Sandy was a small sea turtle who lived on a beautiful beach in Florida. Every year, her family traveled hundreds of miles across the ocean to find food and stay warm. Sandy had never made the long journey before, and she was scared.
"What if I get lost?" Sandy asked her mother. "What if I can't swim fast enough?"
Her mother smiled. "You are stronger than you think, Sandy. Just follow the other turtles and trust yourself."
The journey was hard. Strong currents pushed Sandy off course. She got tired and wanted to give up. But she remembered her mother's words and kept swimming. When a big wave separated her from the group, Sandy used the stars to find her way, just like her grandmother had taught her.
After many weeks, Sandy finally arrived at the warm waters where her family spent the winter. She had made it! Her mother found her and wrapped her flipper around Sandy.
"I knew you could do it," her mother said proudly. "You are braver than you know."
Sandy smiled. She had learned that even when things are scary, you can do hard things if you don't give up.
Butterflies go through an amazing change called metamorphosis. This change has four stages that transform a tiny egg into a beautiful flying insect.
First, a butterfly lays tiny eggs on a leaf. The eggs are smaller than a grain of rice. Inside each egg, a caterpillar is growing.
Second, the egg hatches and out comes a hungry caterpillar. The caterpillar eats and eats and eats. It eats so much that it grows too big for its skin and has to shed it several times. This stage can last a few weeks.
Third, when the caterpillar is big enough, it forms a hard shell called a chrysalis. Inside this shell, something magical happens. The caterpillar's body completely changes over about two weeks.
Finally, a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis! At first, its wings are wet and crumpled. The butterfly pumps fluid into its wings and waits for them to dry. Then it flies away to start the cycle all over again.