“Ethan, did you feed Fuzzy and Furry?” asked Jake.
“Uh, yeah,” said Ethan. “I did.”
“Oh,” said Jake, a bit surprised. “Good.”
“I’ll walk you to the bus stop,” said Dad. “I’m heading out to do the morning chores in the barn and kennels.”
“Please give Lucky a little extra attention,” said Mom, trying to balance the box in her arms. “He still seems a bit gloomy.”
“Will do,” said Dad.
Beep-beep!
Beep-beep!
“You better hurry, boys,” said Mom. “Have a great day.” Then she carried the box to the party and play room.
“Cassie must be staying home sick today,” said Whiskers. “I couldn’t be happier.”
“You’re happy that Cassie is sick?” I asked.
“I’m not happy that she’s sick,” Whiskers explained. “I’m happy that she’s not going to school.”
“Cassie does not appear to be sick,” said Leopold.
“When Cassie’s sick, we stay in bed and listen to an audiobook,” I said. “Mom gives us warm milk and crackers.”
“I know,” Shadow piped up. “It’s a teacher meeting day. Those teachers are always having meetings.”
“Then why did Jake and Ethan go to school?” Dash asked.
“They all attend the same school,” said Leopold.
“All that matters,” said Whiskers, “is that Cassie is not going to school. That means we are not going to school. That means I can stay right here in peace.” He snuggled down into the sofa cushions.
I thought for a moment. “If no pets are going to school,” I said, “then no pets can be given away to the class.”
I took a deep breath. Everything was back to normal.
At least, I hoped.
CHAPTER
11
Beep-beep!
Beep-beep!
“Yippee!” cheered Cassie. “The bus is here!”
Cassie had changed out of her jammies and was now wearing her Animal Inn T-shirt and a pair of jeans. She ran out the front door. Mom and Dad followed close behind.
“Why is the bus back?” Whiskers asked nervously.
“This is highly unusual,” said Leopold.
Fuzzy and Furry skittered out of the heating vent.
“There’s a big yellow bus outside!” announced Fuzzy.
“We spied it from the crow’s nest,” added Furry.
“You’re a little late,” said Shadow, slinking out from behind the sofa.
“Well, there’s a lot of them,” said Fuzzy.
“I counted twenty-five,” added Furry.
“Twenty-five!” cried Whiskers
“Twenty-five what?” asked Dash.
Before the gerbils could answer, the front door swung open.
Fuzzy and Furry disappeared into the heating vent. Whiskers buried his head under a cushion. Shadow scampered behind the sofa. And Dash, Leopold, and I braced ourselves. Into the Welcome Area came . . . Sierra?
“Good morning, my furry and feathered friends.” She hung her bike helmet next to the leashes. “Are you ready?” she asked. “Because here comes . . .”
Cassie?
Cassie was followed by lots and lots of children, not to mention a few grown-ups, including Mom and Dad. Everyone crowded into the Welcome Area.
Cassie led me to a man holding a clipboard. “Mr. C., this is Coco,” she said. “Coco, this is my teacher, Mr. C.”
The man smiled at me. “I’ve heard so much about you, Coco,” he said.
Then Cassie ran to stand on the bottom step. “Welcome to Animal Inn,” she cheered, “where we promise to love your pet as much as you do.”
“Boys and girls,” said Mr. C., “let’s put on our best listening ears.”
“How many of you have a pet at home?” Dad asked the students.
Several children raised their hands.
“Wonderful,” said Mom. “Today you’ll get a chance to meet the pets of Animal Inn.”
Helena raised her hand. “I have a question,” she said.
I had a question too. Was one of us still going to be . . . what was that word again?
Donated.
CHAPTER
12
Everyone made their way to the party and play room. I chose a carpet square next to Seiji. Cassie had said that Seiji could get a little nervous. Maybe we could help each other. I was feeling a little nervous too.
I turned in a circle, pawed at my carpet square, and then plopped down. I tried to get comfy. No use. I still felt nervous.
