Free Junie B. Jones Is (Almost) a Flower Girl by Barbara Park Page B

“Sometimes grown-up ladies pat the bubbles,” I said. “It is not the same as playing.”
    Mother smiled.
    I picked up some bubbles and put them on my arms.
    “Bubbles are good for ladies’ skin,” I said again. “They make us very smoothie.”
    I put bubbles on my face and chin.

    “Sometimes grown-up ladies enjoymaking a bubble beard,” I explained very serious.
    After that, I covered my whole entire self with bubbles.
    “Hey! It is very fluffery in here!” I said real happy.
    Mother laughed.
    “You look like a bride in a long white veil,” she said.
    Then, all of a sudden, her whole entire mouth came open.
    “Oh my gosh! I almost forgot to tell you the good news, didn’t I?” she said. “Your Aunt Flo called today! And she said she’s getting
married!
”
    Mother clapped her hands together.
    “Aunt Flo, Junie B.! Aunt Flo is getting married! Isn’t that
exciting?
You’re going to go to your very first wedding!”
    After that, Mother smiled real big.
    And she hummed a pretty bride song.
    And she danced with my towel.
    And so guess what?
    Getting married must be a very big deal.

4 / Flower Girls
    The next day at recess, I sang the pretty bride song.
    I sang it to my bestest friends named Lucille and that Grace.
    “HERE COMES THE BRIDE…
    ALL DRESSED AND WIDE…
    HER NAME IS CLYDE,
    AND SHE READS
TV GUIDE.”
    That Grace looked admiring at me.
    “Wow. I never even knew that song had words,” she said.
    “Of course it has words, silly. Every song has words,” I said. “All you have to do is make them up.”
    After that, I skipped all around those two. And I sang the song some more.
    “Guess why I’m singing this bride song?” I asked. “Guess, people! Guess! Guess! Guess!”
    I couldn’t wait for them to guess.
    “’CAUSE I’M GOING TO MY FIRST WEDDING EVER! ON ACCOUNT OF MY AUNT FLO IS GETTING MARRIED! THAT’S WHY!”
    Lucille clapped her hands real delighted.
    “A wedding! A wedding! I
love
weddings, Junie B.! Are you going to be the flower girl? Huh? Are you? Are you?”
    I wrinkled my eyebrows.
    “The what?” I asked. “The who?”
    “The flower girl! The flower girl!” said Lucille. “The flower girl is the very first person to walk down the aisle at the wedding! She gets to carry a flower basket. And she throws beauteous flower petals all over the floor.”
    “It’s really fun, too, Junie B.!” saidGrace. “I was the flower girl at my Aunt Lola’s wedding. And I got to wear a long satin dress! And I only tripped two times!”
    Lucille fluffed her fluffy hair.
    “Yes, well,
I’ve
been the flower girl in
three
weddings. Grace,” she said. “And I’ve worn
three
long satin dresses. And all of them had matching purses and shoes and hats. Plus one of them had a blue fake bunny fur cape. And I
never
tripped at all. So that makes me the best flower girl, probably.”

    Grace’s face drooped a teeny bit.
    “Oh,” she said kind of soft.
    After that, Lucille asked me a million more questions.
    “What kind of flower girl dress are you going to wear, Junie B.? Huh? Is it going to be long or short? What color will it be, doyou think? So far I have worn yellow and pink and blue.”
    She tapped on her chin.
    “Hmm. I wonder what kind of flower petals you will carry in your flower basket? Tell your Aunt Flo that I prefer rose petals.”
    All of a sudden, Lucille did a gasp.
    “Junie B.! Junie B.! I just thought of something! Maybe Grace and I can
teach
you! We can teach you how to walk down the aisle and carry the basket! Want us to? Huh? Want us to teach you?”
    I jumped up and down.
    “Yes!” I said. “Of course I want you to, Lucille!”
    After that, Grace cheered up very much. Then all of us did a high five.
    And we skipped in a happy circle.
    And we practiced being flower girls.

5 / Bo
    I skipped home from my bus stop very thrilled. ’Cause I had good news, of course!
    My grampa Miller was babysitting baby Ollie. They were playing on the floor together.
    I runned