Cocoa the kitten walked into the children’s library beside her mother. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, making bright squares on the floor. The room smelled like paper and clean blankets. Low shelves held picture books, and a basket filled with soft blankets sat near the window.
Cocoa noticed a bright patch of sunlight resting on the windowsill. She reached out one paw and touched it. The warm spot felt lovely beneath her paw pads. Then, little by little, the sunlight slid down to the blanket basket.
“Look, Cocoa,” her mother said. “The light is moving.”
Cocoa watched the bright patch travel. She followed it across the room with her eyes, then padded over to a small table. A child named June was putting together a large ocean puzzle. Blue waves covered most of the pieces. There was also a yellow fish, a red boat, and a whale with a wide, friendly smile.
“Would you like a turn?” June asked.
Cocoa gave a happy little meow. June slid a large blue piece toward her. Cocoa sniffed it, then pushed it with one paw. The piece bumped against another piece but did not fit.
“Try turning it,” June said kindly.
Cocoa turned the piece. She pushed it again. Click! It fit beside the yellow fish.
“Your turn,” Cocoa said.
June picked up a big green piece and placed it next to the red boat. Then she looked at Cocoa and smiled. “Now it’s your turn again.”
Back and forth they worked. Cocoa nudged pieces with her paw, and June helped turn them when they needed a little twist. Soon, blue waves stretched across the puzzle. The whale found its place, and a small orange fish appeared between two green sea plants.
Nearby, a saltwater aquarium made a soft bubbling sound. Berry, a small crab, moved gently over the sand inside. Berry passed a shell, paused, and lifted one little claw.
Cocoa stepped close to the glass. “Hello, Berry,” she whispered.
Berry moved sideways. Cocoa stepped to the left. Berry moved left, too. Cocoa stepped to the right, and Berry sidestepped right.
Cocoa’s whiskers twitched with delight. “We’re moving together.”
The bright patch of sunlight had already left the blanket basket. Slowly, it crossed the floor and climbed onto a quiet cushion beside Cocoa’s mother.
Her mother curled her tail around the cushion. “Come sit with me.”
Cocoa gave June one last gentle paw tap. “Thank you for sharing the puzzle.”
“You’re welcome,” June said. “You can finish it when you wake up.”
Cocoa curled up beside her mother. The cushion was soft, the sunlight was warm, and the aquarium bubbled quietly nearby.
“Good night, Berry,” Cocoa murmured.
Berry slipped behind the shell and then came into view again. Cocoa watched for one more moment. Her mother’s tail rested against her back, and the warm sunlight rested on her fur. Soon, Cocoa’s eyes closed. She slept peacefully beside her mother while the ocean puzzle waited on the table, bright and blue as a little sea.
Talk about the story
1.Who walked into the library with Cocoa?
2.What did Cocoa touch with her paw?
3.What did Cocoa and June put together?
