The Jitterbug

by Marcie Colleen

  “Trust me, Butter knows all about doughnuts,” said Jacks.

  Butter rubbed his tummy and licked his lips. He made the shape of a doughnut with his long body and rolled around in the center of the circle. The bears applauded and awarded him with a doughnut for a lesson well done.

  “Next lesson: dancing!” said Mops, spinning on his head.

  Butter brushed the doughnut crumbs off his hands and scampered to the very center of the circle. He gestured to Flips and cleared his throat. Flips, on cue, shined a flashlight through his party hat for a spotlight on Butter. The little critter snapped his fingers at Tunes, who pressed PLAY on her boom box. Butter began to dance.

  Jazz hands. Bounce, bounce. Step clap. Step clap. Spin. Quick stop. Duckwalk. “Ta-da!”

  The bears cheered.

  “Maybe we should be asking this jitterbug to teach us hepcats how to dance,” said Big Puff.

  “Butter is already a Super Happy Party Caterpillar!” cheered the bears.

  “I believe our responsibility here is done,” said Shades, standing up to leave the circle.

  Just then, there was a knock on the Party Patch door.

  “ONE! TWO! THREE! WHO CAN IT BEEEEEEEEEEEE?” sang out the bears as they scurried over to swing the door open wide, revealing Bernice Bunny. She was holding a large stack of books.

  “Fluffy Bottom!” they all cheered.

  And before Bernice could object to the nickname she really despised, she was pulled into the Party Patch and a cup of juice was put in her paw.

  “Actually, I am only here because Mayor Quill asked me to pull a few books about pet ownership for you from my library,” she explained. Her little nose twitched to investigate the contents of the cup she was holding, and she handed it off to Mops.

  “We’re good. Butter can dance and eat doughnuts! Responsibility done!” said Jacks.

  “Being responsible for a pet goes way beyond treats and playtime.” Bernice squinted at Jacks over her still-twitching nose. “For example,” she said, flipping through one of her large books, “it says here that pets need a protected and clean living environment.”

  Bernice glanced at the pots and pans lying haphazardly everywhere, the scattering of crumbs on the floor, and the splatters of batter on the walls. Party hats and musical instruments were strewn about. A heap of broken piñatas from an earlier fiesta littered a corner.

  She continued. “It also says not to overlook grooming, as well as dental care.”

  Butter grinned generously, showing off his gleaming chompers.

  “You must also train your pet to follow simple commands.”

  “That one’s easy. Watch this,” said Big Puff. “Five, six, seven, eight!” Butter immediately started dancing.

  Bernice just rolled her eyes.

  “I will leave these books with you.” She hopped toward the door. “Oh, and make sure he has a quality diet,” she said, noticing the lollipop Shades was handing Butter for a dance well done. It was bigger than Butter’s head.

  Butter took a giant lick and winked at Bernice. She harrumphed and hopped out the door, doughnut crumbs stuck to her little cottontail.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The bears decided it was much easier to take Butter out for exercise than to clean up the Party Patch, so they headed out to stroll in the Grumpy Woods.

  Shades had BeDazzled Butter’s purple leash, and it sparkled in the sunlight. It was almost blinding, so the bears wore their Flying Blind sunglasses. They asked Butter if he would wear the collar just for the walk, since Mayor Quill decreed that pets needed to be on a leash when outside.

  But Butter was not happy. He couldn’t strut while wearing the leash. He couldn’t moonwalk with the leash. He couldn’t even country line dance while on the leash. And even worse, he could smell all the deliciousness of the woods: spicy leaves, juicy veggies, and fragrant flowers. Butter was, yet again, hungry.

  That’s when he had an idea.

  Stopping in the pathway, Butter started to clap a rhythm. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Now if there is anything that the Super Happy Party Bears cannot resist, it’s a good rhythm. Once Butter had the bears’ attention and they were clapping along, he enacted his plan.

  He slid to the right. Hopped to the left. Shimmied, shimmied, shook. And struck a pose.

