

Sara and Tom were playing in the living room. They had many toys to choose from, but they liked the big box the most. They pretended it was a spaceship, a castle, a car, and anything else they could think of.
One day, Mom came home with a new box. It was smaller than the old one, but it had a shiny ribbon on it. Mom said it was a present for Sara, because she had been a good girl. Sara was very happy and excited. She thanked Mom and ran to the box.
"Can I open it now, Mom?" she asked.
"Of course, sweetie. Go ahead," Mom said.
Sara ripped off the ribbon and the paper. She opened the box and looked inside. She saw a pink dress with frills and flowers. She did not like it at all. She liked blue and green and yellow. She liked pants and shirts and hats. She did not like dresses, especially pink ones.
She looked at Mom and saw her smiling. She did not want to hurt Mom's feelings, but she did not want to wear the dress either. She felt embarrassed and confused. She did not know what to say.
Tom saw Sara's face and guessed how she felt. He wanted to help her. He had an idea. He grabbed the old box and put it on his head. He said in a funny voice, "Look at me, I'm a robot!"
Sara laughed. She forgot about the dress for a moment. She grabbed another box and put it on her head. She said in a funny voice, "And I'm a rocket!"
Mom laughed too. She saw that Sara and Tom were having fun. She did not mind that Sara did not like the dress. She loved Sara no matter what. She said, "You two are very creative. Why don't you play with the boxes for a while, and then we can have some cookies?"
Sara and Tom nodded. They thanked Mom and went back to their game. They chose to play with the boxes, because they liked them more than the dress. They were happy and silly and free.
