Bunjitsu Bunny vs. Bunjitsu Bunny Read online

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  For Sifu Sean Gallimore, who taught me much!

  Isabel

  Isabel was the best bunjitsu artist in her school. She could kick higher than anyone. She could hit harder than anyone. She could throw her classmates farther than anyone.

  Some were frightened of her. But Isabel never hurt another creature, unless she had to.

  “Bunjitsu is not just about kicking, hitting, and throwing,” she said. “It is about finding ways NOT to kick, hit, and throw.”

  They called her Bunjitsu Bunny.

  Listen

  “A bunny can travel for miles while sitting in one spot,” said Teacher to his bunjitsu students.

  “That is impossible,” said Kyle.

  “No,” said Teacher. “You can travel with your ears. I want you all to go sit in the woods and listen. How far can you hear?”

  The bunnies did as Teacher asked.

  “All I hear are breathing bunnies,” whispered Kyle.

  “I hear Ben’s tapping foot,” said Wendy.

  “I hear the breeze in the leaves,” said Ben.

  “What do you hear?” Ben asked Isabel.

  Isabel listened. “I hear Sparrow by the river.”

  She listened harder. “I hear Woodpecker far across the lake.”

  She listened even harder. “Dolphin just splashed in the ocean!”

  “Keep going!” said her friends.

  “I hear Elephant calling her baby.

  “I hear Panda munching on bamboo.

  “I hear Penguin burp!” She giggled.

  “Keep going! Keep going!” said the bunnies.

  Isabel listened as hard as she could.

  “I hear Mountain Goat’s hooves on the rocks.

  “I hear Crow sneezing.

  “I hear … Max scratching his nose!”

  “That’s because I’m right next to you,” said Max.

  “But I heard you from there,” said Isabel. She pointed in the direction opposite Max.

  “You heard me from all the way around the world!” said Max.

  “Wow,” said Isabel. “Teacher was right again. He is a very wise rabbit!”

  Back at the school, Teacher smiled. “Why, thank you, Isabel,” he said.

  Bunjitsu Bunny vs. Bunjitsu Bunny

  Isabel won match after match at the bunjitsu tournament.

  “No one can beat Bunjitsu Bunny,” said Ben.

  “That is not true,” said Isabel.

  “Isabel is right,” said Wendy. “I know someone who can beat her. You will see in class tomorrow.”

  The next day, Wendy entered the school. She was alone.

  “Where is the challenger?” asked Ben.

  “She is standing in front of me,” said Wendy. “The only one who can beat Bunjitsu Bunny is Bunjitsu Bunny.”

  Isabel laughed. “You want me to fight myself?”

  “If you think you can win,” said Wendy.

  Isabel laughed again. “Okay, here goes.”

  Bunjitsu Bunny threw a lightning-fast paw to her face. Bunjitsu Bunny ducked.

  Bunjitsu Bunny grabbed her shoulder for a rabbit flip. Bunjitsu Bunny twisted her paw. “Ow, ow, ow!” she said.

  Bunjitsu Bunny pulled up her legs and slammed to the ground. Bunjitsu Bunny rolled over and got away.

  “Do you give up?” she asked herself.

  “Never!” she answered.

  The bunny fought herself back and forth across the school. It was the toughest battle anyone had ever seen!

  In the end, she was too tired to move.

  “I think it was a tie,” said Wendy.

  “I don’t know,” said Ben. “I think Bunjitsu Bunny won.”

  Isabel stood up. She shook her own paw and said, “That was a good fight. I hope I never have to go against you again!”

  “Me too,” she answered.

  Carrot Contest

  The bunnies entered the big carrot-growing contest.

  Soon the leaves of Kyle’s carrots were up to his knees.

  The leaves of Betsy’s carrots were up to her thighs.

  The leaves of Max’s carrots were up to his waist!

  Isabel watered her carrots every day, but nothing seemed to be growing.

  “It is a waste of time,” said Max. “You are just watering dirt.”

  “We’ll see,” said Isabel.

  Summer arrived. The carrot contest was just two weeks away.

  The leaves of Kyle’s carrots were up to his waist.

  The leaves of Betsy’s carrots were up to her chest.

  The leaves of Max’s carrots were up to his chin!

  Isabel’s single carrot leaf reached no higher than her toe.

  “It’s time to give up,” said Kyle.

  “We’ll see,” said Isabel.

  On the morning of the contest, they all picked their largest carrot.

  Isabel waited to pull hers.

  “I don’t think there is a carrot under there,” said Kyle.

  “We’ll see,” said Isabel. “Just a little bit longer…”

  Everyone’s carrots were lined up for judging.

  “Kyle’s carrot is the biggest,” said the judge. Then he looked at Betsy’s carrot.

  “Wait a minute. Betsy’s carrot is a little bigger!” Then he looked at Max’s carrot.

  “Hold on now. Max’s carrot is even bigger!”

