"Whee!" Liam zoomed around his room, pretending to be a soaring eagle. He loved to fly! He landed softly on the rug, right next to his furry friend, Sophia. "Sophia, do you think birds like to read?" he asked, tilting his head. Sophia barked and wagged her tail, which Liam took as a definite "yes." Liam loved to read! He loved stories about dinosaurs and spaceships and especially anything about animals.
"Let's go to the park, Sophia!" Liam shouted, already racing to the front door. He knew the park would be full of stories. Maybe he could even find a book about talking dogs! He giggled at the thought.
The park was buzzing with activity. Kids were playing tag, families were having picnics, and squirrels were chasing each other up the trees. Liam loved the park! He plopped down under his favorite big oak tree, pulling out his picture book about mermaids.
"Look, Sophia, mermaids!" Liam exclaimed, pointing at the shimmering tail of the mermaid on the page. "They can breathe underwater and sing beautiful songs!"
Suddenly, a giggle echoed from behind the tree. Liam gasped and peeked around the trunk. Sitting there, combing her long blue hair, was a real-life mermaid!
"You found me!" the mermaid chirped, her voice like tinkling bells. "I love to read too, but it's hard to hold a book with fins."
Liam’s eyes widened. A real mermaid! He quickly showed her his book. “Do you look like this?” he asked, his voice filled with wonder.
The mermaid giggled again. “Not quite! My tail is much sparklier! Do you want to see?”
Liam nodded eagerly. He followed the mermaid deeper into the park, Sophia trailing behind with her tongue lolling out. They reached a small, hidden pond tucked away behind a wall of bushes. The sun glinted off the surface of the water, making it sparkle. And there, splashing playfully in the pond, were three more mermaids!
“We love stories!” one mermaid with a green tail sang out. “Especially ones about adventures!”
“And talking dogs!” another mermaid added, winking at Sophia, who barked happily.
Liam spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the mermaids tell stories about the deep sea. They talked about glowing fish and giant squids and all sorts of amazing things. Liam even told them a funny story about a dinosaur who loved to eat pizza!
As the sun began to set, Liam knew it was time to go home. He hugged each of the mermaids goodbye and promised to visit them again soon.
"Thank you for the stories!" Liam called out as he walked away. He couldn’t wait to tell his parents all about his magical day.
Back home, Liam snuggled into bed with his dinosaur book. He knew that reading could take you on the most amazing adventures, even to magical ponds filled with friendly, story-loving mermaids. And who knows, maybe one day, he’d even meet a talking dog who loved to read just as much as he did!
