The Missing Red Crayon

The Missing Red Crayon

Emma loved to draw pictures.

She drew flowers, rainbows, and happy pets.

Her favorite crayon was bright red.

One morning, Emma opened her crayon box.

She smiled at her colorful crayons.

Then her smile disappeared.

"Oh no!" Emma cried. "My red crayon is missing!"

Emma searched under her desk.

She looked in her backpack.

She even checked her cubby.

But the red crayon was nowhere to be found.

Then Emma saw Ben coloring at his desk.

Ben was using a red crayon.

Emma frowned. "Ben must have taken my crayon," she thought.

Emma felt upset and stopped talking to Ben.

At recess, she would not play with him.

Ben felt confused. "Why is Emma ignoring me?" he wondered.

Their teacher noticed that something was wrong.

"Let's talk about it," the teacher said.

Emma explained, "I thought Ben took my red crayon."

Ben shook his head. "This is my crayon. I brought it from home."

Emma looked in her desk one more time.

There was her red crayon! It had rolled behind a book.

"I'm sorry, Ben," Emma said. "I should have talked to you first."

Ben smiled. "It's okay."

Lesson: Before making assumptions, talk and ask questions. Good communication helps friends understand each other.