Gooney Bird on the Map (8 page)

The principal, Mr. Leroy, went to the edge of the map and faced the audience.

"I am
Da Man,
" he announced in a loud voice.

"
U Da Man
!" the children all replied.

"And I am delighted to present to you this amazing project created by the second grade." Mr. Leroy gestured to the map. He nodded to the second-graders, all except the three
B
s, who were still arranged behind the microphone. They moved forward, with Mrs. Pidgeon, as they had rehearsed, in a line and took their places, standing on the wide black rectangular border that marked their territory.

"They have been studying United States geography, and now, before we all head off on our wonderful winter vacations, they are going to tell you some little-known facts about this country of ours. First, shall we all join together and sing 'This Land Is Your Land'?"

Mr. Bornstein, the music teacher, came forward and began the song. The children all joined in. Even the kindergarten children knew the words. "This land is your land, this land is my land," they sang loudly.

Mr. Leroy went back to his place in the audience, and Mrs. Pidgeon stepped forward. "I want to introduce our special trio," she said, and gestured toward the three
Bs.
"Barry, Beanie, and Ben are going to provide the sound effects—and perhaps you will all join in—as we tell you all little-known facts about some of the United States.

"I'll go first. My state is Pennsylvania." Mrs. Pidgeon stepped onto the map and found the location of her state. She stood carefully on that spot. "Pennsylvania leads the whole country in the manufacture of pretzels and potato chips!" she announced loudly. Then she looked at the sound-effects trio and nodded.

"CRUNCH!" Barry, Beanie, and Ben said into the microphone. They gestured to the audience, who joined in. "CRUNCH!" everyone shouted, and laughed.

Keiko was next in line. She moved to the map, found her place in the exact center of the United States, stood there proudly, and tried to use her loudest voice. "I could have taken Kentucky, but we decided we'd each just do one state. So I chose Kansas," she said, "because it's where
The Wizard of Oz
was!"

The schoolchildren all murmured and nodded. They all knew
The Wizard of Oz

"And here's my little-known fact: Kansas has over fifty tornados every year!"

Keiko looked over at the three
B
s. She nodded.

Barry, Beanie, and Ben each took a deep breath. Then, all together, they made the sound of an approaching tornado. "WHOOSH!"

The audience replied loudly: "WHOOSH!"

Tricia went next. She made her way very carefully across the map, finding her place midway between Mrs. Pidgeon, who was standing in Pennsylvania, and Keiko, in Kansas, and then moving a little south of them both.

The sound-effects trio looked a little nervous.

"I'm Tennessee," Tricia announced proudly. "Home of Elvis Presley!" She nodded to the trio.

"YOU AIN'T NUTHIN' BUT A HOUND DOG!" Barry, Ben, and Beanie sang.

The audience repeated it. "YOU AIN'T NUTHIN' BUT A HOUND DOG!" Bruno opened his eyes, looked up sleepily, and then stood. He yawned, moved from Alaska across the Pacific Ocean, and lay down next to Hawaii.

"Me next?" asked Nicholas, and Gooney Bird nodded. "
Magic,
" she whispered, reminding him of his candy-heart name, because he looked a little nervous.

Nicholas moved to the map and turned to face the audience. "I got a whole bunch of states," he said. "Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey. New York, North Carolina, North Dakota"—he examined the map carefully, then stepped onto an area beside Texas—"but I chose New Mexico for a really scary reason!"

The children all waited, wondering what little-known fact could be so scary about New Mexico.

"There are a zillion rattlesnakes in New Mexico!" Nicholas announced.

"HISSSSSS," said the sound-effects trio.

"HISSSSSS," repeated the audience in delight.

Tyrone took his turn next. He pranced from the edge of the map over to Texas, near Nicholas in New Mexico. He wiggled his hips slightly and chanted, "
I got Texas as my place, Texas sends us into space!
" Then he stopped dancing and said, "Texas has the NASA Space Center!"

The three
B
s leaned toward the microphone and said, "BLAST OFF!"

"BLAST OFF!" came the reply.

Chelsea moved proudly to the map and found her spot in the middle of California. Bruno looked over briefly from the Pacific Ocean, then closed his eyes again.

