ROSEMARY POTATOES & THE TANTRUM

Rosemary Potatoes was in a bad mood.  She got that way sometimes.  When she didn’t get her way, she would pout.  And when she was in a really bad mood, she would throw things.  Rosemary’s stuffed bears didn’t like it, when she was like this.

They didn’t like being treated roughly or thrown about.

“That’s how stitches get ripped,” Billie, the tough-talking blue bear, announced.

“I don’t know,” said Bruce, the tiny koala.  “It sounds like fun.”

“Bears aren’t suppose to fly,” Brutus, the little polar bear, reminded his new friend.  “We don’t have wings.”

Rosemary picked up a pillow and threw it across her bedroom.

ROSEMARY POTATOES & THE CAR TRIPS

Whenever Rosemary Potatoes went on a car trip with one or both of her parents, she always wanted to bring her three stuffed bears along.

Whether it was a visit to her grandparents over night, or just a quick drive to the grocery store, she wanted her bears with her.

Sometimes her parents said it was all right to bring all three.

Sometimes they told Rosemary she could bring only one.

Only one?  Which one?  How could she choose just one?  And what would the other two bears think about being left behind?

Rosemary tried to be fair and take a different bear each time she went out:  first Brenda, the brown one, then Billie, the blue one, and then Brutus, the small, white one.  But sometimes she would forget which one she took last, so she would start over and take Brenda.

ROSEMARY POTATOES & THE COLORED MARKERS

Rosemary Potatoes owned three very different stuffed teddy bears.

Brenda was the oldest.  She was medium sized, brown in color, with a yellow stomach.  Rosemary had gotten her first.  And she was the most lady like in her behavior.

Brutus was the youngest and the smallest.  He was a polar bear, which meant he was all white.  He was the most stubborn and the most innocent of the three.

Billie was the middle bear.  She was all blue, except for her white stomach and paws.  She was the biggest of the three, but she was also the most sensitive to criticism.

Now brown or white are perfectly normal colors for a bear.  But blue is most unusual. And unlike Brenda or Brutus, who had been purchased in a proper toy store, Billie had been won at the county fair, when Rosemary’s father knocked over six wooden bottles with one baseball.

ROSEMARY POTATOES & THE BEAR LEFT BEHIND

Rosemary Potatoes liked to bring her three stuffed bears with her wherever she went. Sometimes that was all right with her parents. Sometimes it wasn’t. And sometimes, her parents told her to bring only one bear, either Brenda the brown one, Billie the blue one, or Brutus, the polar bear, who was all white.

One day, her mother took Rosemary to a hair salon. Rosemary brought along Brutus. Brutus was the smallest of her three bears, barely six inches tall. He fit perfectly on her lap, while Rosemary looked at the picture magazines in the waiting area.

Rosemary liked the hair salon. She liked being fussed over by the people there. They always complimented her on what she wore and howpretty she looked. It made Rosemary feel special. When it was her turn, Josephine, the hair stylist, greeted Rosemary, then escorted her to the sink in the back, where she washed her clients’ hair.

ROSEMARY POTATOES & HER THREE BEARS

Rosemary Potatoes had three teddy bears, which she loved very much.  They were soft and cuddly, but they did not always get along with one another.

The first bear had been a Christmas present.  Her name was Brenda.  Brenda was brown, with a yellow tummy.

The second bear was named Billie.  Billie was bigger than Brenda, and she was blue, an odd color for a bear.  Rosemary’s father had won Billie at the county fair.

The youngest bear was also the smallest.  He was a polar bear, which meant he was all white.  At first, Brenda and Billie made fun of the new bear’s size and color, so Rosemary named him Brutus to make him fierce, fierce enough to stand up for himself.