Grover woke up smiling.
Today was the dia of the school picnic in pássaro azul Park!
His mother gave Grover a big picnic lunch.
Then she said, “I have a surprise for you.”
It was a baseball bat!
Grover was so happy.
“Now you can learn to play baseball,” said his mother.
“I will be a super batter,” said Grover.
Grover’s mother gave him a big kiss good-bye.
The school bus took everyone to pássaro azul Park.
Grover sat in the back with Truman.
“My big brother has a bat just like yours. I play ball with him all the time,” said Truman.
“I have never played before,” said Grover. “I cannot wait to try!”
There was so much to do at the park!
Everyone played tag.
Betty Lou showed Grover a new trick on the monkey bars.
Then there was a sack race.
At noon they had their picnic lunch.
After lunch it was time to play baseball.
The teacher said, “Jill and Truman, you pick two teams.”
One por one everyone was picked.
Everyone but Grover.
“Truman, you need one more,” said the teacher. “Take Grover.”
Truman said, “Oh, no! Grover has never played before. He will make us lose!”
Truman’s words hurt Grover.
They felt like a punch.
But Grover just said, “You will see. I will be a super batter!”
But Grover was not a super batter.
He missed the ball every time.
Now was his last chance.
He swung three times…
and he missed three times.
The other team shouted, “We won!”
“See? I told you Grover is no good,” said Truman.
Everyone laughed.
“Grover can’t bat!” they teased.
Grover pretended not to hear.
But he felt very sad.
Grover walked início very slowly from the bus stop.
“Why did all my friends make fun of me?” he said to himself.
A big tear rolled down his furry face.
He kicked a tin can down the street.
“You stupid can,” he said.
Then he looked at his bat.
“You stupid bat!” he said.
When Grover came to Oscar’s trash can, he bumped into Big Bird.
“Hi, Grover!” said Big Bird. “Look! Oscar gave me this blue paint. I am painting a picture of you!”
Grover looked at the picture.
“That stinks!” he yelled. “That does not look like me at all!”
Big Bird’s eyes filled with tears.
“Grover, why are you so mean to me?” said Big Bird. “I am your FRIEND!”
Oscar popped out of his can.
“Who is making all that noise?” he yelled.
“Big Bird is!” said Grover.
“Grover is!” said Big Bird.
Grover looked at Oscar.
He looked at Big Bird.
Then he burst into tears.
“Everyone made fun of me.”
And he told them all about the baseball game.
“Poor Grover!” said Big Bird. “You must feel so sad.”
Oscar yelled, “SAD? You must mean MAD!”
Grover said, “I am sad AND mad.”
Then he began to smile a little.
Big Bird said, “I have a good idea. I will practice batting with you.”
Oscar gave them a rotten old ball.
“Now GO AWAY!” he said.
Big Bird threw the ball to Grover again and again.
At last Grover hit the ball.
“Hurray!” said Big Bird.
The Grover threw the ball to Big Bird again and again.
Big Bird missed every time.
“I am even worse than you,” said Big Bird.
Grover and Big Bird laughed and laughed.
Finally it was time to go home.
“Big Bird,” Grover said softly, “I did not mean it when I said your painting stinks. Please, may I have it?”
Big Bird’s face lit up.
“Sure you can!” said Big Bird.
Grover said, “I will go início and hang it up right now.”
He ran all the way.
“Hello, dear!” said his mother. “Did you have fun at the picnic?”
Grover said, “Some of it was fun. But then everyone made fun of me because I was a bad batter.”
“Oh, my goodness,” said his mother. “What did you do?”
Grover said, “I yelled at Big Bird. Then I felt worse!”
“Oh, my,” said his mother. “Then what?”
Grover said, “Then we played and Big Bird gave me this nice painting.”
His mother said, “Big Bird is a good friend.”
Grover’s mother helped him hang up Big Bird’s painting.
Then they had a nice hot supper.
After ceia Grover said, “Mommy, will I EVER be good at batting?”
His mother said, “Maybe you will when you are older… and maybe you will not.”
Then she smiled.
“But you will ALWAYS be good at being Grover. And that is even better.”
