Valentine Shmellentine
Page 4
“Me, too,” said Trace, “Thanks, Jana Banana! Thanks everyone! Whenever I have a bad day and need a boost, I’m going to read this valentine again.”
“Me, too,” said Drake. “I think I’ll put mine in a frame. Thanks, everyone! Thanks, Jana Banana!”
Chapter 13
WHEN JANA BANANA saw how much the valentines meant to the fifth graders in her class, she wondered what was going on around the rest of the school. She was especially curious about what was happening in her kindergarten teacher’s classroom.
Jana Banana decided she would use a little of her magic to find out. She held her hand over her mouth and whispered, “Valentine Shmellentine.” Suddenly, multiple images appeared in the air in front of her, like small television monitors. Jana Banana could actually see and hear the reactions of people all over Ron Erhardt Elementary, but no one else could.
Jana focused on the little monitor with her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Volk, on it. Mrs. Volk was reading her Jana Banana valentine. After she opened it up and started reading what some of her kids had said, it didn’t take long before she had tears in her eyes.
Mrs. Volk had been sad for the past few weeks because her beloved sheltie collie, Mr. Biffle, had died. Her kindergarteners loved Mr. Biffle, and they all felt really sad too.
From Matthew: “I love you, Mrs. Volk, and I love Mr. Biffle up in heaven.”
From Amy Harding: “You are the best teacher in the world, and I miss Mr. Biffle!”
Jana watched the kindergarteners react to their own special valentines, and she couldn’t believe how excited they were to read them and share them. Jana smiled, knowing what was going to happen next.
There was a knock at the door of Mrs. Volk’s classroom. Mrs. Volk answered it, and a lady at the door handed her a box.
“We were supposed to deliver this to you at school this morning,” said the lady. “Please open it up right away.”
“Who is it from?” Mrs. Volk asked.
“I was just supposed to tell you it’s from a bunch of people who loved Mr. Biffle and love you,” she replied.
“Oh! Thank you so much!” Mrs. Volk said, looking surprised.
Mrs. Volk carried the box over toward the large rug on the floor where they often had story time. She had all her students gather around her, and she slowly opened the box.
“It’s a sheltie collie puppy!” one of her students exclaimed.
It was a beautiful sheltie collie puppy!
Jana Banana tried holding back the tears as she watched Mrs. Volk and the kindergarteners playing with the puppy, but she couldn’t.
“Jana, are you all right?” Katrice asked.
“Yeah,” replied Jana, taking a deep breath.
Jana got back to watching some more of the action around the school, while she tried to also open up some of her own valentines. It wasn’t easy trying to do both things at the same time.
Sheltie for Mrs. Volk by Sophia Warner
The Sheltie and the Classroom Carpet by Delilah Lewis
She watched as third grader Roddy Rieger read his special valentine. “Roddy, you always try so hard, you make me try harder too! … You really are a good wrestler!”…
Jana smiled as she watched her fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Lipp, reading her Jana Banana valentine. Mrs. Lipp wasn’t having a very good school year. She thought her students didn’t like any of the creative things she tried to do to make learning more fun. Mrs. Lipp thought she had lost her touch, and she was thinking about quitting teaching. As she read the nice things her students had told Jana Banana, she realized she still had the magic touch.
“Mrs. Lipp, I want to be a teacher just like you. You are the best teacher in the world.”
“Mrs. Lipp makes learning fun!”
“I like coming to school every day this year because of you!”
Next, Jana Bana watched as big tough fifth grader, John Skager, in Mr. Hellman’s room, smiled like he’s never smiled before as he read the all nice things his classmates had said about him: “John is the biggest, toughest kid in the school, but he always seems to stick up for the underdog like me. … John has helped me get stronger by showing me the pull-ups he does every day. … John wouldn’t let the big kids beat me up when we were Trick-or-Treating on Halloween … John gave me one of his Spam sandwiches when I forgot my lunch. … John taught me how to hit the baseball better.”
Teacher Reading Valentine by Rylen Kautzman
Down in the office, Mr. Doopinski was reading his special valentine. It had more than twelve pages to it, and it looked like there was a brief thank-you remark from everyone in the school—all 358 students, teachers, and staff members. They all thanked him for the pizza and the fantastic Valentine’s Day. Many of them also mentioned how much they liked his Valentine’s Day suit. … Who could have done all of this?”
He walked out of his office with his valentine and approached Mrs. Nelson, who was holding a piece of Kleenex as she was reading her special valentine with tears in her eyes. “The school wouldn’t be the same without you! … I can’t believe all the nice things you do for us! … You should be paid a million dollars for all the things you do at our school! … You are the bestestest secretary in the whole world!”
“Do you have any idea who did this?” asked Mr. Doopinski.
“I’m not sure,” said Mrs. Nelson, “but based on the handwriting and artwork, I’m pretty sure it’s Jana Banana Masset in fifth grade. Isn’t this wonderful?”
“It really is!” said Mr. Doopinski. “After some of the things that I’ve seen and heard around this school today, I’m not going to even try to guess how Jana could have done all this!”
Mrs. Nelson was tempted to say, “Yeah! And it all started with you and your red suit this morning!”—but she didn’t.
