YOUNG FLOWERS

As summer came to an end, all of the flowers in the garden wanted to know which flower was the best:

The pink roses said, "We are the best because we were the first flowers to bloom in the spring."

The white daisies said, "Oh no, we are the best because we have pretty flowers all summer long."

The big yellow mums said, "Don't be silly, we are the best because we are the last flowers to bloom in the autumn."

Each flower argued that they were the best. But when people came to see the garden, they stopped. All the flowers were quiet and looked very proud so people would say that they were the best.

One day the gardener came into the garden. The pink roses fluffed their petals so that they would look best. All of the white daisies stood up tall so they would look the best. The yellow mums beamed in the sunlight so that they would look the best. All the flowers were sure that the gardener would say they were the best. But the gardener only smiled and said, "Look at all of my pretty flowers!"

The gardener took a basket and began to put the pink roses into it. The roses were sure they were special because they were picked first. But the daisies just laughed at the roses, "Ha-ha! You are not pretty enough to stay in the garden."

Next the gardener put some daisies in the basket and the mums began to laugh, "Told you! We are the best because we are the only flowers left in the garden."

Finally the gardener put the mums into the basket. Again, all the flowers began to fight over who was the best
When the gardener got to the house, he began to put all of the beautiful flowers into a vase. First he put the pink roses into the vase, remembering that they were the first flowers to bloom in the spring. Next he put the yellow daisies into the vase and thought how wonderful to see them every day when he walked in the garden. Finally he put the mums into the vase; he was very excited to finally see the autumn flowers. He had been waiting all summer to see them.

The gardener put the vase on the table and said, "I have the prettiest bouquet of flowers. Alone each flower is the best, but together they look perfect!"

Suddenly the flowers realized that all along each one was the best that they could be. But it wasn't until the gardener made a bouquet of all of the flowers together that they became something special. At last all the flowers were happy.