My Terrible Dream & Wallermelons

I'm Charles the handsome bear cub. I know I'm handsome cuz my buddy, Special Ed James, tells me so. He says, "Who's a handsome bear cub?" and I come running cuz I know he's gonna tickle my ears and make me laugh right out loud. It's a fun game. I had a terrible dream. I dreamt I was asking people for money. It was a very bad dream. I'm not supposed to ask people for money. It's not nice. That's not what good citizens do. I want to be a good citizen. Good citizens get to eat wallermelons. I'm glad it was only a dream cuz I wouldn't want Special Ed James to find out I did something bad and make me sit on the Time Out Chair. That's not fun at all. Guess what we did? We went to Westside Foods. I love wallermelons. Did you ever play in a box full of wallermellons? I like that. I wanted to take them all home but we only got one. Guess what? I'm four but only for one more day. Tomorrow is my birthday. It's Canada Day, too. I'll be five when I wake up tomorrow. That's older. Gotta go. We're eating wallermelons. Bye for now!

The Money Game

I'm Charles. I'm a handsome bear cub--and a smart one, too. See what I got? My baseball cap is full of money. I sit outside on the step and look hungry and say, "Please?" People put money in the cap. It's a fun game. I have $65.18 already. You know how many boxes of Smarties that will buy? Lots! If bear cubs came with pockets I'd put all the money in my pockets. Gotta go, now. I'm going over to Mac's Milk to see Wendy and get Smarties and gummy worms. Wait! I'll get some licorice, too! Oh! Don't tell my buddy, Special Ed James. He says I shouldn't play this game. If he finds out, I might have to sit in the Time Out Chair. That's not fun. It's not even a game. I'm supposed to sit and think about what I did wrong. I hate thinking. Know what? I'm four but I'm gonna be five tomorrow--it's my birthday. It's Canada's birthday, too. Okay! Bye for now!

Birthday Countdown, Smarties & Canada Post

Know what? I'm Charles. I'm a handsome bear cub. I'm four. I'm gonna be five on Canada Day. That is two days from now. I know, cuz I cross off the days on the calendar with a big red "X". I'll be older when I'm five. Maybe I'll be able to ride my bike to the corner all by myself, then. I want chocolate birthday cake with Smarties on top. Oh. Wait! I want chocolate ice cream, too. I wrote down all the presents I want but they won't be any fun to play with if my friend Tanner doesn't get well. I told God I changed my mind but if he didn't get that prayer, I wrote a letter to God and I wrote one to the Minister of Health, too. My buddy, Special Ed James, says I'm making a paper trail. I don't know what that means but the best present for me is for Tanner to get well. God can do that, you know. I was gonna mail this letter but now I'm gonna wait right here until God picks it up at ten o'clock. That's what it says on the mail box--pick up at 10. Then I will hand my letter to him and tell him where Tanner lives, too. Maybe we'll just jump on our bikes and ride to Tanner's house. It's not far from my house on Sparkle Road. Yeah. Good idea! I hope God has a bicycle. If he doesn't, he can ride mine. I'm not just handsome, I'm smart! Bye for now!

I L-o-v-e VIA Rail

I love the the train. VIA Rail is lots of fun. I can stand on my seat and look out the window. I can see everybody. The lady behind me is painting her toenails blue. The nice man with the food cart gave me a box of apple juice. I'm four, you know, and I'm really too big for juice boxes but on the train it's okay. I didn't spill any. The train goes really fast. I ate cherries we picked off the tree yesterday. Yummy! Yummy is my favouritest of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide.When I was little I thought when the train whistled because it was lost. Now I know the whistle means, 'Look out good citizens! Train coming through!' People get out of the way so they don't get hurt. I wanted to know where the baby trains are. Did you know that trains are born already grown up? That's different from bear cubs, like me. The engineer says there are no baby trains cuz VIA Rail always pulls out on time. I don't know what he means but Special Ed James says I'll know when I an older. I'll be older on Canada Day. Then I'll know, right? Toronto is a big city. We rode on the subway. On the way home I read my new Spiderman book and ate pretzels until I was too sleepy. I curled up in Special Ed James' lap. He has a nice lap, the kind that's just right for sleeping. When I woke up we were home. Wow! That was fast. I want a train for my birthday. Not a little one, a real one. I would keep it right next to my bike. I gotta go. We're eating lunch with Ryan. Maybe he'll say, "Who's a handsome bear cub?" and tickle my ears and make me laugh. I love that game. Bye!!

