"Rodney! Where is Rodney?"Once again Rodney wasn't in his seat, and Miss Garcia had had enough.But Rodney had interesting things to do. Like watch a big black bird soar over the cafeteria that smelled like yesterday's lunch. Or catch a tiny pill bug creeping across the windowsill. He stood on his tippy toes to find the stray dog that bullied the neighborhood. Rodney was inside, but he wanted to be outside. Outside was where Rodney always wanted to be.Miss Garcia let out a long, deep breath. She stepped behind Rodney and tapped himon the shoulder. "Rodney, join the class. The word of the week ismajestic," Miss Garcia said. "Ma-jes-tic. Can youtell us what it means?"Rodney looked around the classroom. There were a million eyes looking back. "Nope."Miss Garcia took another deep breath. Rodney balanced on one foot like a pink flamingo. Sue Lin giggled and covered her mouth. Then he hopped into the air like a cricket. Coty chuckled. Then Rodney stretched out his arms like an eagle soaring high above the..."Sit down, Rodney!" Miss Garcia said. The whole class roared with laughter."Okay. Majestic means grand and beautiful. Rodney, if you can't do your work you won't be able to go on the field trip to the park on Friday."But Rodney didn't care. He knew all about the park. It was a small, triangle-shaped patch of yellow grass next to the corner store and the bus stop. It had one large cardboard trash can and two benches where some grownups sat all day long. Yes, Rodney knew the park well. Anyway, Momma said to stay far away from that park! Excerpted from Where's Rodney? by Carmen Bogan All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
