Gooney Bird and the Room Mother Read Online Free PDF

stand? Probably in the middle, right? Because he's the star, right smack in the middle of everything?"
    "In the middle is fine," Mrs. Pidgeon said. "What is that on your head, Gooney Bird?"
    "Squanto's hat."
    "I thought you were making a headband. I
saw
you making a headband."
    "I decided Squanto should have a better hat than the other Native Americans, because he's been to England, remember?"
    "Well, yes, he did travel there. But that's a top hat, Gooney Bird. Something an ambassador might wear. I don't think—"
    "I think Squanto brought it back from England. He probably went shopping and bought a lot of new clothes there. People always buy new clothes when they travel."
    "That's true. My mom went to Hawaii to visit my grandma, and she bought a muumuu," Keiko said.
    "My dad went to Albuquerque on business and he brought back a silver and turquoise belt buckle," Tricia said.
    "My mom and dad went..." Chelsea began.
    Mrs. Pidgeon sighed. She played a chord on the piano, to quiet the children. Then she played a simple melody.
    She played it again, and sang, "
Roooommmm Motherrrr—
"
    She looked around. "Recognize that? It's the melody from 'Moon River.'"
    All of the second-graders shook their heads. "I know a song about the man in the moon," Beanie said.
    "I know one about the cow that jumped over the moon," Ben said.
    "I know one about shine on harvest moon," Nicholas said.
    "I know a moon song," Tyrone announced. "Listen!
Oh Mister Moon, Moon, bright and shiny moon, please shine down on meeeee!
"
    "No, no." Mrs. Pidgeon played the melody again. "
Roooommmm Motherrrr,
" she sang. "Try it with me."
    "
Roooommmm Motherrrr,
" all of the children sang. Keiko's headband fell forward across her eyes. She pushed it back up but her bangs got caught.
    "I can't see," Felicia Ann whispered. Her Pilgrim bonnet had lurched down over her forehead.
    "Oh dear," Mrs. Pidgeon said, turning around on the piano bench. "We're having hat problems of all sorts. Let's not worry about that now, though. We need to learn this song. The next line is..." She hesitated. "Well, if we were singing the original song, it would be
wider than a mile
—but of course we don't want the room mother to think we are commenting on how
wide
she is, do we?" Mrs. Pidgeon winked at Gooney Bird.
    Gooney Bird shrugged. "I don't think she'd mind," she said.
    "I've changed it," Mrs. Pidgeon said. "So we'll sing
kinder than a smile
instead. Give it a try after me, class."
    The Pilgrims and Native Americans all sang loudly. "
Kinder than a smile
—"
    "Good! Barry? Can you push your headband up?"
    Barry tried.
    "Ben? Pilgrim hat? Up?"
    Ben tried. He wrinkled his face in order to hold his hat brim up.
    "Next line:
Your clothing is in style—
"
    "Why would we say that, Mrs. Pidgeon?" Gooney Bird asked.
    "Well, because it rhymes with
smile.
And although of course I don't
know
our room mother, although she's incognito, I suspect she is quite stylish, right? Because she comes from a stylish family?"
    Mrs. Pidgeon looked meaningfully at Gooney Bird, who today was wearing a long flowered gypsy skirt, a leather vest, hiking boots with red laces, and, of course, the top hat that she had explained Squanto would have brought back from his stay in England.
    Gooney Bird sighed. "Okay," she said. "Whatever."
    "
Hooray
—" Mrs. Pidgeon sang next. "In the original song,"
    she explained, "it says
someday
at that point. But
someday
doesn't work for us, really."
    "No," said Malcolm loudly, "because we'll want those cupcakes
right away
after the pageant!"
    "Let's try that first verse again from the beginning. Nicholas? Can you see, with your Pilgrim hat down like that?"
    "No," said Nicholas from under his hat brim. "But it's okay. I can sing."
    "
Roooommmm Motherrrr,
" the second-graders sang enthusiastically, in unison.
    Wearing her top hat jauntily and singing as loudly as possible, Gooney Bird began testing some dance steps in the center of the room. "I think Squanto