Percy Pencil Finds His Purpose

Percy the Pencil lived in a bright yellow art box. There were many friends in the box like Ricky the Red Paint and Barry the Blue Brush. But Percy felt sad.

"I can only make lines," Percy sighed. "I can’t swirl and splatter like Barry. I can’t make bright colors like Ricky."

Barry the Blue Brush overheard Percy. "You’re just a plain old pencil," Barry giggled. "You can only make gray lines!" Ricky the Red Paint laughed too. Percy felt even sadder. He wished he could be like the others.

One sunny morning, Lily came to the art box. Lily loved to draw and paint. She picked up Percy first. Percy was scared. Oh no, she will put me back! Lily started to draw with Percy. She made careful lines on the paper. She drew a big circle and then some lines for grass.

Then, Lily picked up Ricky the Red Paint. She used Ricky to fill the circle with bright red. Next, she used Barry the Blue Brush to paint the grass a pretty blue-green. The colors stayed inside Percy’s lines. Lily smiled. “Thank you, Percy,” she said. “Your lines helped me make a beautiful picture!”

Percy felt warm inside. He might not swirl or splatter, but his lines were important. They helped the colors stay in place. He was not just a plain old pencil. He was Percy, the pencil that helped make art! From that day on, Percy was happy to be himself.