  Isabel plopped her carrot on the table. It was bigger than she was!

  “And the winning carrot belongs to Isabel!” said the judge.

  “Did you know it would be so big?” asked Kyle.

  “No,” said Isabel. “But I knew it would not be if I gave up.”

  Rolling Race

  Isabel and Max met Porcupine.

  “Hello, Bunjitsu Bunny,” said Porcupine.

  “Hello,” said Isabel.

  “Hello, Bunjitsu Bunny’s brother,” added Porcupine.

  “I’m Max,” said Max.

  “Everyone just calls you Bunjitsu Bunny’s brother,” said Porcupine.

  “No,” said Isabel. “Everyone calls him Max.”

  “Are you better at bunjitsu than your sister?” asked Porcupine.

  “No,” said Max.

  “Are you smarter than your sister?” asked Porcupine.

  “Sometimes,” said Max.

  “Are you faster than your sister?” asked Porcupine.

  “I am faster than you,” said Max.

  “I am faster than both of you,” said Porcupine. Porcupine pointed to the top of a very tall hill. “Let’s have a rolling race down that hill.”

  “That’s pretty steep,” Max whispered to Isabel.

  “I know,” Isabel whispered back.

  The three climbed to the top of the hill.

  “Ready, set, GO!” shouted Porcupine. They rolled down the hill. First Isabel was winning. Then Porcupine was winning. Then Max was winning
. Then Max hit a bush.

  “GO, ISABEL!” cheered Max.

  “I CAN’T STOP!” shouted Isabel.

  “I CAN’T STOP, EITHER!” shouted Porcupine.

  Max ran down the hill. He tackled his sister.

  “Thank you, Max,” she said. “I was getting dizzy!”

  Porcupine rolled past them. “HELP!” he called.

  Max chased after him. “Your tail is too pointy! I can’t grab it,” he said.

  Max had an idea. He rolled down the hill and zipped right past Porcupine. The rabbit curled up in a ball. Porcupine rolled over him and shot into the air. He stuck to a tree.

  “What do you think of ‘Bunjitsu Bunny’s brother’ now?” asked Isabel.

  “His name is Max,” said Porcupine.

  Isabel smiled. “And you can call me ‘Max’s sister.’”

  Falling Leaves

  Teacher stared out the window. “Look at all those leaves. Would any of you like to help out our school by raking them up?”

  Nobody liked raking leaves, but Isabel raised her paw.

  “Blah,” said Ben. “I will, too, I guess.”

  “Ugh,” moaned Betsy. “I guess I will also.”

  “I guess so,” said Kyle. “But blah and ugh, too.”

  The bunnies went outside and raked the leaves.

  “I heard that it is good luck to catch a leaf before it lands on the ground,” said Betsy.

  They dropped their rakes and waited for a leaf to fall. Soon one did, and Isabel dove to catch it before it landed.

  Another leaf broke loose. “I’ve got it!” yelled Betsy, and she caught it.

  “Watch what I do with the next one,” said Ben. He caught it on his nose.

  Another leaf fell. Kyle kicked it into the air and grabbed it with his teeth. Everyone clapped.

  The bunnies spent the rest of the day catching leaves. Soon they all had big armloads of them.

  Isabel dumped her leaves on top of the bigger pile they had raked earlier.

  “Now you won’t have good luck!” cried Kyle.

  “No,” said Isabel. “They are not on the ground. They are on a pile of leaves!”

  They all added their leaves to the pile.

  “So where is the good luck?” asked Kyle.

  Isabel looked at her friends and smiled.

  “YEEEEAAAA!” she shouted as she ran and jumped in the pile. The other bunnies joined her.

  “Is it good luck to have fun?” asked Betsy.

  “I feel pretty lucky,” said Isabel, and she dove back into the leaves.

  Shooting Star

  Three bunnies sat looking up at the night sky. Isabel joined them.

  “We are looking for a shooting star,” said Max. “If you make a wish when you see one, it comes true.”

  A shooting star flashed overhead.

  “I wish for a blueberry pie,” said Ben.

  “I wish for new bunchucks,” said Wendy.

  “I wish I didn’t have to clean my room,” said Max. “What do you wish for, Isabel?”

  Isabel smiled and walked away.

  The next morning, Ben found a big, warm blueberry pie waiting for him.

  “My wish came true!” he said.

  “I am so happy for you,” said Isabel.

  “Did your wish come true?” asked Ben.

  “Not yet,” said Isabel.

  Later that day, Wendy found a new pair of bunchucks next to her old ones.

  “My wish came true!” she screamed.

  “I am so happy for you,” said Isabel.

  “Did your wish come true?” asked Wendy.

  “Almost,” said Isabel.

  That evening, Max went into his room. It was cleaner than it had ever been.

  “My wish came true!” he shouted.

  “I am so happy for you,” said Isabel.

  “Did your wish come true?” asked Max.

