Two Little Seeds
In a sunny garden, tucked safely into the soil, lay two little seeds. One was round and smooth. The other was small and wrinkly.
“Hello,” said the round seed. “I wonder what we’ll become.”
“Maybe flowers,” said the wrinkly seed. “Or trees! I can’t wait to find out.”
Above them, the sun warmed the ground. Raindrops fell gently, and the earth whispered, Grow, little ones. Grow.
The First Sprout
After just a few days, the round seed pushed up a tiny green shoot. “Look! I’m growing already!” it cheered.
The wrinkly seed wiggled but stayed below. “I’m trying,” it said softly, “but I’m not ready yet.”
The round seed stretched taller each morning. Soon it had two shiny leaves that waved in the breeze. “I’m fast and strong,” it boasted. “You’re still sleeping.”
The wrinkly seed felt small. “Maybe I’ll never grow,” it whispered.
Slow but Steady
Weeks passed. The round seed grew into a proud young plant, with bright leaves that caught the sun. The wrinkly seed still waited in the dark soil, soaking in water drop by drop.
Then one morning, at last, a tiny sprout peeked through the dirt. “Hello, world,” the wrinkly seed said shyly.
“You’re so late!” laughed the taller plant.
But the new sprout didn’t mind. “I grew at my own pace,” it said. “And that’s okay.”
Different Paths
As summer warmed the garden, the first plant grew wide and leafy. Soon it burst into bright yellow flowers. Bees buzzed happily from bloom to bloom.
The smaller plant grew slowly but steadily, its stem sturdy and strong. No flowers appeared—just thick leaves reaching toward the sky.
The taller plant teased, “Where are your flowers? Everyone admires mine!”
The smaller plant answered gently, “I don’t need to be just like you. I’ll grow into something different.”
A Big Surprise
One autumn morning, the tall plant’s flowers began to fade. Its petals drooped, and its leaves grew thin. The plant sighed. “I was beautiful, but my season is ending.”
Meanwhile, the smaller plant kept growing. At its top, tiny green pods appeared. Day by day, they swelled, until—pop!—big, shiny beans dangled from its branches.
Children ran into the garden. “Look!” they cried. “The beans are ready to pick!” They filled a basket with food to share at home.
The tall plant smiled. “Now I understand. We had different gifts. Mine was to bring beauty for a while. Yours is to feed and nourish.”
The smaller plant nodded. “We both grew side by side, and both of us were important.”
What They Learned
That night, the garden was quiet under the stars. The two plants whispered to each other in the cool air.
“We were planted together,” said the tall plant. “But we grew in our own ways.”
“And both ways mattered,” said the bean plant. “Because every seed has its own story.”
The two plants swayed gently, proud of what they had become. And in the soil beneath them, new little seeds waited for their turn to grow—each with a story of its own.
The End.
If you’d like to learn more about how seeds grow into different plants, visit National Geographic Kids: The life cycle of flowering plants.
Looking for another values-based bedtime read? Try The Plant That Needed Water Every Day, a gentle story about responsibility.
Make bedtime feel extra cozy — visit our Bedtime Shop for glowing nightlights, cuddly plush friends, and enchanting storybooks that help little dreamers drift off with a smile.
