Once upon a time, in a very magical forest, there lived a kid named Alex. The forest was full of tall trees that whispered secrets and flowers that hummed gentle songs. *Whoosh, whoosh* went the wind through the leaves. It was a beautiful day.
Alex had a best friend named Jordan. Jordan was very kind and always had a big smile. *Smile! * Today was a very special day.
It was the day of the Great Star Party. Everyone in the forest was going to dress up and dance under the moonlight. Alex wanted to look perfect. But Alex had a problem.
In Alex's room, there were two big boxes. One box was bright blue. It had a picture of a boy on it. Inside, there were pants and caps and ties.
The other box was bright pink. It had a picture of a girl on it. Inside, there were dresses and bows and sparkly shoes. Alex looked at the blue box.
Then Alex looked at the pink box. Alex felt a tummy wiggle. *Wiggle, wiggle. * Alex put on the blue pants.
They felt okay. Then Alex put on the pink dress. It felt pretty. But Alex did not want to choose just one.
Alex felt strong like a superhero. And Alex felt soft like a cloud. Alex felt loud like a drum. And Alex felt quiet like a mouse.
Alex looked in the mirror and felt a big sigh. *Sigh. *"I do not fit in the blue box,"said Alex. "And I do not fit in the pink box.
I feel like a mix of everything! "Alex sat down on the floor. Alex felt sad. A little tear rolled down Alex's cheek.
*Splash! * Just then, there was a knock at the door. *Knock, knock! *"Who is there?
"called Alex. "It is me! Jordan! "said a happy voice.
Jordan came in skipping. Jordan saw Alex sitting on the floor. "Oh no, Alex! Why are you sad?
"asked Jordan. Alex looked up. "I cannot find my costume for the party,"said Alex. "The blue box is for boys.
The pink box is for girls. I am not just a boy. I am not just a girl. I am just Alex.
But I do not know how to dress like just Alex. "Jordan sat down next to Alex. Jordan put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "That is okay, Alex,"said Jordan softly.
"You do not need a box. Boxes are boring. You are magical! You can be anything you want.
""Really? "asked Alex. "Yes! "said Jordan.
"We can make a new outfit. We can use things from both boxes. We can use things from the forest too! We can do it together.
Teamwork makes the dream work! "Alex felt a little bit happy. *Hop, hop. *"Okay,"said Alex.
"Let us try. "So, Alex and Jordan went to work. First, they took the soft blue pants from the blue box. *Zip!
* Then, they took the shiny ribbons from the pink box. *Swish! *"Let's put them together,"said Jordan. Jordan tied the ribbons on the pants.
Now the pants were strong and pretty. "Look! "said Alex. "It is a mix!
"Then they went outside. They found some big green leaves. *Crinkle, crinkle. * They found some yellow flowers that glowed in the dark.
*Glow, glow. "Can you guess what they did next? They made a cape! Jordan used a safety pin to pin the leaves together.
It was a wonderful green cape. Alex put it on. *Whoosh! * The cape flowed behind Alex like a river.
"I feel like a superhero princess! "shouted Alex. "Or a prince! "said Jordan.
"Or a Star! "said Alex. "Yes! A Star!
"said Jordan. They worked together to make a crown. They used the yellow flowers and silver sparkles from the craft jar. *Glitter, glitter.
* They put the crown on Alex's head. It was perfect. Alex looked in the mirror again. But this time, Alex did not sigh.
Alex smiled a giant smile. *Cheese! *"I see me,"said Alex. "I see all the colors.
I see strong and soft. I see loud and quiet. It is perfect. "Jordan clapped their hands.
*Clap, clap, clap. *"You look amazing, Alex,"said Jordan. "Now, let us go to the party! "Alex and Jordan ran to the meadow.
The moon was shining bright. *Twinkle, twinkle. * All the animals were there. There were bears and bunnies and foxes.
They were dancing. *Boogy, woogy. * When Alex walked in, everyone stopped. They looked at Alex's blue pants with ribbons.
They looked at the green leaf cape. They looked at the yellow flower crown. Then, everyone cheered.
*Hooray! *"Alex looks like a Rainbow Star! "said a little bear. "I want to be a mix too!
"said a bunny. Alex felt so warm inside. It was a happy feeling. Alex danced with Jordan all night long.
They spun around and around. *Spin, spin! * Alex learned that you do not need to be in a box. You can be you.
You can be a mix of everything nice. And when you have a friend like Jordan, you can do anything. The end.