The Magical Land of Birthdays

by Amirah Kassem

  That’s when she noticed something odd: a driftwood sign in the shape of an arrow. It had a single word carved on it: HOME.

  “Was that there before?” Amirah asked, confused.

  “I . . . don’t think so,” Mei replied. “But . . . maybe we just didn’t notice it.”

  “Maybe,” Amirah said—but she didn’t sound convinced.

  “How can one sign lead to home for all of us?” Elvis asked. “We couldn’t live farther apart if we tried!”

  “I don’t know,” Amirah said. “But I trust the Magical Land of Birthdays. It’s always sent us in the right direction before.”

  When she started walking toward the sign, the other B-Buds joined her. They followed a series of driftwood arrows, chatting eagerly about all the birthday fun that would be waiting for them when they got home. When they reached the top of one of the taller dunes, Amirah stopped suddenly.

  “Look,” she said, pointing. “Is that it? Is that our way home?”

  Down on the sand, there was a merry-go-round, with shiny silver poles and ribbon streamers that fluttered in the breeze. It had six sections: one purple, one blue, one green, one orange, one yellow, and one pink.

  “Just like the colors of the rainbow,” Amirah breathed.

  “I bet we’re supposed to hop on the section that’s our favorite color,” Mei said.

  Amirah knew Mei was right and that the pink section was meant for her. But then she realized there were two extra sections on the merry-go-round. Who were the orange and yellow sections for?

  “You three get on and hold on tight,” Elvis told them. “I’ll give us a big push.”

  “But how will you get home?” Olivia asked.

  “Once it’s spinning fast, I’ll jump on,” he replied. “Everyone ready?”

  “Yes!” chorused Amirah, Mei, and Olivia.

  “Then here we go!” Elvis said. He grabbed one of the poles and started to run. The merry-go-round moved slowly at first, but soon it started to pick up speed. Elvis’s determined face turned red as he struggled to keep up.

  “Come on, Elvis!” Mei called.

  “Jump on—before it’s too late!” Amirah added.

  With one last burst of speed, Elvis leaped onto the merry-go-round and grasped the silver pole with both hands, landing on the green section. Amirah sighed in relief. Then she threw back her head and laughed with joy!

  “Happy birthday, B-Buds!” Amirah shouted.

  “Happy birthday!” she heard her B-Buds shout back.

  The merry-go-round was spinning faster, faster, faster . . . The colors blurred into a swirling rainbow that shattered into so many pieces . . .

  Hundreds and thousands, Amirah thought as everything grew so bright that finally, she had to shut her eyes.

  When she opened them again, she was all alone.

  And she was home.

  “I’m back,” Amirah whispered. “I’m back!”

  She was in her bedroom. The curtains were closed; she couldn’t tell if it was night or day. How much time had passed, exactly? Amirah tapped her temples as she tried to remember. She and Mama had just finished making her special cake . . . Amirah’s Birthday Cake from The Power of Sprinkles . . .

  I didn’t miss it, did I? Amirah suddenly worried. What if she’d spent her entire birthday in the Magical Land of Birthdays?

  Amirah sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her head felt a little fuzzy. Had it all been a dream? Had she slept through her entire birthday? What if it was over, and she’d have to wait a whole year for it to come again?

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” Amirah said eagerly.

  It was Mama. Amirah’s rainbow-striped party dress was draped over her arm. “Ironed and ready for you, princess!” Mama announced. “You’ll have just enough time to get ready before the guests arrive.”

  “Thank you!” Amirah cried. “I can’t wait for my birthday party!”

  Mama smiled. “Neither can I,” she replied as she raised the shades on the window and sunlight flooded into the room. “Everyone is going to love your special cake.”

  Amirah grinned back at her mother. “I can’t wait for everyone to see the special surprise inside,” she said. “All those hundreds and thousands!”

  “Hundreds and thousands?” Mama asked.

  “Oh—that’s what they call sprinkles in Australia,” Amirah explained. “Speaking of sprinkles, I need a refill. My container is emp . . .”

  As Amirah took her sprinkle stash out of her pocket, though, her voice trailed off.

  It was filled to the brim.

  A little magic from the Magical Land of Birthdays, she thought as she returned it to her pocket.

  “That reminds me,” Mama said. “I have a little present for you. I wanted to give it to you now, before everyone gets here . . .”

  Mama’s eyes were twinkling as she held out a golden box tied with a big bow.

  “Oooh, my first birthday present!” Amirah said. “Thank you, Mama! What is it?”

  “Open it and find out,” Mama replied.

  Amirah perched on the end of her bed and carefully untied the bow. When she lifted the lid of the box, Amirah was left speechless by the special gift nestled in the tissue paper.

  “Oh, Mama,” she finally whispered.

