Karen's Bunny

  The author gratefully acknowledges

  Gabrielle Charbonnet

  for her help

  with this book.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1 Peter Cottontail

  2 Andrew’s Sad Day

  3 Andrew’s Good News

  4 Granny’s Special Plan

  5 Easter Sunday

  6 The No-More-Pets Rule

  7 Bunny Trouble

  8 Fluffy Andrew

  9 Bunnies Gone Bad

  10 The Vet

  11 Born to Be Wild

  12 Free Bunnies to a Good Home

  13 Making Plans

  14 Mountains of Food

  15 Dress Rehearsal

  16 On with the Show

  17 All Eyes on Andrew

  18 Another Brilliant Idea

  19 A Farewell Dinner

  20 Good-bye, Good-bye

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Copyright

  Peter Cottontail

  “Here comes Peter Cottontail,” I sang. “Hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity, hoppity, Easter’s on its waaaay.” When I sang “Hippity, hoppity,” I took big hops down the sidewalk.

  Hi. I am Karen Brewer. I am seven years old. I am in Ms. Colman’s second-grade class at Stoneybrook Academy. My friend Nancy Dawes and I were walking home from the bus stop after school.

  “Sing it again,” said Nancy.

  So I did.

  “That is a fun song,” said Nancy. “Especially the hopping part.”

  “Easter is a fun holiday,” I said happily. “It is coming early this year. I am glad I do not have to wait much longer.” Waiting for things is very hard for me.

  “Passover is not early this year,” said Nancy. Nancy’s family celebrates Jewish holidays. “But when it comes, lots of my relatives will come over for the first Seder.”

  “My grandmother from Nebraska is coming for Easter,” I told Nancy. “I cannot wait to see her. I hope she is less sad about Grandad.” Not long ago, my grandad died. Now Granny lives on their farm by herself. My family and I like it when she comes to visit. I always try very hard to cheer her up.

  “I hope so, too,” said Nancy. “Oh, look. Under that bush. I see a crocus.”

  I looked where Nancy was pointing. A small yellow flower was pushing its way through the hard cold ground. “Yea!” I cried. “Crocuses are one of the first signs of spring. It won’t be long now before trees get their new leaves.”

  “It probably will not snow anymore,” said Nancy. “Maybe just a little.”

  I hopped down the sidewalk for a minute. I just love spring! Sometimes it seems to take forever for spring to arrive in Stoneybrook, Connecticut, where I live. But when Easter comes, I know that spring is just around the corner.

  Here are some good things about spring:

  New leaves on trees.

  Tulips, crocuses, and daffodils.

  No more snow. (I love snow. But by the end of winter I am tired of it.)

  Red-breasted robins.

  No more bundling up in snowsuits and boots.

  Easter.

  “It is fun to get dressed up for Easter,” I said. “And I like to look at the fancy Easter bonnets.”

  “I get dressed up, too,” said Nancy.

  “So the Easter Bunny does not come to your house at all?” I said. I found that hard to believe.

  “Well, no,” said Nancy. “But Passover is very wonderful. We read from a beautiful book and eat special foods. The youngest child asks four questions. Then we have a fancy dinner and my father hides a piece of matzoh. Whoever finds it gets a present. It is a very happy holiday.”

  I smiled at her. “That does sound neat. But you may share my Easter candy, if you want.”

  “Okay,” said Nancy. “Thanks.”

  Then Nancy turned to go to her house, and I headed toward mine. (Nancy lives next door to the little house. I will explain about the little house and the big house in a minute.)

  I hopped up the walkway to my front door. “Easter’s on its waaaay,” I sang.

  Andrew’s Sad Day

  When I got inside, Mommy and my little brother, Andrew, were in the kitchen. Andrew is four going on five. Andrew, Mommy, and I look alike. We have blond hair, blue eyes, and freckles. I have the most freckles. Mommy and I wear glasses. Andrew does not.

  Today Andrew looked very sad. Mommy had fixed him a snack, but he was not eating it. He sat at the table, resting his chin in his hand.

  “Hi, Mommy,” I said. “Hi, Andrew.”

