 Jake was becoming a little more than sad that his sunflower was still the smallest. It had started to emerge from the compost a week before, but while all the other sunflowers were now pretty tall, Jakes’ was still a tiny baby of a plant.
Jake looked around to make sure nobody could see or hear him. He whispered to his sunflower, “My Nan told me she talks to all her plants. She says that plants grow faster when humans talk to them. I don’t know if it’s true and I feel really silly talking to you, but if you can hear me, please, please can you hurry up and grow?”
 “I am trying to grow, you know,” said the Sunflower suddenly. Jake just couldn’t believe his eyes! His baby sunflower had a face. It had eyes, a nose and a mouth! And it was talking to him!
“I am trying my bestest,” the sunflower continued with a sniff. “How do you think I feel? Surrounded by all my brothers and sisters who are way taller than I am. How do you think I like it?”
Jake was speechless.
The sunflower folded her arms crossly. “Take my ‘little sis’ Palermo, for example,” and the baby sunflower nodded over towards Ben’s sunflower in the corner of the garden. “Only, she’s not so little any more! Palermo is tall and proud with thick glossy leaves and strong golden petals. And look at me! All wimpy and small!”
Jake didn’t know what to say…
“And then there are my brothers, Eddichio and Feelo. Look at them, all grand and full of themselves! And over there is my other sister, Petal. Look how she sways in the wind with confidence and grace. How I wish I were like her!”
Jake knew what he had to do. He had to make his sunflower feel good about herself. Then perhaps she may grow as big as her brothers and sisters!
But before he could speak, the baby sunflower started to cry. And then bawl. And before he knew it, she was crying and bawling so much that her tears began to flood her little pot.
 “Don’t cry,” said Jake. “You don’t have to be tall like all the others. You have many good things about you as you are now.”
The sunflower sniffed and mopped up the tears with her petals from the end of her nose.
“Well…” said Jake, thoughtfully. “You’re clever for a start. You’re talking to me, a human, after all. I bet your family can’t do that.”
The sunflower thought about this and had to agree with Jake. “Ok. And?”
“And you’re sensitive,” Jake added. “It’s ok to cry, you know. It shows you have feelings.”
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