The Judy Moody Star Studded Collection - Megan Mcdonald [30]
“Great!” said Mr. Todd. “These are all good ideas. Look around you — at home, in school, on the playground — not just in Science class. How can we help the planet? How can we make the world around us a better place? We can each do our part. All it takes is one person to make a difference.”
One person! If all it took was one person, then she, Judy Moody, could save the world!
She knew just where to start. With a banana peel.
On the way home from school that afternoon, Judy asked Rocky, “Hey, can you come over and eat some bananas?”
“Sure,” said Rocky. “What for?”
“Compost,” said Judy.
“I’ll eat two!” said Rocky.
In Judy’s kitchen, Judy and Rocky each ate one and a half bananas. They fed the fourth and last one to Mouse, Judy’s cat. Then Judy tossed all four banana peels into a bucket.
“Why don’t we make a sign for the bucket that says TURN GARBAGE INTO DIRT,” said Rocky.
“Rare!” said Judy. “Tomorrow we can tell Mr. Todd how we started to heal the world.”
“Double cool,” said Rocky.
“Wait just a minute,” said Judy. “Why didn’t I think of it before? HEAL THE WORLD! That’s it!”
“What’s it?”
“My Band-Aid. For the Crazy Strips contest! You’ll see.” Judy ran upstairs and came back with markers and some paper. At the kitchen table, Rocky made a sign for the compost bucket while Judy drew a picture of Earth with a Band-Aid on it. She wrote HEAL THE WORLD under the globe in her best not-in-cursive letters. Then she drew banana peels all around the world.
Stink came into the kitchen. “What are you drawing?” he asked Judy.
“Banana peels,” said Judy.
“For the Crazy Strip Contest,” Rocky said.
“And you thought bats were weird?” said Stink. “Bats aren’t half as crazy as banana peels.”
He looked at the empty bowl on the table. “Hey! Who ate the last banana?”
“Mouse!” said Judy. Judy and Rocky fell on the floor laughing.
“No way,” said Stink.
“Just look at her whiskers,” said Judy.
Stink got down on the floor, face to face with the cat. “Gross! Mouse has banana smoosh on her whiskers.”
“Told you,” said Judy.
“I’m telling Mom you ate all the bananas,” said Stink. “And you fed one to Mouse.”
“Tell her it’s all in the name of science,” said Judy. “You’ll see. From now on there are going to be a few changes around here.”
“We’re making compost,” said Rocky. “See?” He held up his sign.
“It takes like a hundred years to turn garbage into dirt,” said Stink.
“Stink, you’re going to be dirt. Unless you make like a tree and leaf us alone.”
It was still dark out when Judy woke up early the next morning. She found her flashlight and notebook. Then she tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen and started to save the world.
She hoped she could save the world before breakfast. Judy wondered if other people making the world a better place had to do it quietly, and in the dark, so their parents would not wake up.
She, Judy Moody, was in a Mr. Rubbish mood. Mr. Rubbish was the Good Garbage Gremlin in Stink’s comic book, who built his house out of French-fry cartons and pop bottles. He recycled everything, even lollipop sticks. And he never used anything from the rain forest.
Hmm . . . things that came from the rain forest. That would be a good place to start. Rubber came from the rain forest. And chocolate and spices and things like perfume. Even chewing gum.
Judy collected stuff from around the house and piled it on the kitchen table. Chocolate bars, brownie mix, vanilla ice cream. Her dad’s coffee beans. The rubber toilet plunger. Gum from Stink’s gumball machine. Her mom’s lipstick from the bottom of her purse. She was so busy saving the rain forest that she didn’t hear her family come into the kitchen.
“What in the world . . . ?” Mom said.
“Judy, why are you in the dark?” Dad asked, turning on the lights.
“Hey, my gumball machine!” Stink said.
Judy held out her arms to block the way. “We’re not going to use this stuff anymore. It’s all from the rain forest,” she told them.
“Says who?” asked Stink.
“Says Mr. Rubbish. And Mr. Todd. They cut down way too many trees to grow coffee and give