Daisy's Perfect Word

by Sandra V. Feder

  “Rose?” she said, noticing the lovely flowers in Emma’s garden. Daisy pulled the yellow blossom toward her to smell it, but a thorn pricked her finger. “Ouch!” she said. It was not quite perfect.

  “Lawn?” Emma asked.

  “No,” Daisy said. “Sounds too much like yawn.”

  The girls watched what was going on around them.

  “Hummingbird!” Emma yelled, pointing excitedly. Daisy did love the word hummingbird, because it combined the idea of a bird with the sound the bird makes — humming. Daisy thought that was fantastic! But fantastic as it was, she didn’t think it was right for Miss Goldner.

  She and Emma needed a change of scenery.

  “Let’s go for a ride,” Daisy said.

  “Where to?” Emma asked.

  “Sweetums?” Daisy suggested.

  “Yep,” said Emma. “I’ll tell my mom we’re going.”

  * * *

  Sweetums was the best candy store in the world. Not because it had the biggest selection, or because it had the most unusual candies. It was the best because Daisy and Emma could ride their bikes there, and because Sweetums had plenty of candy, displayed in pretty glass jars, that only cost a dime or a quarter.

  “Are you going to get a red licorice?” Daisy asked, knowing that was one of Emma’s favorites.

  Licorice was on Daisy’s list of Sweetest Words along with caramel because both were a little unusual. Taffy was also on there, because it was so much fun to say, and chocolate was at the top of the list, because it was Daisy’s favorite.

  “I’m thinking it might be a peppermint sort of day,” Emma answered.

  Daisy wasn’t sure which candy to get. She always chose some kind of chocolate. But she was worried that she was getting to be a bit like her cousin, who always examined every flavor of ice cream at the ice-cream store, and even tasted a few, but always ordered the same thing — vanilla. Maybe she should try something that wasn’t chocolate. She compromised, settling on a chocolate with butterscotch in the center.

  “What did you get for Lily?” Emma asked, because she knew Daisy liked to surprise Lily with little gifts. Daisy had picked out a pink taffy. When the girls got home, Lily was playing out front. She was wearing her pink leotard with the matching tutu, which were recent birthday presents, and which she hardly ever took off.

  “Close your eyes,” Daisy said, and Lily obliged.

  Then Lily put out her hand and tilted her face up. Daisy placed the surprise in Lily’s open palm and signaled for her to open her eyes by pushing gently on Lily’s little nose. “Taffy!” Lily said. “Yumm!” Daisy thought about the word taffy for Miss Goldner. But then she remembered that Miss Goldner preferred chocolates with cream centers.

  Before dinner, Daisy went back to Emma’s house to do some homework, but she had a hard time concentrating. Maybe Miss Goldner would like a practical school word like eraser or subtraction. She wrote those words down on a piece of scrap paper, but then she crossed them out. Those words might be useful, but they weren’t very exciting. Daisy’s mother called to tell her it was time to come home for dinner. “It’s spaghetti night,” Daisy said to Emma. “I don’t want to be late, or Lily might eat all the meatballs.”

  That night, Daisy told her family about her plan to find the perfect word for Miss Goldner. Lily suggested blankie, because everyone feels better with a blankie. Her mother suggested coffee, because she said a lot of grown-ups feel better with coffee. Her father suggested vacation, because he said most people feel better after taking one. Daisy listened carefully to each idea but knew she hadn’t found the right word yet.

  Later, as Daisy said her good-nights to her teddy bears, she wondered if Miss Goldner might like a Quiet-Time word. After all, everyone needed to go to sleep. But Daisy decided that her Quiet-Time words might be better for kids and stuffed animals than for teachers. She would have to keep looking.

  Chapter Six

  The next day was science day. Daisy and Emma were eager to get to school, because Miss Goldner always made science fun.

  When they walked into the classroom, they were dazzled by what they saw. Miss Goldner had hung two-dozen little crystals on strings from the ceiling. The crystals were creating rainbows all over the room.

  “It’s beautiful,” Emma said.

  “It’s magical!” Daisy declared.

  All the other children “oohed” and “aahed” as they came in. Miss Goldner explained that the crystals were actually prisms. The prisms separated out each color contained in white light, causing the rainbows to appear.

  At each child’s desk was a little prism to use. Before Daisy picked hers up, she took out her notebook and started a new list: Rainbow Words. She wrote down light and colors. Then she thought for a minute and added magical. Hmm. Maybe rainbow would be a good word for Miss Goldner. It sure was full of brightness. But it was a little too light and airy. It wasn’t quite perfect.

  * * *

  After school, Emma had to go to dance class, and Daisy went to visit Mrs. Bookman. While she was at school, Daisy had decided that a visit with Mrs. Bookman was just what she needed.

  “Well, hello, Daisy,” Mrs. Bookman said when she opened the door. “Rhubarb pie?”

  Daisy wasn’t sure what a rhubarb was, but Mrs. Bookman’s unusual foods were almost always tasty, and who wouldn’t want pie?

  “I need to call my mom to let her know I’m here,” Daisy said, picking up the phone as Mrs. Bookman put two large slices of pie onto plates.

