Gooney Bird and All Her Charms by Lois Lowry Page A

CARE OF HIS LUNGS.
    Â 
    â€œNow for the really informational one,” Gooney Bird said, holding up the last sign. “Where shall I put it?”
    â€œHow about right on his chest? You could tape it to his ribs,” Barry suggested.
    Gooney Bird nodded. She leaned down and attached the last sign to Napoleon’s ribs.
    Â 
    WHEN HE BREATHES,
    THE AIR GOES DOWN HIS WINDPIPE
    AND INTO HIS LUNGS.
    THEN HIS BLOOD TAKES OXYGEN
    TO ALL OF HIS BODY.
    WITHOUT OXYGEN NAPOLEON WOULD
    DIE.
    Â 
    â€œHe’s already dead,” Chelsea pointed out. “He’s a
skeleton
.”
    â€œWell,” Gooney Bird said, “you know what? He seems alive to me. I feel as if he’s a friend. Good old Napoleon!” She patted his arm.
    Malcolm grinned. “I find that—”
    â€œDon’t you dare say it, Malcolm!” Mrs. Pidgeon warned.
    Malcolm clamped his hand over his mouth. All of the children watched him. After a moment he slowly removed his hand. “Sorry,” he said. “I almost couldn’t control myself.”
    Â 

    Â 
    â€œOkay, everyone,” Mrs. Pidgeon said. “Let’s have a few good deep breaths of fresh air.”
    Together the second-graders stood on the back steps of the school next to Napoleon. They breathed in and out. The March air was still cool enough that they could see little puffs of steam as the warm air left their lungs.
    â€œNow how about a whistle?” Gooney Bird suggested. “That uses our lungs.” She put two fingers to her mouth and gave a shrill whistle.
    â€œOr a hum?” suggested Keiko. “Hmmmmm . . .”
    â€œA scream?” said Chelsea. She took a deep breath and gave a loud scream. Everyone jumped.
    â€œA whisper!” Felicia Ann suggested. All of the children smiled.
    â€œWhisper whisper whisper,” they said in low voices.
    â€œA groan!” said Ben, and he groaned.
    â€œA grunt!” Beanie said, and she grunted like a pig.
    â€œA gasp!” Nicholas suggested.
    â€œA sigh!” Tyrone sighed loudly.
    Finally Mrs. Pidgeon said, “A song. Let’s use our lungs and sing a song for Napoleon before we go in to do our math.”
    â€œI know just the one!” Gooney Bird started the song.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
—
”
she sang.
    All of the children joined in. They sang the entire song while they stood beside Napoleon, who sat on the steps, grinning, with a blue balloon in his mouth and a yellow one in his left hand.
    They changed one word.
“Please don’t take my skeleton away,”
they sang.
    But someone did. The next morning, the back steps of Watertower Elementary School were empty. Napoleon was gone.

9
    Everyone stood very still and stared at the step where they had left Napoleon, as if he might magically reappear. But there was no sign of him. Mrs. Pidgeon looked horrified.
    Felicia Ann, Keiko, Beanie, and Malcolm all began to cry. Then Tyrone shoved Malcolm and called him a crybaby. Malcolm punched Tyrone in the arm and Tyrone began to cry.
    â€œCall 911!” shouted Barry.
    â€œGet Mr. Leroy!” shouted Chelsea.
    All of the children yelled out suggestions until finally Mrs. Pidgeon, who still looked shocked, raised her arms and ordered them to quiet down. Gradually the noise subsided, though Malcolm stealthily kicked Tyrone in the ankle. Mrs. Pidgeon separated the boys. “Children,” she said, “we have a serious problem and we must decide how to handle it. Of course we’ll notify the principal.
    â€œBut first,” she suggested, “everyone look around. Could Napoleon be someplace in the playground? Maybe someone moved him as a joke.”
    The children shaded their eyes against the bright sunlight and scanned the playground.
    Nothing. No skeleton. Just the empty playground, a few trees with some very early buds, and a blue car driving slowly past, toward the stop sign at the corner. Keiko began to