Puppies on Board
Written by Sarah N. Harvey, Illustrated by Rose Cowles,
Page 1
What was that noise? Mollie listened closely to the familiar sounds of morning on the wharf.
Page 2
Water lapped against the hull of the boat, halyards slapped against masts, rubber bumpers squeaked, seagulls squawked and boat engines roared, but the strange snuffly sound was still there.
Page 3
It could only be one thing!
Mollie tiptoed past her sleeping mother and peeked into the wheelhouse. Sheba was in her pen, where they had left her the night before.
Page 4
But the night before she hadn't been licking and nuzzling a heap of damp, squirming puppies! At first Mollie could count only four or five, but as Sheba cleaned each one, Mollie counted six, then seven, then eight, nine and finally TEN wriggling, noisy, hungry puppies.
Page 5
Then Mollie noticed something else—a tiny scrap of scraggly black fur tucked into the far corner of the pen. Ever so carefully, Mollie reached in and scooped up puppy number eleven. He was too small and weak to compete with his brothers and sisters, but he fit snugly into Mollie's cupped hands.
Page 6
"I think I'll call you Wilbur," she whispered as she moved one of his greedy little brothers aside. "Eat your breakfast now, and don't worry—I'll look after you."
Page 7
Every morning Mollie got up early to make sure that Wilbur was getting enough to eat. Every afternoon she took Sheba for a walk and helped her mother clean out the puppy pen, which seemed to get smaller and smellier as the puppies got bigger.
Page 8
Mollie's mother frowned as she stuffed a garbage bag with stinky newspaper.
"I wish your dad was here—he's a lot more patient than I am. One dog is enough for me."
Page 9
Wilbur curled up with Mollie while she wrote to her dad, telling him all about the puppies.
Page 10
When the puppies were a few weeks old, they started
climbing out of the wheelhouse, tumbling about the cockpit,
chewing on boots and burrowing into bunks. Wilbur was too
small to climb out of the pen, so Mollie carried him around
in her backpack. You couldn't walk from the bow to the stern
without stepping on a tiny tail. You couldn't eat without a puppy
trying to share your meal, and you couldn't sleep without being
woken up by little woofs and growls
and squeaks.
Page 11
Mollie's mother yawned as she drank her coffee in the morning sunshine with Sheba at her feet. She had just caught Max and Pippi scampering down the gangplank. The day before, Heidi had dived overboard and was rescued by Junichi, who lived with his father on their fishboat, the Sazanami.
Page 12
Wilbur followed Junichi down the wharf; Tigger and Piglet chewed up the charts; Eeyore hid in the bilge; and Stuart and Margalo jumped into a passing kayak for a cruise around the cove. Only Pooh and Charlotte were content to stay by Sheba's side.
"One dog is enough for me," sighed Mollie's mother, feeding Pooh a bit of her cinnamon bun. "I wish your father was here—he'd know how to find homes for them all."
Page 13
"I have a plan," said Mollie.
Page 14
Mollie got out her felt pens and some paper, and before long she had made eight invitations, decorated with her best stickers.
Page 15
Early the next morning she set out
on her bicycle, with Wilbur and
all the invitations in the basket.
Page 16
"What a sweet puppy," said Elizabeth, who lived in a little log cabin where she built guitars and grew prize-winning delphiniums. "I'd love to come for tea."
Page 17
"What a goofy puppy," said Anne, who worked at the boatyard. "I'd love to come for tea."
Page 18
"What a cute puppy," said Mollie's best friend Kelly, who lived in a big house filled with brothers and gumboots and the smell of freshly baked bread. "I'd love to come for tea."
Page 19
"What a smart puppy," said Nina, who taught school with Mollie's mother. "I'd love to come for tea."
Page 20
"What a cool puppy," said Alice and Kyle, who lived across the cove on a little green boat with their twin babies, Forest and Ocean.
"We'd love to come for tea."