  Andrew sighed. Mommy fixed me a blueberry muffin and a glass of milk. Yum!

  “What is wrong, Andrew?” I asked. “Are you having a bad day?”

  Andrew nodded sadly. “Tommy Joe died,” he said.

  I did not know any Tommy Joe. I looked at Mommy.

  “When Andrew arrived at preschool today, Miss Jewel told him that their class gerbil had died,” explained Mommy.

  “Oh, how sad,” I said. “I am very sorry to hear that, Andrew. Poor Tommy Joe.”

  Andrew sniffled and rubbed his eyes with his hand.

  “I know how sad I felt when Crystal Light died,” I said. (Crystal Light was my goldfish.) “But I felt much better when I got Crystal Light the Second. Maybe your class should get another gerbil.”

  “I do not want another gerbil!” cried Andrew. “I want Tommy Joe.”

  “I understand,” I said, trying to sound very grown-up. “You really miss him.”

  Andrew nodded and sniffled again. “Miss Jewel said we could get another gerbil, too. But my class voted not to. We are too sad.”

  “Oh. Will it make you feel better to talk about Easter?” I asked. “We can plan special Easter things for Granny. I could teach you the Peter Cottontail song.”

  Andrew looked up. “Really?”

  “Sure,” I said. “Just let me finish my snack.”

  Andrew picked up his muffin and took a small bite. I smiled. I am a very good big sister.

  * * *

  That night Mommy made chicken pot pies for dinner. I love having my own pot pie. I poked it with my fork and watched the steam come out.

  “I guess everyone knows that Easter is coming soon,” said Seth. (Seth is my stepfather.)

  “Yes!” I said. I waved my fork in the air. “And Granny is coming to stay with us.”

  “That’s right,” said Seth. “How can we make her visit special?”

  “We can dye eggs,” I said.

  “We can make sure the Easter Bunny leaves her a basket,” said Andrew.

  “We can make Easter decorations for her room,” I suggested.

  “We can prepare a nice Easter dinner,” said Mommy.

  “Those are very good ideas,” said Seth.

  Granny is Seth’s mother. So she is really my stepgrandmother. Nannie is my other stepgrandmother. Wait — I better start at the beginning.

  Remember when I said I had a little house and a big house? Well, the big house is Daddy’s house. A long time ago, there was just me, Andrew, Mommy, and Daddy. We lived in the big house. Then Mommy and Daddy decided to get a divorce. Mommy, Andrew, and I moved to the little house.

  Mommy got married again, to Seth Engle. Now I live in the little house with Mommy, Seth, Andrew, Midgie (Seth’s dog), Rocky (Seth’s cat), Emily Junior (my pet rat), and Bob (Andrew’s pet hermit crab). Midgie and Rocky and Bob are nice, but I love having Emily Junior for my very own.

  Guess what? Daddy got married again too. He married Elizabeth Thomas, who is my stepmother. She has four kids of her own. They are Sam and Charlie, who are old enough to go to high school; Kristy, who is thirteen and really, really great; and David Michael, who is seven, like me. (He is an older seven.)

&
nbsp; That is not all. At the big house there is also Emily Michelle, who is my adopted sister. (I named my pet rat after her.) And Elizabeth’s mother, Nannie (my other stepgrandmother). She came to help take care of all the people and animals. The animals are: Boo-Boo (Daddy’s cranky cat), Shannon (David Michael’s gigundo puppy), Goldfishie (Andrew’s goldfish), and Crystal Light the Second (whom you know).

  Now Andrew and I stay at the little house for a month, then the big house for a month. We would be at the little house for Easter. Sometimes after a month at the big house, I am ready for some peace and quiet at the little house. And after a month at the little house, I am ready for the noise and excitement of the big house. So it is a good thing that I have two houses.

  There is something else I should tell you about myself. I have two of a lot of things. (Not only houses.) I have two families with two mommies and two daddies. I have two bicycles, two stuffed cats, and two pieces of Tickly, my special blanket. I have two cats and two dogs (but only one rat). I wear two pairs of glasses: blue ones for reading up close, and pink ones the rest of the time. I even have two best friends: Nancy Dawes lives next door to the little house (you already knew that), and Hannie Papadakis lives across the street and one house down from the big house. We call ourselves the Three Musketeers.

