Zebra in the mirror

One sunny day, a zebra was standing near a sparkling lake. She loved to look at her reflection in the clear water. She admired her beautiful black and white stripes. They made her feel unique and special. The zebra felt very happy.

But one day, some animals made mean comments about her stripes. 'Why do you have stripes like that?' they asked. 'They look so strange!' The zebra started to feel sad. She began to doubt her own beauty.

As she looked in the lake again, her stripes didn't seem as beautiful anymore. She saw them as ugly and silly. The zebra felt very upset. She wished she could change how she looked. She turned away from the lake, feeling very sad.

Just then, a wise old owl flew down to the zebra. 'Why are you sad?' asked the owl. The zebra told him about the mean remarks. The owl said, 'Your stripes make you unique. Don't let others' words change how you see yourself.' The zebra smiled and felt happy again, realizing she was special just the way she was.