Ivy and Bean: What's the Big Idea? (3 page)

Shayna tossed her hair over her shoulders. “This is a report on global warming,” she said. “Adrian, show the desert. This is a picture of the Gobi Desert, but pretty soon almost everywhere is going to look like this because of global warming. Juan, show the polar bear.” Juan held up a picture of a worried-looking polar bear. “Now!” Shayna said loudly, “Global warming is a total disaster and it's all our fault.”

On the rug, the second graders looked at one another. This did not sound good.

When school was over, Ivy and Bean slumped like two sacks of potatoes on the bench outside their classroom.

“Whatcha doing?” asked Leo.

Ivy and Bean looked up. “We're worrying about the polar bears,” said Ivy glumly.

“What polar bears?” asked Leo. Leo was in a different class.

“There's not enough ice for them to live on,” said Ivy.

“They're going to die out, like the dinosaurs,” said Bean.

“The heat's going to get them,” said Ivy.

Leo kicked their bench. “You guys want to play stomp tag?”

Ivy and Bean stared at him. “It's the pollution,” said Bean.

“From cars,” said Ivy.

“And cow poop,” Bean reminded her.

Leo made a snorty sound. He thought cow poop was funny. Ivy and Bean frowned at him. “I'll be it,” he said.

“What?” said Bean.

“I'll be it. You can even stomp me for free if you want,” said Leo. He stuck his foot out. “Go ahead.”

Bean shook her head. “We're busy,” she said.

Leo looked up and down the breezeway. It was empty. “What are you busy doing?”

“We're busy worrying,” said Bean.

After a while, Leo found some other kids who wanted to play stomp tag, and Ivy and Bean got up and began to worry their way home.

“Poor trees,” said Ivy, patting one.

“Yeah,” said Bean. She kicked a car parked at the curb. “Take that!” she yelled and felt a little better.

At home, Bean's mom had heard about global warming and even about the polar bears. Bean's dad knew about it, too. Bean's older sister, Nancy, said, “Ha! That's nothing. Just wait until you find out about the oceans.”

“What about the oceans?” asked Bean quickly.

“That's for me to know and you to find out,” said Nancy. “But it's terrible,” she added.

Bean was too worried even to throw something at her. She went into the backyard and wandered across the lawn. Poor grass. Poor trees. She squatted down by the patch of dirt where the ants lived and patted it. Poor ants.

She hated global warming.

The next day, no one rushed to sit on Colorado. Dusit sat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean without pretending he was drowning. Bean and Ivy flopped onto Wisconsin together.

Ms. Aruba-Tate was explaining capital letters with her big purple pen. The first letter at the beginning of a sentence was always capital.

Okay, thought the second grade.

The first letter of a person's name or a place was always capital, too.

Fine, thought the second grade. Whatever.

Ms. Aruba-Tate put the cap on her big purple pen and looked at the children on the rug. “Well!” she said, “I know something that will pep you up. Emerson School is going to have a science fair!”

“No!” groaned Bean.

“I hate science,” said Emma. Drew and Eric nodded.

Ms. Aruba-Tate raised her eyebrows. “I'm confused, boys and girls,” she said. “I thought you liked science.”

“No. We hate it,” Zuzu said. “It's awful.”

“But,” said Ms. Aruba-Tate, “what about fish prints? You liked making fish prints, didn't you?”

“Those were okay,” said Emma. “And our insect studies,” Ms. Aruba-Tate asked. “You liked those, didn't you?”

“That cicada was cool,” said Marga-Lee.

“Remember the hissing cockroach?” said Drew. “That was cool, too.”

“What about marine reptiles?” said Ms. Aruba-Tate. “Elasmosaur and plesiosaur?”

“And mosasaur!” yelled Eric. Eric loved mosasaur.

“Then why do you say you hate science?” asked Ms. Aruba-Tate.

“Global warming!” chanted the second graders.

“Global warming?” asked Ms. Aruba-Tate.

“Didn't you listen, Ms. Aruba-Tate?” Bean said. “The whole world is going to turn into a desert.”

“The polar bears are going to die out,” said Ivy.

“And the frogs,” said Emma.

“And newts,” said Eric. “Squishy things are in trouble.”

“All the animals are in trouble,” said Drew.