by Cam Higgins
Both cats stretched out and rolled over in the soft grass just beside the sand of the beach. I felt the warmth of the sun too, and it did feel good.
“But if we wanted to swim, we could,” said Diva. “Because while cats don’t like water, at least we’re not afraid of it… like some pups.”
Well, that was all I could take. I knew I’d get in trouble for chasing those cats, but what was a poor puppy to do? I stood on the edge of the blanket and dug my tired paws into the sand.
“You take that back,” I told them.
“Or what?” asked King. “You’ll bark and chase us? We’re just innocent cats lying in the sun. You’re the bad dog that tried to bite us.”
I could feel the biggest, loudest bark ever rising up in my throat. I was about to open my mouth to let it out when the strangest thing happened.
A tiny acorn plunked down right on King’s head.
“Ouch!” snapped King. “What was that?”
Then another acorn dropped on Diva’s paw. “Ack! My perfect nails!”
More acorns rained down from above, landing softly in the grass and sand, and also bonking the cats, which sent them quickly running away into the forest.
I expected to see Scrapper shaking the trunk to bring down the acorns. But nope, he was still swimming with the kids.
Then I looked up into the tree, and guess what I saw? A squirrel!
It was the same squirrel I had seen on the tire swing. I was sure of it—I never forgot a squirrel face.
He was balanced on a branch holding a stack of acorns in his little arms, ready to throw them down on the cats.
I was really confused now. Why would a squirrel ever help a dog? But before I had a chance to ask, he squeaked and bounded away.
8 Picnic, Picnic
I thought about chasing the squirrel. Sure, I think about chasing squirrels a lot, but this time I just wanted to talk to him. There were a million questions running through my mind.
But then Jennica called us over for something that I could not ignore. “Picnic time!”
Every pup knew what that meant. It was time to eat!
I raced over to see what everyone had brought. There was such a wonderful feast laid out on the beach blanket. I spotted a big bowl of tortilla chips and salsa. There were giant platters of potato salad and macaroni salad.
There was even a sandwich-making station with slices of different breads and salami and ham and turkey and cheese and even jars of peanut butter and jelly and wow, it smelled yummy!
Plus, Jennica had made her prizewinning peach-blueberry pie for dessert.
Oh, all the smells were yum-yum-yummy!
“Ah, ah, ah,” said Imani as she stepped between the pie and me. “This is all people food, remember?”
Now, of course my brain knew that, but my stomach was a different story. I tried not to drool, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“Don’t worry, Bo,” Jennica told me. “I baked special pupcakes for you and Scrapper.”
I had no idea what pupcakes were, but I didn’t care one bit. Everything Jennica made was delicious!
The humans filled their plates as Scrapper and I dug into a pile of kibble that Scrapper’s family brought along for us. Then we drank some ice-cold water that was frosty and refreshing.
I might have spilled more than I drank, I was so thirsty.
And finally, it was pupcake time!
“Here you go, boys,” Jennica said as she set our food down on the blanket.
Here’s one way Scrapper and I are different. He’s a pup who eats things all in a rush, without even thinking about it. He gobbled up his pupcake in just one bite!
But not me. I’m a pup who likes to make my treats last as long as possible.
First, I gave my pupcake the sniff test. Oooh, I could smell peanut butter… and banana… and even a hint of bacon!
Next, I gave it the lick test to get a hint of the flavor. I licked the pupcake and WOW! It tasted like fireworks in my mouth, all yummy and fantastic and bright.
By that time, Scrapper had had enough. “JUST EAT THE YUMMY THING ALREADY!”
“I would if you didn’t interrupt me,” I told him. “It’s not like the pupcake is going to run away.”
Let me tell you, I wished I hadn’t said that, because guess what. My pupcake actually ran away! And it ran away fast!
“See? I told you,” said Scrapper. “You’ve got to eat your food quickly, or else it will escape.”
Then I spotted a very fluffy tail underneath my very speedy pupcake.
“It’s not escaping!” I yelled. “It’s being stolen… by that squirrel!”
9 Squirrel Overboard
The chase was on! I dashed after that squirrel, but he was fast! He let go of my pupcake, hoping I would stop running after him, but I didn’t stop.
No, sir. If you are going to chase a squirrel, you have to chase it until the job is done. The minute you give up, the squirrel wins.
We made it all the way to the tire swing, and that’s when I knew I had a chance to catch him. The squirrel leaped onto the tire, and I jumped into action.
I pushed the swing with my front paws, and it went twirling in circles out over the water.
Oh boy, I had that squirrel trapped!
I watched as the squirrel spun and spun until he slipped off the swing and fell into the swimming hole!
Oh, no! Can squirrels even swim?
Without even thinking, I leaped into the water to help. My legs had a mind of their own.
I landed with a splash, and as the water came up around me, I remembered I kind of couldn’t swim.
Luckily, Scrapper had followed me to the swing. He called out from above. “Bo! Remember our doggy-paddle lesson!”
Then he barked all the steps he had told me to do earlier.
I tried to calm down and pay attention. It reminded me of Nanny Sheep’s advice for Billy. I listened to Scrapper’s instructions, to move my paws, arch my back, and keep my head above the water.
And do you know what? After a moment, I was swimming! My front paws were paddling and my back legs were kicking. Sure, I wasn’t the best swimmer, but I was doing it.
