Max冬冬

I have a good kitty.
She likes to sleep.
I like to play.
She likes to play.
We play chase.
My kitty is hard to catch.
I trick her with some milk.
Then I catch my kitty.
She messes up my dad's newspaper.
Dad says, "Bad kitty!"
My kitty messes up Mom's knitting.
Mom says, "Bad, bad kitty!"
My kitty is messy.
She messes up my litter sister's dolls.
My little sister says,"Bad, bad kitty."
My kitty spills Blue's food.
Blue barks, "Woof, woof."
My kitty runs away.
She scares the fish.
She spills the trash with a loud, loud crash.
Oh, no! My kitty is in big trouble.
Dad puts my kitty outside.
My kitty is mad.
She runs up a tree.
The tree is tall.
My kitty can't get down.
She cries and cries.
Dad feels bad and climbs the tree.
But he can't reach my kitty.
Dad gets stuck, too.
Mom calls the fire department.
They come with a big fire truck.
Fireman Joe saves my kitty and my dad.
Dad is not happy with my kitty.
Mom is not happy with my kitty.
Little Sister is not happy with my kitty.
My kitty is sad.
I play with my kitty.
Litte Sister plays in the sandbox.
She is still mad.
A big mean dog comes in our yard and growls at Little Sister.
Little Sister is scared.
I am, too.
My kitty is brave.
She scares the mean dog away.
Dad says, "What a good kitty!"
Mom says, "What a good kitty!"
Little Sister says, "What a good kitty!"
I knew that.

I play ball at Tiger's house.
I hit the ball very hard.
The ball flies next door.
Uh-oh! The ball is in the spooky yard.
Maybe a monster lives there.
I am brave.
I will get the ball.
I run.
I trip and fall.
A little old bunny hands me our ball.
"Thank you," I say.
"Tiger, there's no monster there," I say.
I ask my dad why it looks so spooky at the old bunny's house.
"Mrs. Bunny is not feeling well. She has no one to help her," Dad says.
"We can help Mrs. Bunny. We are critters who care," I say.
I call my friends.
"What a great idea. We will help, too," they say.
I make a picture for T-shirts.
Little Sister helps.
Dad gets them made.
We meet at my house.
Everyone wears a T-shirt.
Parents come, too.
We all walk to Mrs. Bunny's house.
I knock on the door.
Mrs. Bunny says, "Hello."
"We are Critters Who Care!
May we help you with your yard?" I ask.
"Thank you," says Mrs. Bunny.
We clip the bushes.
We cut the grass.
We pull up weeds.
We trim the trees.
Dad fixes the porch step.
Tiger's dad fixes the shutter.
I blow away old leaves.
The house and yard look great!
Mrs. Bunny brings cookies and juice for all.
I help carry them.
We say good-bye.
"What should we do next?" I ask.
Lttle Sister says, "We can get toys for kids who don't have any."
Everyone says, "Good idea!"

Today my class goes to the Sea Park.
It has so many fish.
There are little fish.
There are big fish.
Some fish are pretty.
Some fish are really ugly.
We all go to the petting tank.
I pet a horseshoe crab.
That is weird!
Timothy falls into the tank.
He meets an octopus.
He is not happy.
I wish I could meet an octopus!
Our teacher takes us to the lunchroom.
They sell a swordfish burger on the menu.
I want that.
We go on a pretend pirate ship.
I steer the ship.
Bun Bun is scared.
After lunch, we see the shark tank.
I would not like to have lunch with a shark.
We see baby whales eating fish.
We see manatees eating plants.
Next we go to the seal show.
I feed a fish to a seal.
No one else wants to.
We see Bazoo the orca.
We sit in the front row.
We get splashed with water.
I am all wet!
Everyone brings money from home to buy a gift.
Gator buys a seal.
Tiger gets a shark.
I buy a fuzzy orca.
What a great day we had at the Sea Park.
Do you know what the best part was?
Getting all wet!