Photo by Jay Banks.

A Trail of Smarties

I'm Charles the bear cub. I'm four but I'm gonna be five on my birthday. That's on Canada Day. I'll be pretty old, then. Look what I got! I got a box of Smarties. I l-o-v-e Smarties. They got chocolate inside. I know a game. I make a trail with Smarties so my buddy, Special Ed James, can find me when I'm hiding. He follows the trail of Smarties. Guess who's at the end of the trail? Surprise! Me! Charles the handsome bear cub, that's who. Special Ed James finds me. He tickles my ears and we laugh really hard. Then we gobble up all the Smarties--except the red ones--we have to eat them last. It's a rule. Smarties are yummy. I know the Smarties song.

When you eat your Smarties,
Do you eat the red ones last?
Do you suck them very slowly,
Or crunch them very fast?
Eat that candy-coated chocolate,
But tell me when I ask,
When you eat your Smarties,
Do you eat the red ones last?

We're goin' to Toronto on the train. I l-o-v-e the train. Whooo! Whoo! We get juice boxes on the train. Hey! Maybe I can make a trail of Smarties on the train! Yeah! Good idea. Okay. I gotta go! Bye for now.

Climbing Stuff

Look at me! I am w-a-y up here on top of the fence. I'm Charles. I'm four. I can climb up trees but today I climbed the fence. I like to be way up high. I can see everything from up here. I can watch everybody. I bet God has to climb really really high to watch me. Me and my buddy, Special Ed James, saw the fireworks last night. Wow! I l-o-v-e fireworks. I wish fireworks was one of the four good groups in the Canada Food Guide cuz I would eat them all up. I bet they taste Yummy. Okay. I gotta go. I got lots of stuff to climb today. Oh, wait! Special Ed James is hollering, "Who's a handsome bear cub?" That's me! Charles! I'm a handsome bear cub! I really gotta go cuz I'm gonna get my ears tickled. I l-o-v-e it when Special Ed James tickles my ears and makes me laugh right out loud. Do you have somebody to tickle your ears? I sure hope so! Bye!

Wallermelon

Oh, wow! Look! Look! Look at what I got! I got a wallermelon. I l-o-v-e wallermelons. They're bestest thing to eat on a real hot day like today cuz they're yummy and I feel nice and cool on the inside. My buddy, Special Ed James, says it's so hot we could fry eggs on the sidewalk. That's not very clean. I will tell you a secret. He drinks right out of the milk carton. That's not nice at all. Then he gets upset when I drink out of the toilet. At least the toilet is clean. So, I am going to share the wallermellon. Sharing makes us good citizens. I don't know what good citizens are but I bet they get to eat lots of wallermelons. Sometimes Special Ed James puts chunks of wallermelon in the food processor and mixes it all up with ice cream. That's really yummy. Yummy is my favouritest of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. We are going to play in the sprinkler and eat lunch under the maple tree. I know what we're having for lunch. Ice cold wallermelon. Yeah! Gonna go get my ears tickled and help make lunch. PS: God if you didn't notice, I made my bed and brushed my teeth. My birthday is on Canada Day. I don't want thumbs any more. I want you to make my friend Tanner get well. Okay, God, this is from me, Charles, the handsome bear cub, the one who lives on Sparkle Road, you know. Bye for now!

