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Listen and Act
Listendoll is part of a 5 book series entitled: Listen
and Act developed by Save the Children. Through these
books children will get to know their rights, and child
rights and frontline workers will obtain knowledge on child
development and how to encourage, care for, and protect
children. The books are relevant both in emergency and in
development contexts.

NDO
E
T
S
L

Listendoll

Learns the Trees Secret

Save the Children fights for childrens rights

We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to childrens lives worldwide.
Save the Children works for:
A world which respects and values each child
A world which listens to children and learns
A world where all children have hope and opportunity
ISBN : 978-1-920094-67-6

Copyright 2008 Merle Levin

This publication is otherwise protected by copyright. It may be reproduced by any

method without fee or prior permission for teaching and learning purposes, but not
for resale. For use in any other circumstances, prior written permission must be
obtained from the publisher or author.
Project managers:
Concept developed and written by:
Layout, design and printing:
Images:
Reviewed by:
Funded by:

Merle Levin and Turid Heiberg

Merle Levin
New Voices Publishing
Jane Appleby
Allen Kalpin MD, Marit Eikaas Haavimb and
Logan Lewis-Proudlock
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Save the Children Norway, Save the Children
Sweden

Published by
Save the Children Sweden
Regional Office for South and Central Asia
rosca@sca.savethechildren.se
www.sca.savethechildren.se

There was once a doll whose favorite thing to

do was to listen to stories. They called her
Listendoll. All the children loved to tell her their
stories and she had a special way of listening to
them you see, she had a magical story-coat.
When they told her a story, the pictures would
show on her story-coat - just like the pictures
in a book.
If the children told her a story about a tree
- there was the picture of a beautiful tree. If
they told her about the sun - there was the
picture of a bright yellow sun.
The children loved to sit and tell Listendoll their
stories and they were always thinking about new
things to tell her.
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One day she walked about looking for some children

to tell her a new story. There was no-one around.
She hummed her favorite song to see if it would
bring the children out:

Wherever I go, whoever I see,

I know they will have a story for me.

Suddenly the sky went dark and she put her ear
to the ground to hear the strange sound she had
never heard before.
What was it?
It was a growling, howling, blowing sound that
frightened her.

It was the sound of a very strong wind blowing

louder and louder; coming closer and closer;

bl o w i n g eve ry th i n g a b o u t .
It blew so hard it felt as if it blew her whole
world inside out.

Go away! Get out! she tried to shout.

The wind ignored her cries. It just kept blowing.

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It tore her story-coat and blew it away. She

lost everything in that fierce, great wind.
And when it was all over, she felt bad, mad and
very
, ver
y sa
d.

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A wise little bird flew over the land. He noticed

Listendoll sitting sadly by herself.
Tweeetwoo and who are you? he asked.
I am Listendoll, I thought you knew. A fierce
wind blew, my story-coat too. Now I have nothing
left to do.
The bird was surprised.
Come with me, there is a special place I want
to take you to, where there is a secret waiting
just for you.
A secret? Just for me? asked Listendoll. She
was surprised.
Yes! said the little bird.

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The trees have a secret to tell you. Come let us

go to the forest. Then you will see
That even though
That great wind blew,
Those trees stood strong,
As if their roots
Were stuck in glue.

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Listendoll saw how strong those tree trunks

grew.
Did they really have a secret to tell her too?
Please tell me your secret, she said. How did
you stand so strong against that fierce great
wind?
It blew everything away from me, even my
story-coat.

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The trees quietly listened to her. She felt how

strong they were and how kind.
I have a secret too, she said at last. Then she
told them something that had been worrying her
and that she had never told anyone else.
It is all my fault.
It is all my fault the great wind blew. I should
have stopped it blowing through.

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The trees knew what they had to do. This fierce

great wind was not her fault and that was true!
The leaves brushed her tears away. The branches
held her safely.
Then up through the trunk she heard those very
deep roots whispering their secret to her that
they knew.

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Listen to what we have to say to you

Bad things happen, they just do.
But Listendoll, You are still You!
Now would you like to try something new,
It will help you feel better if you do?
What d-d-do I have to do? she asked quietly.
Close your eyes and smile, the trees whispered.
Listendoll tried to smile.
It felt strange to smile with the sadness inside
and with her eyes closed!

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It took a while, but after some time,

she found her inside smile.
And to her surprise, when she opened her eyes,
she was still smiling!
She saw that all around her were things that
the wind had not blown away.
The tree looked free;
the sun looked fun;
the sky looked high.
And then magically, when she looked down at
her body, she saw that she had a new story-coat
with pictures once again.

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Thank you trees! she said, then ran to find a

child and tell him the secret of the inside smile.
Come, she said, You try it too.
If you are feeling sad,
or do not know what to do,
remember that inside of you,
Is something real and true.
Because
No-one can ever take
your inside smile away from you!

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Find your inside

smile

Sit quietly. Close your eyes.

Feel how your breath goes in and out, in and out.
Listen to all the sounds around you.
Then with your eyes closed smile.
Feel how happy it feels to smile with your eyes closed.
Listendoll calls this her inside smile.
Do you have an inside smile too?

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Listen and Act

Children have the right to be cared for and protected. Save the Children has
therefore developed material for children to know their rights and for child
rights and frontline workers to know about child development and how to
encourage, care for and protect children.
1. Listening, Learning and Acting

Staff in Save the Children and child rights workers wanting to know more
about relevant measures to protect children will benefit from reading and
using this book. The book discusses the consequences of violence against
children, gives an update on the UN Study on Violence against Children
and advice on how to act to promote the protection of children.

2. Protect the Children!

This book is for frontline workers such as teachers, nurses, people working
in shelter homes and institutions, members of protection committees and
social workers all those in direct contact with children, including parents.
The book is easy to read and gives a background for understanding the
child and practical advice on how to support the child.

3. Listendoll

This is an illustrated storybook for children from the age of four and upwards
who have suffered trauma and a difficult life situation. It is the story of a

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doll who faces a terrible wind that blows her life apart. She is taken by a
wise bird to the forest where the trees tell her a secret. Bad things happen,
they just do, but you are still you. They teach her to listen in a new way
that gives her strength and perspective. It may be accompanied by a doll
made by young people as an income generating activity.
4. Safe You and Safe Me

This book is for children from seven years and upwards to learn about the
types of violence faced by children around the world, and gives ideas on
how they can protect themselves. The book encourages children to ask
questions and state their opinions.

5. Equal You Equal Me

Through this book children from seven years can learn about the types of
discrimination they may face in their daily lives and the many forms of
discrimination faced by other children throughout the world.

Save the Children supported the UN in developing the UN Study on Violence

against Children (2006) and is following up on the recommendations
from the study. Studies and learning material have been developed in this
process and can be accessed at: www.rb.se/bookshop.

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I
L
Listen and Act
Listendoll is part of a 5 book series entitled: Listen
and Act developed by Save the Children. Through these
books children will get to know their rights, and child
rights and frontline workers will obtain knowledge on child
development and how to encourage, care for, and protect
children. The books are relevant both in emergency and in
development contexts.

NDO
E
T
S
L