March 20
Mom says there are three things I should always remember:
1. The earth gives us everything we need.
2. When we dig tunnels, we help take care of the earth.
3. Never bother Daddy when he's eating the newspaper.
March 29
Today I tried to teach Spider how to dig.
First all of his legs got stuck.
Then he swallowed a bunch of dirt.
Tomorrow he's going to teach me how to walk upside down.
March 30
Worms cannot walk upside down.
April 4
Fishing season started today. We all dug deeper.
April 10
It rained all night and the ground was soaked.
We spent the entire day on the sidewalk.
Hopscotch is a very dangerous game.
April 15
I forgot my lunch today.
I got so hungry that I ate my homework.
My teacher made me write "I will not eat my homework" ten times.
When I was finished, I ate that, too.
April 20
I snuck up on some kids in the park today.
They didn't hear me coming.
I wiggled up right between them and they SCREAMED.
I love when they do that.
May 1
Grandpa taught us that good manners are very important.
So today I said "good morning" to the first ant I saw.
There were 600 more of them in line.
I stood there all day.
May 8
Had the worst nightmare last night--
giant birds playing hopscotch.
Mom says I have to stop eating so much garbage right before I go to bed.
May 15
I got into a fight with Spider today.
He told me you need legs to be cool.
Then he ran.
I couldn't keep up.
Maybe he's right.
May 16
I made Spider laugh so hard, he fell out of his tree.
Who needs legs?
May 28
Last night I went to the school dance.
You put your head in.
You put your head out.
You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself about.
That's all we could do.
June 5
Today we made macaroni necklaces in art class.
I brought mine home and we ate it for dinner.
June 15
My older sister thinks she's so pretty.
I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror,
her face will always look just like her rear end.
Spider thought that was really funny.
Mom did not.
July 4
When I grow up, I want to be a Secret Service agent.
Spider says I will have to be very careful because the president might step on me by mistake.
"It's a dangerous job," I told him. "But someone's got to do it."
July 28
Three things I don't like about being a worm:
1. I can't chew gum.
2. I can't have a dog.
3. All that homework.
July 29
Three good things about being a worm:
1. I never have to go to the dentist.
2. I never get in trouble for tracking mud through the house.
3. I never have to take a bath.
August 1
It's not always easy being a worm.
We're very small, and sometimes people forget that we're even there.
But, like Mom always says, the earth never forgets we're here.

Harry was a white dog with black spots.
On his birthday, he got a present from Grandma.
It was a woollen sweater with roses on it.
Harry didn't like it the moment he saw it.
He didn't like the roses.
When he tried it on, he felt cosy and snug.
But he still didn't like the roses.
He thought it was the silliest sweater he'd ever seen.
The next day when Harry went into town with the children, he wore his new sweater.
When people saw it, they laughed.
When dogs saw it, they barked.
Harry made up his mind then and there to lose Grandma's present.
When they went into a big store to shop,the children took off his sweater and let him carry it.
This was just what Harry wanted.
First he tried to lose it in the pet department--but a man found it and gave it back.
Then he tried to lose it in the grocery department--but a lady found it and gave it back.
He tried to lose it in the flower department--but a little boy found it and gave it back.
The children didn't let Harry carry it any more.
They made him wear it.
As they started home, Harry was beginning to think he'd never lose it.
When he got home, his friends were waiting to play with him.
But Harry didn't feel like playing so they left him alone.
As he sat wondering what to do, Harry noticed a loose stitch in his sweater.
He pulled at the wool--just a little at first--then a bit more--and a little bit more.
Harry didn't know it, but a bird was watching.
In a minute, Harry had pulled out quite a long piece of the wool.
The end of it lay on the grass behind him.
Suddenly the bird flew down.
Quick as a flash she took the end of the wool in her beak and flew away with it!
It all happened before Harry could even blink.
The sweater began to disappear right before Harry's eyes.
First one leg--then the neck--then the other leg--then the back--and finally the whole thing was just one long, long piece of wool flying off into the sky.
The sweater was gone!
Harry could hardly believe it.
He barked and jumped with joy!
Then he ran out of the garden.
He ran down the street barking thank you to the bird over and over again.
The bird and wool were just a tiny speck in the sky, but Harry kept following them.
He came home thirsty and tired, and was having a drink in the kitchen when the children ran in.
"We've got a letter from Grandma!" said one.
"She's coming to visit us!" shouted the other.
Harry thought of the sweater and his tail drooped.
Before Grandma came, the family looked everywhere for the sweater.
They wanted her to see how nice Harry looked in it.
Of course they couldn't find it.
Only Harry knew why.
When Grandma arrived, Harry ran to her with his leash.
Then he sat up and begged.
"All right, Harry," said Grandma. "After I've had my lunch and a nap, we'll go for a walk."
That afternoon, Harry and Grandma and the chilkdren started off on their walk.
Harry barked happily and pulled towards the park.
When they got to the park, Harry pulled harder.
The children let him off his leash and he ran on ahead.
He seemed to be looking for something.
All at once, he stopped under a big tree.
He looked up and began to bark and wag his tail.
Grandma and the children came running.
They got to the tree and looked up too.
Suddenly one of the children said,"I see a nest!"
"It's made of wool!" said the other.
"And it's the very same color as--"
"Harry's sweater!" they shouted together.
"It is Harry's sweater!" exclaimed Grandma.
Just then a bird looked out of the nest.
"Look! Grandma, look!" shouted the children.
"Harry gave his sweater to a bird!"
"I wonder how he did that!" said Grandma.
The bird sang and Harry wagged his tail even harder.
At Chrsitmas, Harry got a present from Grandma.
It was a new sweater!
Harry liked this one very much.
When he tried it on, he felt as cosy and snug as the bird in the nest.
But best of all--it was white with black spots!

