First Come The Zebra

Name: First Come The Zebra
Author: Lynne Barasch

A story that explores friendship and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families

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♥ This book teaches: Friendship. showing up for someone else.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Definition: A friendship occurs when two or more people are able to experience respect, trust, and kindness in their relationship. In short: Build bonds that last forever. Summary: In Kenya, once a year, there is a great migration of zebras, wildebeests, and gazelles from neighboring Tanzania. They graze in peace, alongside herds of cattle owned by the Masai people. A Kikuyu tribe lives in the same area, and there is a dispute over the grasslands between the two tribes. Two boys, a Masai and a Kikuyu, meet each other and exchange harsh words. Their dispute ends after they team up to rescue a baby from an attacking warthog. Abaani and Haki begin a friendship, play a game called mancala together, exchange goods, and dream of future peace between their tribes, much like the animals that share the land. Lesson Objectives:

Students will be motivated to participate in efforts to reduce and eliminate conflict by learning about and practicing compromise and friendship.
This story can be a link to studies about African geography, animals, and culture.

Guiding Questions:

Find the countries Kenya and Tanzania on a map. Are they close to where you live or far away?
Describe the great annual migration from Tanzania to Kenya.
What is the nature of the conflict between the Masai and Kikuyu tribes?
Why are Akaani and Haki mean to each other at first?
What event happens that changes their opinion of one another?
As they start to be curious about each other, what kinds of actions do they take to help the friendship develop?
Is there a time when your opinion about someone changed from being critical to making a new friend?
The word compromise means to meet each other halfway when there’s a dispute. Describe what the boys did to compromise with one another and create a win-win situation.
When you play a game with someone are you a good loser? A good winner? Explain.
Write a paragraph ending to this story in which both tribes cooperate.

🌿 Virtue Connection: Friendship means showing up for someone else, consistently.

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.

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Friendship · Family Discussion Guide

First Come The Zebra

by Lynne Barasch

Guiding Questions

Students will be motivated to participate in efforts to reduce and eliminate conflict by learning about and practicing compromise and friendship.
This story can be a link to studies about African geography, animals, and culture.

Guiding Questions:

Find the countries Kenya and Tanzania on a map. Are they close to where you live or far away?
Describe the great annual migration from Tanzania to Kenya.
What is the nature of the conflict between the Masai and Kikuyu tribes?
Why are Akaani and Haki mean to each other at first?
What event happens that changes their opinion of one another?
As they start to be curious about each other, what kinds of actions do they take to help the friendship develop?
Is there a time when your opinion about someone changed from being critical to making a new friend?
The word compromise means to meet each other halfway when there’s a dispute. Describe what the boys did to compromise with one another and create a win-win situation.
When you play a game with someone are you a good loser? A good winner? Explain.
Write a paragraph ending to this story in which both tribes cooperate.

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First Come The Zebra

Guiding Questions for Parents.

About the Story.

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First Come The Zebra

Guiding Questions