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Inside Tommy's brightly lit bedroom, toys and books scatter across the carpet as Tommy the T-Rex sits in the center, tiny arms hanging and a sigh on his face.
Tommy T-Rex loved to play! He pulled out his toys, his blocks, and his books. He tossed his ball and knocked over his crayons. Soon his room was a HUGE mess! Toys covered the floor. Books lay everywhere. Tommy looked around and sighed. "My room is too messy," he said. "But my arms are so tiny! How can I clean this up?" Tommy sat down and felt sad. His little arms dangled at his sides.
In the same bedroom, daylight streaming through the window, a stegosaurus with light green skin and orange plates peeks around the door while Tommy the T-Rex holds a red block in his mouth above an open toy box.
Tommy's friend Stacy Stegosaurus peeked through the door. "What's wrong, Tommy?" she asked. Tommy pointed at the mess with his tiny arm. "I can't clean up. My arms are too small!" Stacy smiled. "I'll teach you a trick! We'll say a chant together. Pick it up, put it back! Pick it up, put it back!" Tommy tried it. "Pick it up, put it back!" He picked up one block with his mouth and put it in the toy box. "It works!" Tommy cheered.
On the bedroom floor under afternoon light, Tommy the T-Rex nudges a book with his nose while chanting, and the stegosaurus with light green skin and orange plates sweeps scattered crayons toward a wooden crate with her tail.
Tommy kept going. "Pick it up, put it back!" He nudged a book with his nose. "Pick it up, put it back!" He pushed crayons with his foot. Stacy helped too. Together they chanted, "Pick it up, put it back! Pick it up, put it back!" They worked as a team. Tommy used his mouth, his nose, and his feet. His tiny arms didn't matter anymore! One by one, the toys went away. The room looked better and better. Tommy felt proud.
In the now tidy bedroom lit by warm sunset, Tommy the T-Rex stands proudly beside neatly stacked shelves, while the stegosaurus with light green skin and orange plates claps her plates happily near the doorway.
Soon the room was clean! Tommy looked around and smiled big. "I did it! Even with my tiny arms!" Stacy clapped her plates. "You learned that you can do hard things," she said. Tommy nodded. "Pick it up, put it back! That's the trick!" Now Tommy knew cleaning wasn't so hard. He could use his mouth, nose, and feet. "Thanks for helping me, Stacy," Tommy said. "Anytime, friend!" From that day on, Tommy kept his room tidy. And he always sang his chant!