  Amirah reached into the box and pulled out the most gorgeous tiara she’d ever seen. It was covered with tiny crystals that glittered as they caught the light, casting rainbows around the room like so many sprinkles. It was the very center of the tiara, though, that left Amirah too stunned to speak. A unicorn made of gemstones—the mirror image of Cara, right down to the golden horn and rainbow mane—was the centerpiece. Amirah stared at it and remembered, in dazzling detail, every moment of her incredible adventure in the Magical Land of Birthdays. When she had first woken up, she was almost sure it had only been a dream, but now she felt just as sure it wasn’t. And then another thought popped into her head. Did Mama know about the Magical Land of Birthdays and Cara the Unicorn?

  “I know it’s different than all of your other birthday tiaras,” Mama said. “But it just seemed so perfect for you—perfect in every way—magical, even . . .”

  Amirah looked up fast. “Did you say magical? How did you know?” she asked, tracing her finger across the unicorn’s sparkly gems.

  “Know what?” Mama asked.

  “That I would love it,” Amirah replied.

  Smiling warmly, Mama reached over and pulled Amirah into a hug. “I just had a feeling, princess. I’m glad I was right.”

  As Amirah hugged her mother back, she still wasn’t sure if she really did know about Cara the Unicorn or not. If Mama did know about Cara—if she knew about the Magical Land of Birthdays—if she knew the truth about The Power of Sprinkles—

  “Here,” Mama said. “Let me help you put it on.”

  Amirah sat very still as Mama smoothed back her curls. Then Mama carefully positioned the tiara on Amirah’s head. It was not as heavy as she expected. Instead, the beautiful tiara felt just right.

  Amirah walked across the room to look in the mirror. As she moved, the tiara didn’t budge, not even a fraction of an inch.

  When she saw her reflection, Amirah couldn’t help but smile. She knew she’d spend days—weeks—maybe even months—recalling the memories of her incredible adventures in the Magical Land of Birthdays with her B-Buds. She still had so many questions. There were still so many things that didn’t make sense.

  Then again, Amirah realized, maybe she didn’t need to fully understand. Maybe that was part of what made it so special. After all, today was her birthday.

  And birthdays are magic!

  THE BIRTHDAY FUN ISN’T OVER!

  Keep reading for baking tips and activities that will help you to keep living the birthday lifestyle!

  BAKING TIPS FROM AMIRAH!

  Food coloring is a great way to create bright, beautiful colors for icing your cakes. But remember that less is more when it comes to food col
oring! You can always add more color, but you can’t take color away.

  To create the perfect shade of blue frosting, start with just a few drops of blue food coloring in white icing and then stir to see how rich the color is, knowing you can always add more, one drop at a time, until you achieve the perfect color!

  Icing is sticky, so you can use it like glue! Want to affix a unicorn horn made of an ice cream cone or some mouse ears made out of cookies to the top of your cake? Icing works great. Not to mention that it tastes delicious!

  Sketch out your perfect cake before you decorate it so that you have a “map” to follow while decorating. This way, you can decide in advance where you want certain elements to go without having to worry about running out of room to complete your design.

  Measure carefully! Baking is a science, so you want to be exact and make sure to measure your ingredients precisely!

  How many flavors of birthday cake have you tried? List them!

  Now list all the birthday cake flavors you would LIKE to try!

  In the story, Olivia is planning a mermaid-themed birthday party, while Amirah’s birthday party will have a unicorn theme. What are the best birthday party themes you can think of? List them!

  From the best birthday party themes you listed on the previous page, choose your absolute favorite theme. Now imagine that you have to create your own birthday party with that theme. What decorations will you make? What foods will you serve? What else will you do to make your party special?

  What’s your best birthday memory? Write about it!

  Now write about something you have done to make someone else’s birthday special. It’s okay if it hasn’t happened yet—you can also use this space to plan a birthday surprise for someone special!

  One of Amirah’s favorite birthday traditions is the pancake breakfast her Baba makes for her. Do you have a favorite birthday tradition? Write about it! If not, write about a birthday tradition you would like to have!

  In the story, Elvis is really good at playing music, and Mei is really good at gymnastics. What’s the thing you are really good at? Write about it.

  Who are your B-Buds? Do you know anyone from school or your family who is a B-Bud? If not, ask your parent or caregiver to help you research online or at the library to find out who some of your famous B-Buds might be. List their names.

  What does your dream birthday cake look like? Draw a picture of it!

  What was your favorite part of the Magical Land of Birthdays? The Party Hat Mountains, Candle Cave, Rainbow Forest, or Celebration Shore? Draw a picture of how it looks in your imagination.

  Amirah and her B-Buds have not explored all of the Magical Land of Birthdays yet. Imagine a new part of the land they have not seen yet, like Sparkle City. What does it look like? Draw a picture of it!

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