Never smile at a crocodile, no, you can't get friendly with a crocodile.
Don't be taken in by his welcome grin,
he's imagining how well you'd fit wthin his skin!
Never smile at a crocodile, never dip your hat and stop to talk awhile.
Never run, walk away,
say good-night, not good-day,
clear the aisle, but never smile at Mister Crocodile.
You may very well be well bred,
lots of etiquette in your head,
but there's always some special case, time or place, to forget etiquette...
For instance,
Never smile at a crocodile, no, you can't get friendly with a crocodile.
Don't be taken in by his welcome grin,
he's imagining how well you'd fit within his skin!
Never smile at a crocodle,
never dip your hat and stop to talk awhile,
never run, walk away,
say good-night, not good-day, clear the aisle,
BUT...
NEVER SMILE
at Mister Crocodile!

When I was young in the mountains,
Grandfather came home in the evening covered with the black dust of a coal mine.
Only his lips were clean, and he used them to kiss the top of my head.
When I was young in the mountains,
Grandmother spread the table with hot corn bread, pinto beans and fried okra.
Later, in the middle of the night,
she walked through the grass with me to the johnny-house and held my hand in the dark.
I promised never to eat more than one serving of okra again.
When I was young in the mountains,
we walked across the cow pasture and through the woods, carrying our towels.
The swimming hole was dark and muddy,
and we sometimes saw snakes, but we jumped in anyway.
On our way home, we stopped at Mr. Crawford's for a mound of white butter.
Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Crawford looked alike and always smelled of sweet milk.
When I was young in the mountains,
we pumped pails of water from the well at the bottom of the hill,
and heated the water to fill round tin tubs for our baths.
Afterward we stood in front of the old black stove, shivering and giggling,
while Grandmother heated cocoa on top.
When I was young in the mountains,
we went to church in the schoolhouse on Sundays,
and sometimes walked with the congregation through the cow pasture to the dark swimming hole, for baptisms.
My cousin Peter was laid back into the water,
and his white shirt stuck to him, and my Grandmother cried.
When I was young in the mountains,
we listened to frogs sing at dusk and awoke to cowbells outside our windows.
Sometimes a black snake came in the yard,
and my Grandmother would threaten it with a hoe.
If it did not leave, she used the hoe to kill it.
Four of us once draped a very long snake, dead of course, across our necks for a photograph.
When I was young in the mountains,
we sat on the porch swing in the evenings,
and Grandfather sharpened my pencils with his pocketknife.
Grandmother sometimes shelled beans and sometimes braided my hair.
The dogs lay around us, and the stars sparkled in the sky.
A bobwhite whistled in the forest.
Bob-bob-bobwhite!
When I was young in the mountains,
I never wanted to go to the ocean,
and I never wanted to go to the desert.
I never wanted to go anywhere else in the world,
for I was in the mountains.
And that was always enough.

"Next week is show and share, so figure out what to bring," my teacher said.
The bell rang. It was time to go home.
She gave us a sheet of paper for our parents to sign.
At home, I asked Mom, "What can I bring?"
"Bring your dog," she said.
Little Sister wanted me to bring her.
"I can’t bring you. You‘re my sister!" I said.
"So?" she said.
"Never mind," I sid, and went outside.
Maybe I could bring an ant farm.
No, ants are too yucky.
Maybe I could collect different leaves.
No, too much work.
I called my friends.
Timothy was bringing his tarantula.
Tiger was bringing his long-haired hamster named Thundercloud.
Henrietta was bringing her dog, Fluffy.
Gator was bringing his stamp collecton.
Malcom was bringing his snake.
Bun Bun was bringing her doll collection.
I didn‘t know what to bring.
I went to the stream to find some worms for fishing.
I was looking around when a big bullfrog hopped out of the stream right into my coffee can for worms!
Wow, that‘s great, I thought.
I put the lid on the can and took the bullfrog home.
Dad found an old aquarium.
We fixed it up for my frog.
We put him in, but before we got th lid on,
he jumped out right across the room into the coffee can on the floor.
"Wow," said Dad. "He likes that can!"
We tried again and he did the same thing over and over again.
"You&`&ve got a special show and share," said Mom.
I named him Leaping Lizard.
I told my friends about Leaping Lizard but they didn’t believe me.
After school, I showed them and they were amazed.
I made a poster all about bullfrogs.
I got pictures off the Internet.
The night before show and share,
I pasted everything down.
Leaping Lizard sat in his coffee can watching me.
He really liked that can!
I went to bed so excited about the next day.
Morning came and I jumped out of bed, got dressed, and ate breakfast.
All the parents were driving their kids to school that day.
I went to get my frog.
He was gone! Oh, no!
I forgot to put the top on his aquarium.
I ran to the coffee can. No frog.
"Mom!" I screamed. "Leaping Lizard is missing!"
We looked everywere.
I was already late for school.
Mom said, "Take your poster to share. I‘ll give you a note for the teacher. I’m sure I wil find your frog."
We went to school. I was so upset.
Everyone took turns showing and sharing.
When it was my turn, I thought I would be sick.
Suddenly, Mom came into the room with the aquarium, the coffee can, and my frog.
"I found him!" she said.
I took my turn.
Everyone was amazed.
Leaping Lizard jumped into the can every time.
When it was all over, I got the "Most Interesting" ribbon.
Malcome was mad because he thought his snake should win.
Timothy got "Most Scary."
Henrietta&`&s dog got "Most Fluffy."
Actually, everyone got a ribbon.
It was the best show and share ever!

