Ricky bent over his paper. He stuck his tongue between his teeth. He began to trace the words.
Dear … Mr…. Bennett … thank … you …
Ricky stopped writing. He stared down at his paper. Then he looked up at the board. He squinted to make sure he saw what he thought he saw. Finally he called out, “Hey, Ms. Colman! You made a mistake! And I almost copied it onto my card. In ink,” he added. “See? You wrote, ‘Dear Mr. Bennett, thank you coming to Stoneybrook Academy.’ You left out the ‘for.’ ”
“Oops,” said Ms. Colman.
“Oh, no. And I just copied it!” cried Sara. “In red crayon.”
“I copied it in marker!” exclaimed Karen. “Boo and bullfrogs.”
“How many of you already copied the message in something you cannot erase?” asked Ms. Colman. She looked at her students.
Sara, Karen, and four other kids raised their hands.
“I am very sorry,” said Ms. Colman. “That was my mistake. Let me fix it on the board so the rest of you do not make it, too. Then we will figure out what to do.” Ms. Colman picked up a piece of chalk.
“Hey!” Karen cried. “Hey, Ricky!”
“Indoor voice, Karen,” said Ms. Colman.
“But Ms. Colman, Ricky read aloud! He read what you wrote on the board. And if he had not done that, then we would have put up all these cards with mistakes in them. Ricky saved us.”
Terri turned around in her seat. She whispered, “Thanks, Ricky. I would not have wanted that to happen.”
“Thanks, Ricky,” said a few other kids.
Ricky grinned. He felt like a hero.
At the end of the day, he waited by Ms. Colman’s desk.
“Yes, Ricky?” she said.
“I have decided something,” said Ricky. “I have decided I would like to read my story to Mr. Bennett tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful!” exclaimed Ms. Colman. “Good for you, Ricky. I will see you tomorrow — on Author Day.”
MR. ROBERT BENNETT
When Natalie woke up on Author Day, she was excited. She could feel butterflies in her tummy. She dressed in a rush. When she was finished, her skirt was on crooked and her socks were falling down. But Natalie did not care. She pushed her glasses up her nose.
“Hurry!” she said to her father. “I want to get to school early. Today I am going to show Mr. Bennett my beautiful pictures.”
Ricky was in the bathroom. He was brushing his teeth. He watched himself in the mirror. He wondered what he would say to Mr. Bennett when he met him that day.
Splat. Ricky spit out the toothpaste. Then he looked in the mirror again. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bennett,” he said. “I mean, how do you do? I mean, it is nice to meet you…. I was wondering. How did you get here today? In a limousine or a helicopter?”
Karen Brewer stepped out of her front door. She was wearing a new dress and her tappy black party shoes. She had tied a ribbon in her hair. She felt like a princess.
“ ’Bye, Mommy!” Karen called. She ran across the lawn to Nancy’s house next door. “Nancy, Nancy!” Karen yelled. “Hurry up! Let’s go! Author Day is here!”
When Chris reached Stoneybrook Academy, he walked proudly to his classroom. On the walls of the hallway hung the cards for Mr. Bennett. They looked nice and welcoming. Ahead, he could see Hank in the doorway.
“Come on, Chris!” Hank called. “We are going to decorate the room now!”
Chris hurried down the hall. Ms. Colman was standing at her desk. She was leaning over the box marked CLASS DECS. She handed out the things that Sara’s group had made.
“After we have decorated our room, we will decorate the library,” Ms. Colman said. “Mr. Bennett will be here at about ten-thirty.”
It was a busy morning. The kids tidied up their room. Audrey and Omar wrapped the present for Mr. Bennett. Chris’s group put up the decorations in the library.
At ten o’clock, Ms. Colman said, “Boys and girls, you have time to rehearse ‘Juicy Lucy’ again. Why don’t you get out your costumes and props? Natalie and Ricky will be in charge for awhile.”
