Jackson loved his backyard. It was full of juicy green grass, colorful flowers that smelled like sunshine, and a big, strong oak tree perfect for climbing. But today, something was different. As Jackson and his fluffy, white cat, Yuna, walked outside, a bright beam of blue light shot out from behind the oak tree!
"Whoa!" Jackson gasped, his eyes wide with surprise. Yuna, who was 54 in cat years and had seen a lot, simply purred and swished her tail.
Cautiously, Jackson, brave and elegant as always, tiptoed towards the light. He held his breath and peeked around the tree. Standing there were three little creatures, unlike anything Jackson had ever seen!
One was round and bouncy like a ball, with skin that shimmered with every color of the rainbow. Another looked like a tiny, furry cloud with bright, twinkling eyes. The last one was long and wiggly, with sparkly purple scales. They were all giggling and pointing at a book lying open on the ground.
“Hello!” Jackson said. The creatures stopped giggling and looked at him with wide eyes.
“You can see us?” squeaked the bouncy one. “We’re from Planet Bookworm!”
“We love to read!” chirped the cloud creature. “Reading takes you on amazing adventures!” added the wiggly one.
Jackson loved reading, too! He loved learning new things and imagining faraway lands. He often read with Yuna, who loved to snuggle in his lap as he turned the pages.
"We came to Earth because we heard it has the best stories," said the bouncy creature. "But we can't read your strange squiggles!"
Jackson looked down at the book. He realized the creatures couldn’t understand English! But Jackson knew just what to do. He pointed to his robot arm. He had gotten them last week for his 5th birthday, and they could do all sorts of amazing things!
With a whir and a click, Jackson’s robot arm transformed into a super-duper translator! He pointed it at the book, and the words magically transformed into symbols the Bookworm creatures could understand.
The Bookworm creatures squealed with delight. They gathered around Jackson as he used his robot arm to translate the story. It was a tale about a brave knight and a fire-breathing dragon, and the Bookworm creatures were mesmerized.
They gasped when the dragon flew over the mountains and cheered when the brave knight saved the day. When the story was over, the little creatures were beaming.
"Thank you, Jackson!" they cried. "That was a wonderful story!"
"You're welcome!" Jackson grinned. He was happy to share his love of reading with the creatures from Planet Bookworm.
Suddenly, the blue light appeared again, bathing the backyard in its magical glow. It was time for the Bookworm creatures to go.
“We’ll visit you again soon!” promised the bouncy creature. Then, with a pop and a flash, they were gone.
Jackson looked around his backyard. It looked the same, yet somehow, it felt different. It felt…magical! Jackson knew that this was just the beginning of many adventures to come, all thanks to the power of reading! He ran inside to find Yuna and another good book, excited to see where their next reading adventure would take them.
