Yamuna River

High, high up in the cold, snowy mountains, I start as a tiny, little stream. Swish, swoosh, I trickle over smooth, gray stones. I am like a little secret, playing peek-a-boo with the warm sun. I giggle and splash as I tumble down the big mountain. As I go, I meet other little streams, and we hold hands and grow bigger and bigger. Soon, I am a long, flowing river. I am the Yamuna River.

For a very, very long time, I have danced my way through green fields and big, busy cities where lots of people live. One of these cities is called Delhi. Long ago, families built their cozy homes right next to me so they could be close to my water. A long time ago, in the 1600s, a kind emperor named Shah Jahan wanted to build something very special. He built a beautiful, sparkling white palace right on my bank. It is called the Taj Mahal, and he built it for someone he loved very much. I love the Taj Mahal. My favorite game is to hold its picture in my water so it looks like it is floating on a fluffy white cloud.

Today, I am still a very busy and helpful river. I give my water to the towns and farms so that pretty flowers can grow and everyone has water to drink. In the trees that grow beside me, happy birds sing their songs. Little fish with shiny scales swim and play games in my water. It is very important that everyone helps keep me clean and happy. When you keep my water sparkly and blue, I can keep being a good friend to all the people, animals, and plants for a long, long time.