There was a little girl named Sarah who was very curious. She always had two questions for everything: "Why?" and "What if?"
If her mom said, "Sarah, eat your vegetables," Sarah would ask, "Why?"
"Because they make you strong."
"What if I don't want to be strong? What if I want to be soft like a marshmallow?"
If her teacher said, "The sun rises in the east," Sarah would ask, "Why?"
"Because the Earth spins that way."
"What if the Earth decided to spin the other way? Would the sun rise in the west?"
Everyone called her the "Why and What If" girl. Sometimes people got tired of her questions, but Sarah didn't care. She wanted to know everything.
One day, she was walking in the park and saw a big sign: "DO NOT WALK ON THE GRASS."
"Why?" she asked herself. "Is the grass sleeping? Is it ticklish?"
Then she asked, "What if I walk on it? Will it bite me?"
She carefully put one foot on the grass. Nothing happened. She put the other foot. Still nothing. She started dancing on the grass. "See? Nothing happened!"
Suddenly, a park ranger came over. "Hey! Can't you read the sign?"
"I can," said Sarah. "But why can't I walk on the grass?"
"Because," said the ranger, "we just planted new seeds. If you walk on them, they won't grow into beautiful flowers."
"Oh!" said Sarah. "Why didn't the sign say that?"
"That's a good question," said the ranger.
"What if," Sarah said, "you made a sign that said, 'Baby Seeds Sleeping - Please Be Quiet with Your Feet'?"
The ranger laughed. "That's a great idea!"
So they made a new sign together. Sarah learned that asking "Why" helps you understand the rules, and asking "What if" helps you make things better. And she never stopped asking questions.
