• Harry's hat has a mind of its own. - 09/01/2011

    One sunny spring day, Harry plopped his old straw hat on his head and went for a walk in the woods. When he had walked for a long time, he sat on a big rock to rest. He took off his hat and laid it on the grass beside him. POP! Up jumped his hat. Up jumped Harry, but he did not catch his...

  • I.A.M.M. is not as fast as A.S.A.P. which spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E. - 09/01/2011

    “In a Minute Mom” is soon enough. Or is it? Mom didn’t like the idea at all. “Why do you have to keep those mealworms in the refrigerator, Dorsi?” she asked. “Mom, my lizards got to eat.” “But why can’t your lizard eat lukewarm mealworms?” “Because they have to be refrigerated or they’ll rot.”...

  • Horace is determined to photograph the camera-shy-creature--if he can find it. - 09/01/2011

    One cold and rainy winter’s day, Horace Wringwhydner decided that he was going to be the most famous photographer that had ever lived. He was going to be the very first person to take a photograph of the legendary pusillanimoose. This would not be easy. There was only one pusillanimoose in the world,...

  • Just what is a Green Glooper, anyway? - 09/01/2011

    A green glooper made a nest on our front porch. “Don’t feed it,” said Mom. “Maybe it will go away.” We didn’t feed it, and it didn’t go away. It liked us. Every time it saw us, it glooped. Aunt Jody came to visit. “What’s that thing?” she asked Mom. “A green glooper,” Mom said.“It wants to be...

  • Annie wants to be a clown for Halloween, but there is just one problem . . . - 09/01/2011

    “What happened to your eye, honey?” asked the crossing guard when Annie and Mom were on their way to school. Annie hid her face against Mom’s leg. The patch covering her left eye looked like a big bandage. “Annie’s right eye doesn’t work hard enough,” said Mom. “Covering her left eye makes her right...

  • A funny story of a bubble family's need to be heard. - 09/01/2011

    Like most families, bubble families need to talk to one another. And when they get together with other bubble families, they want to talk to their friends. But the bubbles had a problem. They all had very soft voices. They said things like “burbl-l-l” and “bloop, bloop” and “blop.” It was almost...

  • What can a fairy-godmother trainee do if a frog doesn't want to be a prince? - 09/01/2011

    Wanda, the neighborhood witch, was a good witch and had been one for about 221 years. Her fondest dream was to become a fairy godmother. She had been going to the Fairy Godmother Academy for 103 years, learning fairy godmother magic: how to turn pumpkins into coaches, how to make things vanish in...

  • There's something magical about Aunt Millie's handbag! - 09/01/2011

    One morning Aunt Millie arrived to take Ashley to the city. Ashley had never been to the city. In fact, she had never been very far from the farm, so she was a bit nervous when they got on the bus. “Don’t worry,” said Aunt Millie, patting her handbag. “We’ll be fine.” Soon the bus was turning off...

  • A tiny shark means big trouble. - 09/01/2011

    Jodie sat cross-legged on her father’s desk, sipping iced tea as she gazed out at the beach. “Come on!” she begged the facsimile machine beside her. A shrill ring pierced the air. Jodie sighed. It was the telephone, not the fax line. “Meet me at the pier in ten minutes,” said her best friend, Brian. “I...

  • It's hard being the new kid, but it's even harder when you've got the squeakiest desk in the class! - 09/01/2011

    Sally McNally was sure that the first day at her new school wasn’t going to be much fun; she had been the “new kid” often enough to know. The trick, Sally decided, was to be so boring and quiet that the other kids would ignore her. Not a bad plan—except that when Sally sat down at her desk, she squeaked. It...

  • A princess takes matters into her own hands when two witches won't stop fighting. - 09/01/2011

    The kingdom of Puddledunk had a king, a prime minister, an army of knights, and a little princess who loved fairy tales. But unlike other kingdoms, Puddledunk had two witches. The first witch, Anniebeemeenie, had a tall pointy hat and long pointy shoes. The second witch, Annabeetoo, had puffy blue...

  • It would be awful if the little ghost slept through trick-or-treating . . . but he won't wake up! - 09/01/2011

    Little Ghost didn’t want to take a nap. His friend Witch tried and tried to get him to sleep. “I’m afraid I’ll miss trick-or-treating!” said Little Ghost. “Don’t worry,” said Witch. “I’ll wake you up in time.” “Well, OK,” said Little Ghost. “But don’t forget!” He rolled himself into a small ball...

  • Rowena's on a roll when she delivers a wedding cake right on time. - 09/01/2011

    “It’s an extraordinary day for a wedding,” Mrs. Bidgely chirped as she spread thick vanilla icing on the third layer of an enormous cake. “And if I do say so myself, this is an extraordinary cake! Don’t you agree, Rowena?” When there was no answer, Mrs. Bidgely glanced over her shoulder . . . and...

  • Rory thinks nothing funny ever happens to him until he tells the class about his weekend. - 09/01/2011

    Everybody in Rory’s class had a Funny-but-True story to tell. The teacher, Mrs. Evans, had the best Funny-but-True stories of all. On Monday she told about her cat playing the piano. On Tuesday she told how she found a nibbled-on piece of bologna in the toe of her red high-heeled shoe. On Wednesday...

  • It's a good thing Tyler isn't bothered by squeaks in the floorboard--especially since Squeak is a mo - 09/01/2011

    “What’s that?” asked Tyler. “Oh, just squeaks in the floorboard,” said Mom. “Don’t worry, I can get rid of squeaks.” “Oh no,” said Squeaks, the little gray mouse who lived under the wooden floor. “They know I’m here, and they plan to get rid of me!” He packed up his small red suitcase. “I’ll have...

  • Maude and Harold have always wanted to share the family pizza, so they take things into their own ha - 09/01/2011

    The red-and-green box came every Friday. It was delivered right past their noses to the kitchen table. Pizza. Wonderful, marvelous, heavenly pizza! But Harold and Maude never got a single slice. How they tried. Every Friday the pets put on quite a spectacle. Maude would bob her small yellow head...

  • Why does Bartlett the rooster attack Duffy every time Duffy tries to collect eggs? - 09/01/2011

    “Do I have to?” whined Duffy. “Can’t someone else do it?” His mother looked at him while she scraped carrots at the sink. “Collecting the eggs is your job, Duffy.” “But, Mom, that rooster hates me,” said Duffy. “He just waits for me to reach for an egg and then attacks me.” “That’s the silliest...

  • Sometimes the best gifts are small, folded pieces of paper. - 09/01/2011

    Five days till Mom’s birthday. I’m painting her a picture like the one in the shop at the beach. She told Dad she had the perfect spot for it. Tyler wants to help me. He smears paint on the kitchen table. On the chair. On the floor. Mom comes to get Tyler for his nap. I hide my picture. Mom scolds...

  • Sir Delbert thinks the Knights' Day medal is the most important prize . . . until he meets Edwina. - 09/01/2011

    Sir Delbert sat dejectedly on a rotting tree stump. Sir Delbert sat dejectedly on a rotting tree stump. He had almost no chance of winning the award tomorrow, and he knew it. Every year, the knights held a special festival called Knights’ Day. They played games, had tournaments, and ate lots of...

  • A funny story about three animals' adventure in a hot air balloon. - 09/01/2011

    “I don’t remember volunteering for anything,” said Duck. Duck, Sheep, and Rooster had just finished their midmorning snack when Joseph and Étienne Montgolfier strolled into the barnyard asking for volunteers to ride in their hot-air balloon. “Let’s get them into the cart and take them to market,”...