What if we could talk to everyone, even dinosaurs? That's what Emma wondered as she swung her feet back and forth on her porch swing in Houston. Suddenly, a bright light whooshed down from the sky, landing right in Emma's backyard!
Out stepped Yuna, Emma's furry, purple pet, holding a glowing book. "Look what I found, Emma!" Yuna exclaimed. The book shimmered and spun, then popped open to a picture of a beautiful island. "This, Emma," Yuna said, her voice full of excitement, "is Deserted Island! The book says there are dinosaurs here!"
Emma gasped. "Dinosaurs? Really? Can we go, Yuna? Please?"
Yuna chuckled. "Of course! That's why I showed you!"
The book pulsed again, and suddenly Emma and Yuna were standing on the sunny beach of the island. Palm trees swayed in the warm breeze, and the air smelled like salty ocean and sweet fruit. "Wow!" whispered Emma, her eyes wide with wonder.
Just then, they heard a loud sniffling coming from behind a cluster of palm trees. Peeking around a tree trunk, Emma and Yuna saw a big, blue dinosaur with sparkly scales, crying big, sad tears.
"Why are you sad?" Emma asked softly. Using her superpower, she could understand the dinosaur even though it didn't speak in words.
The dinosaur looked up, surprised. "You...you can understand me?" he sniffled. "Nobody understands me. They all think I'm scary because I'm so big!"
Emma walked up to the dinosaur and hugged his leg. It felt like hugging a big, warm tree. "It's okay to be big," she said. "Being different is good!"
Yuna nodded. "Emma is right! You should be proud of who you are."
The dinosaur looked at Emma, then at Yuna. He smiled, his tears drying up. "You really think so?"
Emma beamed. "We know so! And it's important to be kind to everyone, no matter how big or small, or how different they might seem."
For the rest of the day, Emma and Yuna played games with the dinosaur. They learned that his name was Bobo, and he loved to eat mangoes and do silly dances. Emma realized that understanding Bobo's feelings made her happy. Empathy, she thought, feels good!
As the sun started to set, painting the sky in streaks of pink and orange, Yuna's book glowed again. It was time to go home.
"Will we see you again, Bobo?" Emma asked.
Bobo nodded, his sparkly scales gleaming in the sunset. "Come back anytime! And remember," he said, "always be kind and understanding. It makes the world a much brighter place!"
Emma and Yuna waved goodbye and stepped into the warm light of the book. As they landed back in their backyard in Houston, Emma knew she would never forget Bobo and the lesson he taught her about empathy. It was a lesson she would carry in her heart, always.
