Yooki
and the Union of the forest
—
It’s not the first time that an argument has broken out in the forest. Yooki, the young leader of the fireflies, is woken with a start by the sound of shouting.
‘Get out of my house!’ cries Lilou the earthworm.
‘Not before I get my jam back,’ retorts Frida the salamander. ‘Where is it?’
‘Ouch! My antennae!’ moans Yooki.
Yooki was born with special antennae. Melodious sounds feel pleasant, but shouting makes them contort with pain.
Suddenly, Yooki hears a tremendous noise: ‘BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!’
He leaps out of bed.
‘Enough is enough! I’m going to tell them this can’t go on!’
It’s not the first time that an argument has broken out in the forest. Yooki, the young leader of the fireflies, is woken with a start by the sound of shouting.
‘Get out of my house!’ yells Lilou the earthworm.
‘Not before I get my jam back,’ retorts Frida the salamander. ‘Where is it?’
‘Ouch! My antennae!’ moans the firefly.
Yooki was born with special antennae. Melodious sounds feel pleasant, but shouting makes them contort with pain.
Suddenly, Yooki hears a tremendous noise: ‘BOOOOOOOMMM!’
He leaps out of bed.
‘Enough is enough! I’m going to tell them this can’t go on!’
‘FRIDA, YOU'VE DESTROYED MY TREAT CELLAR!’ shouts Lilou, leader of the earthworms.
‘My jam has disappeared, I’ve been looking for it everywhere,’ replies Frida, leader of the salamanders. ‘Sorry if your ceiling collapsed when I dug down through the soil!’
She trips on a giant cookie and falls flat on top of Lilou.
‘OUCH! I can’t breathe!’ gasps Lilou. ‘I don’t have your jam. Now go away. This is MY land!’
‘Um,’ says Yooki, in a small voice, ‘could you calm down, please?’
He tries to get between them, but a wing pushes him aside. It’s Milos, leader of the woodpeckers.
‘YOUR land?!’ snaps Milos. ‘Who do you think you are, Lilou? Queen of the forest?’
Yooki’s antennae are hurting.
‘I’ve had enough of your arguing. I’m getting out of here!’
With a heavy heart, he flies away, leaving the shouting behind.
‘FRIDA, YOU'VE DESTROYED MY TREAT CELLAR!’ shouts Lilou, leader of the earthworms.
‘My jam has disappeared, I’ve been looking for it everywhere,’ replies Frida, leader of the salamanders. ‘Sorry if your ceiling collapsed when I dug down through the soil!’
She trips on a giant cookie and falls flat on top of the Lilou.
‘OUCH! I can’t breathe!’ gasps Lilou. ‘I don’t have your jam. Now go away. This is MY land!’
‘Um,’ says Yooki, in a small voice, ‘could you calm down, please?’
He tries to get between them, but a wing pushes him aside. It’s Milos, leader of the woodpeckers.
‘YOUR land?!’ snaps Milos. ‘Who do you think you are, Lilou? Queen of the forest?’
Yooki’s antennae are hurting.
‘I’ve had enough of your arguing. I’m getting out of here!’
With a heavy heart, he flies away, leaving the shouting behind.
The hill is the most peaceful place in the forest. Arber, the old oak tree, lives there.
‘What’s the matter, little Yooki?’ he asks, awoken from his afternoon nap.
‘Oh – sorry for waking you, Arber. I was just looking for somewhere quiet. The other leaders are arguing again. My antennae hurt, so I left!’
‘You ought to talk to them, Yooki. You can’t just give up at the first sign of trouble.’
‘But no one listens to me! I feel like I’m too small. The other leaders don’t care what I think.’
‘I’m going to tell you a story,’ says the old tree.
The hill is the most peaceful place in the forest. Arber, the old oak tree lives there.
‘What’s the matter, little Yooki?’ he asks, awoken from his afternoon nap.
‘Oh – sorry for waking you, Arber. I was just looking for somewhere quiet. The other leaders are arguing again. My antennae hurt, so I left!’
‘You ought to talk to them, Yooki. You can’t just give up at the first sign of trouble.’
‘But no one listens to me! I feel like I’m too small. The other leaders don’t care what I think.’
‘I’m going to tell you a story,’ says the old tree.
‘Long ago, the animals of the forest used to fight all the time...’
‘You mean, Lilou, Milos and Frida’s grandparents used to argue as well?’ asks Yooki.
‘It was worse than arguments. They started off bickering, but because they couldn’t come to an understanding, a war broke out. They ended up destroying a large part of the forest.’
Yooki stares at Arber, wide-eyed.
‘While the war ravaged the forest,’ continues Arber, ‘a great storm broke out, and a huge glowing glass structure appeared. It was the Lantern.’
