Heidi Heckelbeck Lends a Helping Hand

by Wanda Coven

  “Look! They have their very own garden!” Heidi gasped. “Right here! In the middle of Trash Park!”

  Aunt Trudy and Heidi admired the garden from a distance. The flower bed had been outlined in stones.

  “It’s so pretty,” Aunt Trudy said as they watched the elderly couple plant more flowers. Then she put her arm around Heidi. “Is this why you brought me here? Do you want to make Trace Park beautiful again?”

  Heidi bobbed her head up and down. “Yes!” she cried. “Can you help me, Aunt Trudy? Can we come up with a spell?”

  Aunt Trudy squeezed Heidi close to her side. “I’m not sure the Book of Spells has a magic answer for a project like this. But maybe I can help you.”

  Heidi threw her arms around her aunt. “Thank you! I just knew you would understand.”

  Aunt Trudy looked her niece right in the eye. “Make no mistake, it’s going to be a lot of hard work,” she warned.

  Heidi flexed her arm muscles. “No problem!” she said. “I LIKE hard work! And do you know what else I like?”

  Aunt Trudy raised an eyebrow. “Ice cream?” she guessed.

  “Correct-a-mundo!” Heidi cried. “Race you to the car!”

  ACTION PLAN

  Heidi and Aunt Trudy needed to round up a cleanup crew to save Trace Park. First Aunt Trudy got permission from the town of Brewster and notified Brewster’s Parks and Recreation Volunteer Program. Then she sent an e-mail asking her friends for help.

  At home Heidi designed a special flyer that said:

  Heidi drew a garland of flowers as a border around her flyer and a little red wheelbarrow in the bottom corner. She showed the flyer to her parents.

  “It’s beautiful, Heidi,” Dad said. “And I would like to donate a large Dumpster to your cleanup day.”

  Heidi hugged her Dad.

  “And I’m going to ask my friends at Rolling Stone Nursery to donate flowers and plants,” Mom said.

  Heidi clapped her hands. “That would be so perfect!” she cried.

  Henry wanted to help too. He stood in front of Heidi with his hands behind his back. “Guess which hand?”

  Heidi pointed to Henry’s left hand.

  “Good guess!” he said, and he pulled a plastic robotic arm out from behind his back.

  “I can pick up tons of trash with this,” he said. Then he squeezed the trigger at the top of the robotic arm, and the claw opened and closed.

  “Cool!” Heidi said.

  Henry held out the robotic arm, and Heidi shook its hand—or rather, claw.

  The next day Heidi, Lucy, and Bruce made copies of her flyer and handed them out all over school. Principal Pennypacker even made a “Save Trace Park” announcement over the loudspeaker.

  Soon everyone began to talk about saving Trace Park. After school Heidi and her friends slipped flyers in the mailboxes in the neighborhood.

  “Do you think anyone will show up?” Heidi said.

  Lucy placed the last flyer into a white mailbox. “Of course!” she said. “I will—for one!”

  She held out her hand—palm side down—in front of her friends.

  “Me too!” Bruce agreed, laying his hand on top of Lucy’s.

  “Me three!” Heidi added. Then she placed her hand on top of Bruce’s, and they were all in.

  ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES!

  Neighbors and friends from all over Brewster arrived at Trace Park on Saturday morning. They had shovels, clippers, rakes, and lots of other gardening tools and supplies.

  Bruce’s dad even brought his tractor and began to mow the meadow.

  Heidi’s mother and Aunt Trudy started clipping the overgrown bushes with hedge trimmers. Then Heidi’s dad dragged the branches into a pile for composting.

  Henry picked up stray trash with his shiny robotic claw. And Heidi and her friends pulled weeds, like thistles, dandelions, and crab grass.

  “What a fantastic turnout!” Heidi told Lucy. “Even Melanie showed up!”

  Lucy yanked a dandelion up by its roots. “But she’s not exactly working. She’s just bossing people around.”

  Heidi watched Melanie shouting orders.

  “Pick up that piece of trash!” directed Melanie, pointing out an empty french fry carton to Henry. “And will somebody please move this GIANT rock?”

  Heidi grumbled, “What a bossy boss lady!”

  Aunt Trudy, who had been listening in, stopped trimming for a moment. “Well, I think it’s nice that Melanie came to support your cause, Heidi,” she said. “It shows she actually cares.”

