Alexander and the Terrible

Once upon a time, in a sunny town, lived a young boy named Alexander. One morning, Alexander woke up and everything seemed to be going wrong. He tripped over his shoelaces, his breakfast cereal was too soggy, and he found a hole in his favorite shirt. As the day went on, things only got worse – he got a cavity at the dentist, his best friend didn't want to sit with him at lunch, and he had to eat lima beans for dinner.

By the time Alexander's head hit the pillow, he was convinced that it had been the worst day ever. He sighed and wished for a better day tomorrow.

As he drifted off to sleep, something magical happened. Alexander found himself in a dream where he was walking through a whimsical land. In this land, things were a little different. His tripped shoelaces led to a dance, his soggy cereal turned into a magical pudding, and his holey shirt transformed into a superhero cape.

Curious and excited, Alexander explored this magical world, discovering that even the not-so-great moments could turn into fun and silly adventures. He realized that sometimes, a change in perspective could make things seem much better.

When Alexander woke up the next morning, he was surprised to find that his room was filled with a warm, golden light. He looked out the window and saw a rainbow stretching across the sky. He remembered his dream and smiled. Maybe today wouldn't be so terrible after all.

Throughout the day, Alexander faced challenges, but he also remembered the magic of his dream. He turned his tripped shoelaces into a dance move, made funny faces with his soggy cereal, and even pretended his lima beans were little green aliens.

As the day went on, Alexander realized that even on tough days, there were moments of joy and laughter. By the time he went to bed, he couldn't help but feel grateful for all the little moments that had brought a smile to his face.

And so, Alexander learned that even on terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, there was always a little bit of magic waiting to be discovered – if he just looked at things from a different perspective.

Follow-up Questions:

• What were some of the things that went wrong for Alexander at the beginning of the story?

• How did Alexander's perspective change when he was in the magical dream world?

• What lesson did Alexander learn from his dream adventure? How did it help him approach his day with a more positive attitude? How can we find moments of joy and laughter even on tough days?