Anthony Smoochiano: First Love
Written by Angela Larson, Illustrated by Kenny Durkin,
Page 1
Living in the sewers, I never really thought about LOVE.
Page 2
That changed when I joined the zoo. Maybe I didn't think about LOVE because...
Page 3
...life in the sewers
can be dark. Real dark.To get around, you have to use your senses:
Page 4
Hearing what's ahead
on the path, smelling
the food, and seeing
even in the dimmest
of light.
Page 5
One day, as I was following a stream of sunlight from a grate above, my nose caught a faint but wonderful smell. Could it be food? It smelled sweet and delicious! Could it be a fabulous piece of apple? What a wonderful surprise that would be – fruit doesn't last long in the sewers. Following the smell, I climbed up.
Page 6
The smell was becoming stronger, becoming sweeter. I was overwhelmed by the smell - it was so strong that it lifted me off my feet. And right then, I was hit with the feeling of love. Love!
Page 7
I love that smell!
I love it so much!
Smooooooch!
Page 8
Slowly opening my eyes to the bright daylight, I found myself beside a gargantuan pile of fruit: apples, pears, bananas, grapes, oranges, mangos, cherries, and even kiwi fruit and lychee nuts!
Page 9
This skyscraper of fruit was just sitting there.
Sitting there waiting for me!
I love fruit! I love it so much! Smooooch!
Page 10
As I was eating, a shadow blocked out the sun, creating a chill in the air around me. The shadow was oddly shaped. It was a bit like a shadow of a dog's head, but I didn't hear or smell a dog. The shadow was also a bit like a tree with many branches, but a tree would not suddenly lean toward me.
Page 11
From behind the
great pile of fruit
appeared…
Page 12
...a moose! Of course, at the time, I did not know that it was a moose. At the time, I just turned and ran away along the fence, fearing for my life, trying to escape from the crazy monster guarding the mountain of fruit. As I ran, I found a sign that said "Moose" and had a picture of the monster.
Page 13
The sign also said that the "Moose" was a vegetarian. This huge
creature loves fruit just like I do! Could we be friends!? Oh, to
have a friend! I love friends! I love them so much! Smooooooch!
Page 14
No longer afraid, I returned to the fruit, but the moose wasn't there. I jumped into the pile, swimming in happiness. I saw the moose again, leaning down to take a bite of fruit. He did not see me! His nose was getting close.
Page 15
When his teeth separated to grab a slice of melon, I took that opportunity to... jump on his nose!
Page 16
He froze, staring cross-eyed at me on the end of his nose. Then he began to run! Run and buck and jump and twist and turn!
Page 17
I ran up his forehead and grabbed hold of one of his
huge antlers for the wild ride. When he suddenly stopped,
I went flying off and hit the ground.
Hard.
Page 18
Again, I found myself squinting into
the light, but this time with a moose
looking at me. He spoke first.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You totally
caught me by surprise when you just
appeared like that on my nose.”
He looked friendly and he sounded
friendly, but I was still just dizzy enough
that all I could do was whisper,
“I love fruit. I love it so much.
Smoooooch!”
Page 19
"HA! Then you came
to the right spot! I mostly
eat grass, but on Wednesdays
I'm served fruit. Like you said,
I love it! We have that in
common. I'm Hal," he said.
Page 20
“Nice to meet you, Hal, I'm Anthony,”
I said, getting to my feet. “Hal, you can really throw a guy!
I didn't mean to surprise you - I was trying to introduce myself.”
Page 21
On our way back to the fruit,
Hal pointed out a few of his
neighbors and explained that the zoo had lots of food and lots
of animals, and that I might enjoy sticking around for a while.
Page 22
I thought about it for
a minute. I could grab a
few strawberries and
head back down to the
sewer- I was used to
living alone. But I was
finding so much to love
at the zoo. And I love it all.
I love it so much!
Smooooch!
Page 23
And in that moment...
while chatting with Hal...
I saw the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen...and they were living right next door to Hal! If I stayed in the zoo with Hal, I thought, then I could introduce myself to those beautiful, strawberry-colored creatures!
Page 24
I decided I would stick around, because those flamingos, those flamingos – I love them. I love them so much! Smooooooch!
