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“Well,” said Mama, who had been watching from the window, “the new cub certainly is a lively little thing. She may be just what Sister needs.”

Sister and Lizzy had quite an afternoon. They climbed to the top of the junglegym …

rode the seesaw …

and pushed each other on the swings.

They played tag …

laughed and giggled …

rolled down a grassy bank …

and picked wild flowers for their mamas.

“Why, thank you, Sister. How lovely!” said Mama, putting her wild flowers in water. “Well, what’s your new friend like?”

“Her name is Lizzy, she’s six years old, she’s an only cub—and,” Sister said, “she’s a little bossy.”

“Oh,” said Mama. “Well, you certainly seemed to be having fun.”

“Oh, yes!” said Sister. “I had a lot of fun! A little bossy—and a little braggy.”

The next morning, bright and early, the phone rang. It was Sister’s new friend, Lizzy.

“Want to come over and play school?” asked Lizzy.

“Okay,” said Sister.

“Bring some of your dolls and stuffed animals,” added Lizzy, “because mine aren’t unpacked yet.”

So Sister gathered up some of her favorite dolls and stuffed animals and headed for the tree house down the road.

“Come on in here,” called Lizzy from the garage. “My mama and papa are still ‘fixing up’ and ‘putting away,’ so we’re going to play in here. Who did you bring?”

“My best doll and stuffed animals,” said Sister. “And this is my special teddy that I’ve slept with every night since I was a baby.”

Lizzy had set up the garage like a schoolroom. There were boxes for the pupils to sit on, and there was another box for the teacher’s desk. There was even a blackboard and chalk for lessons.

“This is going to be fun,” thought Sister Bear as she began sitting her toys on the boxes. That’s when she heard the tapping sound.

It was Lizzy tapping on the desk. She had a pretend pointer in one hand and a piece of chalk in the other.

“Please be seated, Sister. It’s time for your lessons. Today I’m going to teach you the alphabet. The first letter of the alphabet is—”

“Now, just a minute!” protested Sister. “Who said you were going to be teacher? When I play school I’m the teacher! And not only that—I already know my ABC’s!”

“Sister Bear, if you don’t sit down this minute, I’m going to keep you after school!” said Lizzy.

“Is that so?” shouted Sister. “Well, if you don’t give me that pointer, I’m going to keep you after school!”

That’s when Sister grabbed the pointer. Soon they were rolling around on the floor wrestling for the pointer, which broke in two.

“Now look what you did!” shouted Lizzy. “You broke my best pointer!”

“I’m not going to play with you ever again!” shouted Sister, gathering up her toys. “I’m going to take my dolls and go home!”

“Sister’s mad and I’m glad!” shouted Lizzy as Sister marched out of the garage.

“Lizzy Lizzy in a tizzy!” Sister shouted back.

“Back so soon?” asked Mama when Sister returned looking like a storm cloud.

“I’m never going to play with that Lizzy Bruin again!” shouted Sister. “She’s much too braggy and bossy! I don’t need her to play school or anything else! It’s much better playing by yourself! When you play by yourself you can do what you want when you want without having to worry about that Lizzy Bruin!”

“That’s true,” said Mama in a quiet voice. “Of course, there are some things you really can’t do very well by yourself.”

“Like what?” asked Sister.

“You’d have a pretty hard time pushing yourself on a swing,” said Mama. “And I’d like to see you ride a seesaw by yourself. Most games like hopscotch and jacks take at least two to play. And it certainly is nice to have someone to laugh and giggle with.”

“Maybe so,” said Sister, “but Lizzy is much too braggy and bossy. Why does she have to be the teacher when we play school?”

“It seems to me,” said Mama, taking Sister on her lap, “that Lizzy isn’t the only cub that’s braggy and