"Grandpa, can dinosaurs swim?" Evelyn asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Well, some might have splashed around in the water," chuckled Grandpa, "But I think most liked to stomp on land!"
Evelyn giggled. She loved dinosaurs, and she loved the ocean even more! In fact, Evelyn had a secret. She wasn’t just any three-year-old. Evelyn could breathe underwater! She loved to slip away to her secret ocean hideout and watch the colorful fish swim by.
But today, Evelyn was thinking about dinosaurs AND the ocean. It was time for school, and her teacher, Ms. Lily, was reading a book about… you guessed it… dinosaurs!
Evelyn skipped into her classroom, excited to learn more. Ms. Lily’s voice was like a song as she described giant dinosaurs with long necks and sharp teeth.
"And now," Ms. Lily said, holding up a picture, "This is a Stegosaurus! It had plates on its back and a spiky tail.”
Evelyn gasped. “Wow! Was it a good swimmer?” she blurted out.
Everyone giggled, and Ms. Lily smiled. “We don’t know for sure, Evelyn,” she said. “But that’s a great question! Why don’t you draw a picture of what you think a swimming Stegosaurus would look like?”
Evelyn’s eyes lit up. This was the best homework ever! She took out her crayons and imagined a big blue ocean. She drew a happy Stegosaurus, splashing in the waves with a big smile on its face. It even had a snorkel and goggles!
After school, Evelyn ran all the way home, eager to show Grandpa her drawing.
"Look, Grandpa!" she exclaimed, holding up her picture. "A swimming Stegosaurus!"
Grandpa chuckled. "That's quite a sight! Maybe you should show it to Ms. Lily tomorrow.”
The next day at school, Evelyn proudly showed Ms. Lily her drawing. Ms. Lily was so impressed.
"Evelyn," she said, "This is wonderful! You have a great imagination.”
That day, during playtime, Evelyn and her friends pretended to be swimming dinosaurs. They splashed in the sandbox and roared with laughter.
When it was time to go home, Evelyn hugged Ms. Lily goodbye. She had learned so much about dinosaurs, and she couldn’t wait to learn even more.
As Evelyn walked home with Grandpa, she thought about her secret underwater world. Maybe, just maybe, if she looked hard enough, she would find a real dinosaur fossil at the bottom of the ocean!
From then on, Evelyn’s underwater adventures were even more exciting. Every time she dove down to her secret hideout, she imagined friendly dinosaurs swimming alongside her. And who knows, maybe one day, she would discover something truly amazing!
