Teacher's Pet Read online

  “Class,” said Ms. Colman, “I have not forgotten about our problem.”

  Karen raised her hand. “What problem?”

  Ms. Colman explained to Karen about the hamster and the rabbit and the vote. “So I would like you to vote one more time,” she said. “In case any of you have changed your minds.”

  Karen raised her hand again. “You are voting for a hamster or a rabbit?” she asked, just to make sure. “Why not a guinea pig? Guinea pigs are great pets. I played with one once. He was very, very friendly.”

  “Hey, a guinea pig,” said Sara. “That would be a good pet.”

  “I like guinea pigs,” said Hank.

  “Me too,” said Audrey.

  “Hmm. Well, let’s add a guinea pig to the list and take another vote,” said Ms. Colman. “How many of you want to get a guinea pig?”

  Sixteen hands shot into the air.

  “Every single one of you!” exclaimed Ms. Colman. “It is unanimous then. Okay, our field trip is on. I will give you permission slips this afternoon. Please ask your parents to sign them. Remember to bring them back to me tomorrow. We will go to the pet store on Wednesday.”

  THE PERFECT PET

  On Tuesday, the kids in Ms. Colman’s class were very busy.

  “Tomorrow,” said Ms. Colman, “when we go to the pet store, we must know exactly what we need to buy. We will need quite a few things besides the guinea pig. Can you think of some of those things?”

  “Food!” called out Tammy.

  “Right,” said Ms. Colman. “What kind of food?” (The kids looked at each other. They did not raise their hands.) “We need to find out what guinea pigs eat, then,” Ms. Colman went on. “What else should we buy?”

  “A cage,” said Audrey.

  “Good. How big?” asked Ms. Colman.

  The kids did not know. So Ms. Colman took her class to the library. The librarian helped them find books about pets and guinea pigs. They read about what guinea pigs eat. They read about how much exercise they need. They read about how guinea pigs play and sleep and feed their babies, and about how to keep them healthy.

  Ms. Colman helped the kids make a list of things to buy at the pet store the next day. At the end of the list they wrote: “One guinea pig, the perfect pet! (Brown with white spots, maybe.)”

  In the afternoon, Ms. Colman said to the class, “I want to talk to you about our trip tomorrow. We will go to the pet store in a yellow school bus. When you are on the bus, you must stay in your seats. No standing up or running around. And you must stay with your partners.”

  “What partners?” asked Ian.

  “I am going to assign partners in a few minutes,” said Ms. Colman. “You must stay with your partners on the way to the bus, on the bus, in the store, and all the way home,” said Ms. Colman.

  Leslie wrinkled her nose. “Do we have to hold hands?” she asked.

  “Not on the bus or in the store,” replied Ms. Colman. “But the rest of the time you must hold hands. All right. Here are the partners for tomorrow: Hank and Ricky, Audrey and Sara, Karen and Nancy … ”

  “Yea! We get to be partners!” Karen whispered to Nancy.

  “What about Hannie?” Nancy whispered back.

  Hannie’s partner was Tammy. That was okay with Hannie.

  “See you tomorrow!” called Ms. Colman as the bell rang.

  THE SCHOOL BUS

  “Two by two!” Ms. Colman reminded her students. “Hold hands until you are seated on the bus.”

  The kids in Ms. Colman’s class were ready for their trip. They were lined up by the door to their room in two short lines, holding hands with their partners. Ms. Colman stood at the front of the lines. She was holding the list of things to buy at the pet store. At the back of the lines stood Omar’s father. Mr. Harris was the room parent for the trip.

  “Remember the bus rules,” said Ms. Colman as she opened the door and led her students into the hall.

  “Oh, goody, goody, goody. I am so excited!” said Natalie to Terri.

  “We are going to get a pet!” Karen exclaimed to Nancy.

  “Your hand is sweaty,” said Bobby to Ian.

  “I love buses,” said Hank to Ricky.

  Just as Ms. Colman had promised, a big yellow school bus was waiting in the parking lot outside of Stoneybrook Academy. The kids climbed onto it and scrambled for seats.

  Bobby and Ian claimed the very last seat in the back of the bus. “So we can bounce over bumps,” said Bobby.

  Karen and Nancy both wanted to sit by the window.

  “You can’t both sit there,” Hannie said.

  “We can if Nancy sits in my lap,” replied Karen.

  Ms. Colman would not allow that, so they decided to take turns.

  Soon the driver closed the door at the front of the bus. Then she turned the bus slowly into the street.

  “Let’s sing!” cried Terri.

  “Yeah!” said Omar. “ ‘A Hundred Bottles of Pop on the Wall’!”

  “No, ‘The Wheels on the Bus,’ ” said Audrey.

  So the boys sang one song while the girls sang another.

  Mr. Harris put his hands over his ears. “Help! I am getting a headache.”

  “So am I,” said the bus driver.

  The kids quieted down.

  “Here we are,” said Ms. Colman a few minutes later.

  The kids looked out the windows. The bus had pulled up in front of Noah’s Ark, the pet store, in downtown Stoneybrook. The owner of Noah’s Ark was standing outside. He waved to the kids.

  “Okay, two by two,” said Ms. Colman. And her students filed off the bus and into the store to buy the perfect pet.

  THE PET STORE

  “Good morning, boys and girls. My name is Tom Hanley. This is my pet store. I am going to give you a hand today. I understand you would like to buy a guinea pig.”

  Sara raised her hand. “And guinea pig food,” she added.

  “And everything else a guinea pig needs,” said Chris.

