DIY Pet Shop
Page 2
She hoped this would convince her mom to let her go to the shelter today. Instead, her mom responded, “Good! But we’ll go see Dr. Martin after school. Just to be sure.”
The nice thing about Dr. Martin was that she took the time to ask good questions and really listen to the answers. Emily was planning to become an engineer or an architect, but Dr. Martin made Emily feel like it might be cool to be a doctor, too. Or maybe a veterinarian!
“So, when did you first notice the sneezing?” asked Dr. Martin. “And did you have any other symptoms? Itchy eyes? A scratchy throat?”
Emily answered all of Dr. Martin’s questions, then let Dr. Martin examine her eyes, ears, throat, and nose.
“Everything looks okay,” said Dr. Martin. “One more question, Emily. When did you notice that the symptoms had gone away?”
“Well, actually, it happened a few times,” replied Emily. “Twice, when I went home from volunteering at the animal shelter. And yesterday I felt sick at the craft clubhouse, but then I was fine this morning.”
“There wouldn’t happen to be any pets at the craft clubhouse, would there?”
“No,” said Emily. “Just me and my friends. Oh, wait. Yesterday Sam brought three dogs with him. You don’t think I got them sick, do you?”
“Nope,” said Dr. Martin. “In fact, I don’t think you’re sick at all.”
“See!” said Emily, turning to her mom. “I told you I wasn’t sick.” She turned back to Dr. Martin. “So, I can go back to volunteering tomorrow, right?”
“Well, there’s a little problem,” said Dr. Martin. “Emily, I think I know why you’ve been sneezing and having itchy eyes when you’re around dogs and cats.”
“You do?”
Dr. Martin nodded. Then she said four words Emily didn’t want to hear:
“I think you’re allergic.”
CHAPTER 7
Paper Pooches
“We’re glad you’re here,” said Bella the next afternoon, when Emily arrived at the craft clubhouse.
Maddie and Sam nodded in agreement. Emily knew they were trying to be supportive. She’d told them what Dr. Martin said about her allergies.
“Thanks,” said Emily. “I just wish I could be at the animal shelter too. Now, not only is it looking like I won’t be able to get a dog, but I can’t even be near them.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Maddie sympathetically. “This isn’t the same thing, but I know one kind of dog you can be around. An origami dog!”
“Good idea!” said Bella. “Emily, you can fold all the dogs you want and none of them will make you sneeze.”
They pulled out the origami paper and got to work. The first few dogs they folded were pretty rough, but with practice they got better. Emily “walked” her folded paper dog—just like a real dog.
Except it wasn’t a real dog. It was just a folded piece of paper. You couldn’t cuddle an origami dog. It wouldn’t lick your face or wag its tail with excitement when you came home.
Emily sighed. Her thoughts went back to the shelter. She wondered if that sweet dog Woody had found his forever family yet.
CHAPTER 8
A Surprising Discovery
The next morning at school, Emily was still feeling down. Though she brightened up when her teacher, Ms. Gibbons, invited the class to line up for library time. Emily loved to read.
She decided to look for a book on dog breeds. If she couldn’t be around dogs, she could at least read about them. Sure enough, she found a heavy nonfiction book with photographs and detailed information. She turned to the index and looked under P.
Papillon . . . Pekingese . . . Pointer . . . Pomeranian . . . Poodle!
The book had photographs of a variety of poodles. Emily read about their history, temperament, size, and color variations. She was about to turn the page when she noticed something.
“ ‘Poodles are hypoallergenic,’ ” she read aloud.
“Hypoallergenic” was a new word for Emily, so she looked it up. Her heart began to beat faster when she found the definition.
Hypoallergenic: not likely to trigger an allergic reaction.
She went on to read:
While no dog is 100 percent hypoallergenic, there are a variety of breeds that do well with those suffering from allergies. These dogs have a non-shedding coat that produces less dander. Dander, which is attached to pet hair, is what causes most pet allergies in humans.
Emily gasped. Maybe there was still hope. Maybe . . . she could get a dog after all!
