Read an Excerpt
The Veterans Day Visitor
2nd-Grade Friends
By Peter Catalanotto, Pamela Schembri Henry Holt and Company
Copyright © 2008 Peter Catalanotto and Pamela Schembri
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4668-8758-9
CHAPTER 1
Pop-Pop's House
Emily never jumped in leaves.
They were dirty.
They might be wet.
Bugs crawled in them.
At Emily's grandparents' house, there were piles and piles of leaves. Emily and her best friend, Vinni, were visiting after school on a sunny November day.
"Watch me!" Vinni shouted. She ran and jumped into a mountain of leaves.
Emily wrinkled her nose. "Aren't they itchy?"
"No!" said Vinni. "It's fun!"
"Ick," said Emily.
Vinni shook her head. "You are so weird." She threw a bunch of leaves at Emily.
Emily laughed.
"You know, girls, different people like different things." Emily and Vinni stopped. Emily's Pop-Pop was standing behind them. He leaned against his rake.
"For example, you, Vincetta—"
"Vinni," interrupted Vinni.
Pop-Pop started again. "For example, you, Vinni"—he pointed right at her—"you like wearing fancy hair clips, fancy shoes, and fancy pants."
"So does Emily," Vinni said.
"Exactly," said Pop-Pop. "Without the hair clips."
"So how is that different?" Emily asked.
Pop-Pop stroked his chin. "No hair clips."
Vinni's mouth was open. She raised one eyebrow and looked at Emily. Emily shrugged. The girls waited.
"You know," said Pop-Pop, "it's good that people are different. For example, next Monday is Veterans Day." Pop-Pop loved to talk. "Different people will celebrate in different ways. Some people will hang a flag. Some will go to a parade. Others will remember loved ones quietly at home."
"What's a veteran?" asked Emily.
"It's a doctor for dogs," said Vinni.
"That's a veterinarian," said Emily.
Pop-Pop was shocked. He put down his rake. "You don't know?" He pointed at both of them. "You don't know about the people who helped keep our country free? Don't you ... I can't believe ... second grade?"
Suddenly Pop-Pop stopped talking. His knees buckled.
The girls couldn't move.
He bit his lip. He steadied himself.
"I need to lie down." Pop-Pop went to the hammock and fell fast asleep.
CHAPTER 2
Sleepy Stories
"What happened to him?" asked Vinni.
"Ummm ... well ... nothing," said Emily. "Let's jump in the leaves!"
"WAIT!" cried Vinni. "Is he dead?"
Emily blushed. "No. He's asleep."
"WHY?"
"He has narcolepsy," Emily explained. "It makes him fall asleep."
"Really? Anytime? Anywhere?"
"Yep."
"Weird! He was just talking to us and then ..." Vinni closed her eyes and snored.
"Yep," said Emily. "Asleep."
"How did he get narc-o-sleepy?"
"Narcolepsy," said Emily. "He was born with it."
"Can I catch it?"
"No. You have it or you don't." Emily sat down in the grass.
"Does it ever happen when he's eating?" Vinni asked.
"Sometimes. Once we had to slide his plate of spaghetti away from him."
"Gross!" said Vinni.
"It's not so bad. In fact, sometimes—" Emily stopped.
"WHAT?"
"Nothing."
"Come on! Tell me! I won't tell anyone! I promise!" Vinni crossed her heart with her finger. Then she spit in her hand and held it out for Emily to shake.
"Ewww!" squealed Emily. She pushed Vinni's hand back. "All right! I'll tell you. Just don't ever do THAT again!"
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Veterans Day Visitor by Peter Catalanotto, Pamela Schembri. Copyright © 2008 Peter Catalanotto and Pamela Schembri. Excerpted by permission of Henry Holt and Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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