  Heidi smiled. Wow, she thought. Melanie is actually supporting MY project.

  Then a red pickup truck rumbled beside the park. It was Principal Pennypacker and Mr. Doodlebee. They unloaded lots of wood and power tools. Then they set up two sawhorses and unfolded some building plans.

  “Are they going to make new park benches?” Heidi exclaimed.

  Lucy stood up to see. “And new picnic tables!” she cried.

  The hum and buzz of hard work echoed through the morning air. Slowly, Heidi began to believe they could actually make Trace Park beautiful again.

  MAKEOVER

  Mrs. Richards, the owner of Rolling Stone Nursery, unloaded flowers and plants from the back of her truck. Heidi and Lucy ran to greet her.

  “May we help?” Heidi asked.

  Mrs. Richards held out a purple flower. “Of course!” she said.

  The girls helped carry the plants. Then they cleared a space for the new flower beds. Mrs. Richards helped them scoop holes and place the flowers in the dirt. Then they pushed the loose dirt into the holes and patted it with their fingertips.

  Nearby, Bruce and Stanley rubbed wood stain on the new park benches.

  Melanie, of course, helped by directing the boys. “You missed a spot!” she shouted. “Don’t forget to do the BACK!”

  In the middle of the park, some grown-ups had prepared tables with sandwiches, chips, and grapes. Pitchers of ice water and lemonade sat at the end of each table. At noon everyone took a break for lunch.

  Heidi popped a grape in her mouth. Then she noticed the elderly couple who had the secret garden. They were walking in her direction. She waved to them.

  “Are you the one responsible for this cleanup day?” the woman asked.

  Heidi nodded and explained how she had organized the Save Trace Park project.

  “This reminds me of what the park used to look like when I was a little girl,” the woman said.

  Then she pointed to the old tires lying in the meadow. “You see those tires? They used to hang from ropes in the trees. We used them as swings.”

  This made her husband laugh. “I remember that,” he said. “And when the ropes broke, we used the tires for bases in our kickball games.”

  Everyone gathered around to hear stories of what Trace Park had been like in the past.

  “What a wonderful idea to invite the whole community to restore this park,” the woman said.

  Aunt Trudy put her arm around Heidi. “It was all Heidi’s idea,” she said. “We just came to lend her a hand.”

  The man and woman thanked Heidi and said, “Now, how can we help?”

  LIVE ON 5!

  By the end of the day Trace Park looked like new.

  “Why didn’t we do this sooner?” Aunt Trudy asked as she admired their work.

  Heidi’s mom took off her gardening gloves and ruffled Heidi’s hair.

  “It’s because nobody thought of it until one clever girl had a grand idea,” she said.

  Heidi blushed pink. “Well, all Trace Park needed was just a helping hand,” she said.

  “It needed a lot more than just a helping hand,” Henry said as he tugged Heidi’s arm with his robotic claw.

  Heidi brushed the claw away and corrected herself. “Okay, it needed a lot of helping hands . . . and one robotic arm.”

  Henry clacked his robotic pinchers happily.

  Then an unexpected van pulled up alongside the park. It had a satellite dish on top. On
the side of the van in fancy lettering was the slogan: LIVE ON 5.

  “Is that the local TV station?” asked Bruce. “What are they doing here?”

  A lady in a gray suit and a thin red scarf stepped out of the van. She had a stylish pixie haircut and silver earrings, and she carried a microphone in her hand. A cameraman stepped out behind her.

  “It’s Abby Anchor, the news reporter!” Melanie exclaimed. “And she’s coming this way!”

  Everyone looked to see what would happen next.

  The reporter walked up to the crowd and said, “Excuse me, I’m looking for someone named Heidi Heckelbeck.”

  Heidi’s mouth dropped open. “That’s me!” she said. “But how do you know my name?”

  The reporter looked over her shoulder. “These are my parents,” she said. The elderly couple from the park stepped forward. “They told me about what you’ve done for Trace Park. Would you allow me to interview you?”

  Heidi looked over to her parents for approval. “May I?” she begged. “May I please be on TV?”

  Mom and Dad gave Heidi two thumbs-up.

  “Hey, wait, what about me?” Henry asked. “Can I be on TV too? I picked up lots of trash with my robotic arm claw!”

  The reporter stooped down. “I’d like to do a special segment on just you,” she said.

  Henry gasped and covered his mouth. Then he exclaimed, “Whoa! I’m going to be famous!”

