Once upon a time, in a cozy house with a bright red door, lived a little girl named Zoe. Zoe had a mom and a dad. She loved them very much. They lived in a nice house with green grass all around.
One morning, the sun came up. Tick tock went the clock. Zoe opened her eyes. She looked at her clock.
The numbers looked funny! They were upside down! Zoe rubbed her eyes. She tried to get out of bed, but she rolled the other way.
Whoosh! She landed on her soft rug with a bounce. Boing! Zoe put her feet on the floor.
She wanted to put on her socks. She picked up a sock. But wait! She put a sock on her nose!
Silly Zoe! She took it off. Giggle! Then she put her shirt on.
The tag tickled her chin. It was on backwards! Zoe walked to the kitchen. Her dad was there.
He was wearing his pajama pants on his head! He looked very funny. 'Goodnight, Zoe! 'said Dad.
'It is morning, Dad! 'said Zoe. 'Why did you say goodnight? ''Because today is Backwards Day!
'said Dad. 'Everything is backwards today! 'Zoe clapped her hands. Yay!
Mom came into the kitchen. She was holding a big bowl. What was inside? It was not oatmeal.
It was not eggs. It was chocolate ice cream! 'Breakfast is ready,'said Mom with a wink. Zoe sat down.
She ate a big spoonful of ice cream. It was cold and sweet. Crunch, crunch went the sprinkles. 'This is the best breakfast ever,'said Zoe.
After breakfast, it was time to get dressed. Zoe put on her shoes. She put the left shoe on the right foot and the right shoe on the left foot. Her toes felt squished.
Wibble, wobble. 'Are you ready to go outside? 'asked Dad. 'Yes!
'said Zoe. They opened the big back door. The grass was green and the sky was blue. Birds were singing.
But today, the birds sang'Tweet, tweet, tweet'in a very low voice. It sounded like a growl. But it was a nice growl. 'Let's walk to the garden,'said Mom.
'Okay,'said Zoe. 'But how do we walk? ''We walk backwards! 'said Dad.
Zoe turned around. She looked at her house. She took a step back. Then another step back.
One step, two steps, back, back, back. Can you walk backwards? Try it! It is very tricky.
Zoe walked backwards. She looked at her feet. She could not see where she was going. Whoosh!
The wind blew her hair. She saw the red door getting smaller and smaller. But she did not see the big garden hose. Trip!
Zoe almost fell down. Bump! She bumped into a soft bush. 'Oh no,'said Zoe.
She felt a little bit frustrated. Walking backwards was hard work. Dad bumped into the fence. Clang!
Mom bumped into a tree. Rustle! Everyone laughed. Ha, ha, ha!
But then Zoe felt sad. 'I want to see the pretty flowers,'she said. 'I want to see where I am going. Walking backwards makes my tummy feel funny.
'Dad stopped. He turned Zoe around. He gave her a big hug. 'What do we usually do on a normal day?
'Dad asked. Zoe thought. She tapped her chin. Tap, tap, tap.
'On a normal day, I walk forwards,'said Zoe. 'I see the butterflies. I see the sun. I put my shoes on the right feet.
And I eat oatmeal for breakfast. ''Do you like normal days? 'asked Mom. 'Yes,'said Zoe.
'I like normal days. I am grateful for normal days. I am grateful I can walk and run and see. I am grateful for my shoes and my oatmeal.
And I am most grateful for you. 'Zoe hugged her mom and dad tight. Squeeze! 'We are grateful for you too, Zoe,'said Mom.
The sun began to go down in the sky. The sky turned orange and pink. It was beautiful. 'Is Backwards Day over?
'asked Zoe. 'Yes,'said Dad. 'Tomorrow, we will wake up and walk forwards again. 'Zoe smiled a big smile.
She was happy. She learned that even fun days like ice cream for breakfast can be tiring. She was happy to have a safe home and a family who loved her. She was happy to be Zoe.
They walked back to the house. This time, they walked forwards. One step, two steps, hop, hop, hop. Dinner time came.
They ate spaghetti. It was much better than ice cream for dinner! Slurp, slurp, yum. Zoe went to bed.
She pulled the covers up to her chin. She closed her eyes. 'Good morning,'she whispered to her teddy bear. And she fell fast asleep.