The One and Only Willa Bean by Cecilia Galante

Author:Cecilia Galante [Galante, Cecilia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-375-98355-9
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2012-12-17T13:00:00+00:00

Willa Bean knew the first part of the song by heart. It was the second part that gave her trouble. She just could not remember all the words.

Harper didn’t seem to be having any trouble. And on her other side, Lucy and Mr. Wingston were singing, too. Willa Bean tried not to look at the words on Lucy’s sheet music, but it was hard. It was so close!

Mr. Sunhorn lifted his hands off the piano. “Eyes straight ahead, Willa Bean. Only Lucy may look at the sheet music.”

Willa Bean felt her cheeks get hot.

Snooze cleared his throat. “Willa Bean,” he whispered into her ear, “I don’t know it, either. Just do your best for now. We can practice together later.”

“You don’t have to know it.” Willa Bean’s grumpy feeling was getting worse. “Only I do.”

Harper gave Willa Bean a little nudge. “I keep forgetting some of the lines, too,” she whispered. “Don’t worry. We’ll go over it on the bus.”

“One more time!” said Mr. Sunhorn. “From the beginning, please!”

Class A started again. Willa Bean sang, too. “The sun is warm. The moon is bright.…”

Suddenly, Mr. Sunhorn stopped playing again. “Where is that marvelously deep baritone coming from?”

“What’s a baritone?” asked Pedro.

“It’s a very low male singing voice,” explained Mr. Sunhorn. He looked at Mr. Wingston on the chair in front of Lucy. “Is that you, Mr. Wingston?”

Mr. Wingston straightened his spectacles with one wing. “It could be,” he said. “I’ve been told I have a very deep voice.”

“Can you sing the first two lines?” Mr. Sunhorn asked. “Just by yourself?”

Mr. Wingston sat up straighter and ruffled his chest feathers. “The sun is warm,” he rumbled. “The moon is bright.”

Lucy beamed.

“Oh, bravo!” Mr. Sunhorn clapped loudly. “What a voice! Mr. Wingston, promise me that you will sing extra loud on Noble Nimbus Day. I want everyone to hear that beautiful baritone of yours!”

“With pleasure,” said Mr. Wingston.

Willa Bean watched as Lucy petted Mr. Wingston’s long ear tufts. She watched as she gave him a squeeze and then an eyelash kiss.

It wasn’t fair. Snooze had a wonderful voice, too, but Mr. Sunhorn had only said something to Mr. Wingston.

Maybe Willa Bean had spoken too soon about that stomachache of hers.

It was back again. And now it wasn’t just her stomach.

She had a headache. And a wing-ache.

And maybe even a heartache, too.

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