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"And so," Mrs Pidgeon said, reading the final page of the book she was holding, "because the ant had worked very hard, he and his friends had food all winter But the grasshopper had none, and found itself dying of hunger"

"Oh, no!" Keiko wailed "I hate stories where people die!"

Malcol paper into balls while he listened to the story, tossed a little paper pellet at Keiko "It’s not people," he pointed out "It’s a durasshopper!"

"Nobody cares if a grasshopper dies!" Tyrone said

"I do," Keiko murmured sadly She folded her arms on her desk and then laid her head down on her areon said She held up the book "Aesop’s Fables is the title Aesop was a o He was the creator of all of these fables To!" Keiko ireed She leafed through the book "I won’t read ’The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,’ then, because I believe that one ends with the wolf eating the lamb--"

"Oh, noooo!" Keiko put her head back down and groaned

"But I could read ’The Fox and the Grapes’ I think you’ll enjoy that one, Keiko You had sorapes in your lunch last week I reenerous"

Keiko looked up and nodded "Red seedless," she rerocery store But Malcolrapes ever again"

It was true And unfortunately soraders had joined in Malcol contest enthusiastically Lester Furillo, the school custodian at the Watertower Ele recess with his Shop-Vac to clean the floor of the multipurpose rooeon placed the Aesop book upright, so the cover was visible, on top of the bookcase near the s "Time for social studies," she said "But first, ould like to tell me what the moral is in ’The Ant and the Grasshopper’? Hands, please"

She looked around "Barry Tucker in the air

"What’s a eon said, "I should have explained that! Every fable has a moral A moral is" She hesitated

Then she said, "Class, this is an opportunity to use our new dictionaries!"

She wrote the word on the board: MORAL

The rooes turning, as all the second-graders looked through the brand-new dictionaries that they had recently been given

Gooney Bird Greene found it first and raised her hand She earing fingerless gloves today, and a long flannel dress with a ruffle around the bottoown Gooney Bird was known for her unusual outfits

When Mrs Pidgeon pointed to her, Gooney Bird stood and read aloud, "’A conclusion about how to behave, based on events in a story’"

"Good dictionary work, Gooney Bird," said the teacher "And so as the rasshopper? What was the conclusion about how to behave?"

Gooney Bird rolled her eyes "I could tell you," she said, "but I think it would be better if Malcolm did, because Malcoleon chuckled "Malcol to hi the papers inside

"What?" he asked, looking out from behind the raised lid

"Could you tell us, please, what behavior we learned froled her knee She always did that when she felt impatient "Malcolm," she said, "I just read the class a story, a fable, actually, about a grasshopper and an ant Maybe you didn’t listen well The ant worked very hard collecting and storing food, while the grasshopper just played and chirped Then inter came, the ant and his fellow ants all had plenty to eat, but the grasshopper--"

"Starved!"Keiko wailed"And died!"

Tricia reached over and patted Keiko’s back, to coeon went on, "what do we learn froht "Don’t step on ants," he said at last "If ants are there, don’t step on thehed She was silent for a long tiun saying everything three ti to ignore it, but soeon Finally she said, "Let’s get out our social studies books, class Turn to the chapter called ’Cities and Towns,’ please"

"Wait!" called Malcolm "I know! Clean up your crumbs after lunch or your kitchen will be full of ants! Don’t leave your crue thirty-two, class," Mrs Pidgeon said She held up the social studies book, open to a picture of a city filled with skyscrapers

"Felicia Ann?" she said "Did I see your hand up?"

Felicia Ann, looking at the floor, nodded She was the shyest person in Mrs Pidgeon’s second grade She never looked up She rarely spoke above a whisper

"Did you want to say so?" the teacher asked her

"Yeth, pleathe," whispered Felicia Ann She had recently lost her two front teeth

"Listen, class," Mrs Pidgeon said, and held her finger in front of her mouth so that the children would be quiet

"Work hard and don’t play all the ti "Plan ahead Then you’ll be ready for anything! A flood, or a blitherd--"

"What’s a blitherd?" asked Beanie "I never heard of a blitherd"

"She means blizzard," Gooney Bird explained