  Rhubarb pie turned out to be sweet and a little tart at the same time. Daisy thought it would go nicely with her homemade lemonade and promised Mrs. Bookman she would bring some over the next time she made a pitcher.

  One of the great things about Mrs. Bookman was that she always treated kids as if they were grown-ups, asking their opinions about important things like whether she should paint her living room peach or beige. Daisy thought peach would be peachy.

  Mrs. Bookman was also a good listener. Daisy had been wondering about the word indigo. “If it’s a color in the rainbow, it must be pretty important,” Daisy said. “But no one ever says, ‘I just got indigo sneakers.’”

  Mrs. Bookman nodded and said, “I never thought about that, but you’re absolutely right!”

  Daisy explained what she was looking for today — the perfect word for her teacher.

  “Ah, yes,” Mrs. Bookman said. “There are many wonderful words — musical ones, theatrical ones and just plain useful ones. But I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed a perfect one.”

  Daisy sighed.

  “Sometimes the best things are the hardest to find,” Mrs. Bookman said. “Listen to the world around you, and I’m quite certain you will be successful.”

  Daisy did not feel certain at all and wasn’t quite sure how to listen to the world. Still, she was glad Mrs. Bookman hadn’t said the quest was impossible. Daisy thanked her for the pie and promised to come again soon.

  Chapter Seven

  On her way back home, Daisy walked by Samantha’s house. Just her luck, Samantha was playing hopscotch on the sidewalk.

  “I found the perfect vase for Miss Goldner,” Samantha said. “A vase is very practical. It’s something Miss Goldner can always use.”

  Daisy imagined Miss Goldner happily arranging flowers in Samantha’s vase. She imagined Miss Goldner giving Samantha a big hug. She imagined herself looking at the floor, because she didn’t have any gift at all.

  When Daisy arrived back home, her mother saw her slumped shoulders. “I know how difficult it can be,” her mother said. “Sometimes when I’m writing something, I just can’t think of the right word but eventually it comes. Try not to get discouraged.” Daisy went to her room and took out the little paperback dictionary she had gotten as a birthday present the previous year. She looked up discouraged. Wh
en she learned that it meant to feel a lack of hope and spirit, she opened her notebook and added it to her list of Words for Difficult Times.

  * * *

  When her dad came home from work, he found Daisy outside, lying on the grass, staring up at the sky. “Want to play some catch?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said, grabbing her mitt. They tossed the ball back and forth. “What’s your favorite word?” He thought for a minute.

  “I guess I’d have to go with baseball,” he said.

  Baseball was a word that made Daisy think of lots of fun things — hot dogs, sunshine, the smell of her mitt, the feel of the ball in her hand and the wonderful “crack” the bat made when it hit the ball.

  “Baseball is a great word,” she said. “But I’m pretty sure Miss Goldner plays tennis.”

  Daisy was beginning to doubt whether she would ever find the perfect word for Miss Goldner. And if she did find it, would Miss Goldner be able to use it?

  But Daisy didn’t want to give up, so she went inside, got out her notebook and turned to her list of Encouraging Words. She read from the list: try, effort and smile. Daisy went to the mirror and said to her reflection, “Keep trying,” and gave herself a smile big enough that she could see the dimple in her left cheek.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning Daisy was determined to avoid Samantha, so she risked the shortcut through the prickly bushes and ended up with only a couple of scratches. She wanted to walk just with Emma, because they had so much to talk about.

  “I’m so excited you get to spend the night tonight, and it’s a school night,” Daisy said.

  “My parents usually don’t have to be out so late, but tonight they have to go to an office party,” Emma said. “And my babysitter has to be home earlier. It’s great your mom said I could stay with you.”

  “Cupcakes or brownies?” Daisy asked.

  “Brownies,” Emma replied.

  “Sleeping bags or sheets and blankets?” Daisy wondered.

  “Sleeping bags,” Emma voted.

  “I won’t be able to play the whole time,” Daisy said, “because I still haven’t found the perfect word for Miss Goldner.”

  “You will,” Emma said with such confidence that Daisy was reminded all over again why they were best friends.

  At recess and lunch, they continued making plans for their sleepover and were so excited that they leapt out of their seats when the bell rang at the end of the day. Daisy went home to get out the sleeping bags and to start baking the brownies, while Emma headed to her house to pack her overnight bag. Daisy decided to do a little word thinking while she waited. Brownies are yummy, but the word brownie made her think more about the color than about how good brownies taste.

  Finally, Emma rang the doorbell, and Daisy raced to let her in. After getting Daisy’s room all set up, the girls finished their homework. They were in the middle of a great pillow fight when Daisy’s mother said, “Stop being so rambunctious.” Hmm. Rambunctious was one of those words that felt perfect in Daisy’s mouth, but she wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. She whacked Emma one last time with her pillow.

  “Please come set the table,” Daisy’s mother called. Daisy and Emma laid out the plates, cups and silverware. Lily folded the napkins.

  “Dinner smells marvelous,” Daisy’s father said as he entered the kitchen.