  The kids in Ms. Colman’s class were seated on the floor at the back of the pet store. They were in the fish section. Along the walls around them were aquariums full of brightly colored fish. And standing before them was Mr. Hanley.

  “Do you know everything there is to know about pets?” Hannie asked Mr. Hanley.

  Mr. Hanley smiled. “I do not know everything,” he said. “But I know quite a bit. Enough to help you out. Are there any more questions?”

  Bobby raised his hand. “Can we choose the guinea pig now?”

  Mr. Hanley looked at Ms. Colman. Ms. Colman said, “Let’s pick out the guinea pig’s supplies first. We will choose our pet last. Now Mr. Hanley, we are working with a budget,” Ms. Colman continued. “We have only a certain amount of money to spend. We want a nice cage and good supplies, but nothing too fancy.”

  Mr. Hanley folded his arms. “Hmm,” he said. “Let me think. All right. We will look at cages first. Right this way, please.”

  Ms. Colman’s students followed Mr. Hanley to the front of the store. Together they decided on a cage. It was big enough for a guinea pig, but not too expensive. Mr. Hanley set the cage on the counter by the cash register.

  “Food next,” said Karen. She was hopping up and down with excitement.

  Mr. Hanley helped the kids choose food and dishes and toys and more. He stacked each item on the counter next to the cage.

  “And now for the most important thing,” said Ms. Colman finally. “Our guinea pig.” She smiled at her class.

  “We would like a brown one with white spots, please,” said Jannie.

  “Brown with white spots,” repeated Mr. Hanley. “Let’s see what we can do. Our guinea pigs are over here, in these three cages.”

  Ms. Colman’s students rushed to peer into the cages.

  “Oh, look! How cute!” cried Leslie.

  “Hey, those two are playing!” said Omar.

  “That one is sleeping,” said Audrey.

  “There is a brown and white one!
” exclaimed Terri.

  “Silly, it has no spots,” said Tammy.

  “I like that black and white one better,” said Nancy.

  “That one has no spots either,” said Tammy.

  The kids stood in front of the cages for a long, long time.

  They argued. “Why does it have to be brown and white?” asked Ricky.

  They laughed. “That one is the funniest!” said Ian.

  They discussed things. “Spots are nice, but why do we care what it looks like?” said Sara. “We just want a nice, friendly pet.”

  They decided which guinea pigs they did not want. At last, only two were left. Both were brown and white. Both liked to play. Both seemed nice and friendly. But only one of them sat in their hands and whistled happily.

  “I think he likes you,” said Mr. Hanley.

  “Shall we take him?” Ms. Colman asked her students.

  “Yes!” they cried.

  HOOTIE

  Mr. Hanley put the guinea pig into a special box for the trip to his new home. The kids in Ms. Colman’s class carried his cage and toys and supplies onto the bus. Then they found seats with their partners.

  “Can I hold the guinea pig, Ms. Colman?” Hank called out.

  “No, I want to!” cried Natalie.

  Everyone wanted to hold the guinea pig. Mr. Harris held him instead.

  “You will have your turns when we are back in our classroom,” Ms. Colman told the kids.

  The school bus rattled toward Stoneybrook Academy. The girls sang “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” The boys sang “This Old Man.” Then they all sang “The Ants Go Marching.” When the bus stopped, everyone piled out. The kids carried the pet supplies to their classroom. Mr. Harris carried the guinea pig.

  When Mr. Harris had put the guinea pig on Ms. Colman’s desk, he said, “I must go to my office now. But I enjoyed our trip to the pet store. Good-bye, kids. Good-bye, Ms. Colman. Good-bye, Omar.” Then he left.

  “Let’s show the guinea pig his new home!” said Leslie.

  “No, let’s set up his cage,” said Ian.

  Half the kids showed the guinea pig around the room, while the other half set to work on his cage.

  “See? Here are the cubbies,” Karen said to the guinea pig.

  Sniff, sniff, sniff went the guinea pig’s nose.

  “Here is the reading corner,” said Hank.

  “This is my desk,” said Natalie proudly.

  “And this is Ms. Colman’s,” added Jannie.

  The other kids were busy with the cage. They spread shavings in it. They set out food and water. They arranged the toys. At last it was ready for the guinea pig. Ms. Colman set him gently in the cage. He walked around slowly. Sniff, sniff, sniff went his nose. Then he let out his whistle.

  “He likes it,” said Ricky.

  “Well, there is just one thing left to do,” said Ms. Colman. Her students looked at her. “One important thing. The guinea pig still needs … ”

  “A name!” cried Audrey.

  “Exactly,” said Ms. Colman.

  “Bradford,” said Chris. “That is what we should name him.”

  “Bradford?” exclaimed Jannie. “Tsk. Silly. How about Fuzzy?”

  “How about Spot?” asked Ian.

  “No, Wiggles,” said Terri.

  “Barf,” said Natalie.

  “Uh-oh,” said Ms. Colman.

  “Let’s choose three names and take another vote,” suggested Omar.

  And that is what the kids in Ms. Colman’s class did. They divided into three groups. Each group settled on one name.

  “What are the names?” asked Ms. Colman.

  “Fuzzy,” said group one. “Because of his fur.”

  “Hootie,” said group two. “Because of his whistle.”

  “Timothy,” said group three. “Because we just like it.”

  The class voted on the names. Fourteen kids voted for Hootie.

  “Hootie it is then,” said Ms. Colman with a smile. “And now it is time for math. Please take out your books.”

  Hootie explored his cage. And Nancy sat happily at her desk, between Hannie and Karen. Her two best friends. She decided that second grade was off to a great start.

  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 © 1995 by Ann M. Martin

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, 1995

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-09248-6