  “It did!” said Isabel, and she left the room.

  Later that night, the four bunnies met beneath the stars again.

  “Our wishes came true,” said Ben. “But I think Isabel had something to do with it. Did you bake me that blueberry pie?”

  Isabel blushed. “Yes,” she said.

  “Wait,” said Wendy. “Did you make me those new bunchucks?”

  “Yes,” said Isabel.

  “And I guess you cleaned my room,” said Max.

  “Yes,” said Isabel.

  “Will you tell us what your wish was?” asked Ben.

  “I wished my friends’ wishes would come true,” she said.

  “But you made them come true,” said Wendy.

  “It is easy to make wishes,” said Isabel. “It is more fun to make them come true.”

  Little Footprints

  “Look what someone wrote in the dirt,” said Wendy. “It says, ‘I challenge Bunjitsu Bunny.’”

  “Who wrote that?” asked Isabel.

  “I don’t know,” said Kyle. “Why does everyone want to challenge you?”

  “Because,” said Wendy, “Bunjitsu Bunny is the best. If you beat her, you become the best.”

  “That is just silly,” said Isabel.

  “Look at those footprints,” said Kyle. “Whoever wrote this message is tiny.”

  The footprints led to a cave in the woods.

  “I will deal with this little troublemaker,” said Wendy. She went into the cave.

  CRASH! SLAM! BOOM!

  Wendy flew out of the cave.

  “Leave it to me,” said Kyle. He went into the cave.

  BOOM! SLAM! CRASH!

  Kyle flew out of the cave.

  “Go get him, Isabel,” said Wendy.

  “No,” said Isabel. “I have no reason to fight—” Then Isabel was yanked inside.

  SLAM! CRASH! BOOM!

  Isabel flew out of the cave.

  “Now I have a reason,” she said, and ran back in.

  SLAM! CRASH! BOOM! BOOM! CRASH! SLAM!

  Out rolled Isabel and a little weevil. They fought back and forth. It was a battle like no one had seen before. Isabel finally held him down.

  “Stop fighting,” she said.

  The weevil stood and bowed.

  “I am Weejitsu Weevil,” he said. “I admit defeat.”

  “Why did you want to fight me?” asked Isabel.

  “Because if I could defeat the great Bunjitsu Bunny, then Weejitsu Weevil would be the best in the forest.”

  “Fighting for no reason does not make you the best,” said Isabel. “It makes you a bully.”

  “You are right,” said the weevil. “I see why you are the best. Thank you for the lesson.”

  The bunnies walked back home. They saw the little footprints that had led them to the weevil.

  “That’s funny,” said Kyle. “Those footprints don’t look so small anymore.”

  Invisible Bunny

  Isabel went for a walk.

  “Hello, Bunjitsu Bunny,” said a voice.

  “Who said that?” asked Isabel.

  “I did,” said the voice.

  Isabel looked around her. “Are you invisible?” she asked.

  “No,” the voice said, laughing. “I’m right in front of you.”

  “Oh, hi, Katydid!” said Isabel. “How do you make yourself so hard to see?”

  “I look like a leaf,” said Katydid. “If I stay near leaves, I am almost invisible.”

  “I would like to be invisible,” said Isabel. “I will hide, and you try to find me.”

  Isabel stuck leaves in her fur and hid in a bush. “Come and find me,” she called.

  “I see you, Bunjitsu Bunny,” said Katydid. “You still look like a bunny.”

  “I will try again,” said Isabel. She rolled in mud and lay down in a mud puddle. “Come and find me,” she called.

  “I see you, Bunjitsu Bunny,” said Katydid. “You still look like a bunny.”

  Maybe I can hide in the water, thought Isabel.

  “Come and find me,” she called.

  �
�Hmmm,” said Katydid. “I don’t see Bunjitsu Bunny, but I do see her ears.”

  “I know. I still look like a bunny,” said Isabel.

  “I guess bunnies can’t be invisible,” said Katydid.

  “You don’t know this one very well,” said Isabel.

  Isabel hopped off. Katydid waited for her to call. She grew tired of waiting and set out to find Bunjitsu Bunny.

  She saw some bunnies in the meadow but did not see Isabel. “Have you seen Bunjitsu Bunny?” she asked.

  Isabel stepped forward. “Here I am!” she said.

  “You changed your clothes! I did not know that was you!” said Katydid.

  Isabel laughed. “That is because I still look like a bunny.”

  The Wind

  “It is a very windy day today,” said Teacher. “A good bunjitsu student can stand against the strongest winds.”

  “Even on Hurricane Hill?” asked Kyle.

  “Yes,” said Teacher. “Even on Hurricane Hill.”

  The bunnies rushed to the hill. It was so windy, they could hardly stand up.

  Kyle pounded his chest. “No wind can push me down,” he said. He crawled to the top of the hill and stood up to face the wind. Wendy grabbed him just before he blew away.