‘The Lantern?!’ exclaims Yooki, his face lighting up. ‘It really exists?’
‘Of course! It is said that when the leaders entered the Lantern, they found the courage to talk to each other calmly – and that is how they were able to restore peace.’
‘Long ago, the animals of the forest used to fight all the time...’
‘You mean, Lilou, Milos and Frida’s grandparents used to argue as well?’ asks Yooki.
‘It was worse than arguments. They started off bickering, but because they couldn’t come to an understanding, a war broke out. They ended up destroying a large part of the forest.’
Yooki stares at Arber, wide-eyed.
‘While the war ravaged the forest,’ continues Arber, ‘a great storm broke out, and a huge glowing glass structure appeared. It was the Lantern.’
‘The Lantern?!’ exclaims Yooki, his face lighting up. ‘It really exists?’
‘Of course! It is said that when the leaders entered the Lantern, they found the courage to talk to each other calmly – and that is how they were able to bring back peace.’
You see,’ Arber goes on, ‘even if you do not agree, you must learn to listen to one another.’
‘I know,’ says Yooki, ‘but that’s easier said than done.’
‘You must try,’ insists Arber. ‘The time has come to bring the leaders together again – to do more than that, even. I’ve long dreamed that the animals would unite to prevent war forever, and...’
Arber does not have time to finish speaking before the sound of shouting can be heard in the distance.
‘Ow, my antennae!’ says Yooki crossly. ‘Even here I can hear them fighting! They’ll just have to manage without me.’
‘Go back, little one,’ says Arber. ‘Running away doesn’t solve anything.’
But although night is falling, Yooki cannot face going home.
After flying around aimlessly for some time, Yooki huddles up on a branch floating on the lake. He is shivering.
This landscape reminds him of picnics on the shore with Frida, and of twirling in the air with Milos as Lilou cheered them on.
A tear trickles down his cheek. The thought of not seeking his friends play together again makes him sad.
Suddenly, he sees a beam of light reflected on the lake.
‘What if... Could it be the Lantern?’ he wonders.
His courage restored, Yooki lets himself be guided by the light.
This landscape reminds him of picnics on the shore with Frida, and of twirling in the air with Milos as Lilou cheered them on.
A tear trickles down his cheek. The thought of not seeing his friends again makes him sad.
Suddenly, he sees a beam of light reflected on the lake.
‘What if... Could it be the Lantern?’ he wonders.
His courage restored, Yooki lets himself be guided by the light.
Scroll down to light up the Lantern
‘Wow!
I've never seen anything so beautiful!’ breathes Yooki, awestruck, as he sees the Lantern twinkling in the dark.
Scroll down to light up the Lantern
‘Wow!
I've never seen anything so beautiful!’ breathes Yooki, awestruck, as he sees the Lantern twinkling in the dark.
A centipede blocks his path.
‘Halt! Can I help you?’ says Bilou, watchman of the Lantern.
‘Um, well... We need to get the leaders together. They have to stop fighting before it causes a war.’
‘A war?!’ repeats Bilou, trembling. ‘I shall give the signal for a leaders’ Council immediately!’
Bilou blows with all his might into a horn made of leaves:
‘TOOOOOOOOOOOOT!’
The sound is so loud that it echoes throughout the entire forest.
Frida, Milos and Lilou appear in the distance.
‘Bilou!’ cries Frida. ‘It's been so long. The last time I heard that trumpet, I was with my grandmother!’
‘What are you all doing here?!’ exclaims Yooki in surprise.
‘What kind of a question is that? We must all come to the Lantern at once when we hear Bilou’s signal – that’s the rule,’ replies Lilou haughtily.
‘So everyone knew that we could meet here to discuss things and no one thought to do so before?’ splutters Yooki.
‘In my defence,’ says Lilou, ‘it’s very hard to have a discussion with a brainless salamander who’s destroyed my treat cellar.’
‘Brainless?! You’re the problem here – you think that all the treats the forest has to offer are yours for the taking!’ retorts Frida.
‘Yeah, earthworm –you think you’re queen of the forest!’ hisses Milos.
Yooki’s antennae are beginning to ache. But Arber’s words echo in his mind: ‘Even if you do not agree, you must learn to listen to one another.’ He summons up the courage to talk to the others.
‘My friends, calm down,’ he says. ‘We all have reasons to be angry, to be afraid of winter, afraid of running out of food, afraid for our communities... But we must remain united. The Lantern is a special place. This is where our grandparents made peace. When we go inside, we will all take turns to speak while the others listen.’
Taken aback by Yooki’s assertiveness, the other leaders remain silent. Bilou opens the doors of the Lantern.
‘Who wants to speak?’ asks Yooki.