Today was the dia of the school picnic in pássaro azul Park!
His mother gave Grover a big picnic lunch.
Then she said, “I have a surprise for you.”
It was a baseball bat!
Grover was so happy.
“Now you can learn to play baseball,” said his mother.
“I will be a super batter,” said Grover.
Grover’s mother gave him a big kiss good-bye.
The school bus took everyone to pássaro azul Park.
Grover sat in the back with Truman.
“My big brother has a bat just like yours. I play ball with him all the time,” said Truman.
“I have never played before,” said Grover. “I cannot wait to try!”
There was so much to do at the park!
Everyone played tag.
Betty Lou showed Grover a new trick on the monkey bars.
Then there was a sack race.
At noon they had their picnic lunch.
After lunch it was time to play baseball.
The teacher said, “Jill and Truman, you pick two teams.”
One por one everyone was picked.
Everyone but Grover.
“Truman, you need one more,” said the teacher. “Take Grover.”
Truman said, “Oh, no! Grover has never played before. He will make us lose!”
Truman’s words hurt Grover.
They felt like a punch.
But Grover just said, “You will see. I will be a super batter!”
But Grover was not a super batter.
He missed the ball every time.
Now was his last chance.
He swung three times…
and he missed three times.
The other team shouted, “We won!”
“See? I told you Grover is no good,” said Truman.
Everyone laughed.
“Grover can’t bat!” they teased.
Grover pretended not to hear.
But he felt very sad.
Grover walked início very slowly from the bus stop.
“Why did all my friends make fun of me?” he said to himself.
A big tear rolled down his furry face.
He kicked a tin can down the street.
“You stupid can,” he said.
Then he looked at his bat.
“You stupid bat!” he said.
When Grover came to Oscar’s trash can, he bumped into Big Bird.
“Hi, Grover!” said Big Bird. “Look! Oscar gave me this blue paint. I am painting a picture of you!”
Grover looked at the picture.
“That stinks!” he yelled. “That does not look like me at all!”
Big Bird’s eyes filled with tears.
“Grover, why are you so mean to me?” said Big Bird. “I am your FRIEND!”
Oscar popped out of his can.
“Who is making all that noise?” he yelled.
“Big Bird is!” said Grover.
“Grover is!” said Big Bird.
Grover looked at Oscar.
He looked at Big Bird.
Then he burst into tears.
“Everyone made fun of me.”
And he told them all about the baseball game.
“Poor Grover!” said Big Bird. “You must feel so sad.”
Oscar yelled, “SAD? You must mean MAD!”
Grover said, “I am sad AND mad.”
Then he began to smile a little.
Big Bird said, “I have a good idea. I will practice batting with you.”
Oscar gave them a rotten old ball.
“Now GO AWAY!” he said.
Big Bird threw the ball to Grover again and again.
At last Grover hit the ball.
“Hurray!” said Big Bird.
The Grover threw the ball to Big Bird again and again.
Big Bird missed every time.
“I am even worse than you,” said Big Bird.
Grover and Big Bird laughed and laughed.
Finally it was time to go home.
“Big Bird,” Grover said softly, “I did not mean it when I said your painting stinks. Please, may I have it?”
Big Bird’s face lit up.
“Sure you can!” said Big Bird.
Grover said, “I will go início and hang it up right now.”
He ran all the way.
“Hello, dear!” said his mother. “Did you have fun at the picnic?”
Grover said, “Some of it was fun. But then everyone made fun of me because I was a bad batter.”
“Oh, my goodness,” said his mother. “What did you do?”
Grover said, “I yelled at Big Bird. Then I felt worse!”
“Oh, my,” said his mother. “Then what?”
Grover said, “Then we played and Big Bird gave me this nice painting.”
His mother said, “Big Bird is a good friend.”
Grover’s mother helped him hang up Big Bird’s painting.
Then they had a nice hot supper.
After ceia Grover said, “Mommy, will I EVER be good at batting?”
His mother said, “Maybe you will when you are older… and maybe you will not.”
Then she smiled.
“But you will ALWAYS be good at being Grover. And that is even better.”