My silly doctor's orders are that I need to keep this cone on longer and let my humans put gooey cream on my stitches. Awoooof! I don't like this one bit, but at least I still get lots of attention (like extra chicken treats!!) from my worried family. And as Allison says, it could be worse. My friends don't seem to mind my having to wear my funny hat; Chloe and Dante and Quincy and Sadie all assure me that I only look a bit comical. They even understand why it's so important that I keep busy munching grass (sweet and tickly on my tongue) and body-slamming doors (to feel strong grrrrrr) - to stop from being frustrated about the cone. It's nice for a pup to have friends and a place where he belongs. Ruff!
Sometimes when a pup or human-pup feels like he or she doesn't belong, an adventure results. This afternoon Allison shared one of her favorite books (Mama Suz used to read it to her when she was a pup) with me. It's about a human-pup named Andrew Henry and what he decides to do when his family don't understand him...
Doris Burn's Andrew Henry's Meadow starts out simply enough. Andrew Henry, the middle-born human-pup in his family, loves to build and invent things. But uh-oh, all of his inventions - from the helicopter he builds on the kitchen ceiling to a pulley system in his little brothers' room - make his family angry. No one appreciates Andrew Henry's projects, poor guy! So he trots off in search of a new place to belong and to work on his inventions. After Andrew Henry builds a house for himself in a meadow, another human-pup shows up. She wants a place to watch birds - a place away from her bird-hating farmer dad! Luckily, Andrew Henry builds her a treehouse. Well, you can guess what happens next! A whole herd of human-pups gather in the meadow to live in houses built by the happily busy Andrew Henry! One by one, each human-pup finds a place to belong in the meadow, away from grown-ups who scold and do not understand.
See? And this is only half of Andrew Henry's meadow! Allison's favorite is the treehouse; mine is the one in the front of the picture. Why? Because it is dug under the ground - great for digging for hidden bones!
Fortunately, Andrew Henry's faithful dog Sam (Not Sam I Am, but still a sign that this pup is very smart. Woof!) is able to lead the human-pups' mamas and daddies to the meadow when everybody starts to miss Andrew Henry and his friends. Although Allison tells me that this book is a bit out-of-date (Today women are not limited to cooking and sewing like Andrew Henry's mother and sisters are, for example.), I liked this story. Human-pups will love the black-and-white pictures, full as they are of details like the workings of Andrew Henry's inventions and the special parts of the human-pups' houses. And I think little ones will relate to longing for a nook of their own away from parents (especially in such fun houses!). Two paws up for this book, which is best for grades 3-6 - or for anyone with a love for creative solutions to problems and special places.
Let's see...Andrew Henry could build me a house with a fluffy, comfy floor, lots of hiding spots for bones and squeaky toys, and a window in the roof to see the moon. Mmmmm. Rrrruff! He could even make it brown and white and brindle-ish colored like my hair, and a cupboard filled with bacon and turkey and sausages. Ooh, I'm drooling just thinking about it! Too bad Andrew Henry is in a book, and I am out of it.
Oh well. My own home with my family (with adventures to the big beautiful ocean sometimes) makes its own special place. Awooooooo!
I'm going to finish watching some sort of confusing mystery show (on that strange television box) with Mama and Allison. Then it will be belly-rubs and bedtime, cozy with my stork Herbert and my giraffe and my bones. You know, I really don't need Andrew Henry's building skills...even if that cupboard of meat would be fantastically yummy.
Yours in Content Belonging,
Sam I Am
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