The Green Sweater Girl’s Family

One day, the Green Sweater Girl’s teacher asked everyone to draw pictures of their families. The Green Sweater Girl got out her crayons and got to work.

The Green Sweater Girl lived with Mama and Daddy. Her sister, Monica, was nine, and her twin brothers Casey and Colin were seven.

The Green Sweater Girl loved Monica, Casey, and Colin. Sometimes, though, being the youngest was hard. Monica could read long books, but the Green Sweater Girl couldn’t.

Casey and Colin got to help Daddy build a treehouse. The Green Sweater Girl wanted to help, but she dropped the hammer because it was too heavy. The hammer hit her foot, and left a purple bruise.

“You’re too little to help,” Casey said.

“See how you got hurt?” Colin said.

Remembering those things made the Green Sweater Girl sad. At home later, she found Monica doing her homework at the kitchen table.

“I’m tired of being too little,” the Green Sweater Girl said. “I hate being the littlest.”

Monica put down her pencil and smiled. “That must be hard. But being the youngest means you can learn cool stuff from me and the twins. You get to play and color while we have to do homework. And you know what else? There are some jobs that are perfect for you.”

Monica went to the pantry and got a box of cookie mix and a bag of chocolate kisses. “Your hands are just the right size to help me unwrap these kisses so Mama can make your favorite cookies!”