Sebastião's Sunny Lion

Sebastião loved his art studio more than anything. It was a sunny corner of his room where jars of paint glowed like jewels and the air smelled sweet like crayons and paper. With a brush in his hand, he felt like a magician, ready to create something wonderful. "Swish, swoosh, splat!" he would whisper, painting swirly blue skies and big, happy green trees.

Today, Sebastião had a grand idea. He wanted to paint the bravest animal of all: a lion! He painted a strong, sandy-colored body and a twitchy tail. But when it was time for the mane, he stopped. He wanted it to look like the real sun—a fiery, golden, magnificent mane. This had to be the best color he had ever mixed.

With a courageous heart, Sebastião dipped his brush into the sunny yellow and then a blob of brown. "Swish, swoosh, mix!" he chanted. But the color on his palette wasn't sunny at all. It was a gloomy, muddy brown. He added a little orange, then some more yellow, but it only got sludgier. "Oh, no," he sighed, his shoulders slumping. "It looks like a mud puddle, not a mane."

He almost put his brush down, but then he remembered what his mom always told him: "A brave heart just needs a fresh start." Sebastião took a deep breath. He washed his brush until it was sparkling clean and took out a fresh plate. He started with bright, happy yellow, and then added just a tiny, tiny dot of red. "Swish, swoosh, mix!" he whispered carefully. And there it was... the perfect, fiery, sun-gold!

With his new, perfect color, Sebastião painted the most magnificent mane a lion had ever seen. It flowed around the lion's face like a real golden sunrise. He stood back and looked at his masterpiece. He hadn't given up, and now he had a brave lion to prove it. He knew that even when things get muddy, a little bit of courage and trying again can help you paint your own sunshine.