Read an Excerpt
The Locked Door
One afternoon, Isabel saw her fellow bunjitsu students outside their school. Teacher had left a sign on the door. It read, “Come on in.”
“Teacher wants us to go inside,” said Max. “But the door is locked.”
“It is a test,” said Kyle. “He wants us to kick the door open.” Kyle kicked the door as hard as he could.
“OW!” he yelped, hopping up and down on one leg.
“No,” said Betsy. “He wants us to punch it down with our fists!” They all punched the door with their mighty bunjitsu fists.
“Ow! OW! OOCH! OWEE OWEE OWEE!” they said. The door hadn’t moved an inch.
“I have an idea,” said Ben. “What’s the hardest part of our body?”
“The head,” said Wendy.
“Right!” said Ben. “On the count of three, we will all perform the running bunjitsu head butt!”
“One … two…”
Suddenly, the door opened. Isabel was on the other side. “Come on in,” she said. “Teacher is waiting.”
“How did you get in?” asked Betsy.
Isabel pointed to the open window by the door and said, “When the door is locked, go through a window.”
The Pirates
Isabel loved to take her rowboat out on the pond. The warm sun felt good as her boat rocked gently on the water.
Suddenly, another boat bumped into her. Four mean-looking foxes stared at her.
“We are pirates,” said one of them. “Give us all your treasure!”
“I have no treasure,” said Isabel.
“Then give us all your food!”
“I have no food,” said Isabel.
“Then we will take you as our prisoner.”
The pirates grabbed Isabel and pulled her into their boat.
“If you have nothing to give us, we will throw you in the water,” said a pirate.
Isabel grabbed the arm of the nearest pirate and bunjitsu flipped him over her shoulder. He landed in her empty boat.
She then bunjitsu kicked the second one so hard, he landed next to his friend in her boat.
She threw the third pirate right on top of them.
The fourth pirate was so frightened, he crawled into her boat on his own.
“There,” said Isabel. “Now you have my boat.”
“We don’t want your boat,” said a pirate. “It is too small for us.”
“Can pirates swim?” asked Isabel.
“Of course!” they said.
“Good,” said Isabel. “Because your new boat is sinking.”
Isabel sailed away. The warm sun felt good as her boat rocked gently on the water.
The Race
Sherman the tortoise loved to run, but he was always last in every race. No one wanted to race him because he was too easy to beat.
“I will race you to that tree across the field,” said Isabel.
“You are Bunjitsu Bunny,” said Sherman. “You will beat me very easily.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” said Isabel.
“On your mark. Get set. Go!” Isabel shouted, and the race was on.
Isabel could have run right past Sherman, but instead she stayed just behind him.
Sherman looked over his shoulder. I am beating Bunjitsu Bunny, he thought. He was so excited, he ran faster.
Isabel stayed right behind him. Whenever Sherman turned and looked, he saw she had almost caught him. This made him run even faster.
By the time he made it halfway to the tree, he was a blur of speed!
Sherman saw that Isabel was still right behind him. He gave it all he had. When he reached the tree, he was running so fast, he ran a whole extra mile before he could stop.
Finally, Isabel caught up.
“Did you let me win?” asked Sherman.
“I did at first,” she said. “But as soon as you thought you could win, you won.”
Copyright © 2014 by John Himmelman
