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One day, Clara was very upset when she came home from school. Her father asked, "What's wrong, Clara?"

"Evan invited me to his birthday party today, but I don't have a present for him," she sighed. "What should I do?"

"Well," said her dad, "it looks like you'll have to go find one yourself!"

So Clara, eyebrows still furrowed, went up to her room to find something for Evan.

When she got to her room, Clara gasped in surprise. It was a mess! There were clothes all over the floor, and her toybox lay in a heap of stuffed animals, doll furniture, and coloring books.

"I should clean up my room, then I might find a gift for Evan," thought Clara.

Flinging shirts onto hangers and markers into drawers, Clara picked up toy after toy until the floor was spotless. But none of the coloring pages or toy spatulas would make Evan smile.

With slumped shoulders, Clara made her way to the backyard in hopes of finding the perfect gift.

While outside, Clara thought Evan might like some apples from their tree. But the apples were all smushed on the ground!

"What about a soccer ball?" thought Clara. But the ball was deflated and didn't bounce anymore. The only thing left in the backyard were some mushrooms, and Clara had learned at school that some mushrooms are poisonous!

Clara realized she was out of time; the party would start soon. With a heavy sigh, she headed off to the party, with no gift to give.