Lily’s First Day at a New School: A Story About Making Friends
Lily pressed her nose against the car window. The school building looked enormous, with red bricks, big glass doors, and hundreds of children she didn’t know.
Two weeks ago, she had lived in New Orleans, where she knew every friend on her street and every teacher at school. Now her family had moved all the way to Seattle for her dad’s new job, and everything felt strange: the gray drizzle, the steep hills, even the way people talked.
“What if nobody talks to me?” she whispered.
Her mom squeezed her hand. “Just be yourself, cher. That is always enough.”
The Longest Morning
Her new teacher, Ms. Carter, was kind. She introduced Lily to the class and showed her to a desk by the window. But during reading time, Lily didn’t know which shelf held the chapter books. During math, everyone already knew a game she had never played.
At recess, the children ran outside in groups. Lily stood near the wall, holding her raincoat tightly, pretending to watch the clouds.
She thought of her best friend Sophie back home, and her eyes stung.
The Lunchbox
At lunchtime, Lily opened her thermos. Inside was her grandma’s gumbo, thick and steaming, full of rice, sausage, and okra, with a little cornbread on the side.
A boy across the table wrinkled his nose. “What’s that?”
Lily’s cheeks burned. She wanted to close the lid and hide.
Then a girl with curly hair and a gap in her teeth leaned over. “Is that soup? It smells amazing!”
“It’s called gumbo,” Lily said quietly. “My grandma makes it. It’s from Louisiana.”
“Can I try some?” the girl asked. “I’m Maya. My grandma is from Mexico, and she makes tamales. People always ask what they are too.”
Trading Lunches
Lily hesitated, then poured a little gumbo into her thermos cup for Maya. Maya took a big sip and her eyes widened.
“This is so good! Here, try this.” She offered Lily a piece of her sweet bread, called a concha, with a pink sugar top.
Soon, two more children came over to see what was happening. A boy named Sam shared his apple slices. A quiet girl named Aiko showed them her rice balls wrapped in seaweed.
“It’s like a world lunch,” said Maya, laughing.
Even the boy who had wrinkled his nose came closer. “Can I try the gumbo too?” he asked sheepishly.
Teaching Cajun French
After lunch, Maya asked, “Your mom called you ‘cher’ this morning. What does that mean?”
“It’s Cajun French,” Lily said. “It means ‘dear.’ And ‘mon ami’ means ‘my friend.'”
Maya tried it in her best accent, and they both giggled so much that Ms. Carter had to remind them it was reading time.
Going Home
When her mom picked her up that afternoon, Lily ran to the car, talking so fast her words tumbled over each other.
“Mom, Maya’s grandma makes tamales, and Aiko has rice balls with seaweed, and Sam can say ‘mon ami’ now, and can Grandma make extra gumbo tomorrow? Everyone wants to try it!”
Her mom laughed. “I told you, cher. Being yourself is always enough.”
That night, Lily wrote a letter to Sophie in New Orleans. I miss you, she wrote. But I think I made a new friend today. Her name is Maya, and she likes gumbo.
Moral of the Story
Sharing who we are, including our food, our words, and our family traditions, can open the door to friendship. New places feel less scary when we are brave enough to be ourselves.
Questions to Discuss
- How did Lily feel on her first day? Why?
- What happened when she shared her gumbo?
- How did Maya help Lily feel welcome?
- How can you help a new child feel welcome at school?
This story about making friends is especially meaningful for children who have moved to a new school, city, or state.
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