Daisy's Big Night Read online

  “Sure,” her mother said. “Any special reason?”

  “It’s a surprise,” said Daisy. “Lily, I’ll need your help, too.”

  “At your service,” Lily said, giving Daisy a happy salute.

  Chapter Eight

  The next day, the classroom didn’t look quite as messy as it had on inventing day, but it wasn’t exactly neat and tidy either. That’s because students had started bringing in posters and props for the showcase the following night. There was a large map of the world that Kevin was using for his geography corner. Roberto had a new box of chalk for doing math problems on the board. Emma and her dad had finished the ballet video, and it was tucked in the dance bag under Emma’s desk.

  “Miss Goldner,” Daisy asked, “will we be able to use our desks at the showcase?”

  “Of course,” Miss Goldner replied. “Do you need anything else, Daisy?” Most of the other students had some kind of supplies or props.

  “I’ll have everything I need by tomorrow night,” Daisy said confidently.

  * * *

  After school, with Lily’s help, Daisy loaded a large bag. She put in a small striped tablecloth, her beret and her sparkly flower necklace. Next, she decorated the cookies with rhyming words, the way she had for Mrs. Bookman’s poetry party, and Lily carefully placed them in a tin. Then Daisy went to her room and took out her notebook. She looked at her list of Nature Words and decided to try writing a haiku.

  She remembered that when she and Emma were at the creek, they had talked about all the different colors of green they saw around them. She tried many times before she got the correct number of syllables in each line and had a haiku that she really liked. Then she thought about Emma and how delighted she had been with some of the wildflowers they had seen. Daisy counted beats until she had a second haiku completed.

  After dinner, Daisy couldn’t wait to get back to her writing. She remembered Shirley’s comment about how her Cloud Words list was almost a poem already. She never had asked Shirley or Mrs. Bookman what that meant.

  “I guess I’ll have to figure it out for myself,” she said.

  Daisy looked at the Cloud Words list. All the words described clouds. She remembered Joan’s poem about the bird outside her window and how the poem was mostly a description of what she saw. “Maybe I can make a poem about watching clouds,” Daisy said.

  After she had covered several sheets of paper with writing, Daisy felt sure she had it just right. She entered the poem into her notebook along with the completed haiku poems. Next, she took out some markers and construction paper and made some props for the showcase. Then she used a large piece of poster board to make one more item. When she was finished, she put everything in her bag.

  The last thing she needed to do was to make a phone call.

  “Hi, Mrs. Bookman, it’s Daisy,” she said when Mrs. Bookman answered. “Can you come to my Student Showcase tomorrow night? I think you’ll really like it.”

  “I’d love to come, Daisy,” Mrs. Bookman said.

  Daisy went to bed happy. That night she dreamed about poems dancing off the pages of her notebook in a slow waltz.

  Chapter Nine

  Although Miss Goldner tried to teach her students the next day, they were all so excited about the showcase that they couldn’t concentrate. So Miss Goldner had them help her clean the classroom instead. Finally, it was time to set up, and the students sprang into action. They put up signs and posters and took out balls and videos. Daisy calmly pushed her desk into a corner at the back of the room. She took out the striped tablecloth and draped it over the desk. Next, she brought over a couple of extra chairs and arranged them around the desk. She put the cookies on a plate, quickly covering them so no one would eat them. Finally, she hung her sign on the wall behind her desk, turning it over so that no one could see what it said. She wanted it to be a surprise.

  ***

  That night for dinner Daisy’s mother made macaroni and cheese, which was Daisy’s favorite. But Daisy was almost too excited to eat. Even Lily ate less than usual, and soon both girls asked to be excused to get ready for the showcase.

  Daisy decided to wear black leggings and a long, swingy top. She let her curls go free. Lily put on her favorite striped dress and tights. When everyone was ready, Daisy’s family walked the few blocks to school with Emma’s family and Mrs. Bookman.

  At the school, the girls went in ahead of the others to finish setting up. Daisy took her sparkly necklace and beret out of her bag and put them on. She placed the construction paper pages and her notebook on the desk. Finally, she turned her sign around and sat down.

