Today was the araw of the school picnic in bluebird 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,” sinabi his mother.
“I will be a super batter,” sinabi Grover.
Grover’s mother gave him a big halik good-bye.
The school bus took everyone to bluebird 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,” sinabi Truman.
“I have never played before,” sinabi 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 sa pamamagitan ng one everyone was picked.
Everyone but Grover.
“Truman, you need one more,” sinabi 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,” sinabi Truman.
Everyone laughed.
“Grover can’t bat!” they teased.
Grover pretended not to hear.
But he felt very sad.
Grover walked tahanan very slowly from the bus stop.
“Why did all my mga kaibigan make fun of me?” he sinabi 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!” sinabi 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?” sinabi Big Bird. “I am your FRIEND!”
Oscar popped out of his can.
“Who is making all that noise?” he yelled.
“Big Bird is!” sinabi Grover.
“Grover is!” sinabi 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!” sinabi 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!” sinabi Big Bird.
The Grover threw the ball to Big Bird again and again.
Big Bird missed every time.
“I am even worse than you,” sinabi Big Bird.
Grover and Big Bird laughed and laughed.
Finally it was time to go home.
“Big Bird,” Grover sinabi softly, “I did not mean it when I sinabi your painting stinks. Please, may I have it?”
Big Bird’s face lit up.
“Sure you can!” sinabi Big Bird.
Grover said, “I will go tahanan and hang it up right now.”
He ran all the way.
“Hello, dear!” sinabi 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,” sinabi his mother. “What did you do?”
Grover said, “I yelled at Big Bird. Then I felt worse!”
“Oh, my,” sinabi 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 hapunan 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.”
