It’s less than a week before Earth Day, and some VIPs have come to Jacksonville! VIPs are Very Important People. Can you guess who they are? The judges for the Prettiest Town contest!

When Momma calls me downstairs for breakfast, I am all ready to go to school! I have on my Green Team T-shirt, and my hair is in a ponytail that I fixed all by myself. I check it in the mirror and see that it looks a little crooked.

“Does my hair look okay?” I ask Ugly Brother.

He barks, “Ruff, Ruff!” That means yes!

“We better get downstairs,” I tell him. “I think I smell banana nut muffins for breakfast!”

In our big, sunny kitchen, breakfast is waiting on the table. I was right — there is a big plate of muffins right smack-dab in the center. Yum-O! There are glasses of milk and a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice, too. Daddy loves fresh OJ.

Momma gives me a kiss. “Good morning, Sweet Pea. I see Ugly Brother. Is T.J. up, too?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say with a nod.

“Your ponytail is a little crooked,” Momma says. “Come over here, and let me fix it for you.”

After Momma fixes my hair, Daddy comes in looking handsome in his navy suit. Momma fixes him a plate. He gives her a kiss on the cheek and opens the morning paper.

“I heard those judges stayed at the Magnolia Hotel downtown last night,” Momma tells us. “I sure hope they liked it. It’s the best hotel we have, and we want them to like our little town!”

“I sure hope they get to see all the important things we’ve been doing around town,” I tell Momma. “Especially all of the beautiful gardens and trees. Do you think they will come to your newspaper, Daddy?”

Daddy shrugs. “Maybe. I’m not sure,” he tells me.

Just then, I hear the bus turning the corner at the end of Peachtree Lane. I start to shout for T.J. to hurry up, but right at that very moment he dashes in, grabs two muffins, and runs to the front door. I’m right behind him.

On the bus, I sit in my best seat behind Mr. Jim. I want to talk to him about the VIPs. “Have you seen the judges for the contest?” I ask.

“I sure did!” he says. “It’s two men and a young lady. She kind of reminds me of a famous actress. I can’t think of her name — the one who is trying to clean up the rivers.”

“What about the men?” I ask.

Mr. Jim says, “Just two fellas in suits.”

I sigh. “I sure do wish I could see them,” I say.

“I wouldn’t get your heart set on it,” he says.

Mr. Jim is probably right. I’ll be in school today while they’re deciding if we’ve won or not. I don’t know it then, but I am in for one big surprise!

After lunch, Ms. Corazón is teaching our science lesson when we hear voices in the hall. The door opens, and our principal steps in with four guests. One of the men is Mayor Jenkins. The rest of the folks must be the judges. This is so exciting!

The principal says, “Ms. Corazón, our mayor told these fine contest judges all about our playground makeover. I think the students who planned the project should show it to them.”

He means us! Cara, Paula, Lucy, and I go meet the judges and take them outside. I hang back and walk with the mayor. I am feeling a little anxious. “Do you think we’re going to win?” I ask quietly.

“No telling,” Mayor Jenkins says. “They keep making lots of notes on those clipboards they’re carrying. The woman is that famous actress, Savannah Fairchild. She asks all of the environmental questions.”

I see the woman talking to Lucy. I bet she wants to know about our recycling cans. Moving closer, I listen as Lucy tells her all about the student council’s Recycling Roundup. Maybe if I stand beside her she’ll ask me a question, too.

Ms. Fairchild turns to me. “What gave you the idea to clean up your playground?” she asks.

“I wanted to do something to celebrate Earth Day and prove that little kids can make a difference, too,” I say. “But I didn’t have the idea to fix up the playground. That was Cara.”

“I thought it was a class project,” she says.

“It was,” I say. “Cara had the idea, we helped her think of a plan, and our whole class and the town came out to do the work.”

Ms. Fairchild smiles. “I see. Teamwork.”

Pointing to my T-shirt, I say, “Yes, ma’am. Green Team work!”

“What other things do you think kids can do to help the planet?” Ms. Fairchild asks me.

“That’s easy,” I tell her. “Our teacher, Ms. Corazón, taught us all about the Top Ten!”

Ms. Fairchild writes and writes on her clipboard. “You girls are real green leaders in your community,” she tells us.

Later that night at dinner, after I share my exciting news about our special school visitors, Daddy tells us they visited his newspaper, too. “They wanted to see the brochures we’ve been passing out and get copies of the stories we did on green living,” he says.

“I wonder where else they went,” Momma says.

“Mayor Jenkins told me they visited gardens, parks, schools, recycling centers, and businesses,” Daddy tells us.

“I sure hope Jacksonville made a good impression!” Momma says.

I feel good about our chances, but I say, “We are already winners! Just look at all of the good things we’ve been doing for our VIP — very important planet!”