DINOSAUR BREAD.

When Krissy's class went to the duck pond, Miss Plunkett, her teacher, made a big mistake. She put the bread into the bag first. Then she put a can of juice on top. THUNK!

"Dinosaur bread," Krissy pointed out.

"Dinosaur bread?" asked Miss Plunkett, surprised.

"It's at the bottom of the bag," Krissy said. "It's getting squashed."

"The ducks won't mind," said Miss Plunkett.

While the class climbed onto the bus, Miss Plunkett counted heads.

Krissy sat down near the front of the bus. She thought of all the dents and bulges that can be made in a loaf of bread. One time, she made dinosaur bread.

Miss Plunkett sat in front of Krissy and put the bag on the seat. It crackled as it started to unfold.

"Krissy," Miss Plunkett said, "you don't have to feed the ducks."

"I like ducks," said Krissy. "But the bread--"

"I'm sorry it's squashed," said Miss Plunkett. "But, squashed or not, it'll taste the same to the ducks."

The bag crackled more. Then the bus went BUMP The can of juice went CLUNK. And something in the bag went softly, "Grrr."

"I don't like the sound of this bus at all," said the driver.

Then Krissy heard the sound of paper tearing--rip, rip, rip. Her cat, Petie, sometimes made that sound. But Petie was at home. The bag rattled loudly.

The bus driver pulled over to the side of the road and got out. He walked around to Krissy's side and looked underneath the bus. Then he disappeared around the back.

Miss Plunkett stood up and started singing, "Six little ducks that I once knew."

"Fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones, too," sang the class.

The bus driver, whistling, hopped up the steps. The bag jumped right out of the seat and landed on the floor. THUMP! The bus driver stopped whistling. Miss Plunkett stopped singing and turned around. The whole class turned around. Krissy leaned forward.

"Dinosaur bread," she whispered. At that moment, the bag ripped open, and the dinosaur leaped out.

There it stood in its plastic bag, tail twitching. It was hollow and twisted, and it looked like a Tyrannosaurus rex.

"Gahh-rrrr!" growled the dinosaur bread as it stomped up the aisle.

Miss Plunkett screeched and jumped onto a seat. The children whooped and yelled. The bus driver just stood and stared.

Krissy could see the duck pond through the window. It was across the field. Around the pond, hungry, flapping ducks strutted.

When the dinosaur bread reached the back of the bus, it turned and growled. It zigzagged toward the front. Krissy picked up her foot and stepped on the dinosaur bread--hard.

"Grrr-ahhh!" roared the dinosaur bread as it fell off the bus.

Krissy ran past Miss Plunkett and leaped through the door.

The dinosaur bread was heading across the field at full speed. Krissy ran after it, and the whole class, Miss Plunkett, and the bus driver ran after her. She chased the bread to the duck pond.

"Quack, quack!" said the ducks.

The bread reared up and twitched its tail. The ducks chased the bread into the pond. They tore open the bag and gobbled up the food.

Krissy watched the ducks eat the last crumbs. All of a sudden they were just plain, ordinary ducks eating plain bread crumbs. Miss Plunkett, the class, and the bus driver ran up at that moment.

"Well, Krissy," said Miss Plunkett, breathing hard. She looked at the bread wrapper floating in the pond. Then she looked at Krissy.

Krissy said, "Miss Plunkett, I tried to tell you. Never ever put bread on the bottom of a bag!"