Steven with a V said. "A
thousand
times."
Sam could see why sometimes Mrs. Bennett became a tiny bit impatient. It was hard, being a teacher. "Shhhhh," he said loudly. "We're not talking about that now. We're talking about zookeepers.
"I'm going to be a zookeeper when I grow up," he announced.
He could tell, looking at them, that all eleven firemen were mad because they hadn't thought of zookeeper.
"The guy in the book has a hat," Adam said. "But Sam doesn't. All of us firemen have hats. Don't we?" Adam looked around at the other firemen, and they all nodded. Eleven fireman hats nodded up and down.
"Well," Sam explained, "I'm about to show you my hat."
He went to the big plastic bag. Carefully he reached in and took out the baseball cap that was on top. He looked at it carefully to be certain he had the one he wanted. Then he put it on his head. It was a little large, and made his ears fold over, but Sam didn't care about that.
Wearing the hat, he went and stood in front of the circle of children again.
"That doesn't say 'Zoo!'" Leah called. "Zoo has a Z!"
Sam tried to sound like a teacher. "Correct," he said. "Good for you, Leah. My coverall has a Z. See?" He pointed. "This says 'Zooman Sam.'"
"Zooman Sam! Zooman Sam!" All of the children shouted it, and Sam waited patiently. He liked the sound of so many voices shouting his special name.
"But zoomen, like me, have to take care of lots of different kinds of animals. So we have lots of different hats.
"Who can guess what this hat says? It begins with C."
All of the children were silent, staring at Sam's hat and the letters on it. "Vitamin C?" Max asked, at last.
"Nope," Sam said. "I'll tell you." He took the hat off and looked carefully at its letters. "C," he
said. "U. B. S. That spells 'Cubs.' My mom told me."
"Cubs," all of the children repeated.
"I wear this when I take care of cubs. Lion cubs, or bear cubs," Sam explained.
"
Cool,
" Adam said.
"What if you're taking care of something else, though?" Emily asked in a serious voice. "You can't wear a Cubs hat if you're taking care of a hippo, can you?"
Sam was actually glad that she had asked because it gave him a chance to use his teacher voice again. "Good question, Emily," he said. "You're really thinking.
"Let me show you," he said, and he reached into the big green plastic bag.
8
Sam rummaged in the bag. There were so many hats, and most of them had long words that he didn't recognize. His mother had assured him that every one was a different animal, but tonight he would have to ask for her help.
Sam felt so lucky.
He was lucky to have thought of being a zookeeper instead of a fireman.
He was lucky to have a mom who could make him a zooman coverall.
And he was certainly lucky to have a sister who was good at thinking of solutions to problems.
Anastasia's boyfriend, Steveâwell, he wasn't
really
her boyfriend, and if she heard Sam say "boyfriend," she would yell at him to stop because Steve was just her friend (but if Steve Harvey was her friend, and he was a boy, Sam thought it was okay to call him a boyfriend)â
Anyway, Steve's father, Harry Harvey, was a sportscaster. He was famous, actually, his picture was in the November 1992
Sports Illustrated,
and Anastasia had it on the bulletin board in her bedroom, even though Steve was
not
her boyfriend.
Steve's father appeared on TV and sometimes in commercials and once or twice he was on talk shows, which Anastasia always taped even though Steve was
not
her boyfriend.
Talk show hosts called him "Harv." Harv had sort of big hair. Some people said it was a wig, but Anastasia didn't think so; she said it was just TV hair, and she didn't like it when other people made wig jokes about Steve's father.
But he
did
have pretty big hair. And for that reason, Anastasia had explained to Sam, he didn't like to wear hats. They caused him to have hat hair and made him feel ugly. But people always gave him hats. Managers and coaches and players
thousand
times."
Sam could see why sometimes Mrs. Bennett became a tiny bit impatient. It was hard, being a teacher. "Shhhhh," he said loudly. "We're not talking about that now. We're talking about zookeepers.
