It's Snow Joke by Nancy Krulik Read Free Book Online Page A

Katie didn’t like wishes coming true.
    “I . . . um . . . just meant that you shouldn’t wish for a different job, George,” Katie said, trying to explain her outburst. “Every ant helps the colony.”
    “That’s exactly right, Katie!” Mr. G. said, his antennae bouncing up and down. “No ant would ever wish to be anyone else.”
    Katie sighed. Ants were smarter than they looked.

Chapter 3
    “That was so much fun,” Kevin Camilleri said as he and the other kids in class 4A left the school building at the end of the day.
    “So is this,” Kadeem Carter added as he held out his tongue and tried to catch some of the snow that had just started to fall.
    “Mr. G. had so many treats for us to find,” Katie agreed.
    “And eat,” George reminded her. He rubbed his belly. “Those Peppermint Patties were really good, weren’t they, Katie Kazoo?”
    Katie grinned. She loved when George called her by the way-cool nickname he had given her back in third grade.
    “I didn’t want to give up that crown,”
    Mandy admitted. “It was awesome being queen for a day.”
    “You guys are so lucky,” Jeremy Fox said. “We’re studying animal behavior, too. But we’re doing research projects in the library.”
    Katie gave her friend an understanding smile. Jeremy was in the other fourth-grade class—4B. His teacher, Ms. Sweet, was very, very nice. But she wasn’t as interesting as Mr. G. The kids in class 4A definitely had more fun than the kids in 4B.
    “Searching for candy is way more fun than writing note cards on how sharks live,” Becky Stern remarked as she stuck out her tongue to catch a few snowflakes.
    Suzanne Lock shook her head. “Well, I think writing reports is very grown-up,” she told the kids. “I love doing research. I’m an expert now on how animals hide from their enemies. They do it by blending in with their background. It’s called camouflage . C-A-M-O-U-F-L-A-G-E.”
    “We know how to spell, Suzanne,” Jeremy groaned.
    Suzanne rolled her eyes. “Anyway, it’s very interesting. I think the stuff you guys do in 4A is for babies.”
    Katie scowled. Suzanne was one of her best friends, but sometimes she could be mean—especially when she was feeling jealous . . . like now.
    “Why is writing reports grown-up?” Kevin asked her. “We did reports back in kindergarten —on dinosaurs, remember? Sounds like you guys did baby stuff today.”
    Suzanne stuck out her tongue. But not to catch a snowflake. She stuck it out at Kevin. Kevin stuck his tongue out at Suzanne.
    Katie frowned. Now everyone was acting like babies. “I’m sure we’ll have to write a report soon, too,” Katie assured Suzanne. “We just got to do something different today, that’s all.”
    “Hey, you guys,” George interrupted. “Maybe it will snow really hard.”
    “Cool!” Kadeem cheered. “You think school will be closed tomorrow?”

    “I don’t know,” Katie told him. “It has to snow an awful lot for that to happen.”
    “If it snows hard, I’ll get to wear my new parka. It has white fur around the hood,” Suzanne boasted.
    Katie stared at her in surprise.
    “Relax, it’s fake fur,” Suzanne assured her. “I’ve got white snow pants, too. And white boots. When I wear it all together, I can pretend I’m a polar bear blending in with the snow. That’s camouflage.”
    “We know, Suzanne,” Kevin told her.
    “I hope we get lots and lots of snow,” Jeremy remarked. “I want to take out my snowboard. I’m getting pretty good on it.”
    “I’ll bet you’re great!” Becky Stern told him. She smiled widely.
    Jeremy blushed and turned away. “It’s cold out here,” he said. “I’m going home.”

    That afternoon, Katie sat in her room and tried to do her homework. But it was hard. She kept looking out the window at the snow. It sure would be nice to get a chance to go sledding.
    Brrriiing.
    “Katie, can you get the phone?” her mother called up to her. “I’m busy.”
    Katie hurried down