  Everyone laughed—even Heidi. Then the camera guy lifted the camera onto his shoulder and followed Heidi and Abby around the park.

  The crowd watched and waved at the camera as Heidi showed off the work they’d done.

  “These were made by our school principal and art teacher,” Heidi said, pointing to the freshly stained park benches. “They also built three new picnic tables, and my friends helped stain them.”

  Bruce, Lucy, and Melanie waved at the camera.

  Heidi took Abby to the playground next.

  “This swing set was donated by the Lancasters,” Heidi explained. “And over here we have new teeter-totters donated by the Bickersons.”

  Then Heidi showed Abby the gardens she and Lucy had planted, along with the mowed meadows and the trimmed bushes and trees.

  After Abby interviewed Henry, she asked all the volunteers to gather together. Heidi stood in front.

  “You’ve done a great job, Heidi,” Abby said live on camera. “Our whole community thanks you.”

  Everyone clapped.

  “Looks like you’re a real superstar,” Aunt Trudy whispered, hugging her niece close.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” Heidi whispered back.

  Heidi could not believe it. The crowd, filled with her friends and family, cheered again.

  Wow, Heidi thought. Helping out was even more fun than casting a spell.

  Well, almost.

  Keep reading for a preview of

  Heidi Heckelbeck and the Wacky Tacky Spirit Week

  by

  Wanda Coven

  Heidi Heckelbeck handed a brown paper bag to her little brother. She had written his name, Henry Heckelbeck, on it.

  “You can put YOUR thing-a-ma-bobs in here,” she said. “And I’ll put MY thing-a-ma-bobs in this bag.”

  Henry wrinkled his brow. “Okay. But I have one question. What’s a THINK-a-ma-bob?”

  Heidi sighed loudly. “The word is ‘THING-A-MA-BOB.’ They are like doohickeys and random stuff we may need for this week. Do you understand?”

  “Kind of,” said Henry.

  Heidi looked at the clock. “Ready? On your mark. Get set. GO!”

  Then Heidi and Henry took off.

  Henry ran to the desk in the kitchen and yanked open the top drawer. He stuck two rubber bands and a plastic spider in his bag.

  Heidi found the leftover party favor drawer and pulled out a purple tiara. There were also silver-and-pink beaded necklaces. Then she searched all the cupboards in the family room.

  “Score!” she cried, holding up a can of unopened, neon-green Silly String. She plopped it into her bag.

  Her next stop was the art supply cabinet. Heidi grabbed a tube of sequins, a handful of pom-poms, and a fistful of pipe cleaners. She had no clue how she was going to use all this stuff, but she would worry about that later.

  Continue Reading…

  Heidi Heckelbeck and the Wacky Tacky Spirit Week

  Wanda Coven

  About the Author and Illustrator

  WANDA COVEN has always loved magic. When she was little, she used to make secret potions from smooshed shells and acorns. Then she would pretend to transport herself and her friends to enchanted places. Now she’s able to visit other worlds through writing. Wanda lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and son. They have three cats: Hilda, Agnes, and Claw-dia.

  PRISCILLA BURRIS has illustrated numerous books and materials for children, parents, and teachers. She enjoys painting cakes and creating art for products, which include murals, greeting cards, and rubber stamps! Priscilla lives with her family in Southern California.

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Wanda-Coven

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Priscilla-Burris

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  HeidiHeckelbeckBooks.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

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  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Little Simon paperback edition May 2019

  Copyright © 2019 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Also available in a Little Simon hardcover edition.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Designed by Ciara Gay

  Jacket design by Ciara Gay

  Jacket illustrations by Priscilla Burris

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2019 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Coven, Wanda, author. | Burris, Priscilla, illustrator.

  Title: Heidi Heckelbeck lends a helping hand / by Wanda Coven ; illustrated by Priscilla Burris. | Description: New York : Little Simon, [2019] | Series: Heidi Heckelbeck ; #26 | Summary: Heidi discovers that helping to clean up can be fun, so she brings her community together to make the neglected “Trash Park” beautiful again. | Identifiers: LCCN 2018039077 | ISBN 9781534445291 (pbk) | ISBN 9781534445307 (hc) | ISBN 9781534445314 (eBook)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Parks—Fiction. | Community life—Fiction. | Helpfulness—Fiction. | Witches—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.C83393 Hkg 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018039077

 

 

 
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