streaming down her pretty face. “Where is Caramel? What happened to him?”

All of a sudden Anastasia heard a helicopter outside. She looked up and saw a ladder thatwas coming down from the helicopter right to her window sill. Her father was in thehelicopter yelling, “Come on, Anastasia, hurry up! Climb up the ladder!”

Anastasia is a very brave little girl! She climbed the ladder and dad helped her inside.

“Welcome aboard!” said the Pilot. “Thank you!” replied Anastasia. “We are going on a search mission to find our Caramel,” said Father.“Oh, Daddy,” Anastasia cried. “You are the best!”

The entire day, the helicopter flew circles around the city. Anastasia, Father and the pilot flew over every playground, every park, every tree and bush.... but there was no sign of Cara-mel.

It was getting dark. The pilot had to return to base. Anastasia couldn’t sleep. “Please know we are looking for you, Caramel. We are going to find you, I promise!” Anastasia had this feeling that Caramel is nearby. She had to do something. She had to do it right away. Without telling her parents she walked quietly, found her father’s flash-light and tippy-toed out of the house.

“Please Mr. Flashlight, shine my way to find Caramel. Mr. Moon, shine brightly so we know where to go. ““OK,” said the moon, I will shine so bright that you will be able to find a tiny needle in a stack of hay.

Suddenly, Anastasia saw a cat crossing a road. “Hello kitty cat. What is your name?” “My name is Mi-Mi. What are you doing walking by yourself at night?” “My name is Anastasia. I am looking for my puppy,” Anastasia replied. “Would you like to come help me?”

Anastasia went back to the place where Caramel had disappeared and Mi-Mi followed her. Anastasia looked around, turned and stopped. She had no idea where to go from here, where to look and who to ask for help.

Mi-Mi thought for a second and asked, “Tell me about your puppy?”

“He is a very cute, tiny, sweet puppy, orange in color with a big heart,” said Anastasia. “He is the kindest and joyful puppy I have ever met. He could play with me all day long.”

“Nobody would ever describe me that way,” said Mi-Mi sadly. She paused for a second and then continued, “I think I saw a puppy just like that. After my dinner, I went for a walk but a large dog scared me. I had to climb a very tall tree so that loud evil dog wouldn’t reach me. Once I climbed to the very top, I saw a man who was carrying an orange puppy in a bag. I thought to myself, “This person looks angry and mean, and the puppy looked very sad, too.”

“That’s him! I’m sure,” Anastasia exclaimed. “Did you happen to see where they went?” “Yes,” purred Mi-Mi. “I saw the evil man go inside that house.” Mi-Mi pointed toward the large gloomy house. “I looked through the bedroom window and saw the man locking your puppy upstairs. The evil man was screaming and yelling at the puppy. I would not want to be anywhere near that house.”

Anastasia thanked Mi-Mi for the priceless information, promised her a large bowl of milk and rushed to the tree that was growing right next to that gloomy house.

Anastasia was able to climb the tree all the way to the window that Mi-Mi showed her. She pointed the flashlight into the window. She could not believe her eyes! Caramel was tied up to the leg of a table. Anastasia quietly opened the window and was able to free Caramel. He was so happy and couldn’t stop licking Anastasia’s face, giving her many dog-gie kisses. He was so excited he almost wiggled out of his skin. Anastasia and Caramel tippy-toed back to the window. They climbed down and rushed back home.

Caramel was happy to be home with Anastasia. His tail was wagging a mile a minute. Caramel was happy to see Mother and Father too. Mother made him a large dinner of meatballs and Father’s slipper was waiting for him.

Caramel told Anastasia how the evil man took and hid him inside the bag and carried him somewhere. There were lots of puppies in his house. He did not feed them and did not take them for a walk. Puppies were crying all day long. Dad called the Police and they arrested the man. All the puppies inside were taken to a nearby animal hospital where they were all cared for and many people read about the heroic efforts of a little beautiful girl and all the animals found good homes.

The man was locked up in a zoo. He was ordered to spend three years looking after the animals, learning how to feed them, how to groom them, and how to walk them. The man got what he deserved.

One evening the door bell rang. Anastasia opened the door and saw Mi-Mi. She came in to get some milk that Anastasia promised her.

Anastasia thought for a little bit and then said, “Would you like to live here?” With a huge smile, Mi-Mi said, “Yes, I would love to have a home!”

Mother said, “Oh, she is so thin. Here, let me give you some milk.”

Father said, “Here we go again,” and nothing else, as he lovingly smiled. We know father is often a man of few words. His gentle smile says it all.

That evening the large happy family had a huge party with cake, milk and meatballs. And we know they all are going to live happily ever after and then some.