Page 21
"What a talented puppy," said Olaf, who played the saxophone in Mollie's father's band between fishing trips. "I'd love to come for tea."
Page 22
"What a ridiculous puppy," said old Mrs. Morgan, who lived with only a parrot for company. "Maybe I'll come and maybe I won't. Will there be clotted cream?"
"I don't think so," said Mollie, "but it will be fun anyway."
Page 23
Mollie rode back to the boat with only Wilbur and the last invitation in the basket. She walked down the wharf and slipped the invitation under a crab trap on the dock by the Sazanami.
Page 24
On Saturday morning, Mollie and her
mother made scones and opened the
blackberry jam they had made last
summer. Max climbed in the flour
bin and started to sneeze.
Stuart and Margalo made an awful ruckus with the pots and pans,
and Mollie's mother groaned when Tigger climbed onto the counter
and ate three scones.
Page 25
Mollie scooped up the puppies and
calmed them down with puppy
treats and a story. When they
were all asleep, she sat down on
the afterdeck of the Brady Lee to see
if her plan would work.
Page 26
Elizabeth arrived first with a big bouquet of delphiniums and a guitar.
Page 27
Alice, Kyle and the twins came next with Olaf, who brought his saxophone.
Page 28
Kelly brought her mother and a big loaf of banana bread, and Nina arrived with Anne and a basket of ripe strawberries. Mrs. Morgan turned up with a crock of clotted cream and an old umbrella to keep off the sun.
Page 29
Mollie and her mother served three kinds of tea—chamomile, Earl Grey and green—and everyone remarked on the fluffiness of the scones, the richness of the cream, the sweetness of the strawberries and the lusciousness of the jam. Mollie wished her dad were there, getting cream in his beard and making her mother giggle.
Page 30
After tea was finished, Elizabeth and Olaf played duets, Forest and Ocean gurgled, and a couple of the puppies howled along with the music.
Page 31
"Those are mighty talented puppies," said Olaf, picking up Charlotte and Tigger. "Can I take them fishing with me?"
"Sure," said Mollie, "but don't let them fall overboard."
Page 32
"These two belong together," said Elizabeth, cradling Pooh and Piglet in her arms. "Can I take them home and write songs about them?"
"Absolutely, said Mollie, "but don't let them dig up the delphiniums."
Page 33
"These little clowns make me laugh," said Anne, juggling Max and Pippi. "Can I take them back to the boatyard to keep me company?"
"Certainly," said Mollie, "but don't let them stow away on one of the boats."
Page 34
"Please, Mom," said Kelly, hugging Heidi to her chest, "I've only got brothers and this one's so cute. Can I take her home?"
"All right," said Kelly's mom, "if it's okay with Mollie."
"It's perfectly okay," said Mollie, "but don't dress her up in doll clothes."
Page 35
"Hmmm," said Nina, examining Margalo from every angle. "I think she's as intelligent as she is beautiful. Can I take her home and teach her tricks?"
"Please do," said Mollie, "but don't make her work too hard."
Page 36
Eeyore was snuggled between Forest and Ocean.
"He'll keep the babies warm on cold nights. Can we take him exploring?" asked Alice.
"Yup," said Mollie, "but don't let him wander off alone."
Page 37
"Well," said Mrs. Morgan, "this is ridiculous, but I'm tired of talking to the parrot. Hand me the last two—they can keep each other company."
"Well," said Mollie slowly, "you can have Stuart, if you don't let him get too carried away, but you can't have Wilbur."
"Oh!" said Mrs. Morgan.
"Oh?" said Mollie's mother. "You know one dog is enough for me, Mollie."
Page 38
"I know," said Mollie as she jumped off the boat,
"but I have a feeling that one dog will be just right
for Junichi, too."
Page 39
"Arigato, Mollie," said Junichi's dad, with a bow.
"You're welcome," said Mollie, "but don't take him too far away."
"I won't," said Junichi as he and Wilbur hopped aboard
the Brady Lee.