  Above her the sign proclaimed:

  Welcome to Daisy’s Word Café

  Tyler was the first to spot Daisy’s sign. He hurried over, looking worried.

  “What’s a Word Café?” he asked. “Do you spell words like I do?”

  “No,” Daisy said. “At my Word Café, I share words.”

  “How can you share words?” Tyler asked.

  “You’ll see,” Daisy replied as the first parents came into the room.

  Daisy’s parents and Lily stopped to admire Emma’s video and watch her perform. But Mrs. Bookman headed straight for Daisy’s café, pulled out a chair and sat down.

  Daisy handed her a menu.

  “How delicious!” Mrs. Bookman said. “I’d like to start with an appetizer poem. How about a haiku?”

  Daisy shared her favorite. “This one is called ‘Green,’ and I wrote it after my day at the creek with Emma,” Daisy said, before reading the poem.

  Green is all around

  apple green, dark green, bright green.

  Nature’s best color?

  Mrs. Bookman loved it! For her second appetizer, she selected free verse. Daisy explained how she had turned her list of Cloud Words into a poem.

  “It’s called ‘Clouds,’ ” Daisy said.

  Lying on my back,

  I see them float by.

  White and gray, fluffy and puffy,

  full like cotton candy,

  or thin and wispy.

  Clouds.

  “Daisy, it’s just the way I remember!” Mrs. Bookman said. “Sitting and sharing words. How did you ever think of a Word Café?”

  “I tried to come up with something delightful — something that would really make people smile,” Daisy replied. “And I wanted it to be different from anything anyone else was doing.”

  “You succeeded!” Mrs. Bookman exclaimed.

  Emma pirouetted up to Daisy’s café table. She looked carefully at the menu. “I’d like to try an ode and a haiku, please,” she said.

  “Coming right up,” Daisy replied. She read Emma the “Ode to Ice Cream.”

  “You’re making me hungry,” Emma said, reaching for one of Daisy’s word cookies.

  “You’ll like this haiku,” Daisy said. “It’s about your favorite color.” She read her haiku called “Pink.”

  Gray rocks line the creek.

  Pink flowers surprise my eyes

  poking through the cracks

  time.

  Emma clapped her hands.

  More people wandered over, and Daisy shared more poems and some of her word lists. Soon words were flying, with people sharing their favorites or remembering a word that made them think of a certain place or time.

  “Campfires,” said one dad.

  “S’mores,” called out another.

  “Sunflowers,” a mom offered.

  “Hush-a-bye,” said Mrs. Bookman, winking at Daisy.

  “Super duper!” Samantha chimed in.

  “Teddy bears,” said Lily, who had come to stand next to Daisy.

  Daisy beamed as words danced around her and cookies disappeared.

  Chapter Ten

  “I have something for you that’s not on the menu,” Daisy said to Mis
s Goldner, who had just come to the café. Daisy pulled a homemade card out of her bag. “I turned my list of Room 8 Words into a poem,” she explained. “I used some words from the list and added a few new ones, too.”

  “Will you read it for me?” Miss Goldner asked.

  Daisy was happy to.

  A room seems like a simple thing,

  just four walls and a door.

  But I know that’s not all it is,

  because Room 8 is so much more.

  It’s inventing and learning together,

  creating and sharing, too.

  It’s smiles and giggles and dancing,

  and it’s all because of you.

  You use new words every day,

  and always say, “Give it a try!”

  You’re the reason Room 8 is great,

  and why it’s hard to say good-bye.

  “Thank you,” Miss Goldner said, placing her hand over her heart to show how much the poem meant to her. “Good-byes are hard, but I will always remember Room 8.”

  “Me, too,” Daisy said, handing the card to her teacher.

  Miss Goldner saw that instead of signing her name, Daisy had drawn a daisy. She read the poem carefully. “It’s beautiful,” she said. “I can tell you worked hard on it.”

