(excerpt)

Everybody else’s grandma was good at telling stories.

But not Lulu’s.

“Once upon a time, there was a very ugly pumpkin.  ‘Oh me, oh my.  Nobody wants to pick me,’ it cried.

Then somebody picked it and turned it into a lovely pie.  The end.”

That was the kind of story Grandma told.

Lulu decided she need to help Grandma.  She needed to teach her how to tell good stories.

So, one evening, Lulu said, “Grandma, tell me that pumpkin story again.”

“Really?” Grandma said.  “Okay.  Once upon upon a time, there was a very ugly pumpkin…”

“Why was it ugly?” Lulu interrupted.

“Why was it ugly?” Grandma repeated.

“Yes, Grandma.  Was it lumpy or bumpy?  Did it make horrible faces?”

“It looked like a great big pear,” Grandma said.  “It had big splotches of green…and a stem like a rat’s tail.”

“That’s not ugly, Grandma–that’s unusual,” said Lulu.