Hey everyone! I’m Jeb the Giraffe, and I just moved to Geonopolis. It’s a silly place full of animals of every kind, from bulls and bears to elephants and porcupines. There’s a neighborhood made entirely of cones, another of squares and lines, one that’s soft and fluffy and Cylinderville, full of shops and stores; that’s mine.
Geonopolis is such a neat place, but it’s hard to find playmates. The other animals aren’t very nice. After school I run around to see if I can find a friend, but everyone just laughs at me.
”A short giraffe? “ They say (I’m not very tall.)
“An animal with four eyes? “ They say, because my glasses make my eyes look so big.
“Jeb has chicken pocks! Look at those weird shapes and colors in your coat!” They say, because I’m a different color than other giraffes, and my coat is full of shapes.
Sometimes, the other animals make me want to cry. But I never cry in front of them. I always wait until I get home, and I’m alone in my room.
There are so many things to do in Geonopolis, but no one wants to do them with me. Jeremy and Jeana, my older brother and sister find new friends every day, and all the other giraffes even save them seats at the movies and swings at the park.
Maybe Jeremy will let me play with him in the park today.
“Hi Jeremy,” I say to my brother.
But, he is busy running around with his friends, and doesn’t hear me. They are trying to get the ball in the net. It looks easy.
“Hey Jeremy, can I play too?” I yell really loud so he’ll hear me.
“Jeb, go home! You’re too little,” Jeremy yells back.
Then, I see Jeana playing with her friends on the other side of the park. So, I walk up to her.
“Jeana, can I play too?”
“Hahaha, Jeb go away please! Can’t you see I’m busy? Shoo! Go home and play with Mom,” Jeana says.
They make me so sad. I just want someone to play with. Maybe, mom can make me feel better. When I get home, mom is in the garden.
“Hi Mom, Can I talk to you?”
“Hi Jeb. I’m a little busy right now, sweetie. What’s wrong?” mom says.
“I don’t have any friends to play with. And even Jeremy and Jeana won’t let me play with them.”
“Well honey, they are a lot older than you. They want to do big kid things. Don’t worry Jebby, you’ll find friends. Just give it time.” She says.
“Do you want to play Leafy Land or Rescue Ladder with me?”
“Oh honey, Mommy’s busy right now. I have to finish gardening, and then make dinner for everyone. Maybe after dinner?” Mom rubs her nose on mine. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I go in the house and dad is sitting in his office on the phone. I know he’s busy too, so I just go upstairs to my room and cry.
“Why don’t I have any friends? I hate Geonopolis! If only I could play with my friends from all over the world here. Maybe drawing them will make me feel better.”
I take out my travel treasure box. That’s where I keep all my pictures of my friends from around the world, and the rainbow gift pins they gave me. My drawing book is there too. I open it up and see a new box of crayons inside.
“I never keep my crayons in here. Maybe mom did.”
My body starts to feel weird. I look at my legs and see the shapes in my coat moving.
“We’re here, Jeb.”
“What?”
I look around the room. But, I’m all alone. My window is open so it must be the wind. I take out the pictures of Ollie Octogon, Tracy Triangle, Ricky Rectangle, Sam Square, Cemion Circle, David Diamond, Hannah Li Hexagon and Saharee Star, and the pins they gave me. Each pin is a different shape and a different color. I put the pins under the friend that gave it to me.
I take my new crayons, and drawing pad and start to draw Ollie. I hear a whisper.
“The crayon box.”
“What? Jeremy stop playing tricks on me!” My big brother is a pain sometimes. But my coat starts to move again. I pick up the crayon box and read the words on it.
Red, Yellow, Blue, Green,
Orange, Purple, Brown and Black.
Calling all my shapely friends,
Burst your colors from my back!
The pins jump up into the air and make a rainbow. Then they fly around me like a tornado with lots of colors. Each pin spins and spins and then jumps into the shapes on my coat. The black star from Saharee Star jumps into my star spot. The purple circle from Cemion jumps into the circle on my coat. They fit like puzzle pieces. You won’t even believe what happened next. A big rainbow with shapes, and colors and my friends at the end came out of my back!
“Hi Jeb!”
“Hi Ollie Octogon, Tracy Triangle, Ricky Rectangle, Sam Square, Cemion Circle, David Diamond, Hannah Li Hexagon and Saharee Star! I’m so happy to see all of you. I don’t have any friends here.“
“We’ve always been with you Jeb,” Cemion Circle says.
“Ever since you met us. You just never said the magic words.” Tracy Triangle says.
All my great friends run and hug me, and I rub their noses with mine.
Ollie Octogon told me that’s how friends and family say hi where he’s from and it makes me feel better. My friends and I play together for a long time.
“You’re cool Jeb. I think you’ll make lots of friends in Geonopolis,” says Sam Square.
“We should give our group a name,” says Hannah Li Hexagon. “Something cool.”
We make a fort from my bed and then I get an idea.
“I think you guys are cool too. Let’s be the cool kids!” I am so happy now.
“That’s great. But because we live in your coat, we should be Jeb’s cool kids,” says Saharee Star.
Everyone agrees.
“Jeb! It’s dinner time,” my mom yells from downstairs. I feel sad again. I don’t want my friends to leave.
“Don’t worry Jeb, we can play all the time now,” Hannah Li Hexagon says.
“Yeah, we’ll have so much fun.” Ricky Rectangle says.
“But how?” I ask.
“Easy. Just say what’s on your crayon box, and we’ll be here!” says Saharee Star.
“Yeah. Call us. Call Jeb’s cool kids!” say David Diamond and Sam Square.
“Bye!”
One by one, they jump back into my coat.
“Coming mom!” I yell downstairs. I’m so hungry and happy. I can’t wait to see my friends again.