The Bad Butterfly

www.BillieBBrown.com

The Bad
Butterfly

By Sally Rippin
Illustrated by Aki Fukuoka

The Bad Butterfly
published in 2010 by
Hardie Grant Egmont
85 High Street
Prahran,Victoria 3181, Australia
www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior permission of the publishers and copyright owner.

A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia

Text copyright © 2010 Sally Rippin
Illustration copyright © 2010 Aki Fukuoka
Logo and design copyright © 2010 Hardie Grant Egmont

Design and typeset by Stephanie Spartels

Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter
One

Billie B Brown has two messy pigtails, two pink ballet slippers and one new tutu. Do you know what the B in Billie B Brown stands for?

You guessed it!

Ballerina.

Today Billie has decided that she is going to be a famous ballerina. That is why she is wearing a tutu.

Do you think she looks nice in her new tutu?

Billie’s best friend is Jack. Billie and Jack live next door to each other. They do everything together. If Billie decides to play soccer, then Jack will play soccer too. If Jack decides to listen to music, then Billie will too.

If Billie decides to make a super-dooper sandwich with banana and honey and sprinkles, Jack will make a sandwich too. But he prefers salami.

Today Billie and Jack are going to ballet class. What’s that? You didn’t think boys could do ballet? Of course they can.

Boys can be very good ballet dancers.

Billie is wearing her new tutu. Jack is wearing his soccer shorts.

Billie and Jack’s new ballet teacher is called Miss Dainty. Billie thinks Miss Dainty is beautiful.

Miss Dainty puts all the girls into one group.

In the group there is a girl called Lola. She is also in Billie’s class at school.

Lola’s tutu has sparkles on it and Billie feels a teensy bit jealous. Billie wishes she had a tutu with sparkles!

‘All right, girls!’ says Miss Dainty.

‘You are all going to be butterflies. When I play the piano I want you to float around the room like beautiful, delicate butterflies.’

Lola flutters her arms up and down. She looks a lot like a delicate butterfly.

‘Lovely, Lola!’ says Miss Dainty.

Billie wants to show Miss Dainty that she can flutter her arms like a butterfly too.

She flaps her arms up and down very fast and spins around.

‘Ow!’ says the girl next to Billie. ‘My toe!’

‘Ow!’ says the girl in front of Billie. ‘My nose!’

‘Watch out!’ says the girl behind Billie. ‘My glasses!’

‘Thank you, Billie,’ Miss Dainty says. ‘Let’s wait until we are all ready, shall we?’

Miss Dainty walks over to the group of boys. There are only three boys, including Jack. Jack waves to Billie. Billie waves back.

‘All right, boys,’ Miss Dainty says. ‘I want you to be fierce, stomping trolls. You are fierce stomping trolls that are trying to catch the dainty butterflies. Is everyone ready?’

‘Yes!’ shouts everyone in the class.

Billie shouts the loudest of all. Billie wants to make sure that Miss Dainty knows that she really, really wants to be a beautiful ballerina butterfly.

Chapter
Two

‘OK, class. Let’s get started,’ Miss Dainty says.

She sits down at the piano. With her right hand she plays a tinkly butterfly tune.

With her left hand she plays a deep stomping troll tune.

Billie races around the room, flapping her arms. She is a very fast butterfly. Sometimes she accidentally bumps into the other butterflies that get in her way.

‘Ow!’ cries one butterfly.

‘Watch it!’ cries another butterfly. But Billie doesn’t stop. She is a beautiful ballerina butterfly, flying in the breeze.

Jack is a troll. He tries to catch Billie but she is too fast. Billie is faster than all the butterflies. She is faster than all the trolls! She flaps her arms up and down and runs around the room.

As Billie runs, she looks to see if Miss Dainty is watching.

She wants Miss Dainty to see what a good butterfly she is. But then – Crash!

Billie runs straight into the mirror!

‘Oh dear!’ says Miss Dainty. She rushes over. ‘I think you’d better slow down, Billie! Are you all right?’

Billie has banged her head. It hurts a lot, but Billie doesn’t want to cry in front of Miss Dainty. She sits down and rubs her head and scrunches up her eyes until the wobbly feeling goes away.

Miss Dainty puts her cool hand on Billie’s forehead. It makes Billie feel much better.

‘I’m fine,’ says Billie in a squeaky voice. ‘Look!’ She flaps her arms up and down like a butterfly with a broken wing.

‘All the same, I think you should sit out for a bit and rest,’ Miss Dainty says.

