One morning, Emma woke up to find her teddy bear wearing a tiny green hat! It was the funniest thing she'd ever seen! "Where did you get this, Mr. Snuggles?" she giggled. Mr. Snuggles, of course, didn't answer. He was just a teddy bear. But then Emma saw something even more surprising: a little green trail of sparkles leading out of her room and down the stairs!
Emma followed the sparkly trail, her eyes wide with wonder. It led all the way to the kitchen, where Grandma was making her famous pancakes. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" Grandma said, flipping a pancake high in the air. "Look! Sparkles!" Emma shouted, pointing at the trail that ended right by the kitchen window.
Grandma chuckled. "Those are leprechaun footprints, silly! They must have come for my yummy pancakes." Emma gasped. "Real leprechauns?" She knew Grandma loved to tell stories, but leprechauns? That was amazing!
Just then, they heard a tiny voice, "Best pancakes in San Antonio!" A little man, no bigger than Emma's doll, popped up from behind a stack of plates! He had a big bushy beard and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "You must be Emma," he said, tipping his tiny green hat. "I'm Finnigan. We need your help!"
Another leprechaun, even smaller than Finnigan, peeked out from behind a vase. "It's our school!" she squeaked. "It's moving!"
Emma was confused. "How can a school move?" Grandma patted her hand. "This is what they mean, sweetie. We're moving to a new house, remember? And you're going to a new school."
Emma had been so excited about the new house that she forgot all about the new school. Now she felt a little sad. She liked her school. And she would miss her friends.
Finnigan hopped onto the table. "That's why we're here," he explained. "You can talk to animals, right? Well, the school house is built on the back of a giant, sleepy turtle! We need you to ask him to move the school closer to your new house!"
Emma's jaw dropped. A school on a giant turtle? That was even better than talking unicorns! "I'll do it!" she declared. So Emma, along with Grandma, Finnigan, and the other leprechauns, set off to find the giant turtle.
They found him in the schoolyard, half-hidden by the playground. He was so big, he looked like a hill! Emma, remembering her animal-talking powers, whispered, "Excuse me, Mr. Turtle? Can you hear me?"
The ground rumbled softly as the giant turtle stretched, opening one enormous eye. Emma explained about her family moving and how much she liked her school. The turtle listened patiently, then let out a booming laugh that tickled Emma's tummy.
"Of course, little one!" he boomed. "I'll be happy to move closer to your new home. Anything for the leprechauns' delicious pancakes!"
And so, the giant turtle carried the school through the night, leaving a trail of sparkly footprints that shimmered in the moonlight. When Emma woke up in her new house, she peeked out the window and saw her school right across the street! She couldn't wait to tell all her friends about the magical moving day and the amazing school on the back of a giant turtle.
