Hi there! Today, we’re going to enjoy a story called Maddi’s Fridge. It’s a wonderful book written by Lois Brandt and illustrated by Vin Vogel. Let’s dive into the story and see what happens with our friends Sofia and Maddi!
Sofia and Maddi love playing at the park. They stretch their toes to the sky and zoom down the slide. They play until the sun sets and the city becomes quiet.
One day, Maddi wants to climb the wall. “Let’s climb!” she says. Sofia tries but can’t reach the top. Her tummy rumbles, and she wants a snack. But Maddi says, “Let’s stay here.” Sofia runs to Maddi’s house to find something to eat.
At Maddi’s house, Sofia opens the fridge. “What do you have?” she asks. Maddi only has a little milk for her brother Ryan. “Why not go to the store?” Sofia wonders. Maddi explains they don’t have enough money. Sofia promises not to tell anyone.
When Sofia gets home, she sees her fridge is full of food. She feels sad for Maddi and Ryan, who only have bread and milk.
Sofia wants to help Maddi. She tries bringing fish and eggs to school, but they make a mess in her backpack! Sofia keeps trying to find a way to help her friend.
Finally, Sofia packs burritos, tortillas, beans, cheese, and milk. Maddi is happy to see the food. They eat together and then race to the climbing wall. With Maddi’s help, Sofia reaches the top! “We’re the tallest kids in the park!” they cheer.
Sofia realizes she can’t help Maddi alone. She tells her mom about Maddi’s empty fridge. Together, they pack groceries for Maddi’s family. Even Sofia’s brother, Luis, shares his Cheesy Pizza Bombs as a treat.
At Maddi’s house, the moms talk, and the kids play. Maddi thanks Sofia for helping. “Are we still friends?” Sofia asks. “Always,” Maddi replies. They run to the park together, knowing that’s what friends are for.
Did you enjoy Maddi’s Fridge? It’s a story about friendship and helping others. Just like Sofia and Maddi, we can find ways to help our friends and family. Remember, everyone needs a little help sometimes!
Thank you for joining us for storytime. Keep reading and discovering new adventures!
Food Sharing Activity: With the help of an adult, gather some non-perishable food items from your pantry. Create a small food basket to share with someone in need, just like Sofia did for Maddi. Discuss with your family how sharing food can help others and why it’s important to care for our friends and community.
Fridge Detective: Become a fridge detective! With permission, look inside your fridge at home. What kinds of food do you see? Make a list of the items and think about which ones you could share with a friend if they needed help. Talk about how you would feel if your fridge was empty and how you could help someone in that situation.
Friendship Role Play: Pair up with a friend or family member and act out a scene where one of you needs help, like Maddi. The other person can think of creative ways to help, just like Sofia did. After the role play, discuss how it felt to help and be helped, and why friendship is important in solving problems together.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Jennifer Garner, and today I’m going to read *Maddi’s Fridge*, written by Lois Brandt and illustrated by Vin Vogel.
When Sofia and Maddi played at the park, they stretched their toes to the sky. They climbed to the top of the ladder and flew off the end of the slide. They stayed until the buildings grew long shadows and even the taxis stopped honking.
“Let’s play on the climbing wall,” Maddi said.
“No way,” Sofia replied. “I can’t reach.”
“Yes way!” Maddi scooted up to the top of the wall. “Your turn!”
Sofia put a foot on the bottom rock, grabbed with one hand, and stretched, but she couldn’t reach the next hold. Sofia’s stomach growled. “I give up. Let’s get a snack.”
“No way,” Maddi said. “Let’s stay here.”
“Yes way!” Sofia ran to Maddi’s building and raced up the stairs.
“Wait!” Maddi ran after her. Maddi was the best climber, but Sofia was the fastest runner.
Sofia swung open the door of Maddi’s fridge. “What have you got?”
“We have milk,” Maddi said. “I’m saving it for Ryan. He’s still little.”
“Why doesn’t your mom go to the store?” Sofia asked.
“We don’t have enough money.”
“But what if you get hungry?”
“We have some bread,” Maddi said.
“I guess I’ll go home to eat,” Sofia said.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” Maddi said.
“Okay.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Sofia ran home past the bookstore and grocery store. The sun went down behind the buildings and took all the colors with it.
“Good timing,” Mom said. “Dinner’s almost ready.” Luis was wrestling on the floor with Pepito. Sofia opened the refrigerator door. Pepito peeked inside. Sofia’s fridge was full of milk, eggs, tortillas, cheese, lettuce, jam, salsa, tofu, and even half a can of dog food.
“Here you go,” Mom said. Sofia and Luis each had a plate of fish and rice. Mom had a plate of fish and rice. Even Pepito had his bowl of dog food (with a little bit of fish and rice). Maddi and Ryan only had some bread and a small carton of milk. Sofia couldn’t tell Mom. She had to keep her promise to Maddi.
“Not fish again,” Luis said. “I want Cheesy Pizza Bombs.”
“Cheesy Pizza Bombs are a treat,” Mom said. “Fish is a good source of protein.”