CHAPTER 9
High Hopes
After school Emily excitedly reported her findings to her mom. She pulled out the dog breed book she’d borrowed from the library to prove that her information was accurate.
“And I talked to Sam, and we realized that the reason I never had a problem around his dog is because she’s hypoallergenic!” Emily added.
“Hmm,” said her mom. “I suppose if there was a dog at the shelter that happened to be hypoallergenic . . .”
Emily clasped her hands with excitement.
“But we don’t know if there are any,” her mom continued. “And I would hate for you to get your hopes up only to find that your allergies are too severe for this to work.”
“I won’t get my hopes up!” promised Emily, silently adding: Any more than they are already.
At home, Emily’s mom gave her the phone number for the shelter. She hadn’t told them that she wouldn’t be able to volunteer there anymore. So she dialed the number to tell Dave. And she had another question for him too.
“I’m so sorry to hear about your allergies!” Dave said sincerely when he heard the news.
“Me too,” said Emily. “And . . . uh . . . I was also wondering about something else,” she said, her heart pounding. “Do you happen to have any hypoallergenic dogs at the shelter right now?”
There was a pause at the other end of the line. She heard some papers rustling.
“Aha!” Dave finally said. “Emily, you’re in luck. There’s a dog named Woody here. . . . Hello?”
In her excitement, Emily had dropped the phone. She scooped it up from the ground. “Hi. Sorry!” she said. “I remember Woody! He was brought in the last day I volunteered there, and he seemed sooo sweet.”
“He is so sweet,” Dave said. “And I told the man who brought him in that dogs like that don’t come in often, because I could tell immediately that he was a hypoallergenic mix of breeds.”
Ah, so that’s what that meant, thought Emily. “Could I . . . come meet Woody?” Emily asked nervously.
“Of course! Just let me know when, and I’ll get him ready,” Dave told her.
When Emily hung up the phone, she felt happier than ever. She couldn’t believe it. She’d felt there was something special about Woody, and maybe that was it. Maybe he was meant for her!
CHAPTER 10
Lucky Dog!
A few days later, Emily could barely contain her excitement. She was on her way to the shelter.
When they pulled into the parking lot, Emily took some deep breaths and reminded herself to stay calm. If it turned out Woody wasn’t the right dog for her family, she’d be disappointed, but she knew she’d be okay.
Dave welcomed Emily and her parents into the shelter and then brought them to an office, where he went over some guidelines about what to do when meeting a dog for the first time. Then he led them into the backyard—where Emily had seen the little girl playing with the dog.
Emily did as Dave had told her. She walked into the yard and didn’t make eye contact with Woody—which was so hard because he was so cute! Then she waited. After about a minute, Woody slowly approached Emily. She held out her hand, and he sniffed it . . . and then licked it! Emily giggled.
Dave had told Emily and her parents the commands that Woody already knew—sit, stay, and roll over. And he’d told them to give Woody those commands to test his reaction. Emily’s parents let her try first.
“Sit,” she told Woody. The dog cock
ed his head and then sat!
“Stay,” she said as she backed away, and Woody stood as still as a statue.
“Roll over!” Emily commanded, and Woody gave a playful bark and then rolled over on the ground.
“Good boy!” Emily said excitedly, and Woody came over. She knelt down, and he started licking her face. She laughed—and couldn’t stop laughing, which only made Woody want to lick her more!
And maybe best of all . . . no sneezes!
Emily and her parents spent an hour with Woody, going through all the things Dave had told them to do.
And when the hour was up, Emily was sure of it. Woody was her dog.
Emily’s family went back the next day to spend more time with Woody. And the next day. And the next day. Emily’s parents and the shelter wanted to be sure that it was the right match.
And it was. Because a few days later, Emily and her parents pulled up to the shelter. But Emily wasn’t just excited to be bringing Woody home.
When she had told her friends the news, it had reminded Maddie that they had all those mini blankets. Maddie suggested they stuff the blankets to actually make dog beds, and that’s exactly what the four friends had done. In the trunk of Emily’s parents’ car, there was a big bag with all the beds inside.
“Wow,” said Dave when Emily presented him with the beds. “This is so generous of you and your friends. Woody is one lucky dog!”
