by Matt Myers
“Whoa,” says Sid.
“I’m starting to think I might want nerd cooties,” says Kurt.
“Duh,” says Velma.
“Nice work,” Big Lou tells her.
“I would have gotten us back to the campsite sooner or later,” Grandpa Ratso insists.
“Dad,” says Big Lou, “even the best of us need a hand sometimes.”
“Not me. Not ever,” says Grandpa Ratso.
“Well, I think asking for help is just as admirable as offering it,” says Big Lou. “I remember a certain young rat coming to his dad for help when he wanted to ask out a girl he liked.”
“Was that girl Mama?” Louie asks. Mama Ratso isn’t with them anymore, but she’s always in their hearts. Just thinking about her takes Louie’s mind off his poison ivy.
“That’s right,” says Big Lou. “I knew she liked birds, so I asked Grandpa to teach me all about them. Without his help, I don’t think Mama would have said yes to me.”
“And you might not have ended up marrying her,” notes Grandpa.
“And then we wouldn’t be here!” Ralphie adds.
Big Lou nods. “Maybe it’s time you admit you need a hand sometimes, too,” he says.
Grandpa sighs.
“You might be right,” he says. “I’m starting to see things more clearly now. Well, not literally. Now that it’s getting dark, did anyone bring flashlights?”
“Game ON!” say Louie and Ralphie.
“Let’s go, Ratsos,” says Big Lou, leading the way.
When the Big City Scouts finally find their way back, they see a green truck parked next to Grandpa’s red one.
“Wait,” says Big Lou. “That looks familiar.”
“Grandma!” shout Louie and Ralphie.
“Hello, fellas!” says Grandma Ratso. “How are my Big City Scouts doing?”
“We’ve . . . been better,” Big Lou admits. “What are you doing here?”
“A little bird told me you might need some help,” she says. She gives Louie and Ralphie a wink. “Well, maybe two little birds.”
“I admit it: I do need help,” Grandpa says. “Even if that means I’m in violation of the Big City Scouts oath.” He clears his throat.
“We’re Big City Scouts.
We’re brave and we’re true.
We’re here to serve others;
that’s just what we do.
No matter the problem
we’ll solve it ourselves;
we know we can fix it
without any help.
We’re here for our families,
our neighbors, our friends.
On the Big City Scouts
you can always depend.”
“You’re saying the most important line wrong, dear,” says Grandma Ratso.
“No matter the problem
we’ll solve it ourselves;
and if we can’t fix it
we’ll reach out for help.”
“What a relief!” says Grandpa.
“Now, that makes more sense,” says Louie.
“I was a Big City Scout, too, back in the day,” Grandma Ratso says. “In fact, Grandpa Ratso and I met on a camping trip just like this. I showed him how to bait his fishing hook.”
“Even the best of us needs a hand sometimes,” Grandpa says, giving Big Lou a wink.
“Thanks for coming, Grandma,” Ralphie whispers.
“I’m proud of you boys for calling me,” she says. “It’s important to admit when you’re in trouble. Good thing I brought reinforcements.”
Grandma pulls a cooler out of the back of her truck. She opens it.
“FOOD!” everyone shouts.
“And calamine lotion,” Louie says, sighing.
“And matches. Thank goodness,” says Big Lou.
“It’s a little damp out here for starting a fire the old-fashioned way,” Grandma notes. “Now, who wants to help make Grandma Ratso’s Famous Campfire Chili?”
“Me-me-me-me-me!” everyone shouts, Grandpa Ratso loudest of all.
“I thought you were all about roughing it,” Grandma Ratso says.
“I’m all about your chili,” says Grandpa. “Roughing it is for chumps.”
And that’s how I caught the biggest fish on my very first Big City Scouts camping trip,” says Grandpa.
“I think you just had the right bait on your hook,” says Grandma. “Thanks to yours truly.”
“You might be right. Though I did reel in another good catch on that trip, all by myself,” Grandpa says, giving her a squeeze.
“Good stories and good food by the fire,” says Ralphie. “The scouting life is sweet.”
“This tastes a lot like your chili, Dad,” says Louie.
“Where do you think he got the recipe?” says Grandma Ratso.
“Grandma is a wise woman,” says Grandpa Ratso. “She knows just about everything.”
“And when I don’t know something, I’m glad you’re around to help me,” she says, giving him a nudge.
“I think we’ve all learned something on this trip,” Big Lou says. “In fact, I think you’re all going to earn Master Camper badges. Louie and Ralphie will be earning Emergency badges, for taking initiative when we were in trouble. Velma and Millicent will earn Forager badges, for making sure we had plenty of healthy berries and salad. And Velma will also earn an Ingenuity badge, for finding a way out of the woods today.”
“Wow,” says Velma, taking out her calculator. “Now I have almost a dozen!”
“I knew you had potential!” says Millicent.
“Velma has more badges than we have,” Kurt says to Sid.
“Way more,” says Sid. “Maybe we should get some calculators.”
“And do some reading,” adds Kurt.
“With two new badges, my Scout vest is going to look even cooler,” says Louie.
“I’ll help you iron them on, since you probably won’t be able to use your hands for a while,” says Ralphie.
“Thanks, brother,” says Louie. “You’ve taught me a lot on this trip.”
“I’ve taught you?” says Ralphie.
“Yep,” says Louie. “You might think you’re just a little Street, but you’re really going places.”
“Since being a Big City Scout is all about helping,” says Tiny, “I’ll have a second helping of chili!”
“Life is much easier when we admit we can’t do everything ourselves,” says Big Lou.
“And when we help each other!” says Millicent, putting her arm around Velma.
“Duh, I won’t need any help eating all these s’mores by myself,” says Sid.
“Well, we’re all going to try,” says Louie.
“The scouting life is sweet!” says Ralphie.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2020 by Kara LaReau
Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Matt Myers
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
First electronic edition 2020
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number pending
The illustrations in this book were done in ink and watercolor dye on paper.
Candlewick Press
99 Dover Street
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
visit us at www.candlewick.com
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