  Because Andrew and I have two of so many things, I made up special nicknames for us. I call us Karen Two-Two and Andrew Two-Two. And you can see why.

  Andrew’s Good News

  The next few days were very busy. We had to get ready for Granny’s visit. Andrew and I helped a lot. We helped Mommy clean the house. We helped Seth tidy the yard. We even cleaned the cars.

  And that is not all. Andrew and I made special Easter decorations for the guest room. When Grandad was alive, he and Granny stayed in the den downstairs when they visited. But now Granny stays in the guest room upstairs.

  That afternoon after school, I was sitting at the kitchen table. I had set out my construction paper, glue, markers, scissors, and glitter. Andrew sat across from me. I shared my craft supplies with him. (Because I am a good big sister.) Mommy was there too, starting dinner.

  First we cut out large egg shapes. We planned to decorate them and hang them in Granny’s room. They would make the room look cheerful. I also planned to make some bunny decorations.

  “Guess what,” said Andrew. “A good thing happened at school today.”

  “Did your class get a new pet?” I asked.

  “No.” Andrew frowned. “I told you. We do not want another pet yet.”

  “I’m sorry. What is your good news?” I started to decorate one of my paper eggs. I wrote “Happy Easter” on it in glue, then sprinkled glitter on the glue. It looked very beautiful.

  “We are starting a new project. It is called All About Families. We will learn about different kinds of families. During sharing time I am going to tell my class about our two families. And at the end of this month, our class will put on a special program for our families.”

  “That is wonderful,” I said. “Will it be a play?”

  “I do not know yet,” said Andrew. “Miss Jewel will tell us soon. But I know that everyone in my class will be in it.”

  “That sounds like a lot of fun,” said Mommy. “Miss Jewel is a good teacher.”

  Andrew beamed. He loves Miss Jewel.

  “I cannot wait to see your program, Andrew,” I said. “I am sure you will be the best one in your class.” Using my special zigzag scissors, I cut out some zigzag stripes for my egg.

  “I do not care about being the best,” said Andrew. “Everyone will do a good job.”

  “That’s right, Andrew,” said Mommy.

  I did not say anything, but I thought they were wrong. Of course Andrew should try to be the best in his class. What is the point of doing something if you are not trying to be the best? I decided that it was my job as a big sister to help Andrew be the best in his class program.

  Granny’s Special Plan

  “I see her!” I cried. “I see her!”

  “Indoor voice, Karen,” said Mommy.

  We were at the airport, picking up Granny. I guess being inside an airport counts as indoors. (Even though the airport is gigundoly huge.)

  Mommy, Seth, Andrew, and I were waiting at the end of the long corridor people walk through after they get off their planes. Many people were walking toward us, but I recognized Granny from far away. I jumped up and down and waved my arms so she would see us.

  When she was close enough, Andrew and I ran to her and hugged her.

  “Hello, hello,” she said happily, hugging us back. “Oh, I missed you so much. And I think you have both grown quite a bit since I saw you last.”

  “We missed you too,” said Andrew.

  I bounced around Granny. “Wait till you see your room,” I told her. “And we have special plans for you while you are here. And we will have a special Easter dinner. And you will not believe what I — ”

  “Karen, please,” said Mommy. She put her hands on my shoulders to keep me from bouncing. “I know you are very excited to see Granny, but please calm down a little bit, okay.”

  I nodded. Sometimes people have to ask me to calm down. I do not take it personally. I quit bouncing, and used my indoor voice. “I am glad you are here, Granny,” I said.

  She laughed. “I see that. This is a very warm welcome. Now, let’s go home. I may have a little something for you two in my bag.”

  * * *

  After dinner Granny took Andrew and me into the den. We sat on the couch next to her.

  “Let me see,” said Granny. “I know I have something here …” She fished around in her big travel bag.

