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Valentine's Day and the Bailey School Kids: Cupid Doesn't Flip Hamburgers

By Patricia Gable

You know it's not a normal school day when Eddie, the school mischief maker, falls in love! When the new cook in the cafeteria bakes her special cookies, love blooms in the strangest places. Can the Bailey School Kids think of a way to get the school back to normal? Let your third graders find out!

Bailey School Series

19752018.JPG This book series is lots of fun for students around third grade level. The main characters in the book are: Eddie, Melody, Liza and Howie and they seem to always take the boredom out of a regular school day. In each book a new adult arrives and a new predicament develops. The adult could be a new janitor, a substitute teacher or, in this case, the new cook in the cafeteria. These books can be used as a book that you read to the class or, if you have multiple copies, the students can participate in the oral reading.

Story Comprehension


Using white construction paper and a pattern, trace 2 big hearts for the front and back covers of a booklet. Inside, staple six pieces of writing paper, also cut in the same heart shape. As you read each chapter or two, follow-up by having students answer the following questions in complete sentences inside their own individual booklets. Students will put their names on the back of the booklet.


Chapter 1- Why won’t Carey forgive Eddie? (Eddie caused her to get into trouble in class and it was her first time.)

Chapter 2- Draw Mrs. Rosenbloom on the cover of your booklet using the description from page eight in the book. “In front of him [Eddie] was the biggest red dress he’d ever seen and it was being worn by the biggest woman he’d ever seen. Almost everything about her was big and red, from her big, bright red lips to her fluffy reddish-blond hair. Even the heart button on her apron and her dangling heart earrings were big and red.”

Chapter 3 - List the ways that Carey showed her “love” for Eddie. (offered to do his homework, carry his books, brought him a rose, gave him a chocolate kiss)

Chapter 4 - What did Mrs. Rosenbloom do to Ben the bully, and what happened as a result? (She gave him a special cookie and a pin and it made him fall in “love” with Issy.)

Chapter 5 - Why didn’t Mrs. Jeepers punish Eddie for running in the cafeteria? (She had the “love bug”.)

Chapters 6 and 7- What happened when Melody and Liza ate the special cookie? (They both fell in “love” with Howie.)

Chapters 8 and 9 - What idea did Eddie get from his grandmother? (He’s going to make his own “special” cookies that are sour.) Then list the ingredients that he used for his cookies. (garlic juice, lemon juice, mustard, ketchup, vinegar, pepper)

Chapter 10 - What happened when Mrs. Rosenbloom caught Eddie putting something in her cookie dough? (She made him eat one of her “special” love cookies.)

Chapter 11 - What happened to Eddie after he ate the cookie? (He fell in “love” with Carey.)

Chapter 12 - How do you know that Eddie’s special cookies worked? (Everyone fell out of love and things were back to normal.)

Matching Game


Use half sheets of red construction paper and a pattern, cut out 12 hearts

Write one name on each heart using the names of the characters in the book: Eddie, Carey, Melody, Liza, Howie (write his name on two hearts), Mrs. Jeepers, Principal Davis, Ben, Issy, you and me.

To Play:

Place the hearts face down in the center of two teams of students. The object of the game is to match two characters that fell in love with each other when they ate the special cookies. Each team takes turns trying to find a match. The team with more matches wins. Matches are: Eddie + Carey, Principal Davis + Mrs. Jeepers, Melody + Howie, Liza + Howie, Ben + Issy, You + Me.

Category Paper


Use plain white printer paper and draw a grid like the one shown. Eight lines across and six lines up and down spaced 1 ½” apart. Along the side write the word HEARTS and put a category in each box across the top. Here are the categories that I used but you can adapt to your goals for the lesson:DSC01601 

1. Red Things

2. A Noun

3. U.S. City

4. A Verb or An Adjective

5. Words that mean “said”


Review the categories and remind students of the meaning of verb and noun. Think of a word in each category that begins with the letter at the beginning of each row. For example: Letter A for “words that mean said” could be answered.

This Book Will Win Your Heart!

The Bailey School Kids always manage to add excitement to every school day. In this case, when the students are smitten by the love bug they think the new cafeteria cook is really Cupid. Students will enjoy the book and the follow-up activities. They will also work on goals such as identifying nouns and verbs and answering comprehension questions in complete sentences.