The Disappearing Act
The Disappearing Act
The first part of planning a show is setting up a big stage! But I do not have a stage. So, I need to make one. I will use my bed!
Baby Rabbit helps me. We grab my pillows. We grab Mom and Daddy’s pillows. We grab Bailey’s pillows, too. I do not grab Gramma’s pillows. They smell like moth balls. I throw all the pillows onto my bed. This will make it bigger. But it still does not look big enough to be a stage.
Ta-da!
Ta-da is what I say when I make a big surprise.
I am not so teeny anymore!
“Look how tall I am,” I say to my audience.
An audience is the people who watch you onstage.
My audience is Baby Rabbit.
Also, Dragon, Tiger, Pink Kitty, Ana, Elsa, Brown Bear, Blue Bear, and Boo-Boo Bear.
Now what?
I hop off my stage. I pick up my Abraca-dabra: Magic For Kids book. The magician on the front has a cape. That’s it! The next part of planning the show is looking like a magician.
I need a magic cape!
But what’s that yummy smell? It smells like something sweet. And steamy. And salty. Like Gramma’s mini spareribs. “GAH YEE!” Gramma yells my Chinese name from downstairs. It must be dinnertime. Gramma likes everyone to come to dinner super-duper fast. I will go down in just one minute.
Bessie Lee is a teeny, tiny, very enthusiastic grade one student who gets very frustrated because it seems she is just too tiny to do anything. She is too tiny to reach the calendar’s top numbers during calendar time at school, too tiny to play on the swings, and too tiny to sit at the big table during family parties. But her stature doesn’t stop her from having a big personality and big dreams. Her family consists of her mom and dad, big sister Bailey and her Chinese grandmother who is very sweet and thinks Bessie is silly. Her closest companion is Baby Bunny who is also very sweet and tolerant of Bessie’s grand ideas. Baby Bunny will certainly play a part in Bessie’s magic trick.
There is soon to be a school talent show, and Bessie simply must find a talent that will win her first place, showing everyone that her size does not hinder her. After much thought, she decides on a magic trick just like Harry Houdini was known for, and she makes her plans. With help from Bailey, she decides to do magic and make something disappear. Her first disappearing act involves the much hated stinky bitter melon with rice. It disappears into her daddy’s slippers, soon to be found when he tries to put them on. Then, when her sister finds out that Bessie made her magician’s cape out of Bailey’s beautiful star covered blanket, Bessie finds herself in trouble again. And again, when she manages to make the classroom hamster disappear without knowing how to bring it back, thereby disrupting the whole classroom. But, not one of these unfortunate experiences makes Bessie give up. Finally, she achieves her goal.
Katrina Moore has written a delightful story with short, easy-to- read chapters and a special character who shows everyone that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. The illustrations by Zoe Si are comical and enlighten each chapter. As a teacher who worked extensively with early and hesitant readers, I can assure every teacher and parent that The Disappearing Act will be a much enjoyed addition to your classroom or home reading program.
Elaine Fuhr, a retired teacher of elementary and middle school, lives in Alberta.