Chapter 1: Sparkle in the City
Sparkle woke up with a wiggle and a giggle. Sparkle was small, round, fluffy, and very purple. Sparkle loved to bounce and twirl. Today was a big day. Today was Carnival Day!
The city was bright and happy. Ribbons danced in the wind. Balloons floated high. Everywhere, there was music. Boom, boom, boom! went the drums. “Carnival time!” sang Sparkle.
Sparkle looked at her shiny mirror. “What costume should I wear?” she wondered. Sparkle wanted to join the big, colorful costume contest. She wanted to look very special.
Her best friend, Pippa the yellow duck, waddled in. “Quack, quack! Hello Sparkle! Are you ready for Carnival?”
Sparkle smiled. “Not yet! I need a costume. Will you help me, Pippa?”
Pippa flapped her wings. “Of course! Let's be silly! Let's be fun! Let's find the best costume under the sun!”
So Sparkle and Pippa searched the cozy, bouncy house. They found a pink hat. They found green socks. They found a golden scarf with shiny stars.
“I look funny!” said Sparkle, twirling and laughing.
“You look great!” said Pippa, giggling. “But maybe you need something more.”
Sparkle nodded. The drums outside went boom, boom, boom! “Let's go outside and look!” said Sparkle.
Chapter 2: Parade of Colors
The city was full of colors. Red and orange, yellow and blue. “Wow! Look at the parade!” said Sparkle. There were floats shaped like flowers, floats shaped like cakes. Everyone was singing and dancing.
“Come on, Pippa!” Sparkle called. They bounced and waddled through the crowd. They saw Skitter the green bug. Skitter wore big blue shoes.
“Hello, Sparkle! Hello, Pippa!” said Skitter. “I'm in the contest too! I have blue shoes that go squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Sparkle and Pippa laughed. “Squeak, squeak, squeak!” they said.
Suddenly, Sparkle's pink hat flew away! Whoosh! The wind took it up, up, up. “Oh no!” Sparkle cried.
“Don't worry, Sparkle,” said Pippa. “Let's find it together!”
So Sparkle, Pippa, and Skitter looked left. They looked right. They looked behind the purple lemonade stand. They looked under the rainbow balloon arch.
“There it is!” said Skitter. He pointed under a bright orange float shaped like a big, puffy cloud.
Sparkle put her pink hat back on. “Thank you, friends!” she said.
“You look even better now!” said Skitter.
Sparkle felt happy. She loved her friends.
Chapter 3: The Costume Contest
Soon, it was time for the costume contest. Sparkle stood in line with Pippa and Skitter. The music was loud. The crowd was clapping. Everyone was smiling.
The judges were three wise old owls. They wore shiny blue glasses.
First, Skitter walked on stage. Squeak, squeak, squeak went his shoes. The crowd laughed and clapped. Skitter bowed.
“Next is Sparkle!” called the owls.
Sparkle felt a little shy. She looked at Pippa. Pippa smiled her biggest smile.
Sparkle took a deep breath. She bounced, she twirled, she waved her pink hat, green socks, and golden scarf. Everyone cheered. But then, oops! Her green sock slipped off!
The crowd gasped. Sparkle started to feel a little sad. But then, Pippa waddled onto the stage.
“Don't worry, Sparkle! Let's dance together!” said Pippa.
So Sparkle and Pippa danced and spun in circles. Pippa put the sock back on Sparkle's foot. They both laughed. The crowd cheered even louder.
The owls whispered to each other. Then, they said, “Sparkle, Pippa, and Skitter, you worked together. You helped each other. That is the most special costume of all!”
Sparkle was so happy. She clapped. She bounced. She hugged her friends.
“Carnival is better with friends!” said Sparkle.
“Yes! Friends make everything brighter,” said Pippa.
“Even squeaky shoes!” said Skitter.
Sparkle, Pippa, and Skitter danced, laughed, and sang as the sun went down. The colors of Carnival sparkled in the night. And Sparkle glowed a little brighter, right in the heart of the city.
