The Garden of Surprise Seeds
Author: YouAndWorld Editorial · Source: YouAndWorld original read-aloud collection, October 2026 · Adapted by YouAndWorld
Squirrel planted seeds beside three tidy signs: CARROTS, PEAS, and BEANS.
When the first leaves appeared, nothing looked right. A sunflower grew by CARROTS. A pea vine climbed beneath BEANS.
“My garden is wrong!” Squirrel said.
Rabbit checked the empty seed packets. Their pictures did not match the signs.
“We mixed them up,” she said.
Squirrel wanted to pull everything out. Then he saw a bee land on the sunflower. The pea vine had little white flowers.
“Perhaps the plants are fine,” he said. “Only the signs are wrong.”
They moved the signs and added one for SUNFLOWERS. In summer, they shared peas beneath the tall yellow flower.
Next spring, Squirrel sorted the packets carefully. He left one corner for a surprise.
Moral of the Story
A mistake can be corrected without throwing away what is growing well.
Questions to Discuss
- What was mixed up?
- Why did Squirrel keep the plants?
- What did he do differently next spring?
The Lion and the Mouse
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