  Marvelous, Daisy thought. It was definitely good for saying loudly but not so good for quiet times. It was not quite perfect, even though her mother’s macaroni and cheese was quite marvelous.

  “How’s your word search going?” Daisy’s dad asked.

  “I’ve found some great words, but not the perfect one for Miss Goldner,” Daisy said.

  “Sometimes, when I have a problem I’m trying to solve, I give myself a little time off from thinking about it,” her dad said.

  “But tomorrow is the day everyone is giving their gifts,” Daisy explained.

  “I got Miss Goldner a photo album, so she can take pictures of us and show them at her new school,” Emma said. Everyone at the table agreed that a photo album was a thoughtful gift. “You can help me wrap it,” Emma offered.

  Daisy wasn’t so sure that taking time off from her quest to find the perfect word for Miss Goldner was a good idea, but she was tired of looking and didn’t feel much closer to finding the right word than when she’d begun. Besides, she didn’t want to miss out on a minute of the fun she and Emma had planned. “I’ll just take a little break,” Daisy said.

  So after dinner, the girls listened to music and danced around the living room. They made a tunnel out of cushions for Lily to crawl through. They watched a silly show on television and ate brownies. After that, Daisy offered to put Lily to bed, because sometimes just being with Lily made Daisy feel better.

  They read Lily’s favorite story, about a fairy who has trouble turning a prince back into a frog. Daisy tucked Lily in. “Here comes the tickle monster!” Daisy whispered, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers. As Daisy tickled her, Lily laughed and laughed. And that’s when it came to Daisy — the perfect word for Miss Goldner! Daisy couldn’t believe her good luck. She kissed Lily good-night and ran back to her room. The word was so perfect that she wrote it in her notebook on its very own page.

  Chapter Nine

  The next day at school, Samantha handed Miss Goldner a big package wrapped in silver paper. Miss Goldner opened the box and admired the vase inside. Some of the other children had brought gifts, too — bubble bath, a little container in the shape of an apple, a hand-made picture frame, a football and lots of wonderful homemade cards with lovely messages written inside.

  Miss Goldner thanked all the children and told them how much she would miss them, especially when she needed a dance break. Then her eyes got a little misty and a couple of tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Daisy knew it was time. She took a deep breath and raised her hand.

  “I got you a present, too,” she said. Miss Goldner looked around. “Oh, it’s not in a box or an envelope,” Daisy said.

  Miss Goldner looked surprised.

  “I found you the perfect word,” Daisy said proudly.

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Samantha. “There’s no such thing as a perfect word.” Daisy wanted to hum, but she didn’t. This moment was too important.

  “This word is perfect for Miss Goldner,” Daisy said. “It’s great for saying loudly and for whispering softly. It’s not too long or too short, and I know both kids and grown-ups like it. It’s not a made-up word, but it sounds like it could be, and it sure feels good in your mouth.”

  “Well,” said Miss Goldner, wiping her eyes, “I can hardly wait.”

  Chapter Ten

  “What is it?” Miss Goldner asked, leaning in close to make sure she could hear.

  “Giggle,” Daisy said.

  Then she extended both her hands toward Miss Goldner with a little flourish and said, “Now, you try.”

  “Giggle,” said Miss Goldner, smiling.

  “Giggle,” said Emma, breaking into a grin.

  “Giggle,” said Ben, starting to giggle.

  By the time the rest of the students tried it, the whole class was laughing, even Samantha.

  Soon there was such laughter coming from Room 8 that the principal, Mrs. Joseph, came walking briskly down the hall. When she entered the room, all the children tried their best to stop laughing. But it was no use.

  “It’s my gift,” Daisy tried to explain. “The word giggle,” she managed to get out before she burst into another round of giggles.

  Mrs. Joseph wasn’t at all sure she understood what was going on in Room 8, but she loved her students to be happy and these children certainly were happy. In fact, they were so happy they were all laughing — every single one.

  So Mrs. J
oseph let out a big laugh herself and returned to her office.

  Chapter Eleven

  That afternoon Daisy and Emma walked home from school with Samantha. They talked about the day at school, and Samantha used words like great and fun. Daisy didn’t hum at all.

  Emma left them at the corner to go to her house.

  “’Bye, Daisy,” Samantha said as she turned to walk up her driveway. “Yours was the best gift of all.”

  Samantha’s words fell like little presents on Daisy’s ears.

  “Thanks,” Daisy said.

  As she ran up the lawn to her house, Daisy let out a big yippee! And Samantha didn’t even say, “Be quiet.”

  In fact, Daisy thought she heard a little giggle.

  Daisy’s Wonderful Word Lists

  Made-Up Words

  coolio — super

  Iska-biska — How are you?

  Ilpa-dilpa — Fine, thank you.

  Mahatzi — Let’s go!

  glubby — feeling blah

  Wow Words

  great

  big

  fun

  hop

  red

  Sparkling School List

  create

  imagine

  recess

  cooperate

  art

  learn

  Quiet-time Words

  good-night

  snuggle

  hush-a-bye

  lullaby

  sweet dreams

  Sweetest Words

  chocolate!!!!!!

  taffy

  caramel

  licorice

  honey

  fudge

  Wedding Words