1. The New House

Alice stood in the doorway of her new house.

She looked out at the street. The street looked back at her.

Everything was too quiet. The houses were too tall. The sky felt too big.

Alice's tummy felt funny. Not like butterflies. Like a stone.

She did not want to move her feet.

Mama came and stood behind her. She wrapped her arms around Alice in a warm, tight hug.

"It's okay to feel scared," Mama said softly.

"I don't know anybody," Alice said.

"I know," said Mama. "You don't have to do it all at once. Just one small step."

Alice looked down at her feet. She had on her red shoes. She could see the welcome mat. She could see the porch step. She could see the path going down toward the street.

One small step.

She lifted her right foot. Her tummy still felt like a stone. But she put her foot down — on the other side of the door.

She was outside.

Her heart went thump, thump, thump.

But she was outside.

That was step one.

2. Someone in a Hurry

Alice walked very slowly down the path.

The street was wide and still. Her feet went crunch, crunch on the gravel.

Then — whoooosh.

Something small and brown rushed past her. It wore a tiny blue waistcoat. It had long white ears. It was muttering.

"Late, late, terribly late—"

Alice stopped. She watched it go.

Her mouth stayed shut.

But then she thought: *one small step.*

"Hello!" she called out.

Her voice came out wobbly. A little squeaky. But it came out.

The small creature skidded to a stop. His ears flopped forward. He turned around and blinked his pink eyes at her.

"Oh!" he said. "A new face! How do you do?"

He grabbed her hand with both his tiny paws and shook it up and down, up and down.

"Lovely to meet you! Must dash! Very late! Goodbye!"

And then he was gone.

Alice stood very still. She looked at her hand. She could still feel the warmth of his little paws.

Her chest felt different now. A little lighter. A little less like a stone.

She had said hello.

That was step two.

3. The Girl at the Gate

Alice kept walking.

Then she stopped.

On top of a low garden wall sat a girl. She had a small brown dog on her lap. She was humming a little song to herself.

Alice's feet did not want to move.

*What if she doesn't want to talk?* Alice thought. Her tummy felt tight.

She almost turned back.

But then she heard Mama's voice in her head. *One small step.*

Alice looked down at her feet.

She took one small step closer.

Then she took another.

The girl looked up. Her eyes were warm and brown. Her dog's tail went thump-thump-thump against the wall.

The girl gave a big, wide grin.

"I like your shoes," she said.

Alice looked down at her shoes. They were just ordinary shoes.

But she felt warm all the way to her toes.

"Do you want to see where the really good puddles are?" the girl asked.

Alice laughed. A real laugh. It came out before she could stop it.

"Yes," she said. "I really do."

"I'm Dorothy," said the girl, jumping down.

Alice smiled. "I'm Alice."

That was step three.

4. The Big Puddle

Dorothy ran ahead, her little dog bounding at her heels.

"This way!" she called. "It's a good one!"

Alice ran too. Her feet went slap-slap on the wet path.

Then she saw it.

The puddle was huge. It was wide and brown and wonderful. It sat right under the big oak tree, and it looked very, very deep.

Alice felt her tummy do a happy flip.

"Ready?" said Dorothy.

"Ready," said Alice.

They jumped in together. Mud flew up. It splashed their legs and their coats and their chins. They both screamed and laughed and screamed some more.

Then a window flew open above them.

"Room for one more?"

A girl with bright red pigtails was leaning out. Her eyes were shining.

Before Alice could even feel shy, the girl had climbed down and landed — SPLASH — right in the middle of the puddle.

Mud went everywhere.

"I'm Anne," she said, wiping a brown splodge off her nose. "I talk a LOT. Fair warning."

Alice grinned. Her whole face felt warm and wide.

"I'm Alice," she said.

Her name came out clear and strong. It sounded just right.

That was step four.

5. All the Way Home

The sun turned orange and big.

It was time to go in.

Alice walked back down the path. Her shoes made squelchy sounds. Mud was all over her socks. Her cheeks felt warm and glowy.

She counted in her head.

Step one: she stepped off the porch.

Step two: she said hello.

Step three: she walked closer.

Step four: she jumped in.

Step five: she said her name.

Five small steps. That was all.

Mama was waiting at the door. She looked at Alice's muddy shoes. She looked at Alice's warm, happy face.

"How was it?" Mama asked.

Alice thought for a moment.

"I didn't know what was coming," she said. "But I just kept going. One step at a time."

Mama smiled a big, slow smile. She pulled Alice into a hug.

Alice could smell Mama's soft jumper. She felt safe.

"That," said Mama, "is exactly what brave looks like."

Alice held on tight.

Tomorrow there would be more new things. She didn't know what they were yet.

But she knew what to do.

One small step.

And then the next.