‘Me! Me!’ says Frida eagerly. ‘So, yesterday morning, I noticed that my jam had disappeared. I looked everywhere for some trace of the thief. I could smell something sweet under the ground, so I dug down and then I fell into Lilou’s cellar full of treats.’
‘I didn’t steal your silly old jam!’ protests Lilou. ‘You, however, did destroy my cellar! What do you have to say for yourself?’
Frida is about to reply, but Yooki cuts in.
‘Wait a moment, please, Frida – it’s Milos’s turn to speak now.’
All eyes are on the woodpecker. He has not said a word since the meeting began.
‘I, er... Well, the thing is... It was me.’
‘What?!’ exclaims Frida.
‘I took some jam from your stores without asking you,’ Milos confesses.
‘Why did you do that?’ asks Yooki.
‘To save my chicks,’ explains Milos. ‘There’s not enough food on our land anymore. My little ones won’t survive the winter if they don’t have anything to eat.’
There’s a long silence in the Lantern.
‘I’ve got an idea!’ exclaims Yooki. ‘Lilou, you once told me that the tunnels that earthworms dig allow air to circulate better in the ground. That makes for good soil, and that means plants grow more easily, right?’
‘That’s right – we fertilise the soil,’ says Lilou proudly. ‘But where are you going with this?’
‘Imagine if the earthworms were allowed to dig tunnels under the entire forest,’ says Yooki. ‘There would be more plants and more fruit, which would mean more food for us animals.’
‘So the earthworms would be able to go wherever they liked, but not the rest of us? That’s your brilliant idea?’ scoffs Milos.
‘Not just the earthworms,’ says Yooki. ‘All the animals would be free to go wherever they liked.’
‘Would that mean I could gather fruit anywhere, not just on my own land?’ asks Frida hopefully.
‘And I would have more food for my chicks?’ says Milos, suddenly beaming.
Lilou says nothing. She hates sharing. But she also dreams of roaming through limitless tunnels...
‘In other words, you’re suggesting we share our land and our resources so that we all benefit from them?’ she asks.
‘Exactly!’ cries Milos. ‘We must unite!’
‘Why don’t we create a proper union between our communities?’ suggests Frida excitedly. ‘A sort of pact to all help each other out?’
‘Yes!’ exclaims Yooki. ‘That’s a great idea – and it’s what Arber wants too. We could call it the ‘Union of the Forest’!’
As one, the leaders burst into applause.
Suddenly, the Lantern is filled with brilliant colours. An oak leaf flutters into the centre of the space.
‘Put your footprint on this leaf. You will then be part of the Union of the Forest,’ proclaims Lilou.
‘Wait! What if one of us decides not to respect the pact anymore?’ Milos asks.
‘Or if we start fighting again?’ adds Frida.
A murmur of doubt passes through the Lantern. The lights grow dim.
‘If that happens, we will meet here again to find a solution,’ says Yooki. ‘We must all respect what we’ve decided on together. That’s rule number one.’
The other animals agree. The Lantern begins to shine once more.
Suddenly, the oak leaf lights up, before drifting up towards the stars. Intrigued, the leaders go outside and see that the whole forest is glowing brightly.
‘Wow!’ they marvel, holding one another close.
‘Together, we shine!’ cries Yooki, smiling at his friends whom he loves so much.
Yooki realises that his antennae aren’t hurting anymore.
Just then, they hear a voice:
‘What about me? Have you forgotten me?!’ grumbles Bilou the watchman. ‘The centipedes would like to be part of your Union too!’
Learning materials
For children
An activity book – ‘Learn with Yooki’ – that explains the history and events behind the metaphors used in the illustrated story, together with some fun activities and games.
For teachers
A teacher's guide to be used in the classroom. It includes suggestions for thematic discussions and activities which pupils can engage with in order to achieve defined learning objectives.
About:
The story of Yooki and his friends has been designed to explain to children aged 7-9 what the European Union is and how it all started.
It highlights the key reason behind the foundation of the European Union: to ensure lasting peace between its member countries.
The package also provides basic information about the European Union and introduces children to concepts such as war, peace and conflict resolution. In addition, it explains the role of the European Council and the Council of the European Union as the ‘house of the member states’.
Credits:
Author: Magali Pingaut
Co-authors: Angélique Berhault, Nathalie Vandelle
Illustrations: Thomas Leclercq
Graphic design: Angélique Berhault, José Sánchez Martínez
Translation: Lorna Boussaha, Neasa Conroy, Serena Dyer, Sue Evans, Elena Feehan, Andy Flower, Tom Stubbs (Translation services, General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union)
Special thanks to all those who have contributed to this project, in particular:
Marta Ausín García, Liliana Bicanová,
Kathleen Bulteel, Leszek Jarosz, Achilleas Karras, Steffen Ludwig, Inga Rosinska, Nadia Spirito
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