‘I’ll stay with her,’ says Jack.

‘Thank you, Jack,’ says Miss Dainty.

Then she stands up and claps her hands loudly. Everyone turns around.

‘OK, class, let’s see those wings fluttering. Beautiful, Lola! Yes, that’s right! Come along, trolls. Let’s see your stomping. Great work!’

Billie hangs her head. ‘I’m no good at ballet!’ she says to Jack.

She frowns and stares at the ground.

‘Yes, you are!’ says Jack. ‘We just need to practise. Don’t worry, we can practise at home.’

‘Really?’ says Billie. ‘Thanks, Jack.’

Chapter
Three

That evening, Billie eats her dinner quickly.

‘Can I go to Jack’s?’ she asks her mum and dad.

‘No dessert?’ asks her dad.

‘It’s banana pudding!’ says her mum.

‘I’ll have some later,’ says Billie. ‘I have to practise my ballet!’

Billie rushes out the back door into the garden.

In Billie’s garden there is an old wooden fence with a hole in it.

It is just the right size for Billie and Jack to fit through!

Billie squeezes through the hole into Jack’s garden.

Billie looks through Jack’s window. She sees that Jack and his family are still eating their dinner.

When Jack sees Billie, he waves and begins to eat very quickly. Jack’s dad turns around and waves for Billie to come inside.

‘Hi, Billie!’ Jack’s dad says.

‘Jack was just telling me what good dancers you are.’

Billie feels very proud. She smiles at Jack. ‘Yes. We’re going to be famous ballerinas!’ says Billie. ‘But I still need to practise a bit.’

‘Let’s go!’ says Jack, hopping up.

‘No dessert?’ asks Jack’s mum.

‘It’s cheesecake!’ says Jack’s dad.

‘Later!’ Billie and Jack shout together. They run up to Jack’s bedroom.

Billie practises being a butterfly. Jack practises being a troll.

Billie flaps her hands fast and flutters around the room. Crash!

She bumps into Jack’s Lego table. Lego pieces fly everywhere.

Bang! She bumps into Jack’s desk. All his Star Wars figures fall on the floor.

‘Billie! You are going too fast!’ Jack says.‘You have to float like a butterfly. Gentle and slow. Like this.’

Jack stands on his toes and flaps his arms gracefully. Then he flutters around the room. Just like a real butterfly.

Billie frowns. She stamps her foot.

‘I can’t do it,’ she says. ‘It’s too hard! I’ll never be a famous ballerina!’

‘You look more like a stomping troll,’ Jack laughs. Billie smiles at that. ‘Hey,’ she says. ‘I’ve got an idea!’

Chapter
Four

All week, Billie and Jack work on their ballet after school. Sometimes they dance in Billie’s bedroom. Sometimes they dance in Jack’s bedroom.

Sometimes their parents hear them practising: Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

‘Are you sure that’s ballet you’re doing?’ they call out, when the stomping gets very loud.

‘Yes!’ call Billie and Jack together. ‘Don’t come in!’

When it’s time for their next ballet class, Billie and Jack are ready.

Billie puts on her tutu. Then, instead of her soft pink ballet slippers, Billie puts on her big red boots.

Can you guess what Billie is up to?

Billie’s mum drives Billie and Jack to dance class. When they get inside the hall, Miss Dainty claps her hands.

‘Hello, children,’ calls Miss Dainty. ‘It’s very nice to see you again.

Are you all ready to dance like butterflies and trolls?’

Billie and Jack look at each other and nod.

‘Now, Billie, perhaps you can follow Lola today? Jack, you can go over with the boys.’

‘Um, actually, we’ve decided to swap parts,’ Billie says.

‘What do you mean?’ Miss Dainty asks.

‘Well, Jack is a much better butterfly than me,’ Billie explains.

‘And I think I am a very good stomping troll!’

Miss Dainty smiles.‘What a marvellous idea!’ she says.

‘Of course you can be a stomping troll, Billie. And Jack, if you would like to be a butterfly, that’s fine with me.’

‘Yay!’ say Billie and Jack together.

Jack flutters around the room and Billie stomps after him. Jack makes a very good floating butterfly and Billie makes an excellent troll. They both have lots of fun.

At the end of the lesson, Jack’s dad is waiting for them at the front door.

‘Well,’ he says, ‘how did dance class go tonight? Still going to be a famous ballerina, Billie?’

‘Maybe,’ says Billie, smiling at Jack. ‘But I think I prefer soccer.’