Leopold was on his perch, his feathers neatly groomed. Leopold always likes to look his best.
“Good morning, Leopold,” I said. “Nice day, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Dash,” Leopold agreed. “Nice and quiet.”
Dad soon came downstairs with an armload of camping equipment.
“Did you find the poles?” Mom asked him.
Dad held up the tent poles. “Got ’em,” he answered. “Are you sure you can manage here alone?”
“I’ll be fine,” Mom said, checking her to-do list. “It’s going to be a quiet day.”
I looked at Leopold. Leopold looked at me. Saturdays at Animal Inn are rarely quiet.
In fact, Saturday is our busiest day. Mom teaches her Polite Puppies class. Dad and Jake host the Furry Pages. That’s when children read aloud to an animal buddy. Then there are grooming appointments and usually a birthday party or two.
“I’ve got it all worked out,” Mom began. “Polite Puppies are going to join Furry Pages. That way I can run both programs at the same time. Plus, Mary Anne from the library is coming to give me a hand.”
“Sounds like a great plan,” said Dad.
My ears perked up. I love when Mary Anne comes to Furry Pages. She always brings cool books from the library.
“We only have one grooming appointment,” Mom continued. “Monsieur Petit. Martha will do that. There are no parties, and we’re not expecting any new guests.”
“You’re right,” Dad said with a smile. “A quiet day.”
I let out a sigh. We needed a quiet day.
The day before, we had said good-bye to 2,311 monarch butterflies. They had been spending a few days at our milkweed patch on their way to Mexico. During the previous few weeks waves of monarchs had been stopping at Animal Inn to relax and recharge.
Suddenly I heard Ethan from upstairs. “Where’s my sleeping bag?” he hollered.
“I don’t know,” shouted Jake. “Did you put it in the pile?”
“Where’s the pile?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah,” chirped Cassie. “Where’s the Nile? Is that where we’re camping tonight?”
“We’re not camping on the Nile,” said Ethan. “The Nile is in Africa.”
“Ethan!” Jake shouted. “Did you feed Fuzzy and Furry?”
“I thought you fed them!” Ethan shouted back.
Mom looked at Dad. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
Dad smiled and shrugged. Then he hurried upstairs to help the kids.
A few minutes later Cassie and Coco came downstairs. Shadow followed in their . . . shadow. Shadow is supposed to be an indoor cat, but she loves to sneak outside.
“Don’t tell anybody I’m here,” Shadow whispered to Leopold and me. She snuck behind the sofa, ready to slip outside if given the chance.
“Princess Coco,” Cassie said, pouting. “The campground says no dogs allowed. They’re meanies.”
“Good morning, Cassie,” said Mom. “Are you excited to go camping?”
“Sort of,” said Cassie. “I wish Coco could come. Maybe I can dress her up like a person.” Cassie took off her jacket and tried to put it on Coco. Coco gave a big shake.
“Coco can help me with Polite Puppies and Furry Pages,” Mom said. “Then she and I can take a nice, long afternoon nap.” Coco flopped down on the floor with a sigh.
Dad, Jake, and Ethan came downstairs next. It was difficult to see them through the jumble of camping supplies they carried.
“Better late than never,” Leopold squawked.
“Very funny, Leopold,” said Ethan.
“Are you sure you’ll be able to manage here alone?” Dad asked Mom again.
“Alone?” said Mom with a smile. “I’ve got Dash, Leopold, Coco, Shadow, and Whiskers.”
“And Fuzzy and Furry,” added Ethan.
“And don’t forget the guests,” said Jake. “You’ve got four frogs, a turtle, and two hamsters on the third floor, an alpaca in the barn, and a cat and three dogs in the kennel.”
I had to agree. You’re never really alone at Animal Inn.
PAUL DUBOIS JACOBS & JENNIFER SWENDER are a husband-and-wife writing team and authors of many books for children, including Count on the Subway, My Subway Ride, My Taxi Ride, and Fire Drill. Paul has also cowritten four books with musician Pete Seeger, including Abiyoyo Returns and The Deaf Musicians, winner of the ALA’s Schneider Family Book Award. Paul and Jennifer have appeared at Lincoln Center, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Virginia Festival of the Book, as well as countless schools, libraries, and museums. They live in Massachusetts. Visit Paul and Jennifer at jacobsandswender.com.
Aladdin
Simon & Schuster, New York
authors.simonandschuster.com/Paul-DuBois-Jacobs
authors.simonandschuster.com/Jennifer-Swender
authors.simonandschuster.com/Stephanie-Laberis
Read more Animal Inn books!
BOOK 2: Treasure Hunt
Coming soon:
BOOK 3: The Bow-wow Bus
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.
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin hardcover edition December 2016
Text copyright © 2016 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Stephanie Laberis
Also available in an Aladdin paperback edition.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Jacket designed by Jessica Handelman
Interior designed by Greg Stadnyk
The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.
Library of Congress Control Number 2016936112
ISBN 978-1-4814-6224-2 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-6223-5 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-6225-9 (eBook)
A Furry Fiasco Page 4