The Leaf That Looked Like a Frog

Jasper loved the nature walk more than almost anything, because outside there were always new things waiting to be found, curled under leaves or tucked between roots.

On Saturday morning, his class walked along the path behind the school, notebooks in hand, looking for anything alive and interesting.

Jasper spotted something small and green curled up near a root, and his heart jumped: a frog! He crouched down fast and called out to everyone, pointing at his discovery.

But when Maya leaned in close, she started to laugh. "Jasper, that's not a frog, that's just a curled-up leaf!" A few other kids laughed too, not because they were being unkind, just because it was funny.

Jasper's face went hot, and his stomach twisted tight, like a rope pulled too hard. Everyone thinks I'm silly now, he thought, and the thought sat heavy in his chest.

He didn't want that feeling anymore, so words came out of him fast, sharp ones he didn't really mean. "Well, your discoveries are stupid anyway! That stick isn't even interesting," he snapped at Maya, and turned toward Deshawn's pile of acorns. "Those are boring too."