by Henry Cole
The three friends gathered at the bow, staring off into the darkness. Tall weeds, a jungle of obstacles, surrounded them. “This is it!” Twig yelled out. “Everybody, man your station! Char, hang on! Lily, Basil, hold the torch out in front, left and right. I’ll take the wheel. Call out directions so we don’t hit anything.”
“Floating log, straight ahead!” shouted Basil. He pointed to the left. “Turn that way! Nasty-looking tree branch up ahead!”
All through the early-morning hours they dodged and meandered their way through the forest of weeds, driftwood, and rocks. Somehow, even as the treacherous branches and debris threatened them, Twig realized that this was his dream: gripping the wheel of the Captive and steering his way, returning Char to his home. He thought of how proud his father would be of him now, confidently guiding a ship through obstacles into open water.
Twig thought to himself: Sometimes the things we want and the things we love get tangled up in our hearts like bramble when we try to do what’s right.
He glanced at the dragon. The river air was working like a tonic. Char still looked frail, but it was encouraging to see him lift his head from the deck and sniff into the breeze and flutter his wings a bit.
Lily seemed to read his thoughts. “Char’s looking better already,” she called out, smiling. Twig grinned back and nodded.
The tide, now slowly returning the river to the sea, was pulling them out, into a stronger current. The sky opened up above them. A pale mauve dawn emerged in the east as the Captive made its way through the last of the river’s-edge obstacles. The dangerous rocks and piles of flotsam were behind them now. An early-morning breeze fluttered its way onto the canvas sails. Twig turned the wheel, and the ship pointed toward the dawn.
There was a mist hanging low on the river, and tiny dew droplets clung to Twig’s fur. Lily moved beside him, handing him a small wild cherry, and he happily munched at the sweet fruit.
The breeze picked up. The sails billowed out, and the Captive danced lightly over the green-gray water. The first birdcall of the day, a woodpecker far off in the shrouded woods, echoed across the water. The mist was dissipating. Twig looked at Lily, and she smiled.
The river was calling them.
BACK AD
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HENRY COLE is the illustrator of many beloved books for children, including his own Jack’s Garden, On Meadowview Street, and A Nest for Celeste. Brambleheart was inspired by the heap of discarded treasures in the woods behind his childhood farm. You can visit Henry online at www.henrycole.net.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY HENRY COLE
MIDDLE GRADE
A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home
PICTURE BOOKS
I Took a Walk
Jack’s Garden
On Meadowview Street
On the Way to the Beach
Trudy
CREDITS
Cover art © 2016 by Henry Cole
Cover design and hand lettering by Heather Daugherty
COPYRIGHT
Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
BRAMBLEHEART. Copyright © 2016 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cole, Henry, date.
Brambleheart / Henry Cole. — First edition.
pages cm
Summary: A young apprentice chipmunk in a guild of crafts animals strikes up an unlikely relationship with a dragon who teaches him the meaning of true friendship.
ISBN 978-0-06-224546-5 (hardcover)
EPub Edition © January 2016 ISBN 9780062245458
[1.Chipmunks—Fiction.2.Dragons—Fiction.3.Forest animals—Fiction.4. Friendship—Fiction.5. Fantasy.]I. Title.
PZ7.C67345Br 2016 2014048578
[Fic]—dc23 CIP
AC
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15 16 17 18 19 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
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