“Is fish good for kids?” Sofia asked.
“Yes,” Mom smiled. “Fish is perfect for kids.”
That night, Sofia had an idea.
“Yuck!” Maddi said the next day.
“Oh!” Sofia said. “Double yuck.” Fish may be good for kids, but fish is not good for backpacks. After school, Sofia and Maddi raced to the climbing wall. Sofia got there first, but Maddi scrambled past her to the top of the wall. Sofia stretched and stretched.
“Keep trying,” Maddi said. “You’ll get it.”
“I can’t.” Sofia jumped down. “It’s too high.”
That night, Sofia, Luis, and Mom ate frittata. Pepito had his dog food (with a little bit of frittata). Maddi and Ryan still had an empty refrigerator. Sofia couldn’t ask for help. That would break her promise. She had to try again.
“Are eggs good for kids?” Sofia asked.
“Not as good as Cheesy Pizza Bombs,” Luis said.
“Cheesy Pizza Bombs are a treat,” Mom said. “Eggs are good for you.”
After dinner, Sofia packed eggs for Maddi and Ryan.
“Yuck!” Maddi said.
“Double yuck!” Sofia said. Eggs may be good for kids, but eggs are not good for backpacks. Sofia and Maddi raced to the climbing wall. Sofia won again, but Maddi shot past her to the top of the wall. Sofia grabbed one hold, reached for the next, and came down with a thump.
“That happens sometimes,” Maddi called.
“This is impossible,” Sofia said.
“Keep trying,” Maddi said. “You’ll get it.”
That night, Sofia, Luis, and Mom had burritos. Pepito had his dog food (with a little bit of burrito and no salsa). Maddi and Ryan still had an empty fridge. Sofia wished she hadn’t promised Maddi.
“Are burritos good for kids?” Sofia asked.
“Burritos are very good for you,” Mom said.
“Not as good as -” Luis started to say.
“You should pay attention to nutrition like your sister,” Mom said.
The next morning, Sofia put two burritos in her backpack along with tortillas, beans, cheese, and even some milk.
“Um, no thanks,” Maddi said.
“You haven’t even looked!” Sofia said.
“Is it fish?” Maddi asked.
“No.”
“Is it eggs?”
“No.”
“Is it gross?”
“I don’t know,” Sofia said.
Maddi shook the backpack. Something sloshed.
“Let’s look together,” Maddi said.
“One, two, three – GO!”
Burritos are good for kids and good for backpacks too.
“Do you want some milk?” Sofia asked.
“Thanks,” Maddi said, “but I’ll save the milk for Ryan.” Sofia and Maddi raced to the climbing wall. Sofia won as usual and tried to climb.
“You can do it,” Maddi said. “Take my hand.”
“Woo-hoo! I made it to the top!” Sofia shouted.
“We’re the tallest kids in the park!” Maddi said.
“Thanks for helping me, Maddi. I couldn’t do it alone.”
Maddi shrugged. “That’s what friends are for.”
After they finished playing, Sofia walked home past the bookstore and the grocery store. She thought and thought and thought. Her own fridge was full of milk, juice, chicken, yogurt, bread, carrots, and even a half can of dog food. Maddi’s fridge only had two tortillas, a cup of beans, a bit of cheese, and a little more milk than before. Sofia didn’t want to break her promise, but she couldn’t help Maddi alone. Sofia told her mom. She hoped Maddi wouldn’t be mad.
“I’m glad you told me,” Mom said. “Let’s see what we can do together.” They loaded grocery bags with milk, flour, chicken, carrots, sugar, oil, and even frozen meat and vegetables. Luis pulled his package of Cheesy Pizza Bombs out of the freezer. He thought and thought and thought some more. Then he put his Cheesy Pizza Bombs in Maddi and Ryan’s bag. “For a treat,” he said.
At Maddi’s apartment, the moms talked. Luis and Ryan played. Sofia and Maddi ran to the park.
“You broke your promise,” Maddi said.
“I’m sorry,” Sofia said. “Are you mad?”
“A promise is important,” Maddi said.
“You’re more important,” Sofia said. “I wanted you to have milk too.”
Maddi smiled.
“Are we still friends?” Sofia asked.
“Always,” Maddi said.
“Double always,” Sofia said.
“Cheesy Pizza Bombs!” Luis yelled. “Our moms made Cheesy Pizza Bombs – for a treat!” Sofia and Maddi raced up the stairs. Sofia slowed down so they could run together. That’s what friends are for.
Did you like *Maddi’s Fridge*? I love this book, and I’m going to tell you why: because there are so many wonderful programs out there where you can put food into backpacks for children to take home from school to help feed their families at night. What feels better than knowing that you are helping another kid just like you and just like your family because we all need a little help sometimes? I love that Sofia is the one who needed help getting up the wall and that Maddi just calmly and sweetly helped her friend. Maddi is the one who needed a little bit of help having extra food in the fridge, and Sofia was the friend who could help her out. We can always find ways to help each other; that’s why I love this book.
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