Daisy's Big Night Read online

  “Good-bye?” Shirley suggested.

  “Sweet dreams?” Mrs. Bookman tried.

  “Do birds dream?” Emma’s mother asked.

  Daisy thought for a minute as the poets continued their discussion. Then she opened her notebook to her list of Quiet-Time Words. Good-night and sweet dreams were there, but Daisy agreed they weren’t quite right. Then she saw it. The word she knew would work beautifully with the quiet tone and sound of the poem.

  “Hush-a-bye,” she offered.

  Joan tried it out. “I whispered a soft hush-a-bye.”

  “That’s lovely,” Mrs. Bookman said, and the others agreed.

  Daisy was proud that she had been able to help. Emma’s mother was next with a haiku. She explained to Daisy that haiku poems have three lines. “The ones I write have five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and then five again in the last line. They are often about the seasons or about nature,” she said. She read hers.

  Light is filtered through

  delicate leaves of tall trees.

  Shadows glide around.

  “I feel like I’m right there in the woods!” Mrs. Bookman said. The other poets made a few comments as well. Then Sam read an ode, which he explained was a poem praising something or someone. Daisy loved his “Ode to Elvis.” At first she didn’t understand why he was talking about floppy ears and warm fur instead of guitars and funny hair. But she soon realized that Elvis was the name of his childhood puppy.

  Daisy liked Shirley’s poem about collecting shells on the beach, and how every other line rhymed. Mrs. Bookman’s poem was in free verse. “It doesn’t have to follow a pattern like haiku, or have words that rhyme, like other types of poetry. But it can if you want,” Mrs. Bookman told her. “In this one, I tried to paint a picture with words.” She began to read.

  Like an old friend

  come to visit,

  we don’t miss a beat.

  At first it didn’t sound like poetry, but as Mrs. Bookman continued, the flow of words began to make a picture in Daisy’s mind.

  I open the cover

  and letters glide,

  a black and white waltz.

  Thoughts and ideas

  move and swirl,

  and make my mind leap.

  Happily I return,

  again and again

  to the dance of my book.

  Daisy couldn’t believe so few words could make her feel so much! She had always loved books but had never thought about a book as an old friend or about how the ideas and letters sometimes seemed to dance off the page. Now, she couldn’t wait to get home and curl up with one of her favorites.

  Mrs. Bookman suggested a break. When the poets came back with their snacks, Mrs. Bookman turned to Daisy. “Would you like to share one of your word lists?” she asked.

  As much as Daisy loved her word lists, she felt a little shy about reading them out loud. But if anyone would appreciate them, it would be this group. So she took a deep breath and opened her notebook. Daisy read one of her favorites, her list of Perfectly Paired Words. She read, “Bouncy balls, chunky chocolate, comfy couches, flying flags, summer sun.” The poets all said how much they liked the words she had put together.

  Encouraged by their responses, Daisy said, “The haiku reminded me of nature, so I think I’ll read my Cloud Words list now.” She looked into her notebook and read, “Cotton candy, white, gray, floating, wispy, fluffy, puffy.”

  “Daisy, that list is practically a poem already!” Shirley exclaimed.

  Daisy beamed. She wanted to ask Shirley what she meant by the list being a poem already, but the poets had moved on to discussing a date for their next get-together. Then everyone started saying their good-byes, and Shirley left before Daisy could talk to her. Daisy helped Emma’s mom and Mrs. Bookman clean up. The two women began discussing a new restaurant in town, and Daisy didn’t want to interrupt to ask about Shirley’s comment.

  She picked up her notebook and her platter, which was now empty. As Mrs. Bookman walked Daisy to the door, she said, “I knew you would add so much to the party, and you did!”

  “Thanks!” Daisy said. “I didn’t know what it would be like, but I had a really good time.”

  As she headed home, she glanced at her notebook, which was tucked tightly under her arm. She had always guarded it carefully. But now, thinking her lists could be the seeds from which poems grew, it felt even more special.

  Chapter Five

  As she headed down the street, Daisy saw Samantha and Tyler. Her two classmates were deep in conversation.

  “Hi,” Daisy called, as she got closer.

  “Daisy!” said Samantha. “We’re talking about the showcase. I’ve been practicing my handball serve, and I even made a chart showing different kinds of serves.”

  “That’s great,” Daisy said.

  “What are you going to do?” Samantha asked. Daisy still wasn’t sure, but before she could answer, Tyler jumped in.

  “You’re good at finding words,” he said, pointing to the notebook under Daisy’s arm. “I’m good at spelling them. That’s what I’m going to do at the showcase — spell. I won the school spelling bee,” he said proudly.

  Daisy had been impressed by his win. She loved finding special words, learning their meanings and using them in fun ways. But she didn’t always pay attention, at first, to spelling. If she wasn’t sure how one of her wonderful words was spelled, she looked it up in her dictionary before putting it into her notebook. “Spelling sounds great for the showcase,” Daisy said.

  She turned and headed home, thinking again about what she was going to do for the big night.

  ***

  At dinner, Daisy was still worried about the showcase, but she couldn’t wait to tell her family about the poetry party. “I really liked Sam’s ‘Ode to Elvis,’” Daisy said. “He sure loved his dog.”