Plantaisia the Tomato Plant

Guess what! We got something new at our house. It's a tomato plant. I picked it out but I don't play with the tomato plant. I might break it and then we won't have any tomatoes to eat. The plant is on the balcony, now. It has a name. Plantaisia. That's a good name for a tomato plant. I named her all by myself. There are yellow flowers on the plant. They will turn into tomatoes. I have a new job. I get to spray water on Plantaisia every morning and every evening. Tomatoes can't water themselves cuz they don't have arms. Bear cubs come with arms but we don't have thumbs. I'm lucky to have arms. I talk to Plantaisia when I water her. I ask her, "Who's a pretty tomato plant?" Then I spray water all over her leaves. If tomato plants had ears I would tickle them but I can't find any. You know what? I don't think tomato plants have ears. I l-o-v-e tomatoes. I like tomato sandwiches with gobs and gobs of Miracle Whip on them. I like them green, too. My buddy, Special Ed James, and me, make green tomato cake and green tomato pie and fried green tomatoes and green tomato chilli and green tomato lasagna and green tomato cookies, too. Oh! We like red ones and yellow tomatoes, too. Who's a happy bear cub? Me. Charles. Gotta go. Wanna watch the garbage truck. Mr. Bob always gives me licorice. Bye for now!

Tree Climbing

I like trees. Trees are my friends. They're fun to climb. I can climb way up high, hide in the leaves and watch people go by. I can say, "Who's a handsome bear cub?" and they will look up but they won't see me cuz I'm hiding. They think the tree is talking to them! It's a fun game. Climbing makes me hungry. I can stretch out on a limb and eat gobs of gummy worms right out of the bag. I'm glad for trees and gummy worms. Oh! And I'm glad for my cool sunglasses, too. Okay, gotta go. I'm Charles, you know. Charles the handsome bear cub. The one who lives with his buddy, Special Ed James, on Sparkle Road in Maple Centre. Yeah, that one! Bye for now!

Fish & Shepherd's Pie

Look at me! I'm Charles. I'm a bear cub. I'm a handsome bear cub. My buddy, Special Ed James, says so. I love it when he hollers, "Who's a handsome bear cub?" I come running cuz I know he's gonna tickle my ears. I l-o-v-e having my ears tickled, don't you? This picture is me with my friend Machiato. He's a fish. I l-o-v-e fish. I love fish with tartar sauce. Fish is Yummy. Yummy one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Oh, wait! I don't eat my friends. That's not nice. I would have to sit on my Time Out Chair and think if I did that. I don't like to think. I'm gonna be five on my birthday. That's on Canada Day. I'll be pretty old then. I'll be smarter, too. It's time to eat. We're having shepherd's pie for lunch. Wait! Is it okay to eat shepherds? Gotta go! Bye for now!

My Friend Tanner is Sick

This is me and my friend Tanner. Tanner is real sick. He went to see the doctor. I don't like being sick. I don't like it when my friends are sick. I thought I wanted gummy worms and thumbs for my birthday but I changed my mind. I'm gonna ask God to make Tanner feel good again. Yeah. Good idea! I gotta go find Special Ed James and tell him my new plan. Bye for now!

Hide & Seek

Shhh! Don't tell my buddy, Special Ed James, that I'm hiding in here. He will never find me and he'll have to shout "Ollie, ollie in free!" Then I will climb out of the oven and I win, see! So, don't tell. Hey. There's room for two--come hide with me! Okay! Bye for now!

Riding in Cars, Constables & Gummy Worms

I'm riding in a car. This is me. I'm Charles. I'm a handsome bear cub. I like to ride with my head out the window. Special Ed James, my buddy, says it's dangerous. I don't think so. I think brocollis are dangerous. They taste yucky. Yucky is one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Oh, look! There's a police car behind us! If we stop, maybe the nice constable will give me some Smarties and gummy worms. I l-o-v-e Smarties and gummy worms. They're Yummy and that is one of the four food groups . Hey! Mr. Police Constable! Put on your red lights! Stop us! Look! I'm not wearing my seat belt! I sure do want to ride in your car with the siren on and eat Smarties and gummy worms. Okay! Gotta go! Bye for now! Whooo! Whoo!

