

Raya loved sparkles, sneakers, science, and snacks.

One sunny day at the park, a kid said,
"Your hair is so puffy. Why don’t you make it flat?"

Later, someone else pointed and said,
“You’re too short to be a princess!”

And at school, a whisper floated by:
“You’re not skinny enough to be a ballerina.”

Raya looked in the mirror.
Maybe she needed to change.

She tried flattening her curls. It didn’t feel like her.

She tiptoed like a ballerina. Her toes were tired!

She stood on her tippy toes to be taller.
Still Raya-sized.

That night, Titi Abri tucked her in.
“Why the long face, bug?”

Raya told her everything.
Titi Abri smiled and said,
"Raya, your curls, your size, your sparkle—it's all you. And you look just right.”

Raya looked in the mirror again.
She saw her hair, her eyes, her legs, her light.
And she smiled.

The next day, Raya wore glittery sneakers and fairy wings.
She twirled, ran, and laughed.
And she whispered to herself, “I look just right.”