Danny the dinosaur was a very happy dinosaur. He lived in a lush, green valley filled with tall trees and sparkling streams. Danny loved his valley! He thought it was the best valley in the whole wide world, and sometimes, he didn’t want anyone else to play in it with him. “It’s *my* valley!” he’d rumble in his little dinosaur voice.
One sunny morning, a small Triceratops named Tilly wandered into Danny’s valley. Tilly looked a little sad. “Hello,” she said shyly. “I was looking for a place to play, but all the other valleys are so crowded.” Danny puffed out his chest. “This is my valley,” he said. “I don’t want anyone else here.”
Tilly’s face fell. She turned to leave, but Danny felt a little pang in his heart. He watched Tilly walk away, and suddenly, his valley didn’t seem so fun anymore. It felt…lonely. He remembered how much *he* loved playing with his mama, and how happy it made him.
Danny hurried after Tilly. “Wait!” he called. Tilly turned around, surprised. “I… I didn’t mean to be unkind,” Danny said, looking at his feet. “Maybe… maybe we could play together?”
Tilly’s face lit up! “Really?” she asked. Danny nodded. “Really! We can build a big pile of leaves, and splash in the stream, and pretend to be brave explorers!” And so they did. They built the biggest leaf pile ever, and splashed and giggled in the cool water.
Danny discovered that playing with Tilly was much more fun than playing alone. He learned that sharing his valley didn’t make it smaller; it made it bigger and brighter! He learned that having a friend to share adventures with was the best feeling in the world.
As the sun began to set, Tilly thanked Danny for letting her play. “I had so much fun!” she said. “Me too!” replied Danny. He waved goodbye to Tilly, feeling warm and happy inside. His valley was still his special place, but now it was a special place for two. And that made it even more wonderful.
Danny snuggled down in his nest, thinking about his new friend. He closed his eyes, knowing that tomorrow would be another day filled with fun, friendship, and sharing. And that, he thought, was the best kind of day there could be. Sweet dreams!