The Shark Who Smiled

Part One

Shay was a young shark with a big, wide smile. Shay loved to swim and look at the reef.

One morning, Shay bumped a rock. Pop! A tooth came out and sank down to the sand.

Shay looked at the tooth. "Oh no!" said Shay. "My teeth are falling out!"

Shay swam to the old shark, Nana. Nana was resting in the shade of a rock.

"Nana, I lost a tooth," said Shay. "Will I have a gap in my smile for good?"

Nana laughed a big, slow laugh. "A shark loses teeth all its life," she said. "New ones grow in."

"Look," said Nana. She opened her mouth wide. Shay saw a new tooth, just coming in.

"You will get a new tooth, too," said Nana. "A shark's smile always comes back."

Shay felt much better. Shay swam fast, with loops and flips. The little fish swam all around.

Soon a new tooth came in, right in the gap. Shay smiled the biggest smile on the reef.