By the time they were finished, Monty could feel sweat dripping down his neck. Karate was hard work sometimes, but it was fun too. He was glad that he had taken part in the exhibition. And he was very happy that Joey had been there to see him after all.
All the students sat together on one side of the room. Sensei called out some names.
Arlene and Ilene were awarded new purple belts. Then Monty was surprised because Sensei called out his name. He stood and went forward. The teacher handed him a new belt. It was orange.
“Really?” he asked Sensei. “Am I really an orange belt now?”
The teacher nodded and smiled. “You’ve done the easy ones,” he said. “It’s going to get harder and harder to move ahead. But if you keep working at it, you can succeed.”
“I will, sir,” Monty promised his karate teacher. He knew he could do it.
Monty removed his yellow belt and carefully tied the orange one around his waist. It was an amazing thing, but he suddenly realized something. Orange was his favorite color. It was the color of orange juice and the inside of a cantaloupe and sweet potatoes. It was sunsets and sherbet and all sorts of other wonderful things. It was great to have an orange belt.
Monty was mighty pleased with himself.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2008 by Johanna Hurwitz
Illustrations copyright © 2008 by Anik Scannell McGrory
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
First electronic edition 2013
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Hurwitz, Johanna
Mighty Monty / Johanna Hurwitz ; illustrated by Anik McGrory. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Monty, a quiet first-grader, continues to come into his own — playing the part of a tree in a miscued school play, sharing his enthusiasm for ants at an outdoor birthday party, and even signing up for karate class despite his asthma.
ISBN 978-0-7636-2977-9 (hardcover)
[1. Asthma — Fiction. 2. Self-confidence — Fiction 3. Schools — Fiction.]
I. McGrory, Anik, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.H9574 Mi 2008
[E] — dc22 2008933496
ISBN 978-0-7636-4786-5 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-7636-6773-3 (electronic)
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Mighty Monty Page 4