Natalie and Ricky grinned at each other. They moved to the front of the room.
“You will have to rehearse up here by the blackboard,” Ricky said to his classmates. “We do not have time to move the desks around.”
“Are you ready?” Natalie asked the kids. “Okay, action.”
Ricky began reading his story.
Leslie posed with the farm family. (Bobby’s hat did not slip over his eyes.)
Leslie posed with the farm animals. (All of their tails stayed on.)
Omar remembered to sit at the dinner table.
“Run for your life!” called Ricky. Leslie ran around the room, with Bobby after her.
When the play was over, Ms. Colman clapped her hands. “Wonderful!” she said. “That was just wonderful. Mr. Bennett is going to love the play. Ricky, you read very nicely.
“Okay, class. Leave your costumes and props in this box. I will take them to the library later. Please go back to your seats now.”
The kids returned to their seats. Ricky looked at his watch. It was almost ten-thirty. His heart began to beat faster.
The next thing he knew, someone was knocking on the door to the classroom. The door opened. A tall man with a beard stepped inside. He was carrying a briefcase.
“Boys and girls,” said Ms. Colman, “I would like you to meet Mr. Robert Bennett.”
POPCORN
“Welcome, Mr. Bennett,” said Ms. Colman. “Welcome to our class.”
Ms. Colman’s room was very, very quiet.
“Girls and boys,” said Ms. Colman, “please say hello to Mr. Bennett.”
“Hello,” whispered the kids.
Hannie did not say anything at all. Her mouth hung open.
Hank just stared. Before him stood a real live author.
Mr. Bennett was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt and a necktie. And sneakers. Chris liked the way he looked. It was very friendly. But he had hoped the author might wear a tuxedo.
Mr. Bennett grinned. “Hi, kids,” he said. “You are awfully quiet. I bet you are not always this quiet.”
“They certainly are not,” said Ms. Colman.
“Well, there is no need to be shy. I have never bitten anybody. At least not anybody I can remember.”
In the back of the room, Karen giggled. She liked Mr. Bennett.
“Now,” began Mr. Bennett. “Let me tell you a little about myself.”
Mr. Bennett told the kids that he had written seventeen books. “My first was Sloppy Sam. I think I look like Sloppy Sam.” He told the kids what his favorite book was. He asked what theirs was. Then he said, “Do you have any questions for me?”
Ricky wanted to raise his hand. He had a lot of questions for Mr. Bennett. But he was still feeling shy. So were his classmates.
“I know you have questions. I read your letters,” said Mr. Bennett.
Finally Ricky raised his hand. “How old were you when you wrote Sloppy Sam?” he asked.
“I was twenty-seven,” said Mr. Bennett.
“Could you draw good pictures when you were seven?” asked Natalie.
“Pretty good ones,” replied Mr. Bennett.
“Are you working on a new story now?” asked Omar.
Mr. Bennett grinned. “I just finished one. It is called Cosmic Kitten. It is in my briefcase.” He pointed to his briefcase.
Audrey raised her hand. “Um, Mr. Bennett, would you like to meet our guinea pig?” she asked. “He is right over there. His name is Hootie.”
Mr. Bennett said he would very much like to meet Hootie. So Audrey let him hold him for awhile.
When Hootie was back in his cage, Mr. Bennett pulled some things out of his briefcase. He showed the kids in Ms. Colman’s class how a picture book is made. He showed them how he wrote his stories. He showed them drawings he had made for Cosmic Kitten. He showed them what a book cover looks like before it goes on a book.
/> Then he said, “Kids, do you know what people ask me more than anything else? They ask me how I think up my characters. Well, now I am going to show you just how I do that. We are going to create a character together.” Mr. Bennett propped up a huge pad of paper on Ms. Colman’s chair. He put some markers on her desk. Then he said, “Okay. What does our character look like?”
The kids thought for a moment. Finally, Hank said, “Like a chimp!”
“But he has a big poofy tail,” Jannie called out.
