story time

iss Emily clapped her hands together again. “Thank you, everyone, for sharing! Now, let’s start our morning with a story!” She reached for a picture book with a bright, cartoonish cover. “This one is called Timmy’s Big Adventure!”

As she opened the book, the littles around Lilly settled in, some eagerly scooting closer, others leaning against the caretakers nearby.

Lilly, however, sat frozen.

Miss Emily turned the book so everyone could see the bright, colorful illustrations. The cover showed a man in a business suit, looking nervous as he stood outside a big, important-looking building. The title, Timmy’s Big Adventure!, was written in playful, bubbly letters.

Lilly frowned. Something about it didn’t sit right. A man in a toddler’s book?

Miss Emily began to read, her voice cheerful and animated.

“Once upon a time, there was a man named Timmy! Timmy was twenty-five years old and worked in a big, fancy office with lots of grown-ups. He thought he was doing very well at his job, but one day, he had to take the BAM test!”

Lilly’s stomach twisted.

The page turned, showing Timmy sitting at a desk, filling out an exam. His brow was furrowed, his tie loosened as he concentrated.

“But oh no! Poor Timmy didn’t do very well on his test. The results came back, and oopsie!” Miss Emily let out a little giggle, as if this was just some silly tale. “Timmy wasn’t a big boy at all! He was a little! That meant no more boring office work, no more grown-up responsibilities, and—” She turned the page dramatically, revealing an illustration of Timmy sitting on the floor in a playroom, now dressed in an unmistakably thick, crinkly nappy. “—no more big-boy undies!”