Poppy

Poppy is the smallest friend on the whole Pawnmeadow board. Poppy is a pawn — a tiny kid with a round little helmet and the biggest, bravest smile.

Poppy stands at the very front, in a straight little lane. "Ready?" says Poppy. "I only know one way to go — straight ahead!"

Poppy takes one step forward. Just one. Step. Poppy never, ever walks backward — pawns only go forward, always toward something new. "Forward is my favourite way!" says Poppy.

The very first time Poppy moves in a game, Poppy is so full of morning bounce that one step becomes two. Hop-hop! After that first big morning step, it's back to one gentle step at a time.

But how does a little pawn tag a friend? Not straight ahead — that's just walking. To tag, Poppy reaches to the corner, one square diagonally, and gives a soft corner high-five. "Straight ahead to walk," says Poppy, "corner-tag to catch!"

Once, Poppy got mixed up and tried to tag straight ahead. It didn't work — and that's okay! Poppy just giggled, tried again, and reached the corner this time. High-five! In Pawnmeadow, a mix-up is just a try that gets to try again. Nobody is ever scolded.