Fibles 10 Minute Children's Bedtime Stories for modern-day kids!

Table of Contents

The Erlee Riser
The Heard of Buffalo
The Otter Thing
The Ewe Wee
The Guppible One
The Jungle Bungle
The Shears and Roebuck
The Hoot Done It
The Ellie Fantastic
The Cuckoo Tweet
The Art of Pikasso
The Cookie Twist

Fibles

10-Minute Children's Bedtime Stories for modern-day kids!

M.R. Everette

Copyright © 2012 by M.R. Everette

Mill City Press, Inc.
212 3rd Ave North, Suite 290
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612.455.2294

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior
permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-938223-21-1

The Erlee Riser



Erlee the bird thought he was an early riser and couldn't wait to be the first one
in line when the local WeHop eatery announced it was offering free Saturday
morning breakfasts for all the young birds and owls.

Upon hearing the good news about free breakfasts, the youngsters started
tweeting each other about how exciting it would be, seeing the pancakes
flipping, hearing the toasters popping, and smelling the bacon sizzling in the air.

On the first Saturday morning, as Erlee the bird arrived for breakfast, he was
shocked to see Wisee the wise owl standing first in line.

"I thought owls were late sleepers, because my friend Sleepee the owl says
there's nothing like staying up all night, gaming and sleeping in late," Erlee said
to Wisee.

"That's what everybody thinks of owls," replied Wisee.
"So how do you get up so early?" asked Erlee.
"That's a secret you'll have to figure out, because you'll have to get up early,
Erlee, to beat me in line," Wisee chuckled.
"Next Saturday, I'm going to be the first one in line!" declared Erlee.
After eating breakfast, Erlee went back home and decided to work on a
wake-up routine that he could practice during the week, to see how early he
could get up before the next Saturday.
On the first try, Erlee thought it would be easy to have Roscoe the rooster
wake him up early by cockling and doodling after the crack of dawn. However,
Roscoe never used an alarm clock and kept winging the wake-up time, causing
Erlee to get up late.
On the second try, Erlee thought it would be easier to wake up early by
getting his own alarm clock and setting the wake-up time for the crack of dawn.
However, Erlee kept hitting the snooze button after the alarm went off, causing
him to over-sleep.
On the third try, Erlee thought the easiest way to wake up early was having
his mom wake him up before the crack of dawn. However, Erlee kept rolling
over and going back to sleep after telling his mom he was awake, and once
again, he got up late.
Figuring out a wake-up routine was becoming harder than Erlee originally
thought, because he kept tossing and turning all night, thinking about getting up
early.
"I've got to come up with something new, because I'm getting bags under my
eyes from not getting enough sleep!" said a tired Erlee.
Erlee thought the best thing to do was to get some advice. He decided to hop
online between the power poles and chat with some friends about how they get
to sleep early.

Dirtee the bird chatted that his favorite thing before bedtime was taking a hot
birdbath and then hopping in his pajamas. Slider the eider chatted that his
favorite thing during bedtime was sliding under a comforter and then winding
down with a bedtime story. Starla the starling chatted that her favorite thing after
bedtime was counting the stars in the night sky and then falling fast asleep.

After all the electrifying chatter, Erlee went back home to think about all the
new things he had heard. He decided to work on a bedtime routine that he could
practice the rest of the week to see how early he could get up before next
Saturday.

The next Saturday morning at the WeHop, Wisee the wise owl arrived to
take his place as the first one in line for breakfast but was shocked to see Erlee
the bird standing first in line.

"I thought early birds never got up before roosters!" Wisee said to Erlee.
"That's what everybody thinks of early birds," replied Erlee.
"So how did you get up earlier than the rooster?" asked Wisee.
"That's a secret you'll have to figure out, because you'll have to get wise,
Wisee, to beat me in line," Erlee chuckled.
Erlee was the first one hopping out of the WeHop after eating breakfast, all
bright-eyed and feathery-tailed, when he saw his friend Sleepee the owl, who
was hopping in line, late as usual.
"I can't believe you were the early riser today!" shouted Sleepee as he rubbed
his eyes in disbelief.
"I finally beat Wisee the wise owl in line!" Erlee gleefully said, while
hopping up and down.
"So was your secret a great wake-up routine?" asked Sleepee.
"Nope!" said Erlee.
"Was your secret a great bedtime routine?" asked Sleepee.
"Nope!" said Erlee again.
"Well, what was your secret?" demanded Sleepee.
"My secret was putting together a great bedtime routine with a great wake-up
routine that I call the "Bed-a-Wake" routine. Like Wisee the wise owl knows, the
first one up gets to eat breakfast first!" said Erlee the early riser.

The Heard of Buffalo



Moonie the calf longed for a large bell to wear around his neck like the one Bella
the bell cow wore as the leader of the herd, so he could ring everyone on the
cattle range.

One day the large bell around Bella's neck began ringing for all the young
calves to gather at Chuck's wagon, as the summer grazing season was coming to
an end, and soon the herd of calves would be moving out for the drive back to
school.

"Now that you all are old enough, the time has come for everyone to get a
bell for school," said Bella the bell cow.