The Truth About Peanut Butter

Hi! I'm Charles. I'm a bear cub. I'm four. My buddy Special Ed James and me went to the library. I got a book about bees. Bees throw up in a jar. That's how we get honey. I know where peanut butter comes from. The picture is right on the jar. If you don't believe me, click on my pic and see for yourself. Honest! Peanut butter comes from teddy bears. Yup! They squeeze little baby bear cubs and out comes peanut butter! I'm not just handsome, I'm smart, too. I like peanut butter a lot. It's raining so I'm gonna sit right here and eat peanut butter all day. I know! I'll make a peanut butter finger painting for my buddy Special Ed James! I don't have any paper. I know! I can paint it on the wall. Won't he be surprised? Okay! Gotta go! Bye for now!

Hanging Out at Cassidy & Tanner's House

You know how to tell when you're having too much fun? I do. I'm Charles. I'm a handsome bear cub. I'm four but I'm gonna be five on Canada Day. Then I will be older. Me and my buddy, Special Ed James, rode the bus yesterday. We talked to everybody. Mr. Bus Driver was really nice. He says I can drive the bus one day. I hope I can drive when I'm five. I would drive all over Maple Centre and honk the horn real loud. I'd holler, "Look out people! Bus coming through!" We went to Cassidy and Tanner's house. I played with Cassidy and Tanner all day. Cassidy is a bunny rabbit and Tanner is a big 'ole yellow dog. We played all kinds of games. We ate yellow potato salad and barbecued ribs for lunch. I like ribs. They taste yummy. Yummy is a food group in the Canada Food Guide, you know. Cassidy doesn't eat ribs. He's a vegetabletarian. I got my picture tooken. When we got home I was so sleepy, I slept all night and when I woke up Mr. Sun was really bright. When I sleep all night and wake up late I know I had too much fun. I want to have too much fun today, don't you? Okay. Gotta go. My bicycle wants to go for a ride. Maybe we'll go to Mac's and get some licorice. No! Wait! Gummy worms! Yeah! Bye for now. That's me, Charles. Whooo!

Playing with the Door

I am Charles the Bear Cub. I'm four, you know but on Canada Day I will be five. I want thumbs for my birthday--or maybe magic powers like Samantha on Bewitched. I wiggle my nose just like she does but nothing happens. I like doors. Doors are fun to play with. I can swing on the door and make it take me for a ride. It's almost as much fun as riding upside down in the rocking chair. Today we're going for a ride on the bus. I l-o-v-e to ride on the bus. We're going to visit my friends Cassidy and Tanner. Cassidy is a bunny rabbit. Tanner is a puppy. We love to play. Do you like to play with your friends? I sure do! Gotta go. Breakfast is ready. We're having porridge. I sure hope there's gummy worms for my porridge. That's the best. Bye for now! Oh, that's me, Charles the Bear saying 'good-bye' to you.

The Air Conditioner & Pancakes

Hi. I'm Charles. I'm a bear cub. My buddy, Special Ed James, says I'm a handsome bear cub. When he says that, I run to him cuz he's gonna tickle my ears. I love it when he tickles my ears and makes me laugh. I know how to turn on the air conditioner. An air conditioner is like a refrigerator but it's not for food. It keeps the room nice and cool. I like the air conditioner. We ate pancakes for breakfast. Do you like pancakes? I do. I get peanut butter and maple syrup on mine. Special Ed James makes a happy face with the peanut butter so my pancakes can smile at me. Then I say, "Look out, pancakes! I'm gonna eat you all up!" Then I eat them all up. Pancakes sure are dumb cuz they don't run away. They just sit there on the plate. If somebody said to me, "I'm gonna eat you all up!" I would jump on my bike and get away. Honest. Of course, that's after I thank God for peanut butter and maple syrup and pancakes--but NOT brocollis. I don't think God made brocollis do you? They're yucky. Gonna go ride my bike. Bye for now!

Nap Time

I'm Charles. I'm a bear cub. On Canada Day I will be five years old. I like birthdays. On my birthday I get to eat strawberries. My buddy, Special Ed James, is taking a nap. He thinks I'm napping but I'm not. I am always very quiet while he naps. If somebody makes a lot of noise I tell them to use their inside voices. When my buddy wakes up we're gonna do something fun. You know what would be fun? We could roll around in the grass. That's lots of fun! No! Wait! I know something funner. We could go for a ride with Ryan. I'm gonna go get in the car and wait. Maybe if I make some noise Special Ed James will wake up and we can go for a ride. Gotta go! Bye!

