Free Look at Lucy! by Ilene Cooper Page B

Shawn couldn’t get out of the store fast enough.
    Pet-O-Rama was a big, brightly lit store. One half of it was packed with pet supplies. It had everything from dog food to kitty litter to mealworms. Once Bobby had picked up a container of the bugs and asked his dad what they were for.
    “I think lizards eat them,” his father had said.
    Lizards. Bobby was glad he didn’t have a lizard for a pet.
    The other side of the store was much more interesting. That was where the animals were kept.

    “Let’s go over there,” Bobby said to Shawn. He pointed in the direction of several large birdcages.
    Bobby had never really spent much time on the pet side of Pet-O-Rama. As they walked up and down the aisles, he was surprised by how many choices there were.
    “Do you want a bird?” Bobby asked.
    They stopped in front of several large glass cases full of birds. There were parakeets in different shades of blue and green. Small songbirds chirped away. In a corner cage, standing proudly on his perch, was a big, colorful parrot.
    “I wouldn’t know which one to pick,” Shawn said.
    The boys were drawn to a glass-walled room with some cages on tall shelves. Inside the cages, several cats roamed. One black cat batted a toy mouse back and forth. A fluffy white cat nibbled on some dry food. And two kittens tussled with each other in a corner of one of the cages.
    “Can you have a cat?” Bobby asked.
    Shawn shook his head. “My sister is allergic to cat hair,” he explained.
    “Too bad.” If Bobby didn’t have Lucy, he might like to own a cat.
    “My mom said I should look at small pets,” Shawn said.
    So the boys checked out the hamsters, guinea pigs, and turtles. Shawn seemed a little dazed. “So many choices,” he murmured. He almost seemed relieved when Mrs. Quinn came up to the boys.
    “Have you made any decisions?” she asked Shawn.
    He shook his head.
    “Well, think about it.” Mrs. Quinn looked at her watch. “Let’s go buy Lucy’s food and get home.”
    On the way out, a large, colorful poster taller than the boys caught Bobby’s eye.
    The poster had a drawing of different kinds of animals crowded together in frontof a television camera. Across the top were the words WANTED: SPOKESPET FOR PET-O-RAMA! Under the picture of the animals it said, “Is your pet cute? Smart? Funny? Enter the Pet-O-Rama spokespet contest and your pet could be on TV!”
    Bobby read the poster carefully. Cute, smart, funny? That described Lucy! She could win the spokespet contest, easy!

Spokespet
    B ig news! Bobby heard all kinds of big news on Friday.
    First, a letter came in the mail. In the corner of the envelope it said, “Wildwood Elementary School.”
    “Does it say what room I’m going to be in?” Bobby asked with excitement.
    “Let’s see.” Mrs. Quinn sat down at the kitchen table and opened the letter. Bobbysat next to her. Lucy joined them. She stretched up, putting her front paws on Bobby’s knees. Her head strained toward the table. She wanted to hear the big news.
    “You’re in Mrs. Lee’s room,” Bobby’s mother told him.
    “Yeah!” Bobby said. Shawn had gotten his letter yesterday. He was in Mrs. Lee’s room, too.
    “Woof!”
Lucy barked.
“Woof!”
Then she scooted off.
    Bobby laughed. “Lucy must know that Mrs. Lee is the teacher I wanted.”
    “I’ve heard she’s very good,” Mrs. Quinn said. She read the rest of the letter. “I see there are a few more supplies to pick up. We’ll have to go back to the mall. We can do a little more clothes shopping.”
    Bobby groaned. He thought he was donewith shopping. What was next? New underwear? Then Bobby had a thought. There was a good reason to go to the mall. He could go to Pet-O-Rama and get an entry form for the contest.
    “When can we go?” Bobby asked.
    Mrs. Quinn looked at Bobby with surprise. “How about right now?” she asked.
    “First I have to call Shawn,” Bobby said. Shawn wasn’t home. So he left a message. “I’m in Mrs.