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I'm Just Going To School
By Courtney Wood, Brian Rice, Mitchell Martyna AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2016 Courtney Wood
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4969-6518-9
CHAPTER 1
Emily's first day of kindergarten would begin in one more week!
"Can you believe it, George? Emily's mother asked Emily's dad. "Our little girl starts school in just one week."
"I'm going to tell all of my forest friends before I go," Emily said, running off to the backyard.
"Of course you will, dear," her dad said with a grin.
"I have some news," Emily said, wriggling her toes in her boots.
"I'm going to school!"
"Oh, how exciting," Beaver replied.
"Oh yes. I have always wanted to go to school!" Moose said.
"Do they have honey?" Bear asked.
Emily giggled. "No. And you can't come to school with me. School is for children. Don't worry; I'll be back at the end of the day to play with all of you."
"I don't know if I like this school idea. What if you forget us?" Wolf asked.
"You're my friends. How could I forget you?" Emily answered, running back to the house.
When the time came, Emily marched off to the bus stop, waving to her parents and her woodland friends.
In the forest, Wolf shoved a box of tissue over to Bear and Moose, who were sitting in a puddle of their own tears. Beaver sniffled.
Emily had a great first day at school. Her teacher, Miss Kirsten, cracked jokes and made everyone feel welcome. Emily had made three new friends by the end of the day.
Her new friend Jill had just had a birthday and couldn't stop talking about it. "I made a list of all the things I wanted for my birthday, numbered one through ten. Number one was the present I wanted the most!"
Mason and Hunter, who were listening from the slide, came running over.
"I put 15 things on my list, and it had two number ones!" Hunter shouted.
"My birthday is coming up. Should I make a list?" Emily asked.
"Of course you should make a list. Your number one should be the new bouncing glow ball. It's huge and everyone has one!" Jill shouted.
Emily came home from school and stood on her porch, looking into the forest. She felt confused. "I normally play with my friends now, but I have to make a list of presents. Maybe I can play with them after."
When she finished, Emily handed the list of presents to her parents.
"What's all this for, Emily?" her father asked. "Instead of playing with your forest friends, you've been making present requests? That's not like you."
"Well, all the kids at school have lists, so I must need one. I can play with my animal friends tomorrow, I guess."
Emily was so busy planning her party and playing with her new friends that she had forgotten all about playing with her forest friends. She didn't realize she was making her birthday presents more important than her forest friends.
"I don't know if I like school," Moose said.
"Me neither," Wolf growled.
"She is more excited about playing with the birthday presents she's going to get than playing with us!" Bear grumbled.
Emily's birthday overflowed with screaming children, presents, balloons and cupcakes.
Bear and all of the forest friends watched from the woods as the children paraded around the yard.
"We didn't even get invited. We always get invited!" Wolf howled.
"Emily will play with us again. She's just trying to fit in with her friends at school. She must be confused. Presents were never that important to her before, and they won't replace us," Bear assured his friends.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from I'm Just Going To School by Courtney Wood, Brian Rice, Mitchell Martyna. Copyright © 2016 Courtney Wood. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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