“And hooves instead of feet,” said Terri.
Mr. Bennett drew a monkey with a beautiful fat tail and horse hooves.
“And he always wears a hat!” cried Ian. “Because he has to stay out of the sun. He is sensitive.”
“He lives in a castle,” added Sara.
Mr. Bennett drew the hat and the castle.
The kids named their character Popcorn.
Finally Mr. Bennett looked at his watch. “I am afraid I must leave,” he said. “But I will see you this afternoon. I enjoyed talking to you.”
Mr. Bennett packed up his briefcase. He hurried off. But he left Popcorn behind for the kids.
“How special,” said Ms. Colman. “We will have to frame Popcorn. For now, we will put him on the bulletin board.”
Ricky sighed. He gazed at Popcorn. This had been the most wonderful morning of his life.
GOOD-BYE, MR. BENNETT
The visit with Mr. Bennett had sped by. The rest of the day dragged by. It felt like hours and hours and hours before it was time to line up and walk to the library. But finally the kids in Ms. Colman’s class were on their way to the party. Nancy knew she was supposed to walk in the hallway, but she could not help skipping just a little.
The kids walked through the door to the library. Mr. Berger’s second-graders were already there. So were the third-graders. They were sitting on the floor. Ms. Colman’s kids joined them.
Tammy looked around the room. She looked at the beautiful decorations. She saw four wrapped presents on the librarian’s desk. And the box with the costumes and props.
Mr. Bennett was not there yet.
A few moments later he walked into the room with the librarian.
“Hello again!” he said.
Mr. Bennett was given a place of honor. He sat in the librarian’s chair.
“Now it is our turn to entertain you,” Ms. Colman said to Mr. Bennett. “First, we have some gifts for you.”
One by one, a student from each of the classes presented Mr. Bennett with a gift. Nancy gave him the present from Ms. Colman’s class.
“Oh, a diary!” exclaimed Mr. Bennett. “How useful. Thank you very much.”
Nancy grinned. She did not feel nervous around Mr. Bennett anymore.
“And now,” said Ms. Colman, “we have some things to show you.”
The third-graders went first. One class sang a song they had written for Mr. Bennett. The other class recited a poem for him. The kids in Mr. Berger’s class played charades. They made Mr. Bennett guess which book titles they were acting out. They were titles of books Mr. Bennett had written.
At last it was time for “Juicy Lucy.” Ricky could feel his heart pounding. He and Natalie carried their book to the front of the room. Nearby, their classmates were slipping into their costumes.
When everyone was ready, Ricky said, “We are pleased to present ‘Juicy Lucy.’ This is a story I wrote. Natalie drew the pictures. While I read the story, the other kids are going to act it out.”
Ricky took a deep breath. He glanced at Leslie in her kerchief. He hoped she was ready. He hoped everyone was ready. He hoped no one made a mistake. He especially hoped he would not say “fart” in front of Mr. Bennett.
“Juicy Lucy,” Ricky began.
Natalie opened the book. She turned to the first page.
“ ‘Once,’ ” Ricky read, “ ‘there lived a big fat goose named Lucy.’ ”
Leslie stepped next to Natalie. She took a bow.
Ricky read on. He read why Lucy was called Juicy Lucy. He read about the gander and the dinner date. He read about the wild goose chase and Lucy’s escape and her new friend. Finally he said, “The end.”
Ricky looked at Mr. Bennett. Mr. Bennett was smiling. “Bravo!” he said. He began to clap his hands. Everyone else began to clap, too. Ricky smiled. Then he grinned.
“That was wonderful,” said Mr. Bennett.
“And now,” Ms. Colman went on, “it is almost time for Mr. Bennett to leave. So let’s have our refreshments. Then we must say good-bye.”
The kids groaned.
“Boo and bullfrogs,” said Karen Brewer.