“Our first family pet was Dash,” Mom told the class. She called Dash to the front of the room. “Dash is a Tibetan terrier.”
Dash showed the class some tricks, like high-five and roll over.
“Now let’s meet Leopold,” said Dad. “His full name is Leopold Augustus Gonzalo Tyler. He’s a scarlet macaw.”
“Leopold is a pretty bird,” squawked Leopold. “No, Leopold cannot believe it.” Everyone laughed. Leopold took a bow.
“Our next pet is Coco,” said Mom.
Cassie bounced over to my carpet square and gave me a big hug. “Coco is a chocolate Lab, but her favorite food is cheese,” said Cassie.
“And all these pets love to listen to children read,” said Dad.
“Yay!” cheered the children. “Let’s read!”
Mom brought over the big cardboard box. She reached inside and took out a handful of books. She, Dad, and Sierra started passing them out to the children.
Hey, this was feeling just like Furry Pages. And I love Furry Pages.
I looked over at Dash. He was sitting in the middle of three children who were taking turns reading to him. Leopold was on his perch, paying close attention to a chapter book Mr. C. was reading aloud to a small group in the corner.
I took a deep breath. We had nothing to worry about. I was even getting my appetite back and my tummy told me it must be close to snack time.
Luckily, there were apple slices, crackers, and . . . cheese! Seiji gave me a piece of his. Yum.
After reading time, the class headed upstairs for a tour. We passed by the gerbiltorium to say hello to Fuzzy and Furry. How did they get hold of an apple slice?
We then went to the Reptile Room on the third floor. The turtle and snake enclosures didn’t have any guests at the moment, but the children still enjoyed seeing the habitats.
We moved on to the Rodent Room, where there were two hamsters named Jackson and Wolfie, and a chinchilla named Morris. The children helped fill the food bowls and water bottles. Sierra told them a few fun facts about each animal. I didn’t know that hamsters could store food in their cheeks. That was like having a snack-pack in your mouth.
In the Small Mammal Room, we met two checkered giant rabbits named Socks and Boots. Mom and Dad had the children sit in a circle. Then Sierra lifted the rabbits out of their hutch. She put them in the middle of the floor for a little bunny exercise.
It turned out Whiskers was correct. Lunch was right at noon. We all headed outside for a picnic. Cassie’s classmates were very generous with their sandwich crusts. Mom and Dad passed out cups of homemade lemonade. (I had water.)
And recess was right after lunch. The children’s favorite game was Fishy, Fishy, Cross My Ocean. It was so much fun! I could see why this was Blub’s favorite game.
After we cooled off and caught our breath, it was time to visit the barn and kennels. Everybody loved Toni the Angora goat, but Toni seemed a little concerned.
“Are there enough stalls for all these new guests?” she asked me.
“Oh, they’re not guests,” I said. “They’re first graders.”
Toni nodded. She looked relieved.
Before opening the door to the kennels, Mom asked the children to be extra quiet. “We have a new guest named Lucky,” she explained. “It’s his first time here and he’s a little homesick.”
Lucky was resting on his bed. He still looked sad. I sure hoped his owner wa
s coming back for him soon.
Finally, we returned to the party and play room for some coloring pages and crossword puzzles. One clue asked: Which Animal Inn pet is the color of chocolate, but loves cheese? Four letters.
I snuggled on my carpet square. I didn’t feel nervous anymore. Just tired. School was a lot of fun, but it could sure tucker you out.
CHAPTER
13
The class gathered in the Welcome Area to wait for the bus back to school. Mr. C. asked for everyone’s attention. I made sure to put on my best listening ears.
“We need to thank Animal Inn for such a wonderful field trip,” he said.
The children applauded.
“But the fun doesn’t end here,” said Mr. C.
It doesn’t? I thought.
“Cassie’s family has very kindly offered to donate one of the Animal Inn pets to our classroom.”
“Yay!” The children all cheered.
Dash looked at Leopold. Leopold looked at Dash. Whiskers jumped into Seiji’s lap.
