The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book: The G-Rex Bones Read Free Page A

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    The Bear family was gathered in front of the TV in the family room after dinner. Papa aimed the remote at the TV and pressed the on button. They were all very excited because they’d just gotten cable. Papa and Mama wanted to watch the Bear News Network (BNN), Brother wanted sports (BSPN), and Sister wanted Bear Music Television (BMTV). But Papa was the supreme lord and master of the remote (at least, whenever Mama let him be). So on came BNN.
    A BNN-Live telecast was in progress. On camera was some sandy ground, on which rested some very large bones. The camera shifted to a group of bears digging with shovels in the sandy earth.
    “Hey, that’s Dan Digger and his team of workbears,” said Papa. “I wonder what they found.”
    Then came the voice of Christiane Amanbear, the famous roving newscaster. “I’m out here in Great Grizzly Desert, where an old hermit named Sandcrab Jones has discovered fossils of a dinosaur near his shack.”
    The camera shifted to another very recognizable bear, who was more infamous than famous. “Standing next to me,” continued Amanbear, “is Ralph Ripoff, Beartown’s well-known small-time crook and swindler. I understand, Mr. Ripoff, that Sandcrab Jones contacted you soon after he found the dinosaur bones. Is that correct?”
    “That is correct, Christiane,” said Ralph, grabbing the mike from her as he smiled broadly at the camera. “Sandcrab knew there was going to be a lot of publicity from this, not to mention a little money, and he was worried about handling such complicated matters all by himself. So I agreed to be his agent. He and I go way back, you know.”

    “So I hear, Mr. Ripoff,” said Amanbear, snatching back the mike. “Our research staff has found that some time ago you sold Sandcrab Jones a termite insurance policy for his shack. They also found that the yearly price of the policy is more than it would cost Mr. Jones to rebuild his shack if it were completely destroyed by termites.”

    “Termites?” said Ralph nervously. “I thought we were gonna talk about dinosaurs, not termites.”
    “Maybe I should ask Mr. Jones himself about the termite insurance,” said Amanbear. “Where is he?”
    “He’s holed up in his shack over yonder,” said Ralph quickly. “Kinda camera-shy, you know …”
    Papa hit the mute button and turned to Mama. “This is really big news,” he said. “Did you see the size of those bones? Wait’ll Professor Actual Factual hears about this!”
    “I’m sure he already has, dear,” said Mama. “But it bothers me that Ralph is involved …”
    “Nonsense!” said Papa. “You heard Amanbear. Ralph sold Sandcrab some phony termite insurance. The old coot is probably feeble-minded. Natural for him to contact Ralph. Besides, there’s no chance in the whole wide world that Ralph would try to swindle Actual Factual. The professor knows fossils through and through. And that includes knowing what they’re worth.”
    “I guess you’re right,” said Mama. “Still …”
    “What do you think, cubs?” said Papa. “Pretty exciting, eh?”
    The cubs had been transfixed by the sight of Ralph Ripoff and bears with shovels in Great Grizzly Desert for the second day in a row. They were still staring at the TV screen.
    “Who, me?” said Brother. “Sure, Dad, it’s great. I think I’ll go upstairs and do my homework now.” He started up the stairs, then stopped and announced more loudly, “I said: I THINK I’LL GO UPSTAIRS AND DO MY HOMEWORK NOW …”
    Sister jumped up. “Oh, yeah, me too,” she said, and hurried after Brother to talk about what they had just seen on TV.



Chapter 6
    Gigantosaurus rex!
    By the time the Bear Detectives gathered in their usual booth at the Burger Bear the next evening, it was all over town that Professor Actual Factual had agreed to buy the fossils from Sandcrab Jones for the Bearsonian Institution. The price: five million dollars. That morning, Actual Factual had visited the discovery