Aminata and the Red Spiky Ball - How to Prevent a Virus Infection

Jul 17, 2026

Aminata, a curious girl, overhears adults discussing a frightening sickness linked to a red spiky ball. After she is accidentally hit by a bright red ball, she panics and believes she will die. Her grandmother explains that the danger comes from an invisible virus, spreading through contact and contaminated surfaces. The family learns practical prevention steps—careful frequent handwashing, avoiding touching the face, and keeping distance from others—so they can feel safer despite the illness being unseen.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

Aminata Meets the Red Spiky Ball

Learning the Truth About the Virus

How the Virus Spreads

Grandma’s Prevention Rules

Aminata and the red spiky ball Written by Hazel Large, Illustrated by Jacob Guindo English Health Aminata is a very curious girl. She likes to listen to the things that grownups say, especially when they don’t know she can hear them. Sometimes she learns good things. Sometimes she learns bad things, and sometimes she learns things that make her afraid. She heard the grownups talking about a sickness that comes from a red spiky ball. They said that some people got very very sick and that some people died. Aminata got very scared. She started looking everywhere for the spiky ball so that she could run away before it found her. One day Aminata’s mother sent her to the little store to buy some oil. She was scared, but she didn’t see the red spiky ball even though she looked very carefully. On the way home, she walked past some boys playing and stopped to watch. Suddenly their bright red ball shot forward and hit her. She began to scream. She screamed so loudly that the neighbors all stopped what they were doing to see what was happening. Aminata ran home to her grandma and cried and cried. ‘Stop that crying,’ her grandma scolded. But Aminata could not stop crying. ‘What’s wrong?’ asked her brother Moussa. But Aminata could not stop crying. Then she said, ‘The red ball hit me and now I am going to die.’ ‘What red ball?’ the family was very puzzled.‘The red ball, like on TV. The one they said can make you very sick and you can die!’ she sobbed. ‘Ah! I think I understand.’ said Grandma. She made the children sit down. ‘You heard us talking about the sickness, didn’t you?’Aminata nodded her head. The other children laughed, ‘Aminata is so silly. That sickness is just a story.’ ‘No, it’s real. Let me tell you about it.’ ‘It’s a sickness that comes from a germ called a virus. This virus looks like a spiky ball, but it’s so small that you can’t see it without a special machine.’ ‘Then how do I know it’s really there?’ asked Moussa. ‘Because it makes people sick,’ Grandma replied.‘You mean like malaria?’ asked Aminata. ‘A little like malaria, but you don’t get it from mosquitos. Some people get it but they don’t even feel sick. Some people only feel a little bit sick, but other people get very sick and have togo to the hospital.’ ‘And some people die?’ asked Aminata with big scared eyes. ‘Yes. It’s very sad. But most people get better after a while. So, we don’t have to be scared,’said Grandma. ‘I don’t want to get sick and go to the hospital.’said Aminata, and a big tear rolled down her cheek. ‘I don’t want you to get sick either, my child, so I’m going to tell you what to do.’ ‘If I see that nasty red spiky ball I’m just going to run away!’ said Moussa. ‘Grandma said you can’t see it, silly!’ said Aminata. Grandma smiled. ‘It’s true. You can’t see it, but it is there. You can get it on your hands if you touch someone who has the sickness, or even if you touch something that they have touched.’ Moussa looked alarmed, ‘Then I will run away from anyone who is sick.’ ‘That would help’ said Grandma, ‘but you don’t know who is sick and who isn’t, because some people don’t feel sick so you can’t know that they have the virus.’ Aminata looked even more scared now. ‘I don’t want to be sick!’ ‘There are some important things that you can do to stop getting this sickness.’ ‘Please tell us, Grandma!’ ‘You must wash your hands very carefully with soap. You must do it often—when you come into the yard from shopping or visiting friends, or before you eat, or after you have touched anything from outside the yard. Just wash your hands a lot of times every day, and don’t touch your face if you have not washed your hands. The sickness can go into your body from your hands through your mouth or nose or eyes.’Moussa looked at his hands. ‘My hands are not dirty,’ he said. ‘But you can’t see the germs,’ said Aminata. ‘That’s right’ said Grandma, ‘so wash your hands even if you think the

FAQs

What is the red spiky ball connected to in the story?

The adults describe it as a sign of a sickness caused by an invisible virus.

How does the grandmother say the sickness spreads?

It can spread when someone touches an infected person or touches something the infected person has touched.

What prevention steps does Grandma teach the children?

Wash hands very carefully with soap often, avoid touching the face before washing, and stay at a distance instead of shaking hands.

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Emma Wilson