--- title: "Wizzle's Wonky Wand and the Backwards Pet Shop" description: "Wizzle the confused wizard opens a backwards pet shop full of flying fish, upside-down hamsters, and a bouncing ice cream egg. Honest mistakes help him practice trying even when his spells go hilariously sideways." tags: ["Funny Stories", "courage", "kindergarteners", "early-readers", "funny", "magical-creatures", "read-aloud", "rainy-day", "uncertainty", "relief", "Wizzle", "BeBrave", "ChildrenStory", "BedtimeStory"] language: en source: "Stories for Kids" url: https://www.stories4kids.net/stories/funny-stories/wizzle-s-wonky-wand-and-the-backwards-pet-shop/ --- # Wizzle's Wonky Wand and the Backwards Pet Shop _Finding Courage Within_ Wizzle the confused wizard opens a backwards pet shop full of flying fish, upside-down hamsters, and a bouncing ice cream egg. Honest mistakes help him practice trying even when his spells go hilariously sideways. Category: Funny Stories Topics: Funny Stories, Courage, Kindergarteners, Early Readers, Funny, Magical Creatures, Read Aloud, Rainy Day, Uncertainty, Relief, Wizzle, Be Brave, Children Story, Bedtime Story ## Story Wizzle the wizard squinted at the crooked sign above his brand-new shop. He had meant to write - MAGICAL PETS in sparkly letters, but somehow it came out: - STEP LACIGAM His stomach twisted into knots. Opening a pet shop had seemed brilliant yesterday. Today? His hands would not stop shaking. ![Wizzle's Wonky Wand and the Backwards Pet Shop - Confused wizard staring at backwards sign above chaotic shop](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/wizzle-s-wonky-wand-and-the-backwards-pet-shop-1.jpg) *Confused wizard staring at backwards sign above chaotic shop.* Inside, chaos reigned. Goldfish zoomed through the air like tiny blimps. Hamsters dangled from the ceiling in upside-down wheels. A green parrot sat in a fishbowl, somehow reading a soggy newspaper. - SQUAWK! Welcome to Backwards Land! burbled the parrot, blowing bubbles. Wizzle's face grew hot. His fingers tingled with that familiar frustrated feeling, like fizzy soda shaken too hard. When he got angry, his spells went from wonky to completely wild. - This is absolutely BANANAS! he shouted. He whipped out his wand and waved it hard. POOF! Pink smoke filled the room. When it cleared, all the dog collars had changed into jelly donuts. - Oh no, no, NO! The shop bell jingled. A girl with pigtails bounced inside, her eyes growing round as saucers. - WHOA! This place is AMAZING! Wizzle blinked three times. Amazing? It was a disaster! - I need a super brave pet, announced the girl. - One that feels brave about anything! Wizzle watched a guinea pig wearing a fishbowl helmet bonk into walls. His chest felt heavy. Nothing here was brave. Everything was broken. - I do not think I can help you, Wizzle whispered. - My magic only makes messes. - But you CREATED all this! said the girl, pointing at the flying fish. - That is because I am not very good at spells yet. - Maybe not-good-yet is actually TERRIFIC! Before Wizzle could argue, a tremendous BOOM rattled the windows. The storage room door flew open. Out rolled the BIGGEST egg Wizzle had ever seen: purple with orange polka dots, bouncing like a basketball made of pure chaos. - YIKES! INCOMING EGG! shrieked the parrot. ![Wizzle's Wonky Wand and the Backwards Pet Shop - Giant polka-dotted egg bouncing wildly between flying goldfish](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/wizzle-s-wonky-wand-and-the-backwards-pet-shop-2.jpg) *Giant polka-dotted egg bouncing wildly between flying goldfish.* The egg bounced higher with each BOING-off walls, off ceiling, off a tower of startled rabbits. Wizzle's hands shook so hard his wand rattled. What if he tried to stop it and made things worse? What if his spell turned the egg into a dragon? Or a bigger mess? Or an exploding dragon? - DO SOMETHING! yelled the girl. The egg was heading straight for the window. Wizzle's heart hammered against his ribs. - But I will mess it up! Still, he pointed his wand with trembling fingers. - FREEZIUM STOPICUS! Purple sparkles shot out in a wobbly ribbon. They hit the egg and, SPLAT, turned it into a giant ice cream cone. The ice cream egg kept bouncing. - Well, that is new, said the girl. Wizzle's face burned hotter than a dragon's sneeze. The angry-magic tingled in his fingertips, begging him to blast something. But then he noticed the melting ice cream was making the floor slippery. The egg was sliding now, bouncing slower. - Hey, that actually helped a little! the girl said. - Try again! ![Wizzle's Wonky Wand and the Backwards Pet Shop - Melting ice cream egg sliding across slippery floor](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/wizzle-s-wonky-wand-and-the-backwards-pet-shop-3.jpg) *Melting ice cream egg sliding across slippery floor.* Wizzle took a shaky breath. His grandmother's voice echoed in his head: - Magic is mistakes with sparkles, dear. - Okay, here goes nothing. - CUSHIONUS LANDICUS! A mountain of purple pillows puffed from his wand, covering the entire floor. The ice cream egg bounced one final time, BOING, and landed with a soft FLOOMP in the pillow pile. - YOU DID IT! cheered the girl. Wizzle stared at his wand. He had actually helped? Even though his spells were weird? The egg began to crack. Tiny splits appeared in the melting shell. Out tumbled a creature with butterfly wings, kitten paws, and a squeaky voice. - Mew-squeak! it said, sneezing rainbow glitter. - THAT IS THE BEST PET EVER! the girl squealed. - Can I adopt it? The dragon-kitten-butterfly waddled over to Wizzle and rubbed against his robe, purring like a teakettle. Wizzle's throat felt tight, but in a good way. - You know what? he said slowly. - I was so worried about messing up that I almost did not try at all. - Being brave is not about being perfect, said the girl. - It is about trying anyway! Something shifted inside Wizzle's chest, like a door opening to let sunshine in. - You can adopt it, Wizzle said. - But promise to tell me honestly if it grows extra heads. - I promise! ![Wizzle's Wonky Wand and the Backwards Pet Shop - Girl hugging dragon-kitten-butterfly while Wizzle smiles nervously](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/wizzle-s-wonky-wand-and-the-backwards-pet-shop-4.jpg) *Girl hugging dragon-kitten-butterfly while Wizzle smiles nervously.* After she left, Wizzle looked around his impossible shop. The backwards sign. The swimming-through-air fish. The bubble-blowing parrot. The bell jingled again. A boy walked in, looking hopeful. - Do you have any turtles? Wizzle's hand hovered over his wand. His old worry whispered: *You will make a mess again.* But a new voice answered back: *So what? You can try again.* - One turtle, coming right up! He flicked his wand with confidence. - TURTLE-FIER DELUXE! POOF! A perfectly normal turtle appeared on the counter, wearing a tiny red superhero cape. - THAT IS AWESOME! yelled the boy. Over the next few days, word spread about Wizzle's wonderfully weird pet shop. His mixed-up magic created the strangest pets in town: a hamster that told knock-knock jokes, a tap-dancing snake, a rabbit that granted tiny wishes (but only for carrots). Each time a spell went sideways, Wizzle felt that familiar frustrated tingle. But instead of letting it burst into angry magic, he learned to pause, breathe, and try again. Sometimes it took three tries. Sometimes ten. But he kept going. One sunny afternoon, a huge crowd gathered outside. The mayor marched through the door, looking serious. Wizzle's stomach flip-flopped. - This shop, began the mayor slowly, - is the most WONDERFUL thing that has ever happened to our town! Wizzle stared in surprise. - Wait, truly? - REALLY! You have shown everyone that being different is not something to hide. It is something to celebrate! ![Wizzle's Wonky Wand and the Backwards Pet Shop - Wizzle surrounded by silly magical pets and cheering customers](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/wizzle-s-wonky-wand-and-the-backwards-pet-shop-5.jpg) *Wizzle surrounded by silly magical pets and cheering customers.* That night, as Wizzle swept up glitter, his old spell book began to glow. New words appeared on the worn cover: - Wizzle's Guide to Brave Magic. He opened it carefully On the first page, golden letters read: * - The bravest spell is trying when you feel worried. The strongest magic is being honest about who you are. * Wizzle smiled so wide his face hurt. His magic would probably always be wonky. His spells would probably always go sideways. But now he understood: that was exactly what made them magical. The next morning, Wizzle woke to find a new sign above his shop. It still read - STEP LACIGAM, but underneath, in sparkly letters, it now answered, "The Shop That is Especially Perfect." ![Wizzle's Wonky Wand and the Backwards Pet Shop - Wizzle proudly sweeping shop while magical pets play peacefully](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/wizzle-s-wonky-wand-and-the-backwards-pet-shop-6.jpg) *Wizzle proudly sweeping shop while magical pets play peacefully.*