Heidi Heckelbeck and the Tie-Dyed Bunny


Boing!

Boing!

Boing!

No one could sit still in Mrs. Welli’s second-grade classroom. Everyone wanted to hold Maggie. Maggie was a fluffy white bunny with bright blue eyes. She belonged to Principal Pennypacker, but sometimes he let Maggie go on classroom visits.

This week Mrs. Welli’s class had Maggie. Mrs. Welli let her students take turns holding the bunny. When it was Heidi’s turn, she cuddled Maggie in her arms. The other kids gathered around.



“Her fur feels like velvet,” said Heidi.

Lucy Lancaster stroked Maggie’s fur. “She’s the softest little fluff ball in the whole world,” she said.

“Let me touch her!” said Natalie Newman.

“No, I want a turn!” said Melanie Maplethorpe as she pushed her way to the front of the group.

Mrs. Welli clapped her hands.



“Everyone, take your seats,” she said. “It’s time to put Maggie back in her cage. The bunny needs a rest.”

Heidi slowly walked to the cage and let Maggie hop in. Then she sat down with the rest of the class.

“I have very exciting news, boys and girls,” Mrs. Welli said.

The class looked eagerly at their teacher.



“Principal Pennypacker is going to pick one lucky boy or girl to take Maggie home for Easter weekend.”

Everyone gasped and squealed.

“At the end of the day,” Mrs. Welli continued, “the principal will draw a name from our class hat. The winner will take Maggie home tomorrow.”

Mrs. Welli passed out a piece of paper to each student in the class.

“If you’d like to take the rabbit home, please write your name on the slip of paper,” she said.

Everyone began to chatter about who would get the bunny. Heidi had always dreamed of having her very own pet. Oh, I hope I’ll get the bunny, she thought as she wrote her name on the paper. But her chances didn’t seem good. Everyone wanted to take Maggie home.



“Come on, kids. One, two, three—all eyes on me!” Mrs. Welli said.