Aria pointed at the big red A card on the wall. "A says ah!" she whispered. The card fluttered its paper corners like it was giggling.
Aria marched to the shelves and pulled out a plastic apple. "A is for apple!" Two friends leaned in — one tapped a alligator picture, the other spun around with arms wide.
Aria hopped to the block area and knocked over a tower. One block flipped up — blank. She flipped it back. It was an A with a tiny ant painted on it!
Aria lifted the ant block high above her head. Everyone stopped talking. The whole class went perfectly quiet.
Aria grabbed her yellow A card and marched to the shelves. She pulled out a plastic apple. "A is for apple!" she announced.
Maya leaned over and tapped an alligator picture on the rug. "A is for alligator!" Leo spun around with his arms wide. His sweater read AMAZING.
Aria hopped to the block area and knocked over a tower. Blocks tumbled everywhere. One landed blank-side up.
She flipped the block back. It was an A — with a tiny ant crawling across it. She lifted it high. The class went perfectly quiet.
Everyone lined up and held their A cards. Aria stood at the front with hers high. The teacher held up a flashcard: "A is the first letter!"
Aria beams and shouts, "A is FIRST!" The whole class cheers and stomps their feet.
Aria tucks her yellow A card into her backpack pocket and pats it twice. The classroom hums with happy noise.
She glances back at the wall. The big red A card gives one last little flutter, like it is waving goodbye.