Paper

Hello. I am Paper. I am smooth and flat, and I love holding your beautiful drawings and wonderful stories. Before I was here, it was very hard for people to share their ideas. They had to write on heavy things like big pieces of wood or bumpy stones. Can you imagine trying to carry a stone to your friend to show them a picture? It was so heavy. People needed a friend like me who was light and easy to share. They needed someone who loved to hold onto colorful crayon marks and happy little scribbles. That is why I was born.

Then, a very, very long time ago in a faraway land called China, a kind and clever man named Cai Lun had a brilliant idea. On a sunny day in the year 105, he decided to make me. He took mushy bits from trees and soft old rags from clothes. He mixed them all together with water in a big tub until it was a soupy, splashy puddle. It looked like a big bowl of oatmeal. He stirred it all up. Then, he took a little bit of the mushy mix and pressed it very, very flat. He laid me in the warm sunshine to dry. As the sun kissed me, I turned from a wet puddle into a smooth, white, wonderful sheet. I was me. I was Paper.

After I was born in China, I went on a big adventure. I traveled all over the whole wide world. I went on big boats and bumpy carts to meet new people. Everyone was so excited to have a light and easy friend to write on. I helped people share letters with their families and draw maps of new places. Today, I am here with you. I feel so happy when I get to hold your amazing drawings and your very first words. You fill me with color and joy. Together, we can tell stories and share ideas that make the world a brighter, happier place to be.