Nobody's Friend: NCERT Class 5 English Poem (Marigold Unit 8)

etmantra24 Mar 20217 min read

This simple poem shows children that sharing is what makes friends. Its clear pattern makes it easy to read and remember, and it gives you a natural way to talk about kindness and sharing at home or in class.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 5, unit 8. NCERT’s newer Class 5 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Nobody's Friend

Play the video three or four times. The first time, just listen. Then point at the pictures, and from the third time, say the lines along with the video. Short, repeated listening is how CALP builds a child’s English.

What your child learns

Words about sharing: share, lend, half
Saying “wouldn't” for things someone refuses to do
Using he, she and I in sentences
Talking about what makes a good friend

What the poem is about

The poem describes a girl who had sweets she would not share, a book she would not lend and a doll no one could play with. So she is nobody's friend. It then describes a boy who ate all his toffee himself, would not lend his tricycle and never let anyone play with his train. He too is nobody's friend.

In the last part, the speaker says something different. They will share all their sweets, ball, books and games, and give half of their apple and half of their cake. That is why they can say, “I am your friend.” The message is that sharing and kindness make friendships.

New words, with Hindi meanings

share: to let others have or use part of what you have (हिंदी: बाँटना)
lend: to give something to someone for a short time (हिंदी: उधार देना)
toffee: a chewy brown sweet made from sugar and butter (हिंदी: टॉफ़ी)
tricycle: a cycle with three wheels (हिंदी: तिपहिया साइकिल)
every bit: all of it, leaving nothing (हिंदी: सारा का सारा)
half: one of two equal parts (हिंदी: आधा)
nobody: no person; not anyone (हिंदी: कोई नहीं)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

What did the girl not share or lend?
What did the boy do with his toffee?
What does the speaker offer to share at the end of the poem?
What is something you have shared with a friend? How did it make you feel?

Answers for parents

She would not share her sweets or lend her book, and she let no one play with her doll.
He ate every bit of it himself.
The speaker offers their sweets, ball, books and games, and half of their apple and cake.
For example: I shared my lunch with my friend when she forgot hers. It made me feel happy and kind.

Grammar corner: Using “wouldn't” (would not)

We use “wouldn't” to say someone did not agree or did not want to do something. “Wouldn't” is the short form of “would not”. The action word after it stays in its simple form.

Raju wouldn't give his cricket bat to anyone.
My cousin wouldn't eat the last laddoo alone.
The cat wouldn't come down from the wall.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: She had a book that she ___ lend.
Choose the right word: When you give someone your bicycle for a day, you (lend / eat) it.
Make a sentence about sharing, using the word “half”.

Answers: 1. wouldn't · 2. lend · 3. For example: I gave half my orange to my little brother.

Try this

Play a sharing game. Take one fruit, like an apple or a banana, and cut it into halves to share with someone, just like the poem. Then make two lists together, out loud or on paper: things a good friend does, and things that make someone “nobody's friend”. Let your child choose one kind thing to do for a friend tomorrow.

Tip for parents

Ask in Hindi: “अच्छा दोस्त कौन होता है?” Let your child answer in Hindi, then help them say one idea in English, like “A good friend shares.” Use बाँटना – share and आधा – half while sharing food at home, and praise every try.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of Nobody's Friend?

Sharing and kindness make friends. The children who will not share are nobody's friend, while the one who shares can say “I am your friend.”

Why is the girl nobody's friend in the poem?

Because she would not share her sweets, would not lend her book and let no one play with her doll.

Which book is Nobody's Friend from?

It is from NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 5 (Unit 8). The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 5 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →