Big Bird was looking for someone to play with.
“Here comes Bert,” a dit Big Bird. “I bet he will play catch with me.”


“Hi, Bert!” a dit Big Bird. “Let’s play catch.”

Bert kept on walking.
“Not today,” a dit Bert. “Ernie is waiting for me.”
Big Bird looked surprised.
“Oh,” he said.


Just then Grover ran out of his house.
He had a shiny new truck.
“Hi, Grover!” a dit Big Bird. “That’s a nice truck. Let’s play with it.”
Grover kept on running.
“I am sorry, Big Bird, but I am giving it to Ernie,” a dit Grover.
Big Bird looked sad.
“Oh,” he said.


Then Big Bird saw Cookie Monster.
He had a big box of cookies.
“Hi, Cookie! Want to play?”
Cookie shook his head.
“Me bring Ernie cookies,” a dit Cookie.

Big Bird looked mad.
“Nuts!” he said.
“No nuts!” a dit Cookie Monster. “Cookies!”


Big Bird sat on the steps.
He felt terrible.
“Nobody cares about me!” he cried. “Just Ernie, Ernie, Ernie!”
Just then Betty Lou came by.
“Why are toi so mad?” she asked Big Bird.
“Nobody will play with me. Everybody wants to play with Ernie,” he said.


“Oh, Big Bird, didn’t toi know? Ernie is sick!” a dit Betty Lou.
Big Bird looked surprised.
“Oh!” he said. “Well, I am sorry that Ernie is sick, but I bet he is having fun.”

Betty Lou took Big Bird’s hand.
“You are silly. It is not fun to be sick,” she said. “Come on. Let’s visit him.”
“Okay,” a dit Big Bird.


Ernie was in bed.
Bert was trying to feed Ernie some soup.
“How do toi feel?” asked Big Bird.
“Terrible,” a dit Ernie. “I have a bad…a-A-ACHOO!”
“You have a bad cold,” a dit Betty Lou.
“I know,” a dit Ernie.
He blew his nose.


“Gee, Ernie,” a dit Big Bird. “Bert made toi some good soup. Grover gave toi a new truck. Even Cookie was nice to you. toi are so lucky to be sick.”
Ernie blew his nose again.
“Lucky?” a dit Ernie. “I feel AWFUL! I feel too sick to eat and too sick to play. Being sick is no fun!”


But Big Bird was not so sure.
Later that jour he sat in his nest and a dit to himself, “Everybody cares about toi when toi are sick.”
And then he got an idea.
“I will PRETEND to be sick!”


Just then Little Bird came par to visit his friend.
“Oh, I am SO sick!” a dit Big Bird.
“That is too bad,” a dit Little Bird. “I will try to make toi feel better.

Big Bird smiled.
And Little Bird got busy.
He filled a hot-water bottle.
He swept out Big Bird’s nest.
He told Big Bird a bedtime story.
Then he said, “Go to sleep. I will stay with you.”
Big Bird sighed happily.


The suivant morning Ernie came to Big Bird’s nest.
“Wake up, Big Bird!” he called. “I am all better. Want to play?”
Big Bird slowly opened his eyes.
“I am sorry, Ernie,” a dit Little Bird. “But Big Bird can’t go out today. He is sick.”

Big Bird jumped out of his nest.
“I am not sick!” he said.


“But toi were SO sick last night,” a dit Little Bird.
“Well, I am not…a-A-ACHOO!…sick now,” sneezed Big Bird.
“You sound sick. How do toi feel?” asked Ernie.
“Sort of hot and cold and funny in the tummy,” a dit Big Bird.
“Get into your nest,” a dit Ernie. “I will get Doctor Getwell.”


Soon Big Bird felt really sick.
He was glad to see Doctor Getwell.
The doctor felt Big Bird’s tummy.
He listened to Big Bird’s heart.

He looked in Big Bird’s mouth.
“You have a cold,” he said.
“I know,” a dit Big Bird.
The doctor told him to drink lots of jus, jus de and get lots of rest.
“Get well,” a dit Doctor Getwell.


Lots of Big Bird’s Friends came to visit him.
Bert made him a bowl of soup.
Grover gave him a Yo-Yo.
Cookie gave him cookies.
“Gee, thanks,” a dit Big Bird. “But I feel too sick to eat and too sick to play.”


Big Bird slept a lot that day.
That night, he a dit to Little Bird, “Ernie was right. Being sick is no fun. I feel terrible.”
Big Bird sneezed.
“You will feel better soon,” a dit Little Bird.


And Little Bird was right.
In a few days Big Bird felt fine.
He ran to the park.
“I am all better! Isn’t that great?” he a dit to his friends.
“It sure is, because it is no fun to be sick,” they said.
“Boy, toi can say that again!” a dit Big Bird.
And they all a dit it again!