  “I’m not old, I’m young!” Lily announced, sticking her chin up in the air to make her point.

  “I didn’t say ‘old,’” Daisy corrected, “I said ‘ode.’”

  “What’s ode?” Lily asked.

  Daisy explained that an ode was a kind of poem that praised something or someone.

  “People write odes when they really care about something,” Daisy’s mother added.

  “I could write one about you!” Daisy’s dad said, making a deep bow toward his wife.

  “Good idea,” she said. “But you would have so much to say that it would go on for pages and pages!”

  Everyone laughed.

  Then it was time for Daisy to clear the dishes and for Lily to wipe the table. After playing a game with Lily, Daisy sat at her desk in front of her open notebook. Even though she was in her pajamas, she was still wearing her beret and sparkly necklace. She wasn’t ready for the wonderful day of poetry to end.

  Using her dictionary to check the spellings, she made a new list called Poetry Words. She wrote ode, haiku, rhyme and free verse. She remembered Sam’s “Ode to Elvis.” She liked the old-fashioned words in his poem and how he seemed to be talking directly to the puppy. Daisy thought about things that meant a lot to her. Her eyes landed on her list of Sweetest Words. She added something new to the list and then got right to work.

  Chapter Six

  The next day was Sunday. After lunch, Daisy went to visit Mrs. Bookman. “I wrote an ode,” she announced excitedly when Mrs. Bookman opened the door.

  “Wonderful!” Mrs. Bookman exclaimed. “May I hear it?”

  “My mom said an ode should show how much you care about something,” Daisy said. She started reading quietly, her voice getting louder as she reached the end.

  Ode to Ice Cream

  Oh, ice cream, you make me so happy!

  You are cold and sweet.

  Fudge runs slowly down.

  A cherry is your crown.

 
My spoon sinks deep.

  My mouth waters.

  Sweet sundae, you are all mine!

  Mrs. Bookman clapped her hands in delight. “I love it!” she said. “And I think I know just what our snack should be today.” Daisy and Mrs. Bookman each got a bowl from the cabinet. Mrs. Bookman went to the freezer, and they began scooping. Although Daisy usually liked the interesting snacks Mrs. Bookman offered, she was happy to have ice cream today.

  “When did you start writing poetry?” Daisy asked.

  “After I graduated from college,” Mrs. Bookman said. “At that time, it seemed as if there were poets everywhere. You could walk down the street or into a café, and people would be discussing words and sharing ideas. It was magical! You would have loved it, Daisy.”

  People sitting around talking about words! “It does sound wonderful!” Daisy agreed, trying to imagine what that must have felt like.

  Daisy thanked Mrs. Bookman for the ice cream and for telling her about the “golden poetry days,” as Mrs. Bookman liked to call them. Then Daisy went to find Emma. All week long, they had been planning to spend the afternoon playing by the creek. Now it was time, and Daisy couldn’t wait. She loved spending time outdoors with Emma.

  ***

  The shallow creek gurgled around their ankles as the best friends splashed each other. Daisy thought about the words splish and splash. They reminded her of words she had heard the poets use. She loved how closely the poets looked at the world, especially nature. Daisy tried to do the same. She reached over and picked a small wildflower that was just beginning to open. “It’s growing,” she said, showing it to Emma. Then she imagined herself in her poet’s beret.

  “It’s blossoming,” she tried.

  “Very poetic!” Emma exclaimed.

  The girls picked more wildflowers and then sat beside the creek weaving them into chains. They pretended to be princesses in their wildflower crowns and walked with their heads held high. After chasing each other through the moat of their imaginary palace, they lay down on the grass. “Let’s count the trees in our kingdom,” Emma suggested.

  “Don’t you mean our princessdom?” Daisy asked with a grin. She hopped up and grabbed a large stick to use as a sword.

  “We’re modern princesses,” Emma declared, finding a sword of her own and swinging it around. “We know how to defend ourselves!”

  “We are so coolio!” Daisy agreed, hitting Emma’s sword with her own and yelling, “Touché!” They laughed as they ran from tree to tree defending their princessdom from invaders. Finally, it was time to lay down their swords. Muddy and happy, the girls headed home.

  Daisy hadn’t wanted to bring her notebook to the creek, but once she got cleaned up, she was eager to write down words about the afternoon. She put on her wildflower crown and began a Nature Words list. She wrote green, gurgle, rocks, trees, splish and splash on it. Finally, she added wildflowers.

  ***

  After supper, Daisy had fun playing a quiet game of cards with her family. As her dad shuffled the deck, Daisy described the Student Showcase that Miss Goldner was planning. It would take place the evening before the last day of school.

  “It’s going to be a really big night,” Daisy told them.

  “What will you do?” her mom asked.

  “I don’t know,” Daisy said. “I guess I could show how to do a soccer penalty kick or how to paint a flower. I’m pretty good at those things.”

  “Yes, you are,” her father agreed.