In the middle of all the games and excitement and new friends, I had thought we were safe.
I noticed Dad walk toward Leopold’s perch. It couldn’t be Leopold. Could it?
“Here, Dash,” called Mom. Was it Dash? How could it be Dash?
Then Cassie walked over to the sofa. Oh no! Was it Whiskers? Or was Cassie looking for Shadow?
Where was Shadow, anyway? I hadn’t seen her all day.
“Coco,” Mom said, looking straight at me.
Gulp!
“Coco,” Mom said again.
I couldn’t believe what was happening!
“Coco, could you move over a little? Thanks.”
Whew! I breathed a sigh of relief.
Mom walked past me and over to Blub’s bowl. “I’m sure your class will take excellent care of Blub until his owner returns for him,” she said.
“And I think he’ll be much happier in that beautiful aquarium in your classroom,” said Dad.
“We are honored to have Blub join our school,” said Mr. C.
“Yippee!” I heard Blub bubble happily. “I’m going back to school.”
CHAPTER
14
Beep-beep!
Beep-beep!
“That’s our bus,” Mr. C. said. “See you tomorrow, Cassie!”
Cassie waved to all her friends. “Bye, Helena! Bye, Mattias! Bye, Lucy! Bye, Seiji! Bye, Arlen! Bye, Laura! Bye, everybody!”
“I’d better get going too,” said Sierra. She grabbed her bike helmet off the hook. “Thanks for inviting me. First grade beats college any day.”
Cassie flopped down on the sofa. “Best field trip ever,” she said with a happy sigh.
I couldn’t agree more. Even Whiskers looked like he’d had fun.
Ding-dong!
“Who could that be?” asked Mom. She opened the front door.
It was Mr. C. He had his clipboard under one arm and Shadow under the other.
“The driver found her on the bus,” he said with a smile. “She must have been riding around all day.”
Mom thanked Mr. C. and waved good-bye. Shadow scampered behind the sofa.
“Shadow, where have you been?” Cassie said. “And where is your new collar?”
Ding-dong!
“Now who could that be?” Mom asked.
It was Lucky’s owner, Mr. Patel.
“Sorry not to call first,” he said. “But my conference ended early and I just couldn’t wait to get back to Lucky. I hope it’s okay if I pick him up today.”
“He’ll be happy to see you,” said Mom. “I’ll take you out to him now.”
“I’ll join you,” said Dad.
“Me too,” said Cassie. “I want to say hi to Toni.”
I smiled. Lucky was going home.
Whiskers jumped up and peered over the back of the sofa. “Shadow!” he scolded. “Where have you been all day?”
Shadow strutted out. “All I can say, Little Brother, is—best field trip ever.”
EPILOGUE
I learned a lot of important lessons from our day with Cassie’s class:
1. Lucky’s name was a good fit for him after all.
2. Hamsters have snack-packs in their cheeks.
3. It’s fun to be part of a school, whether you’re a first grader or a fish.
4. Best field trip ever.
The next morning, after Jake, Ethan, and Cassie left for school, Mom and Dad got started on the chores around the inn. Soon Martha arrived to prep the grooming room. Her first customer was . . . Sheila?
Sheila had gotten a little too interested in a mud puddle, and was back for another shampoo.
“Hello, cuddly Coco,” she whispered. “Nice to see you, wonderful Whiskers. Good morning, darling Dash. Greetings, lovely Leopold. Are you back there, shimmering Shadow? Hi there, beautiful . . . Blub? Hey, where’s Blub?”
I told her all about Cassie’s class visit and how Blub had joined their school. Sheila smiled.
That afternoon, Cassie came home carrying a big thank you card. Her classmates had drawn pictures on it.
“Look, Princess Coco,” she said.
There was a drawing of Dash doing a high-five, and one of Leopold taking a bow. There was another of Cassie giving me a big hug, and one of Whiskers on the sofa. There was even a silly drawing of Shadow driving the school bus. Those kids sure had great imaginations.