"Yee-hah!" cheered the group of calves.
"But here are the terms and conditions of our family bell plan that you'll need
to heed before our bell man, Billy the goat, issues your first bell. First, there's no
range roaming without permission. Secondly, stay within ringing range of my
bell. Last but not least, if trouble should arise, start ringing your bell," instructed
Bella.
All the calves nodded in "udder" agreement and then went off to play a game
of cow hide-and-seek. The group of calves needed no prodding when they voted
hooves down for Moonie the calf to be the seeker, because he was known for not
being the brightest burner on the range, and he stood out from the herd with his
tall cowlick.
The game began, and Moonie sought far and wide for the hiding calves,
crossing the creek and roaming onto another range. Moonie had strayed so far
into the new range that he had gone out of Bella's ringing range.
Suddenly, a strange creature Moonie had never seen before came running up
to him and said, "Hello, I'm Buffy the buffalo!"
"I've never heard of a buffalo," said Moonie.
"That's because we don't have bells," replied Buffy.
"How come you don't have a bell?" asked Moonie.
"Our herd leader says bells are too expensive where the buffalo roam," stated
Buffy. "So what kind of bell are you wearing?"
"It's just a plain bell with a standard ring tone, but I want a large bell with all
the whistles," replied Moonie.
"How about I trade you my rare antique coin for your bell? That way you'll
have enough money to upgrade to a large bell," offered Buffy.
Moonie chewed on his cud for a while, thinking how he could be the most
talked-about calf among his peers in the herd by being the first calf with a large
bell that had unlimited range-wide ringing.
"OK, you've got a deal!" declared Moonie.
As Moonie and Buffy were completing their trade, a huge, dark storm began

brewing on the buffalo range. Moonie sensed he'd better get hoofing back to the
herd as fast as he could before the storm arrived, knowing the herd would be
moving out for school.

Meanwhile, back on the cattle range, the trail driver to school had noticed the
same storm brewing and came driving up to Bella. "It's time to head'em up and
move'em out!" he shouted.

Bella began ringing her large bell as hard as she could to gather the herd. All
the calves that were in hiding heard her bell, and they all formed a large group
around the herd leader. Bella had started doing a head count when she noticed
what was not standing out from the herd, and that was Moonie's tall cowlick.

"Anyone heard from Moonie?" asked Bella.
Before anyone could answer, the winds started blowing, tumbleweeds were
rolling, and the rain came pouring, as the storm arrived earlier than expected.
The creek Moonie had crossed was filling up fast, and he had no bell to ring if
trouble arose, so he had to use his young, springy legs to quickly jump from rock
to rock to cross the creek before it turned into a raging river.
Moonie was out of breath from running across the two ranges and was
soaked to the bone from the pouring rain when he finally lumbered up to Chuck's
wagon to order his new large bell.
"Yee-hah!" I'll be the most talked-about calf in the herd," cheered Moonie.
"I'll take that large bell you have on display," an excited Moonie said to the bell
man, Billy.
"How are you going to pay for that large bell?" asked Billy.
"I have a rare antique coin that's worth a lot," beamed Moonie.
"Are you kidding me?" chided Billy.
"What do you mean?" asked Moonie.
"That's a wooden nickel with a picture of Buffy's grandfather on the back. It's
not worth a penny, so there's no deal!" stated Billy.
Moonie's face became long, and his cowlick drooped as Bella approached
him at Chuck's wagon.
"Where have you been, and where's your bell?" demanded Bella.
"I've been buffaloed!" said the fool Moonie the calf.

The Otter Thing



Potter the otter always had an excuse for not doing his homework. He would
rather be playing and having fun at his play station in the glistening stream that
ran through the backwoods, where he lived, outside of town.

One afternoon, Potter the otter took a break from streaming up and down the
stream. He took off his swimming goggles to bask in the sun along the stream
bank. Unbeknownst to Potter, a new service was coming to the backwoods that
would change everything.

The trees and bushes started rustling near the stream bank where Potter was
resting. As he was turning around to see what was happening, out popped a pair
of muskrats wearing yellow hard hats.

"Who are you guys?" asked Potter.
"We're the installers for the new broad rubber band network that's going to
stretch from the town to the backwoods," replied the muskrats in hard hats.
"What are you guys looking for?" inquired Potter.
"We're looking for a logwood tree to install a plug-in outlet. Do you know
where we can find one?" asked the muskrats in hard hats.
"There's one next to Weaver the beaver's dam," Potter pointed out.
The muskrats in hard hats followed Potter down the stream bank to Weaver's
dam, just in time to see Weaver the beaver getting ready to chop down the
logwood tree with his large buckteeth.
"Don't chop down that logwood tree!" shouted the muskrats in hard hats.
"What's going on?" demanded Weaver. "I need the logwood tree to make a
logjam in the dam because it's leaking!"
"We're sorry, but logwood trees are now part of the broad rubber band
network. When you go to school tomorrow, your teacher will tell you everything
you need to know," stated the muskrats in hard hats.
The next morning there was a lot of fur flying and rumors floating around the
schoolyard from all the kids about the changes coming to the backwoods. Then
the school bell began ringing for class to start.
"We have connected the school to the backwoods through the broad rubber
band network, and today, we will issue you a new iPaw computer to use for your
homework. Your first assignment will be to write a paper and send it back to
school," said Miss Marmot the schoolmarm.
After class let out, Weaver the beaver was eager to get back to his dam to do
his homework on the new iPaw computer. He wasted no time in writing a paper
on using a spruce tree to spruce up his dam. As usual, Potter the otter went to his
play station, streaming up and down the stream, trying to come up with a new
excuse for not doing his homework.
When Potter took a rest break on the stream bank, he saw Pat the polecat,

who was poling a raft upstream. He asked, "What's your favorite excuse for not
doing your homework?"

"I fell off my raft on the way to school, and my homework got wet," Pat the
polecat replied.

Next to come by was Kellogg the dog, who was dog paddling downstream
and was asked the same question: "What's your favorite excuse for not doing
your homework?"

"My homework fell off the table, and my little brother ate it," Kellogg the
dog replied.

"None of these excuses will work anymore, because the new iPaw computer
doesn't use paper," Potter thought.

