Story by Nancy Battista Morgan
Illustrations by Holly Bell

Cory was a boy who liked to tell a story.

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Sometimes Cory told stories about monsters and adventure heroes. Cory was always the bravest person in the story.

If Cory knocked something over, he told a story about someone else pushing him. Cory didn’t always tell the truth.

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Cory’s friends never knew if his stories were real or not, so they stopped believing him.

Soon Cory’s friend’s stopped playing with him.

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One day, when Cory made a mistake, the teacher asked him to tell the true story.

Cory told the teacher what really happened. The teacher said, “Sometimes, it’s good to use your imagination. But other times, people want to hear the real story. It’s important to tell the truth.”

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Cory still liked to tell his friends a funny story.

But when it was important, Cory always told the real story.

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When Cory told the truth, he felt good about himself.