BBQ

I'm Charles. I'm a bear cub. I live with Special Ed James. He's my buddy. He rides to school on the short bus. I go with him to keep him out of trouble. We have a barbecue. I l-o-v-e the barbecue. See! I am giving the barbecue a hug. Don't hug the barbecue when it's hot cuz it will burn you. That is a good thing to know. I don't like the emergency room, do you? Well, then you won't hug a hot barbecue. I like hot dogs. I like them a lot. I like to eat them with mustard on top. I like marshmallows but not with mustard. I wonder if we can barbecue today. I'll ask my buddy if we can. If he says "yes" you can come over and eat hot dogs with us. That would be fun. I hope you like potato salad. Oooh! Special Ed James is calling me. He's saying, "Who's a handsome bear cub?" That's me. Charles. I'm a handsome bear cub. When he says that I know I'm gonna get my ears tickled. I love having my ears tickled, don't you? Bye for now! See you at the barbecue!

The Rocking Chair

I'm Charles the Bear. I'm a handsome bear cub, you know. I'm gonna be five on my birthday. That's on July 1. Guess what? I have the same birthday as Canada. We get fireworks and wallermelon and ice cream and presents. I like presents. They make my tail wag cuz I'm so happy. I wonder what I'll get for my birthday. Maybe thumbs? Oh, wait! Maybe a magic power like that nice lady Samantha on Bewitched. Know what I like to do? I like to sit in this big 'ole rocking chair and just rock. I can rock fast or slow. I can rock upside down, too. Rocking is fun. I wonder if I rocking is an Olympic sport? I could win a gold medal. Okay. I gotta go cuz I wanna rock some more. Bye! This is me, Charles!

Bedtime & Bewitched

Bedtime is at eight o'clock. I don't want to go to sleep before Mr. Sun. I want to ride my bike and play Spiderman some more. But I climb into bed and get tucked in. My buddy, Special Ed James, always says the same dumb 'ole poem.

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

When I've been good, I get to watch Bewitched on DVD. It's a funny. The lady wiggles her nose and makes things happen. You know what? I am gonna wiggle my nose like Samantha and see if I can get me some Smarties and gummy worms. No, wait! Thumbs. Yeah. Thumbs. Oh, I'm soooo sleepy. I'm Charles, a happy and sleepy little bear cub. I'm falling asleep...

Helping

Look at me! I'm helping my buddy, Special Ed James. I'm a good helper. I'm helping to take out the trash. I like to help. Taking out the trash is fun. I have other jobs, too. I help make the bed every morning. Helping makes me feel good. Do you like to help? I hope so. Being a good helper makes us good citizens. I still don't know what good citizens are but I'll tell you as soon as I find out. We're having peanut butter and licorice sandwiches for lunch. I get to help make them. Bye for now! PS: This is me, Charles. I'm a handsome bear cub. Oooh! Special Ed James is calling me. I'm gonna go get my ears tickled. Bye!

Tummy Ache

My buddy, Special Ed James, never lets me eat all the orange sherbet I want. He says, "You'll get a tummy ache." Pooh. Last night I woke up and I wanted to play. Special Ed James was sawing logs. That means he was snoring. I couldn't think of anything to play by myself so I decided to eat orange sherbet. I got a chair and climbed up on the counter so I could get it out of the freezer. I ate ALL the orange sherbet. Then I wanted to throw up. My tummy ached so BAD I was crying. I throwed up three times. Special Ed James gave me some tea to drink and I ate a little bit of toast. I don't feel so good. I'm glad my buddy didn't say, "Told you so." I learned a good lesson and I won't eat everything I want. Who's a sick bear cub? Me. Charles. I'm going back to sleep.

