The Big Report! By Jenna Essig Illustrations by Jamie Beilein

I dedicate this book to Mrs. Bussewitz. I couldn’t have done this book without her. And to my Mom who encourages me to write!

Tick tock! “Your reports are due next month on the third,” said Mrs. King. DING! “There's the bell. Have a good weekend everyone.”

Lizzie was so excited about her report that she ran out the door and raced home to start, but when she got home her favorite show “Sponge Bob” was on. She started to watch it and it was a marathon. She forgot all about her report!

The next morning Lizzie woke up and went downstairs. Her mom was making pancakes so Lizzie sat down and ate. “Do you have any homework?” her mom asked. “Yes, I have a report, but it is due next month on the third,” Lizzie told her mom. “What is it on?” her mom wondered. “It is on what a heart means.”

“So I thought I would go to town and ask some people what a heart means to them. When I start writing I can put them together and write a great report,” Lizzie told mom. “I think that’s a great idea Lizzie! I have to go to town later. Do you want to come?” “Yeah, sure, thanks mom,” said Lizzie. Later that day Lizzie’s mom asked her if she still wanted to go to town. Lizzie said, “Yeah!” and grabbed her notebook and pencil and they were off!

When Lizzie got to town, she and her mom both went their separate ways.

Lizzie first went to the bakery. Some of her friends—Lydia, Claudia, and Addy were there.

“Hi Addy! What does a heart mean to you?” “It means love and lots of it!” Addy told her.

Then she asked Lydia. Lydia said, “Valentines Day!”

“Hey Claudia, what does a heart mean to you?” Lizzie asked. “Love!” Claudia said. “Thanks!” Then Lizzie went to the gas station.

She saw a lot of friends at the gas station. Olivia, Emily, Kieley, and Amanda were sitting on a bench eating ice cream.

Lizzie went over and said, “What does a heart mean to you?” Emily replied, “Something I can’t explain in words, something deep down inside of me!” She asked Olivia. “Blood and other nasty things,” she answered.

Kieley came right out and said, “Everything I am!” Then Lizzie asked Amanda. She replied, “A loving family and how I feel.”

“Lizzie, I found you!” her mom said. “Yes, mom you did.” “Lets go home!” said her mom. So Lizzie and her mom left the town.

Lizzie went upstairs and looked over what she had done that day. She LOVED this report. Soon it was time for Lizzie to go to bed. Her mom came up and tucked her in. They said goodnight and Lizzie went to sleep.

It was Sunday and after church, Lizzie decided to work on her report. She first went to the grocery store and saw a teacher, Mrs. B, and her friends, Chelsea, Madison, and Cassie.

“Mrs. B what does a heart mean to you?” “Well, it means love.” she answered. Lizzie was so glad to have a teacher’s point of view.

Then she asked Madison the question. Madison responded, “Enough love for everyone I care about.” Then she asked Cassie and she told Lizzie, “It pumps the blood to your body.”

The next day was Monday so Lizzie woke up to her alarm and got ready for school. When she got to school, everyone was talking about their reports. Lizzie kept hers a secret.

When Lizzie got home she did her homework and watched TV. She stopped doing her report for a few days. Then her mom brought up the report and said, “When do you plan on finishing your report?” “Thanks for reminding me! I will go do it right now!” “Great!” said her mom.

It soon became the day the reports were due. Lizzie read her report to the class. She talked about how everyone has different feelings about hearts. When she got her report back… She got an A+!!!!

REFLECTION!!! When I was writing this book I learned that no book can be the same, even if it’s the same genre, or subject. There is always something different. For my mentor text I used a book called Valentine’s Day. I chose this book because it was also about a heart on Valentine’s Day, so it fit with the story I wanted to create. I chose to write this book because hearts are my favorite shape and I love school. The subjects in my book are school and hearts. I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it!

About the Author I'm Jenna Essig and I enjoy writing. In my free time I like to sew and write. I also enjoy playing basketball and cheering. I started Enrichment in third grade and have enjoyed it since then. My inspiration is my mom. She is always telling me to write when I am bored. I just love to WRITE!