“I need to take a sock to school,” Charlene told her mother. “We’re going to make puppets for the puppet show.”

Her mother dug through the rag drawer and pulled out an old sock. It was grayish-green and had a big hole in the middle of the heel.

“I don’t want that one!” said Charlene. “It has a big hole.”

“Then use one of your own socks, Charlene,” her mother said.

Charlene looked at the socks she was wearing. They were her favorites—bright orange with pink flowers. “I can’t use these!” she said and pushed the old gray-green sock into her backpack.

At school, she saw the other kids’ socks lying on their desks. Every sock looked brand-new. Not one had a hole. All were soft and fluffy.

Charlene hid her old torn sock under her sweater while Mrs. Lewis set out trays filled with pretty decorations. There were small round eyes that jiggled, colored ribbons, buttons, and gold sequins.

Charlene didn’t want anyone to see her old sock. There wasn’t an animal that ever looked so ugly and had such a big mouth. Or was there?

Charlene grabbed a long yellow ribbon to make a tongue and the biggest pair of googly eyes she could find. Then she glued some sequins on the back of the sock.

Last, she found a small black pompom, glued two gold sequins on to look like wings, and made a bug.

In one hand, Charlene held up her new puppet, its mouth wide open. In the other sat the little black fly with golden wings.

“Watch this,” said Charlene.

Snap! Slurp! Charlene’s frog puppet ate the fly. The fly went right into the hole in the frog’s mouth.

“Wow!” said her classmates. No one else’s puppet had a mouth.

“It’s a hungry sock puppet!” said Charlene.

Everyone laughed and started poking holes in their socks, too.