"My state is California!" Chelsea announced. "I could have had Colorado or Connecticut, but I chose California because the state bird is the California quail, and it makes the sound of a city that isn't even in California. Listen hard!"

The trio had studied this very carefully. They had listened to recorded bird calls on the computer in the library. Now the three of them together, in squeaky, warbling voices, did the call: "CHICAAAHGO, CHICAAAHGO, CHICAAAHGO!"

The audience laughed and tried to do it themselves. "CHICAAAHGO, CHICAAAHGO, CHICAAAHGO!"

Malcolm, who had been wiggling in anticipation, went to the map next. "Me and Nicholas had more states than anybody! Eight! I had Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, and Mississippi, but I chose Maine!"

He went to the farthest north spot on the Eastern Coast and stood there beside the Atlantic Ocean, on the border of Canada.

Usually Malcolm talked very fast when he was nervous or excited. But he had practiced and practiced his little-known fact, and now he said it loudly and clearly. "Maine's lowest recorded temperature is fifty below zero!"

"BRRRR!" was the response from the sound-effects trio.

"BRRRR!" the audience replied.

"Now me, now me!" Felicia Ann scurried over to the lower end of the East Coast. "I'm Florida!" she called. "Florida has more lightning strikes than anyplace else in the United States!"

"ZAP!" said the three Bs.

"ZAP!" said the audience.

Finally, Gooney Bird moved to the state just above Florida. "I'm last, and my state is Georgia," she explained to the audience. Then she told them, "Not many people know this, but Georgia is the headquarters for Coca-Cola!"

She nodded to the trio. "BURP!" they said into the microphone.

"BURP!" The audience, laughing, responded.

"We hope you've enjoyed our geography presentation," Gooney Bird said to the school. "And we hope you all have a great vacation. Anybody who wants to come to my house next Wednesday afternoon, I'm having a birthday party for President William Henry Harrison. His birthday was February ninth and I feel that he doesn't get enough attention, so I am making cookies with his initials in M&M's and you are all invited."

Gooney Bird bowed. The second-graders, and Mrs. Pidgeon, still standing on their states, bowed. The audience applauded. The yellow school buses had lined up along the curb beside the playground. People began making their way toward the buses. Mr. Furillo prodded Bruno awake and attached a leash to his collar. Mrs. Clancy unplugged the microphone cord, which gave a final small screech. "Good job, sound-effects people," she said to the three Bs.

"Thank you," they said, but their voices were unenthusiastic.

"That's no fair," Barry complained as he walked past Gooney Bird. "I have to be in Hawaii! I'll miss your party!"

"Yeah," grumbled Ben, coming up beside them. "My family's making me go to Vermont!"

Beanie plodded past them. "I'm missing all the good stuff," she said in a grouchy voice, "just because of dumb Disney World."

"We'll think of you as we eat our cookies," Gooney Bird told them. "We'll be sad for you. We'll have a moment of silence."

 

The End

 

Gooney Bird Greene
by Lois Lowry
illustrated by Middy Thomas

 

About the series:

Gooney Bird is not your average second-grader. First there are her marvelous outfits— like the pajamas and cowboy boots she wore on her first day at Watertown Elementary. But there are also the amazing stories she tells and her excellent ability to accessorize all while being a good friend. Join Mrs. Pidgeon's classroom and learn along with Gooney Bird and her colorful classmates.

 

About the author and illustrator:

The two-time Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry has been friends with the illustrator, Middy Thomas, for many years. They laughed so much and for so long while working on the Gooney Bird Greene books they had a hard time getting completed! They are thrilled to share these books with children.

Gooney Bird Greene

 

DISCUSSION GUIDE:

1. Describe Gooney Bird Greene. How would she fit into your class? Do you, like Gooney Bird, like to be "smack dab in the middle of everything"?
   
2. Mrs. Pidgeon's class is talking about how to write or tell a good story. What do all stories need?
   
3. What makes Gooney Bird Greene a great storyteller? Is there a difference between good storytelling and good writing?
   
4. Which of the stories that Gooney Bird tells is your favorite? Why?
   
5. Who are the main characters in this story? How do you get to know them?
   

 

As you read
Gooney Bird Greene
complete the following graphic organizer based on the stories that she tells.