  “Butter’s doing our dance!” cheered the bears. Without missing a beat, they quickly joined in.

  “IT’S SUPER HAPPY PARTY TIME! SUPER HAPPY PARTY TIME!” They continued to dance with Butter. It was like a flash mob of happiness smack in the middle of the Grumpy Woods.

  But instead of striking a pose, Butter kept on shimmying and shaking—right out of his collar.

  The bears didn’t notice. They were busy doing what Super Happy Party Bears do best of all. So, Butter moonwalked away, following his nose to the tasty treats.

  Bernice’s thicket was secluded and hard to navigate. But not for a tiny caterpillar. Once inside, Butter tried to ask for food (as Sherry had said he should). But with Bernice’s nose stuck in a book, she didn’t notice him. So, Butter tap-danced into her kitchen and through her freshly baked carrot cake.

  Opal Owl’s house was high in a tree. Butter, however, was an excellent climber. His moves were like those of a ninja ballerina—graceful and stealthy. He was about to ask her if he could have something to eat, but Opal snored away. So, not wanting to wake her, Butter made off with most of the contents of her pantry.

  And Mayor Quill’s door was tightly shut so he could go about his official duties without being disturbed. Butter simply limboed under the door. He was about to ask the mayor for some of the watermelon on his desk, but Butter didn’t want to interrupt any official business. So, with three big chomps, he polished off the melon, including the rind, and limboed back out.

  Butter was stuffed. He looked more like a tennis ball than a long, slender caterpillar. He slowly crept back to the pathway, where the Super Happy Party Bears were still dancing. It was a little more difficult to slip into the collar now, but Butter squeezed in.

  “Ta-da!” he sang, just barely stretching out six jazz hands.

  On cue, the bears struck poses and said, “Ta-da!” That signaled the end of the dance party.

  “Butter looks … different,” said the littlest bear. “Did you do something new with your hair, Butter?”

  “Dance can be very transformative,” said Bubs.

  Butter patted his full belly and let out a huge BUUUUURRRRP!

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  By the time the bears sashayed back to the Party Patch, Butter had worked up another appetite. His tummy grumbled loudly enough for everyone to hear.

  “Poor little guy,” said Jigs. “We haven’t fed him in so long!”

  “SNACK TIME!” cheered the bears. Butter did a little jig. Snack time was his favorite of all the times.

  The bears formed a parade of food as, one by one, they presented Butter with all the finest—high quality, as Bernice had specified—foods Party Patch had to offer: chocolate cake, ice-cream cones, a pickle with cheese, lollipops, a piece of berry pie, the last jelly doughnut, and one slice of watermelon.

  “He’s a big guy for a little guy,” remarked Shades as Butter gobbled up every last morsel.

  “He has the appetite of a champion,” said Jacks.

  “A very sleepy champion,” said Mops.

  Butter yawned. His eyes drooped. He could barely stand up on his many legs. In fact, it looked like the back half of him had already fallen asleep.

  “NAP TIME!” cheered the bears.

  They took off his collar and took great care to create a little nest for Butter. First, they gently placed him on a mountain of their favorite pillows. Next, they piled on all their coziest blankets: quilts, afghans, picnic blankets, and the littlest bear’s prized baby blanket on top.

  When they were done, they stepped back to admire their handiwork.

  “Butter? Where’d you go?” asked Mops.

  “Butter!” they called, sifting through
the heap.

  Finally, they found the caterpillar. He had rolled through gaps between the pillows.

  “This is no bed for a caterpillar,” said Jigs.

  But the bears had never had a slumber party with a caterpillar. None of the beds they created seemed right.

  Until they found the bed that was just right. It was a perfectly BeDazzled leaf hanging like a hammock from the windowsill.

  Butter was lifted onto his bed. Before snuggling up, he nibbled a bit of the leaf. Not only was it cozy, but it was tasty, too. It was perfect!