Potter decided to go visit Weaver to see how his dam was doing. He noticed
Weaver plugging his iPaw computer into the logwood tree to log-on and send his
homework to school.

"Now that my homework is finished, I can get back to the beaver thing of
fixing up the leaking dam," said Weaver.

"That gives me a great idea for an excuse not to do my homework," said a
scheming Potter.

Weaver winced. "So what's your great excuse?"
"I'll set up my iPaw computer on a tripod and film the two of us fixing up the
dam. They'll see I had no time to do my homework," stated Potter.
Potter began logging on the logwood tree, while Weaver was chopping down
a spruce tree. The two of them quickly went about sprucing up the dam with the
spruce tree. The leaking dam was fixed in no time at all.
"Now I can get back to the otter thing of playing and having fun," said
Potter.
The next day after class let out, Weaver saw a sight he had never seen
before. It was Potter, sitting on the stream bank, actually doing his homework by
writing a paper.
"I take it your excuse didn't work," noticed Weaver.
"I forgot to log-off the logwood tree, and the camera on my iPaw computer
was streaming video of me, playing and having fun in the stream instead of
doing my homework," said the sunken Potter the otter.

The Ewe Wee



The older Ewe sisters didn't like to eat their vegetables. What they really liked
was playing, laughing, and rolling to their favorite interactive games, all
morning long, on the big-screen TV, with their younger sister, Ewe Wee.

"It's time for lunch!" MaaMaa Ewe shouted to the kids.
The kids hit the TV remote and scampered into the kitchen. They took their
seats at the lunch table to start eating their fare of whole-grain breads.
"We love our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!" the kids said happily.
As the kids were munching away on their PB&J's, MaaMaa Ewe was sifting
through and scanning the food section of the paper, looking for coupons. She
noticed an article on a new restaurant that was opening called the Organic
Meadow. "Let's all go out for dinner tonight," said MaaMaa Ewe.
"Where are we going?" asked the kids.
"The Organic Meadow. They have an all-you-can-eat veggie buffet," stated
MaaMaa Ewe.
"Eating vegetables stink," said Pee Ewe, the oldest one.
"They're so bla-a-and!" seconded Ewe Too, the second oldest.
"I've never had vegetables before, so I'll withhold judgement until I try
them," said Ewe Wee, the youngest one.
The afternoon flew by, and dinner hour was nearing. Everyone was hurrying
to get ready. Combing coats, washing hooves, and brushing teeth were required
before jumping into the mini-van. The trip to the new restaurant was the quietest
ride ever, because the older Ewe sisters were not looking forward to eating their
vegetables.
"We're here. Everybody stay together when we enter the buffet line,"
MaaMaa reminded the kids.
As the Ewe family entered, with EweWee bringing up the rear, they saw that
the new restaurant was packed, and the buffet line was long. While standing in
the buffet line, Ewe Wee heard all kinds of comments about vegetables that
made her scared about eating them.
"I love peas," said Peabody the peacock, "but I don't like carrots."
"I love carrots," said Carrie the caribou, "but I don't like peas."
"There's only one way to eat peas and carrots together, and that's by
smothering them in horse radish," said Horst the horse.
"I don't want any peas and carrots, MaaMaa!" cried Ewe Wee.
"Don't listen to them, because they're just trying to pull the wool over your
eyes," replied MaaMaa.
"Just hold your nose, and they'll go down easy," said Pee Ewe.
"Make sure you use two hooves on your nose," seconded Ewe Too.
The Ewe family went through the buffet line, and MaaMaa Ewe made sure

the kids had peas and carrots on their plates before they took their seats at the
dining table to start eating the evening fare of vegetables.

"Everyone who cleans their plates of peas and carrots gets to go in the
dessert line," offered MaaMaa.

The older sisters, Pee Ewe and Ewe Too, were holding their noses. Ewe Wee
was watching them when a commotion of pushing and shoving began in the
buffet line, because someone had tried cutting in line. Everyone in the restaurant
was turning heads to see what was happening. When the commotion was over,
MaaMaa Ewe did a plate check and was pleased to see that everyone had
finished their peas and carrots.

"Okay, kids, let's go get in the dessert line," said MaaMaa with a smile.
"Baa-daa-boom, baa-daa-bing! We love our ice cream!" sang the kids.
A month went by, and MaaMaa once again said, "Let's all go out for dinner!"
The Ewe family jumped in the mini-van and once again went to the all-you-
can-eat veggie restaurant. This time, Ewe Wee was the first sister to load up her
plate with peas and carrots and was the first to finish them in record time,
without holding her nose.
"What turned you around on eating peas and carrots?" asked Pee Ewe.
"The first time we were here, I was too scared to eat my peas and carrots, so
I scooped them into my napkin and took them home, until I could come up with
a way to enjoy eating them," said Ewe Wee.
"What did you come up with that makes them so easy to eat?" asked Ewe
Too.
"I came up with a recipe called "Peaish-Carbob's", where I alternate sliding
peas and carrots on a small skewer stick. Then I dunk'em in my favorite dipping
sauce, and they go sliding down real easy. It's a ba-a-autiful combination!" said
the chef Ewe Wee.

The Guppible One



Gillmore the guppy was getting bored with having to go to swimming school
along the coast, especially on a day when the sun was shining, the surf was
splashing, and the water was sparkling clear.

Each day before school assembled, Percy the perch would be perched on his
favorite rock, waiting for Gillmore the guppy to join up with him before leaving
for school.

As Gillmore arrived that morning for school, Percy said, "It's such a
beautiful morning. I wish something exciting would happen in school today."

"I agree!" said Gillmore. "All our class does is swim up and down the coast
in the same spot everyday, and it's so boring!"

