Talla dropped her colored papers onto the classroom desk. They fluttered everywhere. She whispered, “Oh, no.”
Talla gathered the papers into a crooked stack. She thought, “Maybe my story can start anywhere.”
Talla drew a door on the top page. Knock, knock! The paper door popped free and landed on the floor.
Talla picked up the door. Golden sparkles danced around the crayons. She whispered, “A real beginning!”
Talla drew a path through a bright forest. Then she added a red kite and a friendly fox.
The pictures wiggled and waved. Talla giggled as the fox’s tail swished across the desk.
Talla carried her colorful pages to the front. One page slipped beneath a chair. Scritch!
Talla crawled after it. Then she stood and held the page high. Every face turned toward her.
Talla began to read. Her magical door opened onto a bright forest path.
She told how the red kite danced between the trees. “Whoosh!” went its long tail.
Then came the friendly fox, swishing its tail and leading the way. The room grew quiet.
Talla turned the last page. For one quiet moment, nobody moved. Then the classroom burst into claps.