  All the bears gathered around the leaf and sang a lullaby. Butter drifted off to sleep with visions of sugarplums dancing in his head.

  “We rock at this responsibility thing,” whispered Ziggy.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Butter slept upon his little leaf hammock.

  He didn’t wake up for the late-afternoon karaoke jam. He didn’t move during Jacks’s pre-dinner Dancercise Dance-Off. He didn’t stir when the bears had their Pajama Relay.

  Nope. Butter slept on through. Every so often, the bears would peek at him. They were very proud of how responsible they were being. After all, Bubs had read in one of Bernice’s books that “happiness is a sign of a job well done.” Butter looked happy. Job well done!

  But come morning …

  Butter was missing! Even his little hammock was gone.

  “Where would he go?” asked the littlest bear.

  “He didn’t leave a note,” said Mops.

  “And he took his bed with him,” said Jacks.

  “Maybe he ate it,” said Jigs. “Remember that time Tunes was dreaming about mashed potatoes and ate her pillow?”

  Tunes giggled. “I burped feathers for a whole month!”

  “We need to form a search party,” announced Shades. “Flips, we need your party hat flashlight. Little Puff, draw Butter on some flyers we can hang up around the Woods. Everyone else, leave no doughnut hole unturned. Take note of anything that could be a clue.”

  While some of the bears looked low, Jacks decided to look high, with the help of the stilts. It was then that he found a most peculiar clue.

  “Where did this tiny piñata come from?” he asked.

  Hanging from one of the ceiling rafters was an odd-looking green and sparkly piñata. It glittered in the morning sunlight.

  Little Puff sniffled. “Butter loved piñatas.”

  “That’s it!” said Mops. “I bet Butter set up the piñata. He probably wants to throw a fiesta to thank us for everything and is out collecting the other party supplies right now!”

  “YAY!” cheered the bears.

  “I have an idea,” said Jacks. “Let’s have a party for Butter when he gets back. It will be a Surprise and Thank-You for the ‘Surprise Thank-You Party’ Party!”

  And just like that, the bears ended their search party and began preparations for a Surprise Thank-You Party. To be a Super Happy Party Bear, one needs to be able to deftly switch from party theme to party theme.

  The Super Happy Party Band tuned up. Ziggy had the perfect song to play once Butter arrived back at the Party Patch. The band started to rehearse.

  Big Puff hit his drumsticks together. “ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!”

  “You put the boom boom into my heart,” Ziggy sang.

  Just then, there was a BOOM BOOM on the Party Patch door. It was a knock, but an angry-sounding knock.

  “ONE! TWO! THREE! WHO CAN IT—?” started the bears, but they were interrupted by Mayor Quill shouting through a megaphone.

  “Open up this instant and come out with all six of your little paws up!”

  The bears raised their paws in the air and counted. There were twenty-four paws. Before they could figure out which six of the twenty-four Mayor Quill meant, there was another BOOM BOOM on the Party Patch door. They opened it wide, still sorting out the math problem at hand.

  “Where issss he?” asked Sherry.

  “Who?” asked Shades.

  “That tiny pet of yours who has stolen all our food,” explained Humphrey. “Show them, Sam.”

  Squirrelly Sam was in the tree branches above and unfurled a lengthy scroll of paper detailing the missing food.

  “Butter?” asked Jacks. “He’s out getting party supplies for a little fiesta we are having here. He should be back any moment. Perhaps you can come in and wait for him.”

  “If Butter is not here, then do you all take responsibility?” asked Mayor Quill.

  “Oh, we rock at responsibility!” cheered the bears.

  “We’ve taught Butter everything we know,” said the littlest bear.

  “In that case,” said Mayor Quill into the megaphone, “you are all under arrest for violation of Mayoral Decree number—”

  “Wait!” yelled Little Puff over the ruckus. “Quilly, you sound angry. You know what I think would make you feel better? To try our new piñata!”