Lurking close by in the water was Finister the devilfish, who listened in on
Percy's and Gillmore's conversation about wishing something exciting would
happen today.

"Hey, you guys want to play hooky today?" offered Finister.
"What's hooky?" asked Gillmore.
"Playing hooky is fishtailing it over to the pier after skipping school, and
then nibbling away at the free lunch the fishermen dangle from their lines
without getting hooked," said the devilish Finister.
"That sounds like an exciting fishing expedition to me," answered Gillmore.
"How about you, Percy?" prodded Finister.
"A free lunch sounds fishy to me, so I think I'm going to play it safe and stay
in school," Percy replied.
"We're going to leave our backpacks next to your rock and pick them up
later, after our free lunch," Finister and Gillmore said to Percy.
Percy got off his perch and swam off to class. When Wally the walleye
swam by, Finister asked him to tell Miss Marlin the schoolteacher that he and
Gillmore were sick and feeling like fish out of water and wouldn't be able to
attend school today.
The plan to play hooky had now set sail, as Finister and Gillmore fishtailed
over to the pier to get an exciting free lunch. Finister was the first one to begin
nibbling away at the free lunch when a fisherman quickly hooked him and reeled
him in for a fish fry.
The next school day, as Gillmore arrived to join up with Percy for swimming
school, he was looking as black as a sea bass. His scales were smoking, his lips
were swollen shut, and he was feeling like a crappie.
"What happened to you?" asked Oly the mackerel.
"When Finister got hooked by the fisherman, I got so scared. I swam out to
sea as fast as I could, but I got caught in a powerful undertow that took me miles
and miles out into the deep blue sea. I got real lost, because I left my GPS unit in

my backpack."
"How did you get so black?" asked Oly.
"When the undertow stopped, I looked around the deep blue sea and saw

Oozy the octopus. I went up to him and started tapping his shoulder to ask him
for directions, but he got startled and began inking me. That's how I got so
black," said Gillmore.

"How did you get the smoking scales and the fat lips?" asked Wally.
"After swimming for awhile, I made it to the reef. That's when Electra the
electric eel sprang out of her hiding place, shocking the scales out of me. To
make matters worse, I asked Stingy the stingray, who was suntanning on the
sand bar, for a ride home. Unfortunately, Stingy didn't recognize me and got so
frightened by my looks that he stung me on the mouth. That's how I got two fat
lips," stated Gillmore.
"So how did you get back to the coast?" Percy asked.
"A pilot fish happened to be flying by and offered me a ride over to the
coast, which cost me my lunch money, and I ended up starving for lunch. It was
the worst day of my life!" Gillmore sighed. "By the way, what did I miss in
school?"
"It was the best day our class has ever had at school!" Percy said excitedly.
"Miss Marlin the schoolteacher took our class on a field trip to the aquarium sea
show. We went swimming with the aquarium stars and got to look at all the
gawking people through the huge glass windows. It was a whale of a good
time!"
"You also missed Goldie the goldfish strutting back and forth in front of the
huge windows, fishing for compliments," laughed Oly.
"But the most exciting part of the day was getting the greatest free lunch in
the world from all the people at the aquarium," said Percy.
"I should have stayed in school!" lamented Gillmore, the guppible one.

The Jungle Bungle



Mandrill the monkey was looking for a chance to build something during his
summer vacation time on the jungle island, while all the other kids were
swinging on vines and frolicking throughout the jungle.

Everyday, the young Mandrill would put on his kid's tool belt, go down to
the beach, and sit with his lonely friend Hermit the crab to watch his uncle's
construction business build a new tree house. Mandrill would spend his time
studying the nuts and bolts of building something strong.

One day, Mac the macaw came flying overhead and cawed, "Anyone
interested in helping build the kid's new playground jungle gym, please see Miss
June the baboon at noon."

"You should go check it out," urged Hermit.
"You're right, Hermit. I can help with my building knowledge," said the
young Mandrill.
Mandrill got excited about the chance to build something. He jumped on the
swing set of vines to go see Miss June. After standing in line for hours and
hours, he finally got to see Miss June and offer his building knowledge.
"Have you ever built anything before?" inquired Miss June.
"No, but I've studied the nuts and bolts of building something strong," said
Mandrill.
"I'm sorry. We can't use you because you have no experience, and you're too
young to be working up in a tree," stated Miss June.
Before Mandrill left the playground site, he checked out the work crew that
was building the new playground jungle gym up in the tree. Buzz the buzzard
was buzz-sawing the wood, Wayne the crane was hoisting the wood up, and
Gibby the gibbon was tying the ribbon to hold the wood together.
Mandrill thought, "They're going to bungle the jungle gym, and it will never
be strong enough to hold." Later that day, Hermit saw Mandrill dejectedly sitting
on the beach, sulking and moping about not getting a chance to help build the
new playground jungle gym.
"Why are you so dejected?" asked the consoling Hermit.
"No one will give me a chance to build something, because they say I have
no experience and I'm too young," moaned Mandrill.
Up in the tree house, Mandrill's uncle was packing up his tools at the end of
his swing shift and heard the dilemma. He walked across the beach to where
Mandrill and Hermit were sitting and said, "I'll give you a chance to build
something. Here's an extra cordless drill, a "case" of nuts and bolts, and a
monkey wrench for you to use."
"Thanks, Uncle!" Mandrill said as his eyes lit up. "I'm going to build a set of
monkey bars for us to play on."

"And I'm going to gather the driftwood that's lying on the beach for the set of
monkey bars," added Hermit.

The next day at dawn, Mandrill and Hermit were up and at it, as they put on
their kid tool belts and got busy building the set of monkey bars. Mandrill was
drilling the wood, and Hermit was lifting the wood up. To make it strong,
Hermit began inserting bolts in the wood, and Mandrill followed by tightening
the nuts with his monkey wrench until the set of monkey bars were completed.

At the end of the day, Mandrill and Hermit were swinging and hanging on
the set of monkey bars when Hermit blurted out, "We should invite all the jungle
kids over to play with us."

"That's a great idea!" said Mandrill. "I'll get Mac the macaw to caw out a
play invitation."

A few hours later, Mac flew back and reported, "No one will be coming,
because tomorrow they all are going to the grand opening of the new playground
jungle gym."

During the night, the macaw warning system went off and cawed for
everyone to seek shelter, as a typhoon was descending on the jungle island.

The waves were roaring, the coconuts were dropping, and the winds were
swaying the trees back and forth so hard that the ribbons snapped on the
playground jungle gym and catapulted it through the air and out into the ocean.

After the typhoon had subsided, all the jungle kids went to the playground
site, only to see that the jungle gym had disappeared. They all sighed in
disbelief.

"Now we don't have anything to play on!" said the disappointed kids to Miss
June.

Mac the macaw, who was flying overhead, cawed out, "Go check out
Mandrill's set of monkey bars on the beach."

All the jungle kids scurried over to the beach and saw Mandrill and Hermit
swinging and hanging on the set of monkey bars, having the time of their lives.

"Why is your playground the only one standing on the jungle island?" asked
Gibby the gibbon, the ribbon tying one.

"It was a good "case" of monkey see, monkey do," stated the master
craftsman Mandrill the monkey.

The Shears and Roebuck



Roebuck the buck never had a haircut in his entire life. Then everyone got a text
message from school, reminding them that their school yearbook photos would
be taken tomorrow.

All the kids started scrambling to come up with a cool look for school by
searching sales, clipping coupons, and bustling around the department store---all
except Roebuck the buck, because his schoolmates considered his hairstyle of
long, straight blond locks to be the coolest look in school.

"It's time to just get a simple haircut, and you'll look nice for your school
yearbook photo," suggested Roebuck's mom.

"Haircuts never look good because you always get butchered," replied
Roebuck.

Roebuck thought long and hard about what he could do with his hair without
having to get a haircut. He decided to text some of his doe friends for their
advice.

"You need a cool look that makes a statement for the school yearbook," the
does replied.

"I've got to come up with a plan," said Roebuck. "I know! I'll just go to the
department store and buy some hairstyling products."

After hours of gelling, waxing, and spraying his hair, Roebuck took a photo
of his new look and posted it on his social page, so the does could let him know
if it was a cool look for school.

"What do you think of the new look?" Roebuck asked on his social page.
"Yikes!" replied the does. "The spike is so fadlike, and now you look like
Dwib the guib!"
"Well, that didn't turn out well, so I'll go to plan B," said Roebuck. "I'll go
back to the department store and buy a do-it-yourself perm kit!"
After hours of perming, packing, and picking his hair, Roebuck took a photo
of his latest look and posted it on his social page, so the does could let him know
if this was a cooler look for school.
"What do think of this look?" Roebuck asked again.
"Yo!" said the does. "The fro is so retro, and now you look like Dope the
antelope!"
"I'm running out of time, so I'll have to go to plan C," said Roebuck. "I'll run
back to the department store before they close and buy a set of shears, so I can
cut my hair myself so it doesn't get butchered."
After hours of snipping, clipping and shearing his hair, Roebuck had gone
through every hairstyle from mullet to Mohawk, trying to come up with a cool
look for school. Time ran out, and he ended up with no hair left on his head.
"I'd better text the does and get some advice on what they think about a

shaved-head look before they see a photo of me and freak out," hastened
Roebuck.

"Ew!" replied the does. "The crew is so not you, and you'll end up looking
like Dork the stork!"

The does' feedback let Roebuck know that his shaved head would not be a
cool look for school, so he thought long and hard once again about what he
could do next with his shaved head before he had to go back to school to have
his photo taken.

The next day, all the kids went to have their photos taken at the school,
decked out in their new clothes and hairstyles, like the bee with her beehive, the
bobcat with his bob, and the pony with her pony-tail. Everybody was trying to
make a statement about being cool at school.

Roebuck was the last to arrive at the photo shoot and when he sauntered in,
everyone started staring at the longest blond dreadlocks ever seen. The does'
jaws dropped to the floor. Roebuck's new hairstyle now had become the coolest
look in school once again.

The beetle with the Beatle cut, standing in front of Roebuck in the photo line,
turned around and asked, "How did you come up with the coolest look in school
again?"

"Actually, my head is shaved, and I really look like Dork the stork, but last
night I was looking through my old baby photo album. Some photos my mom
took gave me a great idea to fashion and braid a wig out of some long spaghetti
noodles," replied Roebuck.

"Why didn't you just get a simple haircut?" asked the beetle.
"Because I'm a meatball for not listening!" said the Pastafarian Roebuck the
buck.

The Hoot Done It



Fraidy the friendless cat's progress report after the first year at his new school
read that he was too scared to meet new friends and would always be sitting on
the windowsill, talking to himself.

One evening after dinner, Fraidy was called down from his windowsill at
home. His parents told him that it was time for him to get out of the house and
go to summer adventure camp.

