After a night of howling winds and shaking trees, the jungle looked like a big messy playground. Leaves were scattered everywhere, branches had fallen, and pieces of trash from the nearby picnic area were blown all over the place. The birds were chirping nervously, and even the ants looked confused.
Monkey Lyly woke up early and rubbed her sleepy eyes. As she peeked outside their treehouse, her mouth dropped open.
“Oh no! Everything is a mess!” she cried.
Her mother, already awake and sweeping the steps, nodded. “Yes, the wind was very strong last night. We need to clean up before someone gets hurt or the animals get sick from all this trash.”
Without being asked, Lyly jumped to her feet. “Don’t worry, Mama! I’ll help!”
She grabbed a big banana leaf to use as a dustpan and started collecting plastic wrappers, bottles, and even an old sock that somehow ended up hanging from a branch.
Piece by piece, Lyly helped her mother gather the trash into big piles. She worked without complaining, even when her tail got tangled in a vine or when a sticky candy wrapper got stuck to her paw.
“Ew!” she laughed. “This one must’ve been chewed by a raccoon!”
Her mother smiled proudly. “You’re doing a great job, Lyly. You’re so hardworking today.”
Lyly beamed. “I want the forest to be clean for all the animals. We live here too, and it’s our job to take care of it.”
After hours of sweeping, picking up, and sorting trash, the jungle finally looked neat again. The flowers stood tall, the grass was clean, and the trees swayed gently in the breeze.
To thank her, Mama Monkey made Lyly her favorite snack—banana and peanut butter sandwiches.
As Lyly munched happily, she looked around and said, “Hard work feels good when you know you’re helping.”
From that day on, whenever there was cleaning to be done, everyone in the jungle knew they could count on hardworking Monkey Lyly.
