The garden basks in warm sunlight. A row of bumpy cucumbers grows along the fence. A smooth cucumber rolls toward them.
The smooth cucumber tries to match the bumpy pace. But its smooth skin slips, and it tumbles into a soft pile of clover. "I'm too plain," he thinks.
Cubby finds a dewdrop on a leaf and drinks. He swells up round, then rolls away—right into a garden gnome! "Oops."
He leans next to a ripe red tomato, hoping the color soaks in. A ladybug crawls across his skin. "You're so smooth!" it chirps.
Cubby frowns at his own plain green skin. He rolls under a broad leaf and rests alone.
A tiny seedling pokes up from the soil. Its stem is too weak to stand on its own.
Cubby tilts his curved body to make a ramp. The seedling climbs onto him.
The seedling stretches toward the sun. Its leaves brush Cubby's side. "Thank you," it whispers.
Cubby sits a little straighter. A smile appears on his face. The garden buzzes around him, happy and loud.
He is plain. He is green. He is exactly what the garden needs.
The bumpy cucumber nods from the row. The smooth-skinned cucumber watches from the clover patch. The garden hums with quiet joy.
Cubby rolls home, ready for tomorrow.