One sunny morning in Canford, Babou woke up.
“Good morning, Mama!” he smiled.
In his crib, baby Benny was already up. He stood holding the rail.
“Dada!” Benny called. He laughed and bounced.
Something special was happening today.
Mama came in with a gentle smile.
“Today is Haitian Flag Day.”
Babou tilted his head.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a day to celebrate Haiti,” Mama replied.
“That’s where your family comes from.”
Benny kicked his feet.
“Ma-ma!”
Mama brought out a flag. Blue on top. Red on the bottom.
Babou leaned closer.
“Pretty! It has 2 of my favorite colors.”
Mama nodded.
“These are the colors of Haiti.”
Benny reached out.
“Da-da-da!” he touched the flag softly.
Mama showed a map.
“Haiti is an island in the Caribbean. All of your grandparents and I were born there” she explained.
Babou traced the map.
“You come from there?”
“Yes,” Mama smiled. “It’s part of your story too.”
Benny tapped the map.
TAP TAP!
Later, Babou made a small flag craft.
Blue paper on top. Red paper on bottom.
Benny watched closely and copied Babou.
“Benny is learning too,” Mama said.
“Da-da-da!” Benny clapped.
After lunch, they went to the parade.
Music filled the air.
Benny bounced in Mama’s arms.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Babou held his little flag high.
People waved flags everywhere.
Blue and red, just like his.
“Happy Haitian Flag Day!” a voice called.
Babou tried it out:
“Happy Flag Day!”
“Haiti is strong. People there love family, music, and each other.” said Mama
On the ride home, Babou looked out the window. Babou thought: “I like Haiti. One day, I want to go there.”
“One day,” Mama agreed softly.
Benny grew sleepy.
“Ma…ma…” His eyes closed.
At home, the flag hung on the wall.
Babou looked at it quietly.
“Blue… red… Haiti.”
Benny gave one last small clap.
Everything became still and calm.
And they drifted off to sleep… thinking of family, color, music, and where they come from.
Dada stood quietly in the doorway, smiling at them as the day ended.
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💬 After The Story
Take a moment together to talk about what you just read.
🌿 Talk together
– Can you find Haiti on a map or globe?
– If you could visit Haiti one day, what would you like to see or do?
🌙 Gentle questions
– Is there a place that is part of your family’s story?
– What is something special about your family that you want to remember?
👶 For little ones
– Can you find something blue and something red in the room?
– Can you show me something that reminds you of someone you love?
✨ Feeling check
– Proud
– Curious
– Homesick
– Something else (you can tell me!)
—
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