Michael and The Unfinished Puzzle
by
Thomas
A story about Sharing
for your 5th Grader.
Michael was an adventurous boy who loved puzzles. His playroom was filled with puzzles of all shapes and sizes. One day, he received a giant jigsaw puzzle as a gift. He was very excited and couldn't wait to start working on it.
Michael's younger sister, Lily, was curious about his new puzzle. She watched as Michael carefully spread out the pieces on the floor. 'Can I help?' she asked. But Michael, eager to do it all by himself, said, 'No, Lily. This is my puzzle.'
As Michael was deeply engrossed in his puzzle, Lily accidentally knocked over her juice cup. The juice spilled onto a section of the puzzle, ruining some pieces. Michael was upset. 'Look what you've done!' he cried.
Lily felt terrible about what happened. 'I'm sorry, Michael,' she said. 'I didn't mean to.' But Michael was too upset to listen. He told Lily to leave his playroom and not to touch his puzzles again.
Michael tried to complete the puzzle without the ruined pieces, but it was impossible. He felt frustrated and alone. He missed the sound of Lily's laughter and her silly jokes.
The next day, Michael decided to start a new puzzle. But without Lily's help, it was harder than he thought. He struggled to find the right pieces and grew frustrated.
Michael remembered how Lily used to find the corner pieces quickly. He realized that puzzles were easier and more fun when they worked together. He missed his sister.
Michael decided to apologize to Lily. He found her in her room, reading a book. 'I'm sorry for getting angry at you, Lily,' he said. 'Will you help me with my puzzle?'