Cassie opened the card to show me the inside. It said:
Thank you, Animal Inn.
We promise to love your pet as much as you do.
And underneath, there was a photo of Blub, happily swimming with all his new school friends.
FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT ANIMAL INN STORY.
Ping-ping!
Lately there’s been a lot of “pinging” around here—from Mom’s phone, from Dad’s phone, and from the computer in the office.
Ping-ping!
Welcome to Animal Inn. My name is Shadow. I’m what you might call an escape artist. I also happen to be a cat.
No, I’m not one of those silly cats you see in videos on the Internet. That would be my little brother, Whiskers.
I prefer to stay in the shadows. That way it’s easier to sneak outside without anyone noticing.
I’m part of the Tyler family. Our family includes five humans—Mom, Dad, Jake, Ethan, and Cassie—and seven animals:
• Me
• Whiskers—my little brother
• Dash—a dog
• Coco—another dog
• Leopold—a bird
• and Fuzzy and Furry—a pair of rodents (Okay, they’re technically gerbils.)
We all live together in this old house in the Virginia countryside. Animal Inn is one part hotel, one part school, and one part spa. As our brochure says: We promise to love your pet as much as you do.
Ping-ping!
Another message?
It could be a Pekinese in need of a pedicure. A Siamese requesting a short stay. Or a llama in need of a long stay. Once, we even had a Komodo dragon bunk in our basement.
On the first floor of Animal Inn, we have the Welcome Area, the office, the classroom, the grooming room, and the party and play room. The Welcome Area is where you’ll find the all-so-important sofa. The sofa is my brother’s favorite place to rest, and my favorite place to hide.
Our family lives on the second floor. This is where you’ll find the kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms. You’ll also find Fuzzy and Furry in their gerbiltorium in Jake and Ethan’s room.
The third floor is for our smaller guests. If you need an aquarium, a terrarium, or a solarium, the third floor is for you. But if you bark, meow, neigh, or bleat, you’ll be accommodated out in the barn and kennels.
Ping-ping!
Wow! Animal Inn has gotten so popular lately—famous even. And to think, it all started with Whiskers, a web video, and a big dog.
Let me tell you what happened. . . .
CHAPTER
1
It began like any other Saturday morning at Animal Inn—busy!
On Saturdays, Mom teaches her Polite Puppies class. That’s when a herd of little yippers invades the inn. They come to learn some manners. And trust me, they have a lot of work to do.
Dad and Jake also host the Furry Pages. That’s when children read aloud to an animal buddy.
Plus, there are grooming appointments and usually a birthday party or two.
Saturday is my favorite day of the week, and not because I’m a big fan of puppies. It’s my favorite day because the front door is always opening and closing, giving me plenty of chances to sneak outside.
On this particular morning, my little brother Whiskers was curled up on the sofa in the Welcome Area. Leopold was on his perch, and Dash and Coco were out for a walk with Mom and Cassie.
I was hiding behind the sofa, waiting for things to start hopping when I heard Dad, Jake, and Ethan coming down the stairs. I peeked out to see Ethan carefully holding Dad’s smartphone.
“I’ll be outside if you need me, boys,” said Dad. “I want to clear the leaves from the walkway before our first guests arrive. I can’t wait to try my new leaf blower.”
Dad paused before opening the front door and smiled. “I see you hiding back there, Shadow,” he said. He quickly opened the door and closed it behind him.
Drat.
“Are you ready, Ethan?” asked Jake.
Ethan held up the smartphone. “I’m ready,” he said. “Action!”
“Welcome to Animal Inn,” Jake said to the camera. “Here at Animal Inn we promise to love your pet as much as you do. My name is Jake. Today we are going to show you Saturday chores. First on our list, we tidy up the brochures.”
“Cut!” said Ethan.
“What’s the problem?” asked Jake.
“It doesn’t make sense to show brochures in a web video,” said Ethan.
“Good point,” said Jake. “This information is all online anyway. I’ll skip that part and go straight to feeding the pets.”
The Bow-wow Bus Page 3