Building Reading Practice

Excerpt from The Book: "The Cucumber and the Tomato"

Once upon a time, there was a cucumber and a tomato who lived in the garden world. The cucumber was green, and the tomato was red. They were best friends, and they loved to talk to each other. One day, the cucumber said to the tomato, "I'm so tired of being green,""I know tomatoes start green and become red. I'm always green." The tomato laughed and said, "Don't be silly, cucumber, Being green is beautiful."And besides, red is a very hard color to keep up, It fades so easily." The cucumber thought about this for a moment, "You're right," he said."Green is a nice color, like the grass, and the leaves." "Exactly," The tomato smiled. "So let's go find friends in different colors." said the cucumber.The cucumber and the tomato went down the hill, When they saw something orange they approached it cautiously.As they neared the orange carrot, they noticed something peculiar. The carrot seemed to be stuck in a patch of mud, unable to free itself. Concerned, the cucumber and the tomato rushed over to help.Together, they pulled it until finally, with a satisfying squelch, the carrot was released. "Thank you so much!" exclaimed the carrot with a grateful smile. "I was starting to think I'd be stuck there forever."Grateful, the three quickly became friends, spending the day exploring and laughing together. As the sun set, they parted ways, promising to meet again soon, Grateful for the unexpected friendship they had found.