Who Stole the Recipe from the Cookie Jar?

“GUYS” “GUYS!” Ladybug yelled as Cricket was picking roles for baseball. “MY RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WAS STOLEN!!”

“Well, couldn’t you just memorize the steps?” Old Cricket asked.

“NOOO, I can’t. Whoever stole it is gonna steal my world-famous cookie recipe! Do you know how important this is?” Ladybug screamed.

“Yeah, yeah. Okaaay,” Cricket said. “We’ll help you get the recipe back,” he said, reluctantly.

“REALLY?” Ladybug yelled. “Thank you sooooo much! I’m gonna need everyone to help get it back! I need everyone!”

The bugs cringed as Ladybug rambled on and on.

“Well,” Muffin interrupted, “Zoot can’t come with us because Ugly Bird ate his glasses.”

Ladybug groaned. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to get new ones along the way. Now HURRY, before the thief starts spreading the recipe as his own!”

“Uhh,” Sluggo mumbled, “where do we go?”

“EVERYWHERE!” Ladybug screamed. “Now HURRY!”

The bugs checked the bookshelves, field, baseball diamond, and even underground. They couldn’t find the recipe.

“This is AWFUL, guys. I’m gonna lose my fame, and some stranger is gonna take over by a stolen recipe,” Ladybug moaned.

“Your cookies don’t have to mean everything to everybuggy, Ladybug,” Old Cricket said. “The public doesn’t need to love them. They can just be special, to us. And that’s what really matters.”

“I think your cookies are delicious, Ladybug!” Pudding said.

“I could help you steal it back!” Marty exclaimed.

“Thanks, everyone,” Ladybug said. “I think I can write down another recipe by memory.”

Suddenly, Ladybug noticed a piece of paper on Zoot’s music stand. “Lemme see that, Zoot.” Ladybug turned over the paper and found the one and only . . . cookie recipe! “Wait a sec,” Ladybug mumbled. “Why was it on Zoot’s music stand in the first place? Zoot, did you steal the recipe?”

Zoot paused. “Wait. That was your recipe? I thought it was sheet music!”

“Were you even supposed to play your cello when you had no glasses?!” Ladybug yelled.

“What if I said yes?”