Shai & Emmie Star in to the Rescue!
Page 4
Then came the final part. Shai’s fingers flew and her breath breathed as she played the fast, exciting passages. At the very end the percussionist, Jayden, came in at the exact right beat with her loud cymbal crash.
The audience burst into wild applause. Mr. Yee turned around and bowed. He pointed to the different sections to stand up and take bows too. First the strings—the violins, violas, basses, and cellos. Shai gave Emmie a double thumbs-up. After them he pointed to brass and percussion.
Then it was time for the woodwinds to stand up! Shai gathered her stiff, crinkly concert dress around her knees and rose to her feet. She heard cries of “Bravo!” and “Brava!” from the audience. She thought she might have heard Samantha shout: “That’s my big sister! That’s Shai-Shai!”
Afterward there was a short intermission. Then came the pieces by Mr. Beethoven and Mr. Mozart. And then came more applause and more bowing. When the concert was over, everyone gathered in the lobby for hellos and congratulations.
In the lobby Shai admired the animal-themed decorations that she and Emmie had put together. They’d folded cats, birds, bunnies, and other pets out of pretty origami paper. They’d created a huge banner that said: THANK YOU FOR HELPING STRAY ANIMALS! They’d made posters with pictures of the pets currently up for adoption at the Animal Haven.
There wasn’t a picture on the wall of a white bunny with light brown spots and big, floppy ears, though. His owner, Mrs. Grey, had taken him to the shelter because she was moving to a retirement home that didn’t allow pets. Shai, Momma, and Jamal had met the bunny last weekend when they’d gone to the shelter to volunteer. Shai had fallen in love with him, and Momma had asked the shelter to put a “hold” on him while their family discussed whether or not to adopt him.
Emmie wove through the crowd and came up to Shai. The two girls hugged.
“That was an amazetastic concert!” Emmie said.
“Amazetastic,” Shai agreed.
Momma put her arms around both girls. “You know the best part, ladies? I just spoke to the director of the Animal Haven, and she said this concert raised more than two thousand dollars for the animals!”
“Yay!” Emmie shouted.
“Yay!” Shai shouted too. Two thousand dollars was a hunormous amount of money!
Aunt Mac-N-Cheese joined them and handed Shai and Emmie bouquets of daisies. “You girls were wonderful!” she gushed. “Hey, sweetpea? Tell me about that black-and-white kitten on the poster over there,” she said, pointing.
“Aunt Mac-N-Cheese! You want to adopt a cat?” Shai asked, surprised. “You always said your apartment was way too small for a pet.”
“Yes, well . . . I’m sure I can make some space for a tiny new roommate,” Aunt Mac-N-Cheese said with a wink. “And guess what? I just talked to Mom, and she might be interested in adopting a cat too . . . that old gray fellow on the poster in the corner.”
“Seriously? Grandma Rosa’s always complaining about the pets in our house and how much work they are!”
Aunt Mac-N-Cheese laughed. “Well, she’ll keep complaining, I’m sure! But I think your lovely concert has shifted her mind a bit about how important it is to give stray animals a forever home.”
“Golly, really?”
At that moment Shai was so happy that she could actually feel her heart growing bigger in her chest. She hadn’t been able to help the wild bunny, but it turned out that it hadn’t needed her help. On the other hand, she had helped raise a lot of money for the Animal Haven shelter . . . and had helped make her aunt and grandma and others want to open their homes and hearts to stray pets.
Best of all, Momma and Daddy had agreed that the family could adopt the white-and-brown bunny with the floppy ears! Samantha had already picked out a name for him: Floppy Ears. But Shai was hoping to call him Thumper Two, after Momma and Aunt Mac-N-Cheese’s Thumper.
Or maybe the bunny would have a very long name: Thumper Two Floppy Ears Williams.
“Time for some celebration cookies?” Emmie asked.
“Time for some celebration cookies,” Shai agreed.
The bestie-best friends hooked arms and skipped toward the concessions table.
Dear Readers,
I am so glad that I have this opportunity to share my feelings and concerns about the unfortunate amount of stray pets and what you can do to help.
I love animals and it is very depressing to see so many stray pets. I would like to save them all, but realistically I can’t. I volunteer at my local shelter, participating in the Dog Socialization and R&R (Rest & Relaxation) programs. I have joined a club at school that focuses on the strays in our area. I also donate as often as I can.
Here is where you come in. We can team up to save as many as we can. You may ask how you can you help.
Here are ten things you can do:
1. Volunteer at your nearest animal shelter.
2. Help those stray pets you see.
3. Ask your family to help you foster.
4. Donate money, food, or supplies to animal rescue programs
5. Educate your family and friends.
6. Raise money for animal rescue organizations.
7. Create or join a club at school.
8. Adopt from an animal shelter.
9. Foster from an animal shelter.
10. Get involved, speak out, and spread the word.
Okay, peeps, let’s go out into the world and make a difference!
Yours truly,
Quvenzhané Wallis
About the Authors and Illustrator
Quvenzhané Wallis knows a thing or two about creating memorable characters. For her feature film debut, Beasts of the Southern Wild, she was nominated for an Academy Award. Shortly after, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her work as the title character in Annie. She has also appeared in 12 Years a Slave, The Prophet, and Fathers and Daughters. Quvenzhané has many talents and is always willing to try something new. She lives in Louisiana with her family. Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue! is the third book in her debut middle-grade series. She is also the author of A Night Out with Mama, her first picture book.
Nancy Ohlin has written more than a hundred books for children, teens, and grown-ups. She lives in Ithaca, New York, with her family (which includes a professor, a Juilliard student, a future veterinarian-superhero-author, and many, many pets). Learn more at nancyohlin.com.
Sharee Miller is an illustrator living in Brooklyn. She grew up on the island of Saint Thomas before leaving to study at Pratt Institute in New York, where she earned a BFA in illustration. Though she has remained in New York, she is still very much inspired by the colors and patterns of Saint Thomas. Learn more at shareemiller.com.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Simon & Schuster · New York
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Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Quvenzhané-Wallis
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Also by Quvenzhané Wallis
Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg!
Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants!
A Night Out with Mama
SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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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.
Text copyright © 2018 by Jarece Productions, Inc.
Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Sharee Miller
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Book design by Chloë Foglia
The illustrations for this book were rendered in watercolor and ink.
Jacket design by Chloë Foglia
Jacket illustration copyright © 2018 by Sharee Miller
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Wallis, Quvenzhané, 2003– author. | Ohlin, Nancy, author. | Miller, Sharee (Illustrator), illustrator.
Title: Shai & Emmie star in To the rescue! / Quvenzhane Wallis with Nancy Ohlin ; illustrated by Sharee Miller.
Other titles: Shai and Emmie star in To the rescue! | To the rescue!
Description: First edition. | New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018. | Series: A Shai & Emmie story | Summary: Third-grader Shai is already busy with her mother away and the Student Orchestra’s benefit concert coming up, but that does not stop her from helping a stray animal in her backyard.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017048132 (print) | LCCN 2017057922 (ebook) | ISBN 9781481458887 (hardback) | ISBN 9781481458900 (ebook)
Subjects: | CYAC: Family life—Fiction. | Orchestra—Fiction. | Rabbits—Fiction. | Wildlife rescue—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | African Americans—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books. | JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Friendship. | JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Adolescence.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.W357 (ebook) | LCC PZ7.1.W357 Shn 2018 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017048132