Longtime school custodian, Barb Frison, was surprised to see a large valentine setting on the chair in the boiler room when she took her break. She opened it up and read all the comments from the students in the school. Barb couldn’t believe it! Almost every student could remember something that she had said to them or done for them while they were at Ron Erhardt Elementary. This was the nicest thing ever!
“Barb, you always seem to know when I’m having a bad day and make it better. … I like it when you always tell me about the good books you’re reading. … You taught me how to tie my shoes. … Remember the time I fell off the slide in first grade and you were the first person to help me. … Barb, you make our school the cleanest and shiniest in the world!”
Chapter 14
VALENTINE’S DAY COULDN’T have turned out any better than it turned out that day at Ron Erhardt Elementary School.
When the last bell rang, Jana knew the magic was over.
“This has been the best Valentine’s Day I could have ever imagined!” she said. She looked up, “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
When the school bus stopped for Jana that afternoon, Mrs. Leingang said, “Good bye, Jana Banana!”
“Good-bye, Mrs. Leingang!” Jana replied as she started exiting the school bus. “Enjoy the rest of your Valentine’s Day!”
“Thanks, Jana Banana!” Mrs. Leingang replied. “You helped make it my best ever! I’m not sure how you were able to hide that special valentine in my coat pocket, but it was one of the most special gifts I’ve ever received.”
Jana got off the bus and started walking back home. She had a big smile on her face. There’s no way she could have had a better day than this! It had been amazing and wonderful and fun and magical and more!
Suddenly, Jana sensed some movement above her in the sky. She looked upward and noticed a gigantic white cumulus cloud changing shape rapidly. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest! She stopped and watched excitedly, anticipating what would happen next.
Within 20 seconds, the cloud took the shape of a gigantic banana, and soon a small yellow dot appeared on the white cloud, then it slowly moved downward toward her. During the next 30 seconds, the dot got larger, and Jan
a was pretty sure it was a yellow paper airplane, slowly floating toward her.
The Yellow Paper Airplane Descending by Sir Zaire Wyatt
Jana watched for the next 30 seconds, anticipating what might be written on this paper airplane, and the events of the entire wonderful day flashed in front of her. As the paper airplane approached her, she caught it with her right hand, then she quickly unfolded it and read the note that was written on it out loud:
“You were WONDERFUL, Jana Banana! The valentines you made for everyone in your school will be treasured for many years. We want you to have a little souvenir of this day. Please keep this as a reminder of this wonderful Valentine’s Day that you helped make possible! …This note will not disappear because we want you to keep it. We love you, Jana Banana!”
Jana smiled the biggest smile ever. She looked up in the sky. “I love you, too!” she called out. “Thank you! Thank you so much! This has been the best Valentine’s Day EVER!”
The Yellow Note from Heaven by Eves Mtika
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
At a STEELERS game in Kansas City
(l-r) Brother Kelly, Kevin, brother Pat, nephew Nate
Kevin Kremer grew up in Mandan, North Dakota, and he remembers those great Valentine’s Day parties in elementary school growing up there. As a fifth and sixth grade teacher in North Dakota, Kremer was always looking for a good Valentine’s Day book to read to his students, but he never found one. Now, publishing and writing books and living in Florida, Kremer decided to write his own valentine book.
Dr. Kevin Kremer has written, edited, and published more than 100 books, and he loves writing children’s books the most. Kremer also likes helping other authors with challenges they are having with their own book projects.
Kremer has a writing-publishing company to help people with book projects of any kind. To contact him regarding book or e-book projects, school author visits, or to purchase books, go to:
Web site: KevinKremerBooks.com
E-mail: snowinsarasota@aol.com
Facebook: Kevin Kremer Books
Phone: 941-445-5189
STUDENT AND TEACHER
ILLUSTRATORS FOR THIS BOOK
When Kevin Kremer decided he wanted students and teachers to do the illustrations for this valentine book, he simply put a notice on his web site and on Facebook. Then he posted the third draft of his story on his web site KevinKremerBooks.com.
Amazingly, the first illustrations he received, just a few weeks later, were from Rafiki School in Mzuzu, Malawi, Africa! Before the deadline, two other schools participated in a big way: St. Joseph’s School in Mandan, North Dakota, and Marrington Elementary School in Goose Creek, South Carolina. During the spring of 2017, Dr. Kremer was lucky to get the opportunity to visit Marrington Elementary and personally thank the more than 500 students who had drawn illustrations for the book.
We hope you like the K-12 student and teacher illustrations as much as those of us at Snow in Sarasota Publishing did!
Valentine Girls by C. Hansen
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
A Kremer
Christmas Miracle
Spaceship Over
North Dakota
Saved By
Custer’s Ghost
The Blizzard of
the Millennium
When It Snows
In Sarasota
Santa’s Our Substitute
Teacher
BY KEVIN KREMER
Are You Smarter
Than A Flying Gator?
Maggie’s Christmas
Miracle
The Most Amazing
Halloween Ever
Are You Smarter
Than A Flying Teddy?
The Year Our Teacher
Won The Super Bowl
Angel of
the Prairie
The Worst Day of
School EVER – Do-Over!
To arrange for a reasonably priced
author visit or to buy other great
children’s books, go to:
KevinKremerBooks.com
KevinKremerBooks
Published by Snow in Sarasota Publishing
2017
P.O. Box 1385
Osprey, FL 34229-1385
Phone: 941-445-5189