JUICY LUCY

That afternoon, Ms. Colman said to her students, “Class, today we are going to make our own books. When they are finished, we will choose one to read to Mr. Bennett on Author Day. You will work in pairs — in teams of two people. Each pair will write and illustrate a story of their own. I will choose the pairs. When I say your name, please find your partner. Okay. Jannie and Bobby. Omar and Tammy. Nancy and Hank. Karen and Terri. Ricky and Natalie. Hannie and Chris. Leslie and Ian. Sara and Audrey.” Ms. Colman looked around the room. Her students were scrambling to find places where they could work. Some of them sat at desks. Some of them sat on the floor.

“Remember,” Ms. Colman continued, “you are making a book. So you need a story and pictures. I will hand out crayons.”

Ricky looked at Natalie. Natalie was not his favorite person. She was sloppy and she forgot things. But she was okay.

“Well,” said Natalie. “What do you want to do, Ricky? Write or draw?” (Ricky was not Natalie’s favorite person, either. But he was okay.)

“Write the story,” replied Ricky. “I like making up stories.”

“Goody,” said Natalie. “I would rather draw pictures.”

“Now let me see.” Ricky thought and thought. At last he said, “I know! I will write a story about a goose named Lucy.”

Ricky bent over the paper. He began to write. He scribbled away.

“What are you writing?” asked Natalie.

Ricky shoved the paper at her. “Here. You read it.”

“No, you. I will start drawing a picture while I listen.”

“Sorry,” said Ricky. “I do not read aloud anymore.”

Natalie scowled. Ricky was a big pain. She leaned over to see his story. It was about a fat goose named Lucy. Lucy lived on a farm. She was so fat that the farmer and his wife had nicknamed her Juicy Lucy. They said she would make a tasty goose dinner one day.

That was all Ricky had written so far. Natalie looked at the first sentence of his story. It read: “Once there lived a big fat goose named Lucy.” So Natalie began a picture of Lucy.

Ricky scribbled away.

“Now what is happening in the story?” asked Natalie.

“See for yourself,” said Ricky. He handed her another page.

Natalie read on. Lucy heard the farmer talking about a “dinner date.” She thought she was to be taken out to dinner by a fine goose gentleman. So she began to get ready for her date.

“Cool,” said Natalie. “I cannot wait to read the end of the story.”

The other students worked on their stories, too. Jannie and Bobby started one called, “Backwards Day.” Hannie and Chris worked on one called, “Sailing Out to Sea.” Sara and Audrey had trouble thinking of something to write about. Finally they began a story called, “The Little Flower.”

Natalie drew and drew. She drew a picture of the farmer and the farmer’s wife. She drew a picture of the farmer dreaming of the tasty goose dinner. She drew a picture of Lucy dreaming of the fine goose gentleman who would be her dinner date.

“May I read the rest of the story, please?” Natalie asked Ricky.

Ricky handed her the last two pages. Natalie read the part in which Lucy found out she was going to be dinner, not go out for dinner. She read about how Lucy outsmarted the farmer and ran away. Finally she read, “ ‘Lucy ran all the way to a pond. There she found a fine goose gentleman who asked her to stay at the pond with him forever. So she did.’ ”

“Write ‘The End,’ ” Natalie said to Ricky.

Ricky added The End to his story.

“That,” said Natalie, “is one of the best stories I have ever read.”

“Thank you,” replied Ricky. “And I like your pictures.”