Bruno for Real

CAROLINE ADDERSON

illustrated by HELEN FLOOK

Text copyright © 2009 Caroline Adderson
Illustrations copyright © 2009 Helen Flook

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Adderson, Caroline, 1963-

Bruno for real / Caroline Adderson ; illustrated by Helen Flook.

(Orca echoes)

ISBN 978-1-55469-023-7

I. Flook, Helen II. Title. III. Series: Orca echoes

PS8551.D3267B78 2009           jC813'.54              C2008-908028-9

First published in the United States, 2009

Library of Congress Control Number
: 2008943123

Summary
: This is the second collection of stories about Bruno, an imaginative boy with a humorous personality.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Typesetting by Teresa Bubela

Cover artwork and interior illustrations by Helen Flook

Author photo by Caroline Adderson (self-taken)

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OOK
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UBLISHERS
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OOK
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www.orcabook.com
Printed and bound in Canada.

12 11 10 09 • 4 3 2 1

For the very real John Fernando

Good Night,
Hic Hic

Bruno the Bad

The Long Birthday

Bruno Makes a Deal

Bruno, Level 5

School of Boys

Bruno tried all the tricks, but he still couldn't get to sleep. He tried counting sheep. One, two, three, four, five...Five little sheep came over the green hill. They looked like clouds with legs. One, two, three, four, five...Five little sheep rolled down the other side.
Wheee!
What fun! They rolled faster and faster. At the bottom, they all landed in a wooly heap. But not for long. They jumped right up and ran to the top of the hill again for another roll.
Wheee!

Now Bruno was even less sleepy. He tried a different trick. He closed his eyes and pretended his bed was a boat. It was a rowboat floating in the water. The boat rocked from side to side.
Bruno yawned. He was getting sleepy—very, very sleepy. Then he opened one eye. The boat was speeding down a river! It was heading for a waterfall!

Wheee!

“Mom!” Bruno called. “Mom! Mom! Mo-o-o-m!”

Mom peeked in the bedroom door. She looked really sleepy. “What is it, Bruno?”

“I can't get to sleep.”

“That's because you're yelling. Good night,” she said.

“I wasn't yelling!” Bruno said. “Mom? Mom!”

Mom came back. “What is it, Bruno?”

“I wasn't yelling,” Bruno said. “I was calling.”

“All right, all right,” Mom said. “Try counting sheep.”

“I did!” Bruno said. “It was too much fun!”

“Okay. Try singing a little song,” she said.

“Then I'll be singing,” Bruno said. “How can I get to sleep if I'm singing?”

“Never mind,” Mom said. “Good night.”

Mom went back to bed. Bruno lay in the dark for a while. Then he got up to use the bathroom. When he got back to his room, he tucked in all his stuffed animals. He hopped into bed. Then he got up again to check the lid on his box of pencil shavings. Yesterday the box had spilled all over the floor. Dad got mad. He'd wanted to vacuum up Bruno's collection of pencil shavings!