By Donna Hruska

Billy did not like to read.

He liked to play baseball. He liked to play with pets.

But he did not like to read.

“Books are dumb,” said Billy. He was happy when school was over for the summer.

One day, Billy saw a sign.

“Come to the fair on Saturday,” he read.

“Oh, boy!” said Billy. “That will be fun.”

On Saturday, Billy rode his bike to the fair.

He rode on the merry-go-round and the ferris wheel.

He ate cotton candy and hot dogs.

When it was almost time to go home, Billy saw a sign.

He read it. “Hit the Target! Win a Prize!”

Billy said to himself, “That’s easy. I am a good pitcher.”

He paid his money and the man gave him three baseballs.

The first ball missed. So did the second.

Billy took careful aim and threw the third ball.

He hit the target!

The man said, “You are a winner. Here is your prize.”

Billy looked inside the little white box and saw a small animal.

“What is it?” asked Billy.

“It’s a chameleon,” answered the man. “They make good pets.”

Billy took his chameleon home. He put it on his desk.

It had a flat body and a long tail. Sometimes it stuck out its tongue.

Then Billy saw something funny happen. The chameleon was changing color. Soon it looked green like his desk.

After while Billy put his chameleon in a fish bowl.

But he did not know how to take care of it.

Should he put water in the bowl? What did it eat? Why did it change color?

He asked his mother.

“I don’t know,” answered his mother. “Why don’t you look in one of the big books on the shelf?”

“I don’t like to read,” said Billy.

“You can’t let a pet go hungry,” said Billy’s mother.

Billy didn’t like it, but he went to get the book with C words.

He found some good pictures of camels. He saw many pages about cats. He read some of the words under the pictures.

At last, he saw chameleon.

“This book is not so bad,” said Billy.

Now he knew why his pet changed color.

Billy put the book away.

He had to catch some flies for his new pet to eat.

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Donna Hruska
2711 2nd Private Road
Flossmoor, Illinois 60422

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