  “But they don’t seem special enough,” Daisy said. “After all, it’s one of my last times with Miss Goldner. On the final day of school, we only stay until noon. And the morning is so busy with the end-of-year assembly and taking things down from the walls that there won’t be much time with her at all. That’s why the showcase is so important. I have to think of something really special.” Daisy wished she knew what her special thing should be.

  Chapter Seven

  The next day was science day, and because Miss Goldner always made science fun, Daisy and Emma arrived at school early. When they got to the classroom, they were amazed by what they saw. There were pieces of wire on one desk, little batteries and lightbulbs on another, and pipe cleaners on yet another. Scraps of fabric and cardboard littered the floor, and gears were scattered on a table.

  Then they saw Miss Goldner. She was wearing a lab coat that had been tie-dyed in bright colors, and she had on large, funny glasses.

  “Welcome to our laboratory,” she said as the students came in. “All year long, we’ve learned about different aspects of science. Today, you get to put it all to use. We’ll break up into groups, and you can invent something!”

  The students eagerly grabbed supplies and got to work. Daisy’s group decided to make a tool that would allow teachers to write and erase more easily at the top of the chalkboard. They had noticed that Miss Goldner couldn’t reach the top without standing on a chair. So they made a Teacher’s Helper — a long stick that had a place to attach a piece of chalk or a marker for a whiteboard, and an eraser. Miss Goldner tried it out right away.

  “It’s marvelous!” she declared, grinning. She wrote a reminder about the Student Showcase at the very top of the board. “Now everyone can see it, and it won’t be erased by accident.”

  Emma’s group decided to tackle the water bottle problem. Miss Goldner let her students keep water bottles on their desks, but every week at least one spilled and made a mess. Even when they didn’t spill, the bottles took up precious space. So the students in Emma’s group came up with an idea for a water bottle sling. It would hang on the back of a chair, freeing up desk space and cutting down on spills. For their invention, they used fabric, wire and rubber bands. It worked so well that soon everybody wanted one.

  The day passed quickly for the inventors in Room 8. At the end of the day, Miss Goldner praised all the different inventions and promised to display them at the Student Showcase.

  It had been such a good day and so much fun being an inventor! Daisy knew she wanted to remember it and all the other fun things they had done that year. “I’ll just be a few minutes,” she told Emma.

  “I’ll wait on the playground,” Emma said, waving as she left the room.

  Daisy sat quietly at her desk with her notebook open in front of her. She thought about the great inventions they had made that day. She remembered the wonderful words she had heard as the students admired each other’s work. And she recalled other special moments from the school year. Suddenly she called out, “I’ve got it!” Miss Goldner turned around. “Oh, sorry,” Daisy said. “I’m making a new word list.”

  “Great,” Miss Goldner replied.

  “Exactly!” Daisy said as she wrote the title of her new list: Room 8 Words. She included giggles, inventing, sharing and dancing. Then Daisy added awesome, great and spectacular to describe how she felt about all they had done. She was so pleased with her new list that she did a little happy dance. She knew this list would help her remember an awesome day and an amazing year.

  On the way home, Emma told Daisy about the video her father was helping her make for the Student Showcase. In it, Emma would show how a pirouette was done. She was also planning to wear her leotard and ballet slippers at the showcase, so she could demonstrate all five ballet positions.

  “That sounds super!” Daisy said.

  “What are you going to do?” Emma asked.

  “I still haven’t decided,” Daisy answered. “I do need to figure it out soon. I’ve only got two more days.”

  Daisy tried to smile, but she was getting worried. She hadn’t come up with anything yet, and now time was running out.

  Emma started up her driveway but spun around and ran back to where Daisy was standing. “You’ll come up with something great,” Emma reassured her with a hug. “After all, you’re Delightfully Different Daisy!”

  This time, Daisy reall
y did smile. Delightfully Different Daisy was the special name she had given herself. She had tried many different words before deciding that delightful and different were the ones that she most liked to describe herself. Daisy had been determined to find the right name, and it must have worked because Emma remembered and used it. Now, Daisy was determined to find the right thing for the showcase.

  ***

  With Emma’s encouraging words in her head, Daisy spent the rest of the walk home thinking about all the things she did well. Jumping rope, making frosting and weaving wildflower chains all came to mind. But Daisy wasn’t convinced any of those were right for the showcase.

  When she got home, she looked in on Bubbles. Life seemed so simple for her pet fish. “You’re really good at swimming,” Daisy said, sprinkling a little fish food in the bowl and watching Bubbles gobble it up. Daisy went up to her room and looked around.

  Her soccer ball was in the corner, and her painting supplies were on the shelf. But she had already ruled out those activities. Her eyes landed on her green notebook with the purple polka dots. She went over to her desk, opened the notebook and looked at some of her favorite word lists. She was really good at collecting words. Was there a way to turn her love of words into something wonderful for the showcase?

  Daisy sat down and thought about it some more. Then she saw the invitation for the poetry party on her bulletin board. That made her think about Mrs. Bookman. Daisy picked up her notebook and turned it over in her hands.

  Suddenly she knew exactly what she would do! Daisy grabbed her pen. She was concentrating so hard that her mother had to call her three times before Daisy heard her and bounded down the stairs for dinner.

  Daisy asked her mother if they could make cookies when they were done eating.