The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School really is a book inspired by all those fourth and fifth graders that I have met all across the country. I adore fourth and fifth graders. They are wacky and wonderful people and they are always sharing ideas for stories.
I read that book and I laugh because I can remember these two boys I met in Tennessee around Valentines Day who actually told me a valentine that they were gonna make for a girl Chelsea, her name was. They told me that they were gonna write a valentine — make a valentine of construction paper, fold it in half, and on the front of this piece of construction paper, they’re gonna write, “I see your face when I am dreaming.”
I thought, “Wow, that is so sweet!” Then you open it up and on the inside they’re gonna write, “That’s why I always wake up screaming.” I laughed and laughed and laughed, and it’s in there. I used it. There’s a lot of stuff from kids that I used.
There’s a geography test that I asked fourth graders
I think I might have been in Ohio. I asked fourth graders serious questions about geography — what kind of geography test would you get? I thought I would get answers about state capitals and instead they gave me silly questions like, “What’s the fastest country in the world? Russia, because people are always Russian!”
I thought, “Oh, my gosh. I love it!” They have a sense of humor like mine — really, really cheesy. I so love that. You always go to school, so you’re always searching for stories, and fourth and fifth graders have them. I’m working on a sequel now, The Fabled Fourth Graders — The Fabled Fifth Graders.
Everywhere I go when I tell fourth and fifth graders this, they have a story for me. They have something to show me. Lately it seems to be double-jointed stuff, who can wiggle their ears and amazing things. I’m guessing The Fabled Fifth Graders has a lot of double-jointed, wiggling-eared students in it.
I was in Ohio not too long ago and some fifth grade kids in Ohio invited me to come to their lunchroom because they had something they needed to show me. When fifth graders ask you to the lunchroom, you go cautiously. I mean, I love fifth graders in a lunchroom but, oh my!
I went in and they had to show me this amazing thing. One fifth grade girl took the lead and she said, “You’ll never believe it.” I said, “What?” She said, “Our chicken bounces.” I said, “No.” She goes, “Yeah.” I said, “No.” She goes, “It does. Our chicken bounces!”
So to prove this to me, she reaches across to the tray — to a boy sitting across. This is so fifth grade, this is why you gotta love them! She reaches across to this tray, a boy’s tray across the table. She takes a chicken nugget off of his tray and she turns and she drops it on the floor.
It bounced like two feet and she caught it. I was amazed. Then to prove to me that it wasn’t a fluke, she did it again. It was astounding. The best part was, for me, and she wasn’t even thinking about it, the best part was she took that chicken and she put it back on that boy’s tray and he ate it.
I thought, “This is a story. This is absolutely a story.” Then this boy swallows that chicken and he says to me, “Are you gonna be here tomorrow?” and I said, “I’m not. I’m leaving today.” He goes, “Too bad because tomorrow we’re having hot dogs and guess what? They bounce.”
I have a chapter in my fifth grade book about we’re having a food bouncing competition. It’s chicken nugget versus hot dog. Who will win? Here’s where research comes back into the writer’s life. I wanted a stealth winner — some last minute entry to win the competition.
I thought, “What’s the one thing that I really eat that I really wish I didn’t? It’s healthy but I don’t really like it.” I thought, “Tofu.” So I went to the store and I bought some and guess what? Tofu bounces.