Mr. Gumpy was going for a ride in his car.
He drove out of the gate and down the lane.
"May we come too?" said the children.
"May we?" said the rabbit, the cat, the dog, the pig, the sheep, the chickens, the calf and the goat.
"All right," said Mr. Gumpy.
"But it will be a squash."
And they all piled in.
"It&`&s a lovely day," said Mr. Gumpy. "Let&`&s take the old cart-track across the fields."
For a while they drove along happily.
The sun shone, the engine chugged and everyone was enjoying the ride.
"I don&`&t like the look of those clouds. I think it&`&s going to rain," said Mr. Gumpy.
Very soon the dark clouds were right overhead. Mr. Gumpy stopped the car. He jumped out, put up the hood, and down came the rain.
The road grew muddier and muddier, and the wheels began to spin.
Mr. Gumpy looked at the hill ahead.
"Some of you will have to get out and push," he said.
"Not me," said the goat. "I&`&m too old."
"Not me," said the calf. "I&`&m too young."
"Not us," said the chickens. "We can&`&t push."
"Not me," said the sheep. "I might catch cold."
"Not me," said the pig. "I&`&ve a bone in my trotter."
"Not me," said the dog. "But I&`&ll drive if you like."
"Not me," said the cat. "It would ruin my fur."
"Not me," said the rabbit. "I&`&m not very well."
"Not me," said the girl. "He&`&s stronger."
"Not me," said the boy. "She&`&s bigger."
The wheels churned...
The car sank deeper into the mud.
"Now we&`&re really stuck," said Mr. Gumpy.
They all got out and pushed.
They pushed and shoved and heaved and strained and gasped and slipped and slithered and squelched.
Slowly the car begen to move...
"Don&`&t stop!" cried Mr. Gumpy. "Keep it up! We&`&re nearly there."
Everyone gave a mighty heave--
the tyres gripped...
The car edged its way to the top of the hill.
They looked up and saw that the sun was shining.
"We&`&ll drive home across the bridge," said Mr. Gumpy.
"There&`&ll be time for a swim."
"Goodbye," said Mr. Gumpy.
"Come for a drive another day."

Chapter 8 A Lot of Books!

On Thursday Principal Klutz came into our class. He was wearing a hat, which almost made him look like a regular person who had hair on his head.
“I have to go to a meeting,” Principal Klutz told us, “but I heard that some of you second graders had something important you wanted to discuss with me.”
Miss Daisy said that I could ask my question.
“Can we buy the school?”
“Hmmm,” Principal Klutz said. “Hmmm” is what grown-ups say instead of “er” or “um” or “uh” when they don’t know what to say.
“Why do you want to buy the school?” Principal Klutz asked.
“Because we want to turn it into a video-game arcade,” I told him.
“I see,” the principal said. “Schools cost a lot of money.”
“How much?” I asked. “If you tell us how much it will cost, we’ll raise the money.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Principal Klutz said. “I can’t sell you the school, but I can rent it to you for a night. Do you know the difference between buying and renting?”
Andrea Young got her hand up first, as usual.
“When you buy a video, you get to keep it forever,” she said. “If you rent it, you have to return it to the video store in a couple of days.”
“That’s right,” the principal said. “Would you be interested in renting the school for a night?”
“How much would that cost?” I asked.
“One million pages,” Principal Klutz replied.
“Huh?”
“If you kids read a million pages in books, you can turn the school into a video-game arcade for one night.”
A million pages! That sounded like a lot of books.
“How about a thousand pages?” I suggested.
“A million,” said Principal Klutz. “That’s my final offer. Take it or leave it.”
“Would it be okay if some of the other classes helped us out?” Miss Daisy asked.
“Certainly,” Principal Klutz said. “The more the merrier. And I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. If the kids in this school read a million pages, I will come to the big video-game night dressed in a gorilla suit.”
“You’ve got a deal!” I said, rushing forward to shake Principal Klutz’s hand.
In my head I was already hatching a plan.