Austin the Alligator lives in a wetland, a swamp to be precise. Many other animals live in the swamp. It's the perfect place for reptiles, amphibians, fish, and birds. Swamps are filled with trees which give the animals a home and food, as well as adding oxygen to the air.

All the animals living in the swamp have a special power. It is the power of adaptation that helps them to survive. Austin's charm and his natural strength gave him many friends, but his special power was his gray color that helped him blend into his environment. Austin thought that his appearance made him look ugly, and he wanted a new power so badly!

Austin asked his parents for new powers on his birthday. His parents did not promise him anything, but asked Austin to talk to his friends and find out what their powers were so Austin would know what power he really wanted.

One day, Austin got up really early in the morning and went to see his best friend Summer, a frog with golden skin. Summer is a good climber. Her climbing skills help her escape from her enemies. She can also breathe through her skin. This way, she can get more oxygen into her lungs, and stay underwater longer.

Austin wrote down Summer's power in his notebook. "That is so cool," Austin thought, "Summer could breathe through her skin!" Austin could hold his own breath for up to two hours, and believed he had the world record for the longest breath. Only after this he learned that Summer could hold her breath for more than a day when she hibernates in the winter.

Austin then went to find his friend Nick, a type of bird called a snipe. Nick has a very long bill, and brown feathers. He uses his beak to grab insects such as flies and beetles. Nick also likes to eat earthworms, snails, and sometimes even plants. Nick's brown feathers let him blend into the swamp to hide from bad guys. Austin realized that sometimes your color can be very helpful.

Austin visited another feathery friend, a bird named Jenny who was a black-winged stilt. Jenny has super long legs to help her walk through the high waters of the swamp. Jenny also has night vision so she can catch food, even on windy, moonless nights.

Still wondering about his own powers, Austin stumbled on Bob, the boat-billed heron. Austin asked him about his survival skills in the wetland. "I had never really thought about it before," said Bob, "But I think my power is to use my broad beak for scooping up fish and shrimp from the water."

Having talked to all his friends, Austin went to Old Man Jim the cypress tree for some advice. Old Man Jim said nothing about the power of adaptiation, nor did he tell Austin what to do. Instead, the old tree told Austin a story that happened long ago. "When I was young, I didn't like the knees on my roots," the old tree began.

"They looked bumpy, and my friends often made fun of me. Years passed, and I still hadn't gotten over my problem. That was, until a windy year caused the water to be very low in oxygen. If I hadn't used my knees, my roots wouldn't have been able to breathe! My knees and roots also helped to to stay steady, so I wasn't knocked down by the wind.

Old Man Jim talked a long time about his early feelings for his ugly looking knees. He didn't change his mind until that very windy storm made him appreciate the power of his knees. In the end, the tree told Austin that survival was more important than appearance. He told Austin to find the reason behind his power within himself.

As Austin lay down once more to pick up his thoughts, he realized just how useful his camouflage was! If he had been bright pink with purple polka dots, the fish would have swum away and his snack would be lost. If that continued, he'd have to eat his vegetables, or even worse, die! Austin decided that maybe it was alright if he looked ugly.

From that day on, Austin never complained about his appearance again. Not only did he become comfortable being himself, he even started to appreciate his gray bumpy skin. Austin's color fits him well in his swampy life; it actually helps him to be one of the strongest animals in the wetland.