Emily beamed.
That night, at home with Woody, Emily served him the food the shelter had given them to start. Then she took him for a walk around the block. When they came back, Woody went right over to his bed and lay down. Emily had saved one of the knotted-blanket beds for him, and he certainly seemed to like it. Emily reached into her pocket to give him a treat, but she pulled something else out instead. It was her origami dog!
She smiled. Now she could play with an origami dog and a real dog. Her very own real dog!
How to Make . . .
An Origami Dog
What you need:
1 piece of square origami paper
Pen or marker
Step 1:
Start with your square piece of origami paper. Place it down so it looks like a diamond.
Step 2:
Fold the square in half by folding the top corner to the bottom corner. Now you have a triangle.
Step 3:
Fold the triangle in half by folding the left corner to the right corner.
Step 4:
Unfold the last fold.
Step 5:
Fold the left corner down to make the dog’s left ear, and fold the right corner down to make the dog’s right ear.
Step 6:
Fold the bottom corner up to make the dog’s nose.
Step 7:
Use your pen or marker to draw the dog’s face!
Keep reading for a preview of
Breaking the Piggy Bank
by
Martha Maker
It was hot out. And it was even hotter in the recently converted old shed—now known as the craft clubhouse—in Bella Diaz’s backyard. Bella and her three best friends were in there working on different craft projects. They’d propped the doors open to catch the occasional breeze.
Despite the heat, the four friends were having fun. Sam Sharma was pinning up his latest sketches and planning his next painting. Maddie Wilson was sewing sequins onto the sleeves of a dress she was making. Bella was writing code for a new video game. And Emily Adams had just finished sawing a piece of wood.
“Hey, are we out of sandpaper?” asked Emily after she checked the supply shelves.
Bella shrugged. “I don’t usually use sandpaper when I’m coding.” She laughed. “So I don’t know. Are we out of it?”
“Looks like it. I need to sand the puppy stepladder I’m making.” Emily showed her new project to her friends. “See? Otherwise Woody will try to climb onto my bed and end up with splinters in all four paws!”
“Woof!” said Sam. “I guess we need to pick up some sandpaper. In the meantime, want to grab a paintbrush and help me?”
“Sure,” said Emily. But when she looked in the paint supply area, she called out, “We’re out of paint, too.”
“You guys can always sew with me,” called Maddie. “Check it out! This is the dress I’m going to wear to my cousin’s wedding!”
“Did you say dress?” asked Bella. “I think you mean shirt.”
Sure enough, the garment ended at Maddie’s waist.
“It’s fine,” said Maddie, rummaging through the sewing supplies. “I’ll just piece together some more fabric and . . . Oh no! I thought we had plenty of this fabric. I can’t go to the wedding with half a dress!”
“Want me to start a shopping list?” suggested Bella, opening a new window on her computer. “Paint, sandpaper, fabric . . . Anything else?”
“Yes,” said Emily, looking at the craft clubhouse’s mostly empty storage shelves. “We’re running low on almost everything.”
“What are we going to do?” asked Sam. “I can’t paint without paint.”
“And I can’t sew without fabric,” added Maddie.
“Yeah, wood might grow on trees, but sandpaper sure doesn’t,” joked Emily.
Bella laughed. “Well, how about we figure out how to get more supplies?”
Continue Reading…
Breaking the Piggy Bank
Martha Maker
About the Author and Illustrator
Martha Maker is a de dicated crafter who is always working on a project—or several! When she’s not writing books, you can often find her at her favorite community garden with her paint set. She lives in Washington, DC, with her family, which includes two kids, two dogs, and two guinea pigs.
Xindi Yan left behind a small city in China to realize her dream of being a published artist. Having always wanted to illustrate children’s books, she buried herself in countless books and drawings, collecting them even today. Xindi currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and dreams about having a puppy in the near future.
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Martha-Maker
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Xindi-Yan
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster, New York
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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First Little Simon hardcover edition November 2018
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Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-5344-2900-0 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-5344-2899-7 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-5344-2901-7 (eBook)
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