Ellie had just started preschool. Every morning, she walked into her classroom with her little backpack. There were lots of children playing. Some built tall towers. Some played with dolls. Some drew colorful pictures. But Ellie was very shy. She didn’t know how to ask, “Can I play too?” So Ellie usually went to her favorite shelf—the puzzle shelf.
Ellie loved puzzles. She loved finding the right pieces. “Here goes the blue one,” she whispered. “And here goes the little yellow star.” Every day, Ellie sat at the small table and built a puzzle all by herself.
One morning, Ellie chose her favorite puzzle. It had animals, trees, flowers, and a big bright sun. She put in one piece. Then another. And another. Soon, the puzzle was almost finished. But… one piece was missing! “Oh no,” said Ellie.
She looked under the table. No puzzle piece. She looked under her chair. No puzzle piece. She looked beside the toy box. Still no puzzle piece. Ellie saw some children nearby. She wanted to ask them for help. But she felt too shy.
So Ellie went to her teacher, Miss Mimi. “Miss Mimi,” Ellie said quietly, “I’m missing one puzzle piece.” Miss Mimi smiled. “I know someone who might like to help you.”
She took Ellie over to a girl named Monique. Monique was sitting on the carpet with a box of puzzles. “Monique loves puzzles too,” said Miss Mimi. Monique smiled at Ellie. “Do you want to look for it together?” Ellie smiled a tiny smile. “Yes, please.”
The two girls searched together. They looked near the books. They looked near the blocks. They looked inside the puzzle boxes.
Then Monique opened her puzzle box. And there it was! A little puzzle piece with a green leaf on it. “We found it!” cried Monique. Ellie laughed.
Together, they put the last piece into the puzzle. Click! It fit perfectly.
The next morning, Ellie came to preschool again. But this time, she didn’t sit at the puzzle table alone. Monique was waiting for her. “I saved this puzzle for us,” she said. Ellie smiled. And from that day on, the two friends built their puzzles… together. The End.
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