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coin.
    "Well," he said, after he had examined it, "there are different kinds of nickels, I guess. And
mine
has a picture of a—"
    He went to the board, picked up the chalk, and added his animal to the long list.
    BUFFALO, Barry wrote neatly.
    "Here is my fable," Barry announced. He opened his paper and read from it, holding his nickel up to the class with his other hand.
The American Buffalo
    The correct scientific name for the American Buffalo is actually bison. The National Bison Association would like us to use the correct name for this magnificent beast.
    Once there had been about 60 million bison in the American West from Canada to Mexico. But by 1893, there were only a little more than three hundred left.
    Bison were the center of life for the Native Americans. They provided food, shelter, and clothing. But gradually—
    "This isn't a story!" Malcolm called out. "Barry is supposed to be telling a story! It isn't a story about a buffalo!"
    "It doesn't have a
suddenly
," Ben added. "It has
& gradually
instead!"
    "It is too a story!" Barry replied angrily. "I learned all about it in the encyclopedia!"
    Mrs. Pidgeon went to the front of the room, holding up her "Quiet, please" hand toward the class.
    "Barry," she said, "you provided us with a real learning experience. I never knew there was a nickel with a buffalo—excuse
me,
bison
—on it. And your report is very interesting. One of these days we will have a lesson about doing reports, and we will each have a chance to present one.
    "But a report is
nonfiction
."
    "What's that mean?" Barry asked. He was looking down at his nickel.
    "Well, it means
facts.
And a story is made up, and uses your imagination." Mrs. Pidgeon looked out at the class. "Gooney Bird? Did you have your hand up?"
    Gooney Bird nodded. "Barry can make his buffalo report into a story," she said. "It can be an absolutely true story, and it can have a
suddenly
."
    "Barry?" Mrs. Pidgeon said. "Want to try that?"
    "I could help you," Gooney Bird told him.
    "Well, okay," Barry said. "But it should be about a bison, not a buffalo, because the National Bison Association prefers the correct name."
    "
Bithon
thtarts with a B," Felicia Ann pointed out.
    Barry nodded. He went to the board, erased the word BUFFALO, and replaced it with BISON.
    Gooney Bird Greene went to the front of the class and stood beside Barry. Today she was wearing bib overalls on top of a ruffled blouse, and a pearl necklace.
    "It's a good idea to start out with the word
once
," she whispered to Barry.
    Barry scrunched his nose. He took a deep breath.
Once over sixty million bison roamed the plains.
    Gooney Bird nudged him. "That's nonfiction, still," she said. "Try this." She whispered a sentence to Barry.
    Barry began again, using Gooney Bird's opening sentence.
Once a young bison lived with his herd on the plains of North America.
    He paused and looked at the class. "Is that okay?" he asked. The second-graders nodded.
    "How big was he?" asked Beanie.
    "Did he have a name?" asked Chelsea.
    "See?" Gooney Bird said to Barry. "They're getting interested in the character. That's an important thing, with a story."
    Barry thought for a moment, and continued.
He didn't have a name. Some people liked to call him Buffalo, but the National Bison Association prefers—
    "Wait a minute!" Barry interrupted himself. "I started making a report again, didn't I?"
    Gooney Bird nodded. "Start over," she suggested. "We all make mistakes. But you're doing great."
    Barry took another deep breath and began his fable again.
Once there was a young bison who lived with his herd. There were about eight hundred of them. They
roamed the plains, eating grass and enjoying the sunshine in summer. In winter, they liked the snow, too, because they had thick fur and were never cold.
    "Is that too reporty?" Barry asked Gooney Bird.
"No," she said. "Details are good. I liked knowing about the thick fur because I could picture the bison in my