Chicken Soup for the Little Souls (3 page)

“We've come to make you a Goodness Gorilla!” said Jessica.

Todd narrowed his eyes. “Why?” he growled, looking nastier than ever.

“Let us in and we'll tell you all the reasons.”

Todd turned around and stomped back into the house, but he left the door open. The Goodness Gorillas piled in, each one carrying a piece of paper.

“Todd's the fastest runner in our class,” said Patricia.

“Todd has nice blue eyes,” said Tina.

“Todd was friendly back in first grade,” said Stuart.

“Todd is funny when he tells jokes that don't make fun of people,” said Peter.

“Michael and I came up with the same reason,” said Jessica. “And it's the best one of all: Todd does a great gorilla imitation!”

“We want to learn it!” said Michael and Tina and Peter. “We all want to be gorillas!”

“How do you make the grunts sound so real? Show us how to do the hop!” said Patricia.

Everyone tried to do Todd's gorilla dance while Todd stood and watched them. Finally he had to smile, and then laugh. They weren't making fun of him. They really wanted to learn!

When he couldn't resist any longer, Todd turned himself into a gorilla, too. Everyone followed his lead. They all grunted and hopped and scratched and screeched until they fell, out of breath and laughing, into a big heap on the floor.

Jessica said, “Now that you're one of us, Todd, we have a surprise for you!” She took Todd's arm and led him out to his backyard, where the Goodness Gorillas had tied a furry, funny, black-and-white puppy.

Todd ran over to the puppy and knelt down beside her, hugging her and stroking her fur. Big tears filled his eyes when he looked up at his new friends. “I'm sorry I made fun of you,” he said. “I didn't think you would ever be this nice to me. Can I really join your club?”

The puppy jumped up and down.

“Look! She wants to be a gorilla, too!” said Tina.

“That's what I'll name her!” said Todd. “Her name can be G.G.—for Goodness Gorillas—and she can belong to the whole club, like a mascot!”

Everyone loved the idea.

The Goodness Gorillas signed up more and more members. Ms. King's class became a nicer place. Then the school became a nicer place, and then the town did.

And as the Goodness Gorillas grew up, and went to different colleges, and traveled to different cities . . . the whole world became a nicer place.

The Best
Night Out
with Dad

Story Adapted from
“The Circus”
by Dan Clark

Story Adaptation by
Lisa McCourt

Illustrated by
Bert Dodson

“You mean you've never been to the circus before?” Danny asked the big-eyed little kid.

The boy reached for his dad's hand, looked down, and shook his head no.

Danny was sorry he'd said it like that. The boy's clothes were mended and his sneakers were almost worn through.
Maybe his family couldn't ever afford the circus before,
Danny thought.

Danny was wearing the sweatshirt his dad had bought him the last time they went to the circus. It was his favorite shirt, with a big picture of Thor, the famous circus tiger, on it. That's what the little kid had noticed. That's why he had asked Danny what the circus was like.