"You'll have a great time and meet new friends," his parents said.
They showed Fraidy the brochure they'd downloaded from the net of the
summer adventure camp, where hundreds of kids from all over the world went to
meet new friends and seek adventure, like rock climbing, backpacking, and
kayaking.
On the long bus ride to the summer adventure camp, Fraidy sat all by himself
next to the window. When all the kids got off the bus to go to the bunk-house,
Fraidy slept on the windowsill to make himself feel at home.
The first morning at roll call, the camp guide reported, "Someone dressed in
black last night was seen taking off with a climbing rope, and today's lunch is
missing."
"We think Fraidy done it, because he sits on the windowsill, and he fits the
description of a cat burglar," said all the kids.
"It wasn't me!" replied Fraidy.
"Do you know who done it?" asked the camp guide.
"You need to ask Hoot who done it," said Fraidy.
"Who's Hoot? He's not on the roster," stated the camp guide.
"Nobody knows Hoot, but we'll keep our eyes and ears open if anything
seems suspicious," said all the kids.
After roll call, the camp guide loaded everyone into the bus, and they all
drove off to have a great time of rock climbing in the mountains, except for
Fraidy, because he was too scared of heights.
On the second morning, the camp guide reported, "Someone dressed in black
last night was seen taking off with a backpack, and a kayak is missing."
"We think Fraidy done it because a cat burglar needs a backpack and a kayak
for a quick getaway," said all the kids.
"It wasn't me!" replied Fraidy.
"Do you know who done it?" asked the camp guide.
"You need to ask Hoot who done it," said Fraidy.
"Does anybody know who Hoot is?" inquired the camp guide.
"He's Fraidy's imaginary friend that he talks to outside the window," heckled
all the kids.
"Fraidy, you are to report to the camp counselor's office, so we can get to the

bottom of all the items that are missing at the summer adventure camp,"
demanded the camp guide.

Fraidy was very afraid of being expelled from summer adventure camp and
disappointing his parents. He took his seat in the camp counselor's office.

"What do you have to say about all the items that are missing from the
summer adventure camp?" the camp counselor inquired.

"I was taught to not spread rumors, so in my defense, I'll call Hoot to the
stand, and he'll explain everything," said a truthful Fraidy.

The door opened, and in hopped Hoot the owl wearing Coke-bottle glasses.
He took the witness stand, raising his right wing and swearing to tell the truth
and nothing but the truth about the missing climbing rope and lunch.

"So Hoot done it?" asked the camp counselor.
"It was Maggie the magpie who took the rope to climb down the roof slope,
so she could eat all the pizza pies," said Hoot.
The camp counselor made his notes and then swiveled around in his chair
and asked another question about the missing backpack and kayak. "So Hoot
who done it?" asked the camp counselor.
"It was Jack the yak who took the backpack and hijacked the kayak, so he
could get back home to sleep in his own sack," said Hoot.
"Fraidy, since you gave a Hoot to this inquiry, you are hereby cleared of all
the cat burglary charges," announced the camp counselor.
Fraidy was greeted by all the kids, who now accepted him as their new
friend. They asked him why he didn't know who done it.
"It's not who you know; it's Hoot you know," said the not-so Fraidy the cat.

The Ellie Fantastic



Ellie the elephant enjoyed humming and beating to her favorite tunes while
riding her small bicycle during her daily exercise routine. Suddenly, the batteries
in her small music player went dead.

Ellie pulled her bicycle over and lifted up her big ears to take out her small
listening pieces. Then she heard the live big-band sounds of horns blaring, drums
banging, and cymbals crashing.

Ellie followed the big-band sounds with her big ears over to her school's
practice field, where she saw her small chum Chummie the hummingbird
standing on the sideline among a group of musicians.

"What's happening?" asked Ellie.
"They're conducting tryouts for musicians who want to be in the school
marching band," said Chummie.
"Are you going to try out for the band?" asked Ellie.
"I'm not a musician, because I can't hum a tune or keep a beat," said
Chummie, pointing to his tin ears.
Before the marching band tryouts began, Ellie noticed all the musicians
practicing their marching moves by high-stepping their legs, pivoting their feet,
and spinning instruments in their hands.
Right on cue, the marching band director, Brahmie the bull, climbed up on
his pedestal, which towered over everyone on the sideline, and made his first
announcement to the group. "All those wishing to try out for the brass section,
please raise your hand!" blared Brahmie the bull through his bullhorn.
Ellie the elephant didn't have to raise her hand very high, because she was
the biggest kid. She towered over everyone on the sideline and was chosen by
Brahmie to be the first one to try out.
"I didn't know you were a brass player," said her small chum Chummie.
"Let's just say I have a lot of practice humming a tune," replied Ellie.
As Ellie stepped on the practice field, her big ears heard Cam the bighorn
ram whisper, "They always make the biggest kid play the big tuba."
"Please pick up the big tuba and hum us a tune," directed Brahmie.
"I told you so!" yammered Cam the bighorn ram from the sideline.
Ellie looked at the director and pronounced, "I'm going to play all the small
brass instruments."
Ellie began her tryout by trumpeting the horn, and then sliding the trombone,
and finally fingering the flute, all right on key. Ellie finished her tryout
performance by tossing the flute high into the air and catching it, just in time to
hit the last note.
"Who would have thought the biggest kid could play all the small brass
instruments?" said her totally amazed chum Chummie.

After all the tryouts for the brass section were over, the marching band
director Brahmie made his second announcement to the group.

"All those wishing to try out for the percussion section, please raise your
hand!" blared Brahmie the bull through his bullhorn.

This time Ellie realized she was the biggest kid on the sideline and only had
to raise her trunk slightly higher than everyone else's hand, and once again was
chosen by Brahmie to be the first one to try out.

