Nagel's Bagel Tree  / Lisa Rose

NAGEL'S BAGEL TREE

Nagel loved bagels. Nagel loved all kinds of bagels. Nagel loved plain bagels. Nagel loved salty bagels. Nagel loved egg bagels. Nagel loved raisin bagels. Nagel even loved onion bagels.
For breakfast Nagel ate bagels with cream cheese.
For lunch Nagel ate bagels with tuna fish.
For dinner Nagel ate bagels with corned beef.

So when Nagel's Hebrew school teacher, Mrs. Greenberg, said, "In honor of Tu B'Shevat we are going to plant seeds and watch them grow."
Naturally Nagel said, "I want to plant a bagel tree."
The children laughed.
Mrs. Greenberg asked, "Are you sure?"
Nagel nodded.

All the children poked seeds into their cups of dirt, and Nagel planted his bagel tree.

All the children watered their seeds, and Nagel watered his bagel tree.

All the children put their seeds by the window to get sunlight, and so did Nagel.

Every day the children watered and checked their seeds.
"Mine is sprouting!" shouted Talia.
"Mine too!" yelled Ari.
Soon all the children were measuring the growth of their plants with rulers and tracking it on charts.

Nagel's bagel tree did not grow.
The children pointed and laughed at his seed cup.
During lunch Nagel ate his bagel with tuna fish alone.

Finally it was Tu B' Shevat, and Mrs. Greenberg was going to announce whose plant was the tallest. Nagel hung his head and shuffled into the classroom.
"WOW!!!" He heard all the kids scream.
Nagel looked up and saw a giant bagel tree sprouting from his seed cup.
Mrs. Greenberg said, "Um...er...how did you do it, Nagel?"
"I believed," said Nagel.
Mrs. Greenberg said, "Just like the people of Israel who believed that by planting trees they could turn the desert into fertile land."
Talia said, "They should have planted bagel trees."
"Can I have a bagel, Nagel?" asked Ari.
"Everyone can!" exclaimed Nagel.
"HOORAY!!!" replied his classmates.
So Nagel and his classmates celebrated Tu B'Shevat by eating lots of bagels.