Hide & Seek

Do you ever play Hide & Seek? It's a game. The rules are easy. Special Ed James has to hide his eyes and count to 100 like this--one elephant, two elephant, three elephant, four elephant all the way up to 100. I run and hide somewhere so he can't see me. When he gets to 100, my buddy has to try to find me. I'm a very good hider and lots of times I win cuz Special Ed James can't find me at all. He has to shout, "Ollie, ollie in free!" Then I come out and I win. Hide & Seek makes me happy. It makes my tail wag. Does yours?

The Kitchen Sink

When I was little my buddy, Special Ed James, gave me my bath in the kitchen sink. I can't play with my ducks and cars and firetruck in here now cuz I'm too big. Sometimes I climb into the sink for fun and remember about when I was just a baby bear cub. The bathtub is funner but the kitchen sink used to be a pretty good place to play. Now I gotta go. We're going bike riding. Maybe we'll get Smarties. Okay! Bye!

Who Wants to Smell Dumb 'Ole Roses?

My buddy, Special Ed James is always telling me to stop being in a hurry. He says, "Stop and smell the roses, Charles." That is his way of telling me to pay attention and slow down. Okay. I found some roses and I climbed up on the fence to smell them. Roses are smelly. An ant crawled up my nose and it tickled. I sneezed really hard and fell off the fence trying to get that ant out of my nose. I got scratched by nasty thorns and I got a boo boo. Dumb 'ole roses. I'm not going to smell them again. Ever!

Clean Air Day in Maple Centre

Oooh! Ooooh! I forgot to tell you today is Clean Air Day in Maple Centre. It says so on the Crosstown Bus. My buddy--Special Ed James, and me--got out the Electrolux and vacuumed up the air around our place. When it was all nice and clean and we put it back in the sky. Special Ed James says we're good citizens. I don't know what a good citizen is but he bought me Smarties and red licorice at Mac's Milk, so it must be something special. I wanna be a good citizen everyday if I get Smarties red licorice. How 'bout you? Gotta go! I'm gonna share my Smarties and red licorice with my buddy Jay in case he wants to be a good citizen, too! Bye!

Lunch at Rock Bottom

Oh, wow! Our buddy Ryan took us to Rock Bottom in his car. Rock Bottom is a fun place to eat. The nice lady gived me a whole bucket of peanuts. I l-o-v-e peanuts. I ate a lot of them. Special Ed James ate broccoli soup. I don't like broccolis and I don't have to eat them. They're yucky. After lunch Ryan took some pix of me. Ryan is smart. He writes books and TV shows. Ryan is smart. Here's a picture Ryan took. See, I'm eating peanuts. Oh! Look! A cardinal. I like cardinals. They're really fast. They are faster than my bicycle. Cardinals are red--just like the Canada flag. Gotta go play with the cardinal! Bye!

Sitting

See! I know how to sit when I'm riding in a car. You know what? There are a too many ways a bear cub can sit. When I'm at the table I sit up. In the car I have to sit back. If I'm standing in church my buddy Special Ed James tells me to sit down. If I wiggle too much I have to sit still. That's a lot of ways to sit and I know them all. I'm gonna be glad when I'm old and I can just sit around! I'll be five on Canada Day. I'll be really old then. Oooh! The mailman is here. Mr. Clark always gives me a peppermint. Gotta go. Sit tight! Bye for now!

Robins & Gummy Worms

It's easy to wake up in the morning. I brush my teeth with my Ninja toothbrush. Bear cubs don't have to wear clothes. We get to run around "bear" naked. It's a pun. Puns ares funny and they make me laugh. I help my buddy, Special Ed James, make the bed. We watch the robins in the maple tree. The Mummy and Daddy robin have babies in a nest. We call the little ones robin-ettes. They're always hungry, like me. Robins eat worms but they don't eat gummy worms. That's okay. I l-o-v-e gummy worms and they're all for me. I get my gummy worms at Mac's. Wendy, the nice lady who owns the store, lets me pick them out. I say, "Look out, gummy worms! I'm gonna eat you all up!" The gummy worms don't say anything, so I gobble them down. I like the sour peach ones bestest of all. Who likes gummy worms? I do! I do! It's time for breakfast! We're having porridge with gummy worms. The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out! Oooh! Gotta go! Bye!