Once upon a time, there lived a group of numbers who lived in a magical land called Numberland. One day, the numbers decided to have a race to see who was the fastest. The numbers lined up at the starting line and were ready to go.

Two was feeling confident because he was always the first one to finish any race. One was feeling nervous because she wasn't sure if she was fast enough. Nine was feeling sleepy because she stayed up too late counting stars the night before. Eight was feeling excited because she loved to race. Ten was feeling proud because she was the biggest number there.

When the race started, Two took off like a rocket, but soon Four overtook him. Four was a quick runner, but he had a funny gait that made everyone laugh. Seven was right behind Four, and he was determined to win. Three was running fast, but he kept tripping on his own legs. Five was hopping along, trying to keep up with the other numbers.

Six was feeling left out because he was the slowest of them all. But, just as he was about to give up, he had an idea. He started to do a silly dance and sang a funny song as he ran. To everyone's surprise, Six was having so much fun that he started to run faster and faster.

Soon, Six had passed all the other numbers and crossed the finish line first. The other numbers were amazed and cheered for Six. They realized that having fun and enjoying the race was more important than winning.

From that day on, the numbers had races every week, and they all had a blast. And every time they had a race, Six would sing his silly song and dance, and everyone would have a good time.

The End.

Reflections

1. Who won the race in the story?
2. Why do you think Six was able to run faster than the other numbers?
3. What lesson did the numbers learn from the race?
4. How did having fun affect the outcome of the race?
5. What would you have done if you were in Six's place?
6. Do you think it's more important to win or have fun in a race? Why?
7. How do you think the numbers felt when they finished the race?
8. If you could have a race with any number, which one would you choose and why?
9. Can you think of a silly song that you can sing while running a race?
10. Why do you think the story is called "The Surprising Champion"?