Junie B., First Grader_ Dumb Bunny - Barbara Park [10]
“Yes! Pictures!” she said back. “The photographer has a seat set up for you in the flower garden!”
My ears perked up some more.
“A seat?” I said. “You mean like … a Santa seat?”
Lucille jumped way high in the air.
“Yes, yes! Exactly like a Santa seat!” she said. “The photographer is waiting for you! You're going to be a celebrity, Junie B.! Will you do it? Huh? Will you?”
I sat down in the grass to think about it.
Lucille's daddy bent down next to me.
“You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Junie B.,” he said. “But we do need to get on with the party. So could you make up your mind, please? Do you want to be the bunny? Or do you want us to get someone else?”
Just then, Sheldon shot his hand in the air.
“I'll do it! I'll do it!” he yelled real excited. “I would love to have my picture taken with everyone!”
“Me too!” hollered Shirley. “I would love to do that, too!”
I looked at those two kind of curious.
Maybe I was wrong about this situation.
Maybe being a famous bunny really was the thrill of a lifetime.
I pulled the bunny suit closer to me.
Then, very slow, I put one foot inside the costume … then the other foot … Then ZIP, ZIP, SNAP! The daddy fastened me up! And bingo! I was a bunny.
I looked down at myself.
My bunny feet were bigger than clown feet.
Also, my ears were floppish.
And my bunny hands looked like giant paw mitts.
I held them out in front of me.
“I could take a pie out of the oven with these things,” I said.
Lucille skipped around me and clapped.
“Yay! Yay! Yay! We have a bunny! We have a bunny!” she sang real happy.
After that, she grabbed my bunny paw. And she started skipping me to the flower garden.
Only too bad for me. ’Cause skipping with giant bunny feet does not actually work that good.
And so … KERPLOP!
I fell right over in the grass.
Some of the children started to laugh.
Lucille shooed them away.
Then she quick hurried to pick me up. Only her dress started to get wrinkly. And so she dropped me in the grass again. And she smoothed her skirt very neat. Plus also she fluffed her hair. And she shined her shoes.
After that, she yelled to her daddy real urgent.
“DADDY! DADDY! THE BUNNY'S DOWN! COME GET THE BUNNY! COME GET THE BUNNY!”
The daddy ran over and picked me up.
Then he started carrying me to the flower garden.
It felt embarrassing up there.
I tapped on his head.
“This does not actually make me feel like a celebrity,” I said.
The daddy kept on going.
I tapped on his head again.
“No one actually carries Santa,” I said.
Just then, we got to the flower garden.
The daddy put me down. And he showed me the photographer.
His name was Bud.
Bud sat me in my bunny seat. And he arranged my floppy ears.
After that, he went to his camera. And he took my picture.
“Beautiful!” he said. “Gorgeous!”
I smiled.
I liked this Bud.
Pretty soon, the children lined up to get their pictures taken with me.
And guess what?
My bestest friend named Herbert was the very first one in line!
He zoomed to my seat real happy.
“I think you look nice in that bunny costume,” he said. “You don't even look stupid, hardly.”
I smiled again.
“Thank you, Herbert. You don't look stupid, too,” I said back.
After that, both of us said cheese. And Bud took our picture.
Lennie came next.
Then after Lennie came José. And after José came Shirley. And after Shirley came all of the other children in Room One.
Except for not May.
Instead, May sat in the grass all by herself. Because she was not a celebrity, of course.
I said cheese a million times.
Bud kept on saying beautiful and gorgeous to me.
I felt very puffery inside.
“I am an excellent celebrity,” I told him. “I am making these children's day.”
Bud laughed.
I do not know why.
Finally, all the pictures got taken.
Bud shook my paw mitt goodbye.
I will miss him.
After that, Herb and I walked back to the picnic grounds.
And wait till you hear this!
Lucille's mother was passing out baskets for the egg hunt!
I started to run to get my basket.
Only what do you know?
KERFLOP!
I tripped and fell in the grass