

Tom is a boy who likes to dig in the dirt. He has a shovel and a bucket. He digs and digs and finds many things. He finds rocks and worms and bugs. He likes to look at them and put them in his bucket.
One day, he digs and digs and finds something big and hard. He tries to pull it out, but it does not move. He digs some more and sees that it is a root. A root is a part of a plant that grows under the ground. He wonders what plant it is.
He asks his mom, who is watching him from the porch. "Mom, what is this?" he says, pointing at the root.
His mom comes closer and looks at the root. She smiles and says, "That is a root of an old tree, Tom. An old tree that used to grow here, before we moved in. It was very big and tall and had many leaves and branches. But it got sick and died, and they cut it down. But the root stayed in the ground."
Tom is sad to hear that the old tree died. He likes trees. They are green and nice and give shade and fruits. He says, "Can we wake the old tree, mom? Can we make it grow again?"
His mom shakes her head and says, "No, Tom, we can't wake the old tree. It is gone forever. But we can plant a new tree, if you want. A new tree that will grow and live and be your friend. Do you want to do that?"
Tom nods and says, "Yes, mom, I want to plant a new tree. A new tree that will be happy and strong and beautiful."
His mom hugs him and says, "That's a good idea, Tom. Let's go and get a seed and some water and some dirt. And we will plant a new tree together, right next to the old root. And we will watch it grow and take care of it. And maybe, one day, it will have roots of its own."
