Sophia loved to bounce! She bounced on the couch. She bounced on her bed. One day, she bounced so high, she went right up to the ceiling!
“Whoa!” said Sophia.
Just then, her mom walked into the room. Mom loved to draw, and she had a big pad of paper in her hand. “What are you doing up there, silly goose?” Mom asked with a smile.
“I bounced too high,” giggled Sophia.
To her surprise, the ceiling felt soft, like a marshmallow. Sophia poked it with her finger. It gave way, and Sophia tumbled through!
“Whee!” she cried. She landed on something soft and fluffy. She looked around. Everything was white and puffy!
“We’re in the clouds!” Sophia exclaimed. The clouds were even more fun to bounce on than her bed! She bounced and bounced.
Suddenly, Sophia saw something amazing. A giant dragon with scales of every color was sleeping on a cloud nearby. It had a long, twisty tail and enormous wings!
“Wow!” whispered Sophia. “A real dragon!”
Sophia knew she should be careful. Dragons breathe fire! But this dragon was sleeping so peacefully. Sophia wanted to get a closer look. She tiptoed closer and closer.
As she got closer, Sophia noticed the dragon wasn’t sleeping. It was watching her with big, kind eyes.
“Hello,” Sophia whispered.
The dragon smiled, and to Sophia’s surprise, it answered in a voice as soft as a cloud, “Hello, little one. What’s your name?”
“I’m Sophia,” she said. “What’s yours?”
“I am Sparky,” the dragon replied. “Why don’t you come closer? I don’t bite!”
Sophia giggled and bounced a little closer. She remembered something her mom always said. “My mom taught me to treat everyone with respect,” she said proudly.
“Respect is very important,” Sparky agreed. “It means being kind to others and treating them the way you want to be treated.”
Sophia nodded. “And it means taking care of things, too,” she added. “Like not breaking your toys or writing on the walls.”
Sparky chuckled. “That’s right! Respecting our world is important too.”
They talked for a long time, and Sparky told Sophia all about the clouds. He told her how they were formed and how they brought rain to the earth. Sophia listened carefully. She loved learning new things!
Soon, it was time for Sophia to go home. She hugged Sparky goodbye and promised to visit him again soon. Then, she took a deep breath and jumped!
She landed with a soft thud on her bedroom floor. Her mom was still there, drawing in her pad.
“Where did you go, Sophia?” her mom asked, looking up from her drawing. “You were gone for hours!”
Sophia giggled and gave her mom a big hug. She couldn't wait to tell her all about her adventure in the clouds and the friendly dragon named Sparky who taught her all about respect!
