One day, Pinguin sat on the patio and drank coffee. It was a quiet morning. He had no plans for the day. But soon his mind was busy.
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Kuno and the Pranks
Pinguin has an idea
Today I want to make our neighbours laugh. With a little prank!
A little robot could make the funniest noises. But how could he build one? Pinguin knew just who to ask. His neighbour Teddy had a workshop and was good at inventing things.
Pinguin ran straight over to Teddy’s house. He rang the bell in his usual way:
Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong-diiiiing-dooooooong!
Kuno and the Pranks
Old parts become Kuno
Pinguin, is that you?
Yes! Shall we build a robot for funny pranks?
They found everything they needed in Teddy’s workshop.
The tin will be its head. The wheels go under its tummy.
Teddy screwed the wheels on. Pinguin held the box so it would not slip. Bit by bit, the loose parts became a little robot.
Twist, twist!
Can it understand us too?
Yes. We tell it what to do.
Beep!
All done! We will call you Kuno.
Hello, Kuno! I’m Pinguin. This is Teddy.
Kuno and the Pranks
Kuno follows instructions
Whirr, whirr!
Kuno, come over here!
Kuno, stop!
He stopped. It works!
Brrr-plop-beep!
Now make a funny noise, please!
Pinguin already had an idea for their first prank.
Mole has little hills of earth all over his garden. Let’s make them vanish!
But be careful with his flowers.
Kuno and the Pranks
The hills disappear
The three friends went to Mole’s garden. There were fresh hills of earth among the flowers. Mole had pushed them up while digging. Now he was working underground again. He did not notice his visitors.
Kuno, flatten the hills! Mole will be amazed when they are gone.
Kuno rolled forward. His brush spread the earth across the grass.
Beep-beep-poof!
Hee hee! Where did all the hills go?
What is going on up here?
Kuno and the Pranks
Mole is not laughing
My hills! I only just made them. Why did you ruin them?
We wanted to surprise you. I thought you would laugh.
But I feel sad.
We’re sorry. We should have left your hills alone.
May we build them again?
Yes. Loosen the earth first. Then we can push it into little hills again.
Kuno and the Pranks
Together, they put things right
Kuno, nice and slow!
That’s good. Now stop!
This time, Mole chose what happened in his garden.
This bit needs a little more earth.
My hills are back. Thanks for helping!
Phew. That was a lot of work.
The hills were back in place. Pinguin was glad that Mole was not sad any more. Still, he wanted to try one more funny prank. This time, he would make sure nothing got broken.
Kuno and the Pranks
Just ring the bell?
At Rhino’s house, we’ll just ring the bell. Kuno will make a noise. Then we’ll hide.
Do you think Rhino will find that funny?
Of course. We won’t break anything this time!
Pinguin rang the bell. At once, a noise came from Kuno’s speaker.
Tooot-squish-beep!
Pinguin and Kuno quickly hid behind a bush. Teddy stayed on the path. Inside, Rhino put down his book. He thought someone needed him at the door.
Shh! Here he comes!
Kuno and the Pranks
That can upset someone too
Who rang the bell? Teddy, did you see anyone?
I wanted to read in peace. Your prank made me get up for nothing.
It was us. We’re sorry.
We only thought about our own fun.
Can we do the sweeping for you?
Thank you. But no loud noises from Kuno, please.
Kuno and the Pranks
Kuno can help too
Together, they swept the path outside Rhino’s door.
Scrape, scrape.
Kuno, push the leaves this way. Nice and slow.
Thank you. Now I have time for my book again.
Helping feels better than hiding.
After sweeping, Teddy invited Rhino over for hot chocolate and biscuits. Just then, Mole came past the garden fence. Teddy waved and invited him too. Both neighbours liked the idea of a cosy afternoon.
Later, they all sat together at Teddy’s house.
Would you like to hear Kuno’s funny noises?
Yes, now we would!
Kuno and the Pranks
Fun for everyone
Brrr-plop-beep!
That sounds like a hiccup in a pond! Again, please!
This time, everyone is laughing.
Because we want to join in!
Next time, we’ll ask first.
Teddy, can Kuno sweep the workshop tomorrow?
Of course. I could use some help.
Teddy put Kuno safely on a shelf. The little robot had done enough for one day. The friends drank their hot chocolate and shared the last biscuits. This time, nobody had to hide.
Beep.
Good night, Kuno.
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