"Dudley's Disgusting Valentine" illustrated by Anna Guillotte. |
Monday would be Valentine's Day. Miss True had told the class, "If you want to pass out valentines, you must bring them for everyone."
That meant Dudley must give a valentine to Sancy Prink. Not a c-h-a-n-c-e! Not even a cheap, funny one. And no sassy valentine was mean enough for fancy-pants Sancy, who everyone thought was absolutely perfect. Everyone but Dudley.
When stuck-up Sancy passed him on the playground, she looked somewhere far beyond him. He seemed to be invisible! Even when he made faces. Or noises. Or did handstands.
FOR THE RECORD:
Kids' Reading Room: On the Kids' Reading Room page in the Feb. 12 Comics section, the last name of the illustrator of the story "Dudley's Disgusting Valentine," Anna Guillotte, was misspelled as Guillote. —
Sancy had not once said, "Hi." But sometimes when Dudley came near, she and her friends tittered, "Hee hee hee."
Dudley could not stand Sancy Prink. He could not give her a valentine. Unless — unless it was the ugliest, most disgusting valentine anyone had ever seen! He checked the stores, but nothing was horrible or hideous enough for stuck-up, snub-nosed, fancy-pants Sancy Prink.
Dudley had an idea. He would make Sancy a very special valentine, one she would not forget, not in 100 years. Hee, hee, hee, I'll fix you, Sancy Prink!
Dudley searched the house, he paced the streets, he tromped the woods, gathering decorations for Sancy's special valentine. A dried worm. A dead roach. A lizard tail. An empty cocoon. A cicada shell. A shed snake skin. An owl pellet. He pasted them all on a big red heart. And in the center by his name he glued a sticky cobweb, complete with a trapped fly. Hee hee hee, I'll fix you, Sancy Prink!
On Monday Dudley brought his box of valentines to class. On top was a large brown envelope, for Miss Sancy Prink. Before recess Miss True passed out the cards. At her signal everyone ripped into the valentines. In Dudley's pile he found a big thick valentine in a gold foil envelope. He pulled out a card covered with cupids, doves and lace. When he opened it, music played "Let Me Call You Sweetheart!"
The whole class turned to hear the tinkling tune. Dudley turned pink, then red– then purple – when he saw, behind a tiny heart-shaped door, the neatly penned words, "Love, Sancy." The door was too far away. His desk was too small to crawl under. While Sancy twittered over her love notes; Dudley trembled, fretted, sweated.
Sancy picked up the big brown envelope. She opened it slowly and carefully. She drew out the card. Her eyes grew round, then rounder. Her face turned pink, then red, then purple. She held the card up, "Dudley!" She raced to his seat, waving the disgusting valentine. "Dudley!" she squealed for the whole room to hear: "This is so totally cool!"
Dudley looked up to see Miss True standing over him. "May I?" She took the valentine from Sancy and marched up the aisle. Dudley shut his eyes and covered his ears.
Miss True held up the valentine. "I'd like to use Dudley Smith as an example."
Dudley cringed.
"He has put a good deal thought and effort into this valentine. This is the way we show others how much we care for them."
Sancy grinned and bounced her pony tail.
Miss True said, "Sancy, please keep this valentine. I'd like to use it for our nature project."
Sancy rolled her big blue eyes. "I'll keep my valentine forever."
Before lunch Sancy sent a note to Dudley: "Can you come to my house after school? You can help me make valentines for my Mom and Dad."
Dudley wrote back, "I guess so."
Special thanks to Anna Guillotte for her illustration. To see more of her work, visit annaguillotte.com.
Please note: Valentine's Day 2012 occurs on Tuesday, not Monday as stated in the story.
For more Kids' Reading Room, visit latimes.com/kids.
That meant Dudley must give a valentine to Sancy Prink. Not a c-h-a-n-c-e! Not even a cheap, funny one. And no sassy valentine was mean enough for fancy-pants Sancy, who everyone thought was absolutely perfect. Everyone but Dudley.
When stuck-up Sancy passed him on the playground, she looked somewhere far beyond him. He seemed to be invisible! Even when he made faces. Or noises. Or did handstands.
FOR THE RECORD:
Kids' Reading Room: On the Kids' Reading Room page in the Feb. 12 Comics section, the last name of the illustrator of the story "Dudley's Disgusting Valentine," Anna Guillotte, was misspelled as Guillote. —
Sancy had not once said, "Hi." But sometimes when Dudley came near, she and her friends tittered, "Hee hee hee."
Dudley could not stand Sancy Prink. He could not give her a valentine. Unless — unless it was the ugliest, most disgusting valentine anyone had ever seen! He checked the stores, but nothing was horrible or hideous enough for stuck-up, snub-nosed, fancy-pants Sancy Prink.
Dudley had an idea. He would make Sancy a very special valentine, one she would not forget, not in 100 years. Hee, hee, hee, I'll fix you, Sancy Prink!
Dudley searched the house, he paced the streets, he tromped the woods, gathering decorations for Sancy's special valentine. A dried worm. A dead roach. A lizard tail. An empty cocoon. A cicada shell. A shed snake skin. An owl pellet. He pasted them all on a big red heart. And in the center by his name he glued a sticky cobweb, complete with a trapped fly. Hee hee hee, I'll fix you, Sancy Prink!
On Monday Dudley brought his box of valentines to class. On top was a large brown envelope, for Miss Sancy Prink. Before recess Miss True passed out the cards. At her signal everyone ripped into the valentines. In Dudley's pile he found a big thick valentine in a gold foil envelope. He pulled out a card covered with cupids, doves and lace. When he opened it, music played "Let Me Call You Sweetheart!"
The whole class turned to hear the tinkling tune. Dudley turned pink, then red– then purple – when he saw, behind a tiny heart-shaped door, the neatly penned words, "Love, Sancy." The door was too far away. His desk was too small to crawl under. While Sancy twittered over her love notes; Dudley trembled, fretted, sweated.
Sancy picked up the big brown envelope. She opened it slowly and carefully. She drew out the card. Her eyes grew round, then rounder. Her face turned pink, then red, then purple. She held the card up, "Dudley!" She raced to his seat, waving the disgusting valentine. "Dudley!" she squealed for the whole room to hear: "This is so totally cool!"
Dudley looked up to see Miss True standing over him. "May I?" She took the valentine from Sancy and marched up the aisle. Dudley shut his eyes and covered his ears.
Miss True held up the valentine. "I'd like to use Dudley Smith as an example."
Dudley cringed.
"He has put a good deal thought and effort into this valentine. This is the way we show others how much we care for them."
Sancy grinned and bounced her pony tail.
Miss True said, "Sancy, please keep this valentine. I'd like to use it for our nature project."
Sancy rolled her big blue eyes. "I'll keep my valentine forever."
Before lunch Sancy sent a note to Dudley: "Can you come to my house after school? You can help me make valentines for my Mom and Dad."
Dudley wrote back, "I guess so."
Special thanks to Anna Guillotte for her illustration. To see more of her work, visit annaguillotte.com.
Please note: Valentine's Day 2012 occurs on Tuesday, not Monday as stated in the story.
For more Kids' Reading Room, visit latimes.com/kids.
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