Sophia skipped out of her house in Los Angeles, her pigtails bouncing! Grandpa followed, wearing his biggest smile. "Ready for the market, Sophia?" he asked.
Sophia nodded excitedly. "I want to see all the colors and smell all the smells!"
The market was buzzing with people. There were so many bright fruits and vegetables! Grandpa lifted Sophia so she could see better.
"Look at those red apples, Grandpa!" Sophia pointed.
"And those purple grapes!" Grandpa chuckled, "Remember the book we read about colors? What color comes after purple?"
Sophia thought hard. "It's... orange! Like that big pumpkin over there!"
They walked past stalls selling flowers, spices, and even toys. Suddenly, Sophia grabbed Grandpa's arm.
"Grandpa! Look!"
In the middle of the market, a man was reading from a big, colorful book. But that's not what surprised Sophia. Sitting beside him, as calm as could be, was a beautiful white unicorn! Its horn shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow.
"Wow!" Sophia whispered.
They edged closer. The man was reading a funny story about a dragon who sneezed fire whenever he ate spicy peppers. People around them laughed, and even the unicorn snorted with amusement!
"Unicorns love stories, just like you, Sophia," Grandpa whispered.
When the story ended, everyone clapped. Sophia gathered her courage and walked up to the unicorn.
"Hello," she said shyly. "I love stories too."
The unicorn dipped its head and winked a large, sparkly eye.
"This is Sparkles," the man said, smiling. "He loves to listen to stories, but what he loves even more is helping people learn to read."
Sophia's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes! He helps me teach kids new words and tells them amazing stories."
Sophia felt a thrill of excitement. She loved learning new words!
Sophia spent the rest of the afternoon with Sparkles and the storyteller. She learned about how letters make sounds and how those sounds become words. She even got to touch Sparkles' horn, which felt surprisingly warm and smooth.
As the sun began to set, it was time to go home.
"Thank you for teaching me so much," Sophia told the storyteller and Sparkles.
"Reading is magical," the storyteller said, "Just like unicorns."
On the way back, Sophia chattered excitedly to Grandpa about everything she'd learned. She couldn't wait to read more stories and maybe, just maybe, meet Sparkles the unicorn again.
When they got home, Sophia hugged Grandpa tight. "Today was the best day ever!" she exclaimed.
Grandpa winked. "You know, Sophia, reading can take us on the greatest adventures. And sometimes, even bring us face-to-face with unicorns."
Sophia giggled and snuggled into her grandpa's side. With a heart full of magic and a head full of new words, she knew this was just the beginning of many reading adventures to come.
