Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?
Balzer & Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? Text copyright © 2010 by Audrey
Vernick. Illustrations copyright © 2010 by Daniel Jennewein. All rights
reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By
payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive,
non–transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No
part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled,
reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage
and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or
mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written
permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
EPub Edition © 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-206719-7
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
For the heart of the herd,
Jacob and Anna,
who inspire me and make me laugh.
— A.V.
For Lenore.
— D.J.
S
ome people say kindergarten is no place for a buffalo.
How crazy is that?
Does your buffalo have a backpack?
Well, then. He’s definitely ready for kindergarten!
Is he feeling shy? That’s okay. It can be hard
to start something new.
Especially when your buffalo will be the
only one with horns.
And a mane.
Okay, and a hump.
But who can resist that furry face?
Is he worried about being
the only one who’s not good
with scissors?
Or the only one afraid of scissors?
Begin simply.
Have your buffalo hold the scissors.
Okay, maybe your buffalo can’t cut—yet!
But maybe most kids aren’t the state animal of Oklahoma.
Or pictured on old nickels.
Everyone’s special in his or her own way.
That’s the kind of thing you learn in kindergarten.
Won’t your buffalo just love recess?
He may need time to get used to the No Grazing rule.
And swings may not be for everyone.
But school–yard games are!
Some kids are great hiders. Others are good seekers.
And your buffalo is the very best hiding spot ever.
Finger painting is such fun!
Remind your buffalo: It’s okay to get messy.
No true artist stays clean.
And you never know what kind of masterpiece
those hooves might create.
Cooperating and taking turns are both
Very Big Deals in kindergarten.
But your buffalo may sometimes get frustrated.
Like when someone takes his building blocks.
Or calls him Fluppalo.
Another buffalo might be tempted to nudge
those kids.
But not your buffalo!
He’ll stop, take a deep breath,
and remember the Rules for
Sharing and Caring.
That’s why kindergarten’s so great.
You learn to get along without
using your horns.
Snack time!
Your buffalo is probably looking forward to sharing treats
with a classmate. But he may be the only one who eats
grass, then throws it up in his mouth and eats it again.
Remember: Everyone’s special in his or her own way.
Your buffalo will want to look sharp on school picture day.
Does he have a favorite shirt? Suit? Tie?
It’s not always easy for a well–dressed buffalo
to stay spiffy.
That’s okay, as long as he smiles that
mighty buffalo smile.
Can your buffalo balance on a tightrope?
Kidding!
He doesn’t need to do that.
Unless he’s going to clown kindergarten.
Sometimes it’s hard to decide who to play with.
Or sit next to at story time.
This will not be a problem for your buffalo.
True, he may be the tiniest bit smelly.
But he’s so cheerful and friendly.
Not to mention warm and cuddly.
Anyone who says kindergarten is no place
for a buffalo has definitely not met yours.
He belongs there.
He loves it!
In fact, he may not ever leave.
Good luck with that.
Audrey Vernick, Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?
Thanks for reading the books on GrayCity.Net