Listen and read-along with this fun story by, Jennifer Coleman.

Shhhh…Can you keep a secret? 

I am going to be the class pet for Room One! 

Mrs. Dee has put me in a warm, glass tank under a big gift box.

“What’s inside?” the children wonder, “Fish?” 

”Too wet,” says Mrs. Dee. 

Oh, I can’t wait to be revealed! I scratch around in my sand. A boy named Jack hears me move. 

“Sounds like it has four legs. A hamster?” 

“Too furry,” Mrs. Dee says. 

“What will we feed it?” 

I flick my tongue. 

“We will chop fruits and leafy greens!” Mrs. Dee says.

“Give us another hint, Mrs. Dee!”

“How about–it has a beard, but no hair?”

“There is no such thing as a beard with no hair, is there?” 

“We asked for a hint, not a riddle!” 

The children turn and talk to each other. 

What could be hidden in the box? 

“Okay…are we ready to meet our new friend?

One…two…three!”

Hurray! I am now Room One’s bearded dragon! I’m so excited!

“He needs a name. Let’s take a vote,”

The boys and girls write their ideas for a name on slips of paper. What will they name me? 

Mrs. Dee reads the suggestions. 

“Bumpy?” 

“It’s how his body looks to me,” Pam said. 

“Toasty?”

“I put that because I imagine that is how I would feel under those lamps in his tank!” Sam said.

Mrs. Dee read the rest of the ideas. But there was one person who didn’t share a name yet.

“Jack? Where is yours?” 

“I wanted to wait to hear everyone’s ideas before I told you mine. May I write it on the board?”

“Of course!” Mrs. Dee said. 

Jack picked up a dry eraser and wrote B-U-D-D-Y. 

“Buddy?” 

“Yes! It means friend. Our pet is a friend to us all!” 

I bob my head to say yes. 

Mrs. Dee laughed. “It looks like our new friend likes that name. Welcome to our class, Buddy!”

I am home. 

THE END

Did You Know?

• Their beards are actually spiny scales underneath their necks? The scales flare when trying to attract a mate and these spines become black in color. These puffed out blackened scales make the dragon seem like it has a beard. 
• Bearded dragons like to bask under their heat lamps or soak up some sun, but they can also run quickly if they want to–up to 9 mph. These lizards can also be trained to wear a leash.
• You have to see it to believe, it, but Bearded Dragons often sleep standing up on their hind legs! 
• Bearded dragons wave in a greeting. 
• Every state in America allows Bearded Dragons to be kept as pets, except for the state of Hawaii.
• This reptile sees in color.

About the Author

Jennifer Coleman is a member of Austin-SCBWI and is also the author of Come ‘N Git It: Cookie & his Cowboy Chuckwagon, The Texas Nutcracker and Ready, Set, Motivate! How to Capture Young Readers with Visual Aids.  A Texas-certified teacher,  her day job is as a certified elementary school librarian where she has been encouraging the love of literacy in children for over 25 years. You can find her at www.jcobooks.com or on her podcast Inspo by J.Co on all podcast platforms.