Ms. Colman and Mr. Berger and the third-grade teachers stood up. They served punch and cookies. Soon, Ms. Colman was handing Mr. Bennett the welcome cards that had been hanging in the hall. Then she said, “Boys and girls, what do you say to our visitor?”
“Thank you, Mr. Bennett!” cried the kids. “Good-bye!”
THE FUTURE AUTHOR
Author Day was over. The kids could not believe it. One by one their classes left the library. Ms. Colman’s class was last. “Good-bye!” the kids called again to Mr. Bennett. They watched him stride out of the library and down the hall.
“Please line up at the door now,” said Ms. Colman to her students. “School is almost over. The bell is about to ring.”
The kids scurried to line up. But not Ricky. He took one last look around the library. He looked at the chair Mr. Bennett had sat in. Then he looked at the librarian’s desk. Leaning against it was Mr. Bennett’s briefcase.
“Ms. Colman! Ms. Colman!” called Ricky.
Ms. Colman was already in the hall. She poked her head back in the room.
“Is something the matter, Ricky?”
“Mr. Bennett left his briefcase here! The one with his brand-new story in it.”
“Oh, my goodness,” said Ms. Colman. “Good for you for noticing that, Ricky. See if you can catch Mr. Bennett before he leaves school. Take the briefcase to the office. Mr. Bennett is probably there.”
Ricky grabbed the briefcase. He ran through the hall with it. He knew he was not supposed to run. A patrol or a teacher might catch him at it. But Ricky had a good excuse. I will just say that I have the famous author’s briefcase, he thought.
Pant, pant, pant.
Ricky skidded into the office.
Mr. Metz, one of the secretaries, was sitting at his desk.
“Mr. Metz! Is Mr. Bennett still here?” cried Ricky. “He left his briefcase behind! I have to give it to him.”
“He just left,” said Mr. Metz. “He is on his way to the parking lot.”
“Thanks!” called Ricky.
Ricky dashed back to the hall. He ran to the doorway. He was thinking, The parking lot. I guess Mr. Bennett came in a limousine.
But when Ricky reached the parking lot, he did not see a limousine. He looked everywhere. All he saw were station wagons and vans, one truck, and an orange Volkswagen.
Standing beside the orange Volkswagen was Mr. Bennett. He was pulling a key chain from his pocket.
Where was the limo? Ricky wondered. Where was the limo driver? He could not believe that the famous author drove his own orange Volkswagen.
“Mr. Bennett?” Ricky called. Mr. Bennett turned around. “Mr. Bennett, you forgot your briefcase.”
Mr. Bennett smacked his hand to his forehead. “I would forget my head if it were not attached to my neck. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. I know your new story is in it. That is very important…. Mr. Bennett? Thank you for coming to our school.”
“It was my pleasure. I enjoy meeting the kids who read my books. Your name is Ricky, isn’t it?” Ricky nodded. “And you read the story about the goose. ‘Juicy Lucy.’ That is a great title. I wish I had thought of that one myself. It is funny.”
“Thank you,” replied Ricky. “I like to write.”
“Maybe you will be an author one day.” Mr. Bennett took the briefcase fro
m Ricky. He opened it. And he pulled out a brand-new copy of Sloppy Sam. Then he said, “Thank you again for finding my briefcase. I would be lost without it. I would like to give you something, Ricky.”
Mr. Bennett opened Sloppy Sam. He took a pen out of his pocket. He wrote something inside the book, and he gave the book to Ricky. Then he unlocked his car and climbed inside.
“Good-bye, Ricky,” said Mr. Bennett.
“Good-bye.” Ricky watched Mr. Bennett drive away. Then he looked inside the book. Mr. Bennett had written: To Ricky, a future author and a great reader.
And he had drawn a picture of a goose.
“Yes!” cried Ricky. He grinned. Then he snapped the book shut. And he ran back to Stoneybrook Academy to show it to the kids in Ms. Colman’s class.
About the Author
ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.
Copyright © 1996 by Ann M. Martin
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