Poppy’s Paper Garden

Poppy wants to make a garden picture. Grandad puts coloured paper on the table. “I can make the leaves,” she says.

She pulls at a green sheet. A jagged strip comes off. Poppy looks at its rough edge. “That is not a neat leaf.”

Grandad lays the strip on the big sheet. “What can you see?” he asks. Poppy turns it round. “Long grass!”

She tears more green strips. She lays them along the bottom. Some lean left and some lean right. Her garden begins to grow.

Poppy tears a round yellow piece. It is bumpy at the edge. She puts it above the grass. “A big flower,” she says.

She moves the pieces before using glue. The flower hides one strip. Poppy slides the strip out so it shows beside the flower.

Grandad holds the sheet while she presses the pieces down. Poppy smooths each one with her palm. The rough edges stay.

She shows him the garden. “It does not need neat leaves,” she says. “My grass can lean.” Grandad finds a place for it to dry.