The Great Shoe Tie Try by Saad Bin Arif
Reading Age: 6-9 years | Genre: 🏡 Relatable Everyday Life & Growing Up
Synopsis: Today is the big day Leo leaves sticky straps behind to master real big-kid shoelaces! But when bouncy loops turn into tangled knots, can a little determination and patience save the day? Join Leo on a charming, relatable adventure celebrating perseverance, big smiles, and the tr
Characters: Leo, Grandpa Joe
Page 1
The morning sun was shining down upon the hallway floor, As Leo bounced with eager feet beside the wooden door. “Today’s the day I run the trail and race across the park!” His laughter echoed through the room as bright as any spark. He grabbed his favorite sneakers with their bouncy rubber soles, And held the crispy cotton strings that threaded through the holes. “I’m big enough to tie them up without a single hand!” He grinned as if he held the greatest treasure in the land.
Page 2
He loved the way the sneakers gripped whenever he would run, And laces made him feel grown up beneath the morning sun. No sticky plastic straps today, no slipping in his shoes, He chose the tricky curly strings that big kids get to use. He sat upon the braided rug and set them side by side, His chest puffed out with sunny hope and bubbling with pride. “Just watch me, Grandpa!” Leo called. “I know just what to do! I’ll make the loops and pull them tight and fasten every shoe.”
Page 3
He crossed the laces over once and pulled them snug and flat, Then proudly told his tapping foot, “Now look at simple that!” He made a tall and skinny loop and held it in his grip, Determined that this time the silky cord would never slip. He aimed to wrap the other side around the little tree, As confident and capable as any kid could be. The playground swings were calling out, the sandbox waiting near, And Leo felt the golden morning full of lively cheer.
Page 4
He tried to push the second lace beneath the little bridge, But suddenly his thumb slipped off the rubber bumper ridge! The floppy loop collapsed and fell, the strings began to slide, And tangled up in messy clumps along the canvas side. Leo blinked and felt his face turn warm and cherry red, While grumpy little stormy thoughts invaded in his head. “That wasn’t right,” he muttered low, his eyebrows dropping down. His sunny smile had vanished in a sudden stormy frown.
Page 5
He yanked the laces twice as fast to make them bend and bow, “I’ll force these stubborn silly strings to do my bidding now!” He yanked them left, he yanked them right, with hurried, frantic speed, Convinced that pulling hard was all the stubborn shoe would need. Instead of bows, he made a clump that locked into a ball, A giant, stubborn, messy knot that would not move at all! His fingers felt so clumsy and his knuckles started aching, While every hasty tug was just another big mistaking.
Page 6
He picked the knot apart again and tried a second plan, To make two floppy bunny ears as quickly as he can. He held the left, he held the right, and tried to twist the pair, But sweaty fingers lost their grip and threw them in the air! The strings unraveled in a flash and flopped onto the mat, Collapsing in a tangled heap, entirely crushed and flat. Leo let out a heavy sigh that rattled on the floor, More thoroughly frustrated than he’d ever been before.
Page 7
For his third try, he took the strings and stuffed them down inside, Attempting with a clever trick to make the laces hide. “If I can’t tie them, I will tuck the ends beneath my feet!” He tried to stand and take a step toward the sunny street. The stiff tips poked his ticklish toes with sharp and prickly bites, And popped right out the collar top to ruin all his sights! He stumbled on the rug and had to catch the wooden rail, As shortcut number three became another total fail.
Page 8
Leo kicked the sneaker off across the hardwood floor, And crossed his arms while staring at the locked front entry door. “I quit!” he cried, as heavy tears were welling in his eyes. “These tricky strings are way too hard, no matter how one tries!” Grandpa Joe walked softly in and sat down on the rug, And wrapped his grandson gently in a cozy, calming hug. “It feels so hard when fingers won’t obey the things we think, And make us feel our confidence is ready for a sink.”
Page 9
“When I was small,” said Grandpa Joe, “I tried to ride a bike, Without the training wheels attached along the gravel pike. I wobbled left, I tumbled right, and landed on my knees, Straight down into a bush of thorns beneath the maple trees! I thought I’d never ride at all, but practiced every day, Until my shaky, timid wheels could roll along the way. New skills take time and lots of tries to master and acquire, And asking for a guiding hand can help your dreams aspire.”
Page 10
Leo took a slow, deep breath and let his shoulders drop, Deciding that his angry tears were ready now to stop. “Will you show me slowly, Grandpa? Can you be my guide?” Leo asked in gentle tones, his temper pushed aside. “First make an X, then pull it through, and make a sturdy tree. Now wrap the bunny around the trunk as gently as can be.” With patient hands and steady eyes, Leo pushed the loop, And guided both the cotton strings to make a perfect swoop!
Page 11
He pulled the loops with gentle care, and watched the magic start: A neat and tidy double bow, a masterpiece of art! It did not wobble, slip, or fall, but stayed secure and tight, Sitting squarely on his shoe, balanced and just right. Leo gasped in pure delight and let out such a cheer, The sweetest sound of victory that anyone could hear! “I did it, Grandpa! Look at that! I made the bunny stay! My patience worked, and now I’m set to conquer all the day!”
Page 12
He tied the other sneaker next, with steady, careful grace, A proud, triumphant grin across his sunlit, beaming face. He bolted out the open door and bounded down the street, With bouncy joy in every stride beneath his nimble feet. He turned and waved to Grandpa Joe, who cheered along the track, Delighted by the happy kid who never would look back. “Tomorrow when I wake up early in the morning bright, I’ll tie them by myself again and get them double tight!”