  “YAY!” cheered the bears. They gathered around the townscritters and ushered them into the Party Patch, where Mayor Quill was blindfolded, spun around, and handed a stick. It all happened so quickly he didn’t have time to argue.

  The odd-looking green and sparkly piñata hung above them all. But before the stick was swung, the piñata began to tremble. It twitched.

  “I think the candy wants out,” the littlest bear said with a giggle.

  They all watched as Butter peeked out of the piñata. “Ta-da!”

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Butter! That’s the best piñata surprise ever!” cheered the bears.

  “This is better than popping out of a cake,” said Shades.

  Mayor Quill pulled off his blindfold and grabbed his megaphone. “Come down here this instant!” he demanded.

  Butter nibbled at the piñata—which wasn’t a piñata at all, but a cocoon. He wiggled and squirmed. And then he pushed himself out. But he didn’t look like a Super Happy Party Caterpillar anymore. Nope. He was a beautiful Super Happy Party Butterfly!

  He gracefully whisked to and fro through the air.

  “Stellar moves, Jitterbug!” said Big Puff.

  Butter fluttered to pick up some glitter from a nearby table and then took off again. Like a skywriting plane he flew, leaving a trail of glitter drifting in the air in the shape of a heart.

  “Ta-da,” he sang. Butter waved his jazz hands and headed toward the window.

  “Where’s he going?” asked the littlest bear.

  “He’s going to get out the window!” said Tunes.

  “We’re responsible for you,” Ziggy called after Butter. “How are we going to take care of you if you leave?”

  Butter paused on the windowsill.

  Mayor Quill put his arm around Ziggy. “My dear bear, being responsible is knowing what’s best for him.”

  “A house is no place for a butterfly,” added Humphrey. “Butter needs to fly free.”

  The other townscritters quickly nodded in agreement. Sam scurried and opened every window to make Butter’s departure as easy as possible.

  “He’ll be happy,” added Bernice. “You want him to be happy, right?”

  Butter waved once again and was about to take flight when the littlest bear called out to him. “Wait! Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  “It’s time for a SUPER HAPPY RE-BIRTHDAY PARTY!” cheered the bears.

  The bears swiftly pulled together everything needed for the best birthday party ever. All the townscritters stuck around. They were so pleased that Butter would be leaving and their food would be safe once again that they even partied a bit themselves. Plus, the little cannoli made to look like cocoons were absolutely delicious, and Humphrey and Sam gobbled them up.

  The Super Happy Party Band played as Butter showed off his new aerial acrobatics. The dance floor moved to the air when the blow-up pool was flipped over and used as a trampoline so everyone could join in the flying. Opal Owl and Butter taught the others how to flip and swoop.

  And when Mayor Quill wasn’t looking, Tunes and Jacks got a f
ew hugs in, thanks to the Hug-a-Mayor suits.

  It was a super party. But soon it was time for good-bye.

  Butter kissed each one of the bears on the nose.

  The littlest bear giggled. “Butterfly kisses tickle!”

  Butter once more grabbed glitter and then took off into the air. Like a skywriting plane he flew, leaving a drifting trail of glitter that spelled out the words THANK YOU.

  “We’re proud of you, little guy!” said Shades.

  “They grow up so fast,” said Jacks.

  “It’s SUPER HAPPY BUTTER TIME! SUPER HAPPY BUTTER TIME!” cheered the bears, and they did their Super Happy Party Dance. And you know what? The townscritters danced, too.

  They were feeling just a little less grumpy. THE END.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  In previous chapters, Marcie Colleen has been a teacher, an actress, and a nanny, but now she spends her days writing children’s books! She lives in her very own Party Patch, Headquarters of Fun, with her husband and their mischievous sock monkey in San Diego, California. Occasionally, there are even doughnuts. This is her first chapter book series. You can sign up for author updates here.

  Thank you for buying this

  Imprint ebook.

  To receive special offers, bonus content,

  and info on new releases and other great reads,

  sign up for our newsletters.

  Or visit us online at

  us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup