Amal was sitting on her little red chair, playing with her colorful blocks. 'One, two, three,' she counted cheerfully.

She stacked the blocks high, counting each one. 'Four, five, six,' until the tower was done.

Amal's stack tumbled down with a jolly blast. She giggled and said, 'Let's try that fast!'

Quickly she built, 'Seven, eight!' Amal said. 'Add one more, and it’s...' Amal pondered, tapping her head.

'Nine!' she exclaimed with her frizzy hair bouncing. 'Numbers are fun!' she affirmed, announcing.

Outside, Amal found ten shiny stones in a line. 'If I take away two, how many are mine?'

She removed the stones with her tiny hand, then counted the rest that were left on the land.

'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight. Taking two away makes it less, that’s straight!'

Amal saw birds in the sky, flying in pairs. 'Two, four, six,' she counted. 'They fly without cares!'

At home, Mom baked cookies and placed them in rows. 'If there are three rows of three, how many, do you suppose?'

Amal peered at the cookies, her eyes opened wide. 'Three plus three plus three, that’s how I decide!'

After counting the cookies, Amal jumped with glee. 'Nine cookies to eat, or share – we shall see!'