I paddled over to the squirrel, and guess what. That squirrel could already swim!
I suppose that made sense if you live next to a swimming hole.
The two of us swam to safety, just as Wyatt and Imani ran over to see if I was okay.
Here’s a doggy secret: I was better than okay. I was great—because I was swimming!
10 The Swimming Hole
We enjoyed the rest of the day in the warm sunshine, swimming and playing with our friends.
I doggy-paddled all around the swimming hole with Scrapper, Imani, Wyatt, and Hank. We played all kinds of games in the water: chasing games, racing games, and floating games.
Plus, Scrapper taught me how to dive! Well, maybe my dives were more like graceful belly flops. Either way, jumping into the lake was so much fun!
This was a perfect day. I couldn’t imagine what could have made it better, but then Jennica brought out an extra pupcake for me! This time, when she placed it in front of me, I ate it faster than fast. Yum!
“Smart move, buddy,” said Scrapper. “You never know when that sneaky squirrel is going to strike again.”
I would have agreed with him, but my mouth was totally full of banana, peanut butter, bacon, and cakey goodness.
But Scrapper was right. Squirrels were mysterious creatures. I still couldn’t figure out why that squirrel would help me with the cats, but then steal my pupcake. It made no sense at all. I guess squirrels don’t need to make sense.… That’s what makes them squirrels.
Oh well, there’s no time to worry about squirrel friends when I’ve got my favorite splash friends right here!
More from this Series
Life is Good
Book 6
Home Is Where the Heart…
Book 1
Raised in a Barn
Book 2
Herd You Loud and Clear
Book 3
Fireworks Night
Book 4
Keep reading for a preview of
Life is Good
by
Cam Higgins
There was something in the air. Something new, with a sharp, tangy smell. All of us could sense it.
The chicks were waddling a little faster. The sheep grew a bit fluffier. The pigs—well, they always eat… but they started eating a lot more.
It all started one chilly morning when a wisp of white cloud blew right out of my mouth. I was outside with Wyatt and Imani, my human brother and sister, while they were doing their daily chores on the farm.
I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw that first white puff. I was so surprised! It looked super yummy, so I opened my mouth wide. But it disappeared before I could bite it.
“Bo!” Imani laughed as she watched me chase the white puffs. “Silly dog, that’s your own breath. When it’s cold out, you can see your breath when you breathe out. Here, watch.”
Imani blew out a big white cloud that floated in the air. She looked like a fire-breathing dragon from one of those books she liked to read. Hmm, did this mean Imani could breathe real fire too? I hoped not!
“Looks like we’re in for a cold snap,” said Wyatt. “Maybe it will even snow!”
Imani jumped toward the sky and cheered. “Oooh, I sure hope so!”
Every once in a while, humans use a word I’ve never heard before. Like “spoon.” I learned that word last week when I got caught licking a spoon in the dishwasher. I was just copying what I saw them doing all the time, but Imani told me I was not allowed to lick spoons.
I also learned the word “socks” when I was a young pup. And here’s a secret: dirty socks might smell bad, but they taste amazing! Like spoons, I’m not supposed to eat them, either. But of course I still like to try!
And now I had a new word to learn: “snow.”
The big tree on our farm is in the middle of the field. And during the hottest days of summer, everyone gathers there.
Why? you might ask. Because the big tree gives the absolute coolest, best shade.
Every animal on the farm needs shade on hot summer days. The cats stay in the barn, horses stay in their stalls, and pigs stay in the mud—if they are lucky enough to find a pool of mud.
But when it is so hot that it feels like the sun is tapping you on the back, the best place to be is under the big tree.
Continue Reading…
Life is Good
Cam Higgins
About the Author and Illustrator
CAM HIGGINS wrote her very first book about a cat who lived in an alleyway when she was eight years old. As a child, she loved visiting a neighboring farm and seeing all the animals. Now Cam has a pup of her own, who is very mischievous, and she still loves writing about animals. Cam lives in New York City with her two children, her husband, and Laila the dog.
ARIEL LANDY knew she wanted to be an illustrator as soon as she learned how to draw a sky beyond a blue scribbled line. Raised on coloring books and crayons outside of Boston, she now illustrates books of whimsy and adventure from her home in France, where she lives with her husband and her dog, Sid.
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Cam-Higgins
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Ariel-Landy
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster, New York
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.
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First Little Simon hardcover edition July 2021
Copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Also available in a Little Simon paperback edition.
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Designed by Leslie Mechanic
Jacket design by Leslie Mechanic
Jacket illustration by Ariel Landy copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Higgins, Cam, author. | Landy, Ariel, illustrator. Title: The swimming hole / by Cam Higgins; illustrated by Ariel Landy. Description: First Little Simon edition. | New York: Little Simon, 2021. | Series: Good dog; #5 | Audience: Ages 5–9. | Summary: Scrapper teaches Bo to swim when they visit the swimming hole with their human family.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020051555 (print) | LCCN 2020051556 (ebook) | ISBN
9781534495340 (paperback) | ISBN 9781534495357 (hardcover) | ISBN
9781534495364 (ebook) Subjects: CYAC: Sheep dogs—Fiction. | Dogs—Fiction. | Swimming—Fiction. | Farm life—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.H54497 Swi 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.H54497 (ebook) | DDC [E]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020051555