"I didn't know you were a percussion player," said her small chum Chummie.
"Let's just say I have a lot of practice keeping a beat," replied Ellie.
As Ellie stepped on the practice field, her big ears heard Shep the hepcat
whisper, "They always make the biggest kid play the big bass drum."
"Please pick up the big bass drum and keep a beat," directed Brahmie.
"I told you so!" Shep the hepcat said from the sideline.
Ellie looked at the director and pronounced, "I'm going to play all the small
percussion instruments."
Ellie began her tryout by rolling the tom-toms, cracking the snare drum, and
finally crashing the cymbals, all right on beat. Ellie finished her tryout
performance by twirling the cymbals high over her head and crashing them, just
in time to hit the last beat.
"Who would have thought the biggest kid could play all the small percussion
instruments?" said her totally astonished small chum Chummie.
After all the tryouts for the percussion section were over, the marching band
director, Brahmie the bull, got on his bullhorn and made one last announcement
to the group.
"All those in favor of adding Ellie the elephant to the school's marching
band, please raise your hands!" blared Brahmie the bull through his bullhorn.
"It's a unanimous decision!" cheered her chum Chummie. "I always thought
you were just a music listener, because I always see you with your small music
player and ear pieces. I never would have imagined you were a fantastic big-time
player."
"Tell us how you can play so many different small instruments," said the
group.
"Not only do I have an ear for music, but I also have the biggest ears," said
the virtuoso Ellie, the fantastic elephant.

The Cuckoo Tweet



McKoo the cuckoo bird didn't think twice about keeping up with cleaning his
clock, because the only thing on his mind was playing in the upcoming miniature
golf tournament.

A knock came on the cuckoo clock door the morning of the tournament. It
was McKoo's best friend and awful miniature golfer, Bobo the bobolink, who
excitedly shouted, "Let's hit the links and putt some awesome miniature golf!"

"I am so ready to putt in the miniature tournament!" exclaimed McKoo.
Just as McKoo and Bobo were hopping out the cuckoo clock door with their
favorite putters to go to the tournament, McKoo's wing-held device began
chiming.
"Oh, no!" said McKoo. "I just got a tweet from Mom Cuckoo!"
"What does it say?" asked a concerned Bobo.
"It says you are to clean your clock before you do anything else today,
because it's dusty and there are twig's all over the place," read McKoo.
"I'll ask my sister Betty Lou the cuckoo bird to clean my clock for me, and
that way I'll be able to play in the tournament," thought McKoo.
"Sorry, McKoo, but I have a Hen Scout meeting today and besides, if you
don't clean your clock, Mom Cuckoo will clip your wings," replied Betty Lou.
"Sorry, Bobo, but I won't be able to play in the tournament today, because I
have to clean my clock," McKoo said sadly.
"Don't get your feathers all in a ruffle. I know how you can get two birds
with one stone," stated Bobo.
"And how's that?" asked McKoo.
"Just tweet the Swift Brothers Cleaning Service, and they'll come over with
their swifter's to dust and clean your clock," said Bobo.
McKoo tweeted the Swift Brothers Cleaning Service and gave them the
address to the cuckoo clock on Oak Tree Lane, where he lived in the city park.
"The tweet is in, and we're good to go, Bobo," said a relieved McKoo.
The birds of a feather then grabbed their putters and together flew the coop
to go enter the miniature golf tournament. After signing up for the tournament,
McKoo and Bobo went over to the bulletin board to look at the pairing sheets to
see against whom they would be playing.
"McKoo, who are you paired with?" asked Bobo.
"Oh, no!" chirped McKoo. "I'm paired with Baldwin the eagle, who happens
to be the best miniature golfer on the tournament circuit."
"Whew!" chirped the relieved Bobo. "I'm paired with Parmore the partridge,
who's just par for the course."
The tournament began with a birdcall of "Fore" by the awful Bobo, who
knocked over the windmill on the first hole because his style of miniature golf

was hooking, slicing, and hacking every hole. At the end of the round, Bobo was
trounced by Parmore the partridge's style of parring every hole.

McKoo's style of birdieing every hole was no match for Baldwin the eagle's
style of eagling every hole, with putting like clockwork. Scores at the end of the
round showed that Baldwin had cleaned McKoo's clock by eighteen shots.

At the awards ceremony, Baldwin the eagle once again was crowned the
miniature golf champion. As he raised the trophy over his head with his wings,
all the birds graciously flapped their wings. Another tournament had come to a
successful end, and all the birds flew back to their coops.

McKoo was just about to land at his cuckoo clock when he noticed Mom
Cuckoo pacing back and forth on the perch outside of the clock door. Her wings
were folded, and this signaled something was not right on the clock front.

"Oh, no!" said a concerned McKoo. "I'd better tweet the Swift Brothers
Cleaning Service to make sure they cleaned my clock."

The Swift brothers replied, "We stopped by, but there was nothing to clean."
"What do you mean, there was nothing to clean?" tweeted back McKoo.
"We're chimney swifts, and since your clock didn't have a chimney, we had
nothing to clean!" stated the Swift brothers.
"I'm definitely a birdbrain for listening to Bobo's know-how!" said McKoo
ruefully.
Bobo tweeted McKoo later that evening and asked, "How did you shoot in
the tournament, and how did the Swift brothers do in cleaning your clock?"
"Needless to tweet, I got my clock cleaned on all accounts," tweeted the
clipped-winged McKoo the cuckoo bird.

The Art of Pikasso



Pikasso the pika wasn't the most talented kid in arts and crafts class because of
the mess he always made. When the class was asked to form a circle with their
desks, he made a mess by screeching and squealing his all over the floor.

Once everyone gathered around Miss Gnu, the art teacher, she told the class
that the theme for the Show-and-Tell on parent's night would be, "What do you
want to be when you grow up?"

All the kids in the arts and crafts class started dreaming and imagining about
who they were going to be when they grew up. Some of the kids began blurting
out their visions of the future without asking to be called upon.