  She was about to continue, when one of the parents interrupted to ask her to say a few words. “Excuse me, Daisy,” she said.

  When she got to the front of the room, Miss Goldner clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Thank you so much for coming to our Student Showcase tonight,” she said. “I know you will all agree with me that these students are very talented in so many different ways.” All the parents, grandparents and visitors cheered.

  “This is one of the last times we’ll be together,” Miss Goldner said. “I just want to thank my students for making it one of the best years ever for me as a teacher. I’ll think of you often this summer, and when I’m at my new school, too. I especially want to thank you for making tonight so special. It really has been …”

  She tried again.

  “It’s been just …” She faltered. “I’m at a loss for words.”

  All eyes in the room were on Miss Goldner.

  Slowly, she turned to the back corner and reached out her hand.

  “Daisy,” she said, “I need a little help.”

  Daisy opened her notebook and quickly found what she was looking for. It was one of the words that described Room 8 perfectly but didn’t fit into her poem. Now she knew just what to do with it. She came and stood next to Miss Goldner, taking her teacher’s outstretched hand.

  “It’s been spectacular,” Daisy said.

  “Yes, that’s exactly the right word!” Miss Goldner declared, wrapping Daisy in a huge hug.

  “It’s been a big night,” Miss Goldner said. “Everyone looks so happy.”

  “I’m more than happy,” Daisy said. She threw her arms up in the air as she exclaimed, “I’m absolutely spectacular!”

  Daisy’s Wonderful Word Lists

  Favorite Rhyming Words

  sweet — treat

  flower — power

  sun — fun

  bright — light

  look — book

  ring — sing

  yellow — mellow

  MADE-UP WORDS

  coolio — super

  Iska-biska — How are you?

  Ilpa-dilpa — Fine, thank you.

  Mahatzi — Let’s go!

  glubby — feeling blah

  kersapped — confused

  poetrified — petrified about poetry

  QUIET-TIME WORDS

  good-night

  sweet dreams

  snuggle

  dreamy

  hush-a-bye

  drowsy

  lullaby

  PERFECTLY PAIRED WORDS

  bouncy balls

  chunky chocolate

  comfy couches

  flying flags

  summer sun

  CLOUD WORDS

  cotton candy

  wispy

  white

  fluffy

  gray

  puffy

  floating

  POETRY WORDS

  ode

  rhyme

  haiku

  free verse

  SWEETEST WORDS

  chocolate!!!!!!

  honey

  taffy

  fudge

  caramel

  ice cream

  licorice

  NATURE WORDS

  green

  splish

  gurgle

  splash

  rocks

  wildflowers

  trees

  ROOM 8 WORDS

  giggles

  great

  inventing

  spectacular

  sharing

  creating

  dancing

  learning

  awesome

  smiles

  Text © 2014 Sandra V. Feder

  Illustrations © 2014 Susan Mitchell

  ISBN 978-1-77138-171-0 (ebook)

  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, without the prior written permission of Kids Can Press Ltd. or, in case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance of characters to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Kids Can Press acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s Ontario Book Initiative; the Ontario Arts Council; the Canada Council for the Arts; and the Government of Canada, through the CBF, for our publishing activity.

  Published in Canada by

  Kids Can Press Ltd.

  25 Dockside Drive

  Toronto, ON M5A 0B5

  Published in the U.S. by

  Kids Can Press Ltd.

  2250 Military Road

  Tonawanda, NY 14150

  www.kidscanpress.com

  Edited by Debbie Rogosin

  Designed by Julia Naimska

  Series design by Marie Bartholomew

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Feder, Sandra V., 1963–, author Daisy’s big night / written by Sandra V. Feder ; illustrated by Susan Mitchell.

  (Daisy)

  ISBN 978-1-55453-908-6 (bound)

  I. Mitchell, Susan, 1962–, illustrator

  II. Title. III. Title: Big night. IV. Series: Feder, Sandra V., 1963–. Daisy.

  PZ7.F334 Dab 2014 j813’.6 C2013-904064-1