  “Ah, this is for Andrew,” she said. She handed him a new pair of denim overalls. When I visited Granny and Grandad on their farm in Nebraska, I had worn overalls. They are very useful if you need a lot of pockets.

  “Oh, thank you!” Andrew cried. “I wanted some like Karen’s!” Without even taking off his jeans, he put on his overalls. Then he stomped around the den proudly. “Thank you, Granny,” he said again.

  I was trying to wait very patiently, but I felt as if I might explode at any second.

  “And this is for Karen,” said Granny, handing me a small package.

  I ripped it open. It was a necklace made of big colored wooden beads on a string. Some of the beads were people-shaped, and they had names written on them. I read, “Granny, Mommy, Seth, Andrew.” The beads did not look exactly like my family. But they were soooo cute. The Granny bead had gray hair. The Mommy bead had blond hair. The Seth bead had brown hair and a beard. The Andrew bead was a little boy. There were even dog and cat beads for Midgie and Rocky! The Karen bead was a girl with blond hair. And there was a Grandad bead too.

  “I am glad you put Grandad on here, Granny,” I said.

  Granny smiled and stroked my hair.

  I put on my necklace right away. It was gigundoly beautiful. “This is the best present, Granny,” I said. “I cannot wait to take it to show-and-share at school. And I will wear it on Easter. Thank you so, so much!” I gave Granny a big hug.

  “I am glad you like it,” she said.

  * * *

  I did not mean to eavesdrop. (Eavesdropping is when you listen to people talk and they do not know you are there. It is like spying with your ears. And it is against the rules.) But I was all ready for bed. I wanted to say good night to Granny and Mommy and Seth. So I padded downstairs in my slippers and robe, and I heard them talking about Andrew and me.

  I could not help myself. I waited quietly on the stairs.

  “This year,” said Granny, “I would like to make Karen’s and Andrew’s Easter baskets myself. Would that be okay? I think it would be very fun.”

  I could feel my eyebrows go up. I knew that sometimes the Easter Bunny brings baskets, and sometimes parents make them. I was never sure in my house.

  “Would you really like to?” asked Seth.

  “Yes, I would. Very much,” Granny sai
d. “I have something special planned.”

  “That would be very nice,” said Mommy. “Thank you.”

  “Good,” said Granny. “Then it’s settled.”

  I crept back to bed and lay there in the dark. My eyes were wide open. Granny had planned something special for our Easter baskets! Oh, my land. (That is what my great-aunt Carol Packett says when she is surprised.) I would probably not sleep again until Sunday.

  Easter Sunday

  I do not know how I made it through the next week. Having such a big secret inside me was very hard. But I did not say one word to anyone. I am a good secret-keeper.

  That week I made Easter cards for everyone. Mommy’s was shaped like a pink egg. Andrew’s was a yellow duck. Granny’s looked like a beautiful lily. And Seth’s looked like a brown basket. I was very proud of them. On Easter morning I would put them by everyone’s plate.

  I hardly slept a wink the night before Easter. But I must have slept a little bit, because when I woke up, I found a gigundo surprise: a beautiful basket at the foot of my bed!

  I leaped up and put on my pink glasses. The basket was huge and packed full of stuff. I began to take things out one by one. There was a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit, which is one of my all-time favorite stories. (It’s very sad, but happy, too.)

  There was a humongous chocolate rabbit. I decided I would eat the ears first, right after breakfast. There were small chocolate eggs, jelly beans, peanut-butter eggs, and a beautiful sugar egg with a window. Inside the window I could see many lovely angels against a blue sky.

  Then I reached my hand in the basket … and felt warm fur! I pulled my hand out. (I almost screamed.) Had Emily Junior gotten out of her cage? No. She was still in her cage in my room.

  I looked closer. “Oh, my land,” I whispered. Can you guess what I saw in my basket? I will give you some clues.

  1. It was warm and furry.

  2. It was not Emily Junior.

  3. It was in an Easter basket.

  4. It had long ears.

  5. It had a wiggly pink nose.

  If you guessed a live Easter rabbit, you are correct. I could not believe it.