"I want to be a firefighter!" Ty the firefly shouted as his rear end lit up.
"I want to be a model," Pink the piglet giggled as her tail curled up.
"I want to be an artist," Pikasso the pika bristled as his hair stood up.
"Listen up, everyone, because what's going to be new this year is that all of
you will be required to bring in props, so you can show what your career choice
would look like as you tell it," added Miss Gnu. "Are there any new questions?"
"Will my beret and smock be good enough to count as props?" inquired
Pikasso.
"No, you will have to bring in some new artwork for props," answered Miss
Gnu.
"I've seen your artwork, and you can't even color inside the lines," chided
Vinnie Van Goat.
All the kids began berating his beret and mocking his smock, which made
Pikasso's spirits sink to a new low.
After the arts and crafts class was over, Pikasso raced home and decided to
lift his spirits by practicing on some new artwork. There was a note on the
refrigerator door, reminding him to clean the barbecue grill.
No one could have imagined what the Pika family would see that day after
they pulled the car into the garage and went into the house.
"Who smeared charcoal on the garage wall?" grumbled Father Pika.
"Who smeared lipstick on the bathroom mirror?" gasped Mother Pika.
"Who smeared crayons on the refrigerator door?" yelled Sister Pikaboo.
"Pikasso, you have a lot of explaining to do," demanded his parents.
"I got sooty from cleaning the grill. Then I got the thrill of honing my art
skill on the wall, but my paws got all messy. After washing up in the bathroom, I
tried tracing my face on the mirror, but my paws kept getting out of place. Then
I went back to the refrigerator, and when I was drinking juice, my creative juices
started flowing," said Pikasso.
"You're supposed to "ask" for art materials to use for practice," his parents
reminded him.

"But the Show-and-Tell for parents night is tonight, and I won't have enough
time to get the art materials that I need, nor will I have enough time to create
more of my new artwork for props," stated Pikasso.

"We'll figure something out," replied Father Pika.
Show-and-Tell parent's night began with all the kids showing and telling
their career choices on who they wanted to be when they grew up. It came down
to the final three kids.
Ty the firefly came dressed in a new firefighter suit, complete with fire hat,
and was shooting water from the water cannon on his toy fire truck as he was
explaining the art of putting out a fire. Everyone in the audience thought Ty was
the best at show.
Pink the piglet came dressed in a new evening gown, complete with high
heels, and was sashaying up and down the aisle as she was explaining the art of
walking the model runway. Everyone in the audience thought Pink was the best
at tell.
Pikasso the pika was the last one in the arts and crafts class to give his
presentation. When he was lifting the sheets off his new artwork, everyone in the
audience was aghast at seeing a huge section of a wall, a huge bathroom mirror,
and a huge refrigerator door.
"Wow! Those props are huge!" said all the kids.
Pikasso introduced his new artwork as "De Burnt Forest," a charcoal wall
mural; "La Oops Image," a lipstick self-portrait; and "Und Cool Fridge," a
crayon coloring.
The audience responded by asking, "What do you call your new artwork?"
"I call my new artwork Smearism," said Pikasso.
"Awesome!" said the audience, and they voted Pikasso the best at show and
tell, and his spirit was lifted to a new height.
"I have a question," Vinnie Van Goat said. "You're so small and your
artwork is so huge. How did you get it here?"
"All I had to do was "ask" my father for a lift," said the Smearist Pikasso the
pika.

The Cookie Twist



Ma the shepherd dog was sharing and caring for the farm kids with a watchful
eye over them, while they were inside the barn, running, jumping, and landing in
the hay piles without a worry.

One late afternoon, the farm's owner asked for a big favor from Ma, which
was to round up all the young sheep in the pasture and bring the flock back to
the barn for the night.

"I will give you an extra big treat if you do this for me," the farm owner said.
The farm owner then put on the table the biggest two-sided cookie with a
yummy cream filling that any of the farm kids had ever seen. The cookie looked
so delicious and the aroma so pleasing that it got all the farm kid's mouths to
water from excitement.
Barney the barn owl started hooting and hollering, Doris the dormouse was
eeking and shrieking, and everyone could hear Bumble the bee, hiving and
jiving.
"Whoa!" said Horace the horse. "Remember, the cookie is for Ma and not
you."
Ma noticed all the commotion surrounding the cookie and decided to find
someone to guard the cookie, so it wouldn't be eaten before she brought the flock
of young sheep back to the barn.
"Would anyone like to volunteer to guard the cookie while I'm gone?" asked
Ma.
Wormsworth the worm looked over and noticed that Bugingham the bug's
eyes were bugging out, so he slithered over to him and said, "Let's volunteer for
guard duty so we can eat that delicious cookie all for ourselves."
"We'll guard it for you!" shouted Wormsworth and Bugingham.
"Why should I trust you two not to eat the cookie?" asked Ma.
Wormsworth and Bugingham simultaneously replied, "Look, Ma, no hands!"
"Okay, you two will be my guards to keep the cookie safe, but should any of
the farm kids try to eat the cookie, you're to notify Stoolie the pigeon. He will fly
over to the pasture and tell me," ordered Ma.
Ma left the barn and headed down the dirt road to the pasture, where the
young sheep were grazing, and soon she was over the rise and out of sight.
"Now that Ma is gone, what part of the cookie would you like to eat?" asked
Wormsworth.
"I like the yummy cream filling, but I'm afraid if I eat the middle first, the
top of the cookie will fall on my head and squish me," replied Bugingham.
"I like the cookie parts because they're crunchy," savored Wormsworth.
"Do you have any ideas on how to eat the cookie?" asked Bugingham.
Wormsworth thought for a minute and declared, "Since I'm long and slender,