Eli's Birthday Wish-Map

Ages 6–8

On the morning Eli turns five, a mysterious map with five stops sends him on a quest to gather birthday wishes from five animal friends, discovering that being "big" is about heart-size, not height.

A gentle reminder that true growth comes from the love we share and the kindness we show to those around us.

On the morning Eli turned five, the sun came up extra early just to see. He stood tall on the front step. “Five is big,” he told Eli. A rolled map tied with a red ribbon waited on the mat.

The map showed a path past a hen, a tree, a bridge, a flower, and a shell to a gold star. “I will do it all by myself!” Eli cheered. The pebble path wound down through the green meadow.

Stop one: the hen house. Clementine clucked, “One candle!” Eli reached up to the gatepost. He stretched his arm high. “I'll get it myself!” he promised, clutching the yellow candle.

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