"I'm going to be a zookeeper when I grow up," he announced.
He could tell, looking at them, that all eleven firemen were mad because they hadn't thought of zookeeper.
"The guy in the book has a hat," Adam said. "But Sam doesn't. All of us firemen have hats. Don't we?" Adam looked around at the other firemen, and they all nodded. Eleven fireman hats nodded up and down.
"Well," Sam explained, "I'm about to show you my hat."
He went to the big plastic bag. Carefully he reached in and took out the baseball cap that was on top. He looked at it carefully to be certain he had the one he wanted. Then he put it on his head. It was a little large, and made his ears fold over, but Sam didn't care about that.
Wearing the hat, he went and stood in front of the circle of children again.
"That doesn't say 'Zoo!'" Leah called. "Zoo has a Z!"
Sam tried to sound like a teacher. "Correct," he said. "Good for you, Leah. My coverall has a Z. See?" He pointed. "This says 'Zooman Sam.'"
"Zooman Sam! Zooman Sam!" All of the children shouted it, and Sam waited patiently. He liked the sound of so many voices shouting his special name.
"But zoomen, like me, have to take care of lots of different kinds of animals. So we have lots of different hats.
"Who can guess what this hat says? It begins with C."
All of the children were silent, staring at Sam's hat and the letters on it. "Vitamin C?" Max asked, at last.
"Nope," Sam said. "I'll tell you." He took the hat off and looked carefully at its letters. "C," he
said. "U. B. S. That spells 'Cubs.' My mom told me."
"Cubs," all of the children repeated.
"I wear this when I take care of cubs. Lion cubs, or bear cubs," Sam explained.
"
Cool,
" Adam said.
"What if you're taking care of something else, though?" Emily asked in a serious voice. "You can't wear a Cubs hat if you're taking care of a hippo, can you?"
Sam was actually glad that she had asked because it gave him a chance to use his teacher voice again. "Good question, Emily," he said. "You're really thinking.
"Let me show you," he said, and he reached into the big green plastic bag.
8
Sam rummaged in the bag. There were so many hats, and most of them had long words that he didn't recognize. His mother had assured him that every one was a different animal, but tonight he would have to ask for her help.
Sam felt so lucky.
He was lucky to have thought of being a zookeeper instead of a fireman.
He was lucky to have a mom who could make him a zooman coverall.
And he was certainly lucky to have a sister who was good at thinking of solutions to problems.
Anastasia's boyfriend, Steveâwell, he wasn't
really
her boyfriend, and if she heard Sam say "boyfriend," she would yell at him to stop because Steve was just her friend (but if Steve Harvey was her friend, and he was a boy, Sam thought it was okay to call him a boyfriend)â
Anyway, Steve's father, Harry Harvey, was a sportscaster. He was famous, actually, his picture was in the November 1992
Sports Illustrated,
and Anastasia had it on the bulletin board in her bedroom, even though Steve was
not
her boyfriend.
Steve's father appeared on TV and sometimes in commercials and once or twice he was on talk shows, which Anastasia always taped even though Steve was
not
her boyfriend.
Talk show hosts called him "Harv." Harv had sort of big hair. Some people said it was a wig, but Anastasia didn't think so; she said it was just TV hair, and she didn't like it when other people made wig jokes about Steve's father.
But he
did
have pretty big hair. And for that reason, Anastasia had explained to Sam, he didn't like to wear hats. They caused him to have hat hair and made him feel ugly. But people always gave him hats. Managers and coaches and players
Similar Books
Death in Venice and Other Stories
Thomas Mann
Line of Fire
Franklin W. Dixon
The Heather Blazing
Colm Tóibín
Wholehearted
Cate Ashwood
A Baron in Her Bed
Maggi Andersen
With a Twist
Heather Peters
Stamping Ground
Loren D. Estleman
Unraveled by Her
Wendy Leigh