Daniel Errico

“ I was bringing the wolves some new leaves for their bed.
“Beavers build dams, that is what beavers do.
The only one worrying about wolves, is you.
And the beavers worked hard for the rest of the day.
The next day young Jenny was later than ever. She tried to sneak up, but her boss was too clever.
“Before we begin,
tell us where have you been?”
said her boss, very meanly, while wearing a grin.
I was bringing the coyotes some roots for their pup.
“Beavers build dams, that is what beavers do.
The only one worrying about coyotes, is you.” ”

“ He rubbed his giant belly as he dreamed about a snack.
The gnarble smiled happily and set his fins a swimming
But he didn’t see the plink wake up, for he was busy grinning.
The gnarble almost made it to the surface of the sea,
But the plink chomped down and swallowed him as if he were a pea.
The gnarble sat inside the plink and started softly crying.
He’d never make it out, so was there any point in trying?
But the Gnarble knew he’d come too close to quit and give up now,
“There must be someway out of here. There’s got to be somehow.” ”

“ I think dogs and squirrels are sworn enemies on Neptune because Shoe is always barking at them. Also, I think that on Neptune, dog bowls are shaped like toilets because Shoe loves drinking from ours.
Shoe can eat more food than ANYONE on earth ever could. I know this for certain because my uncle can eat the most food in the entire world, and Shoe eats more than he does for a snack.
I think that Neptune is as good a place as any to come from, and I’m glad Shoe is from there. I wouldn’t change a single thing about him.
Next weekend my mom and dad are going to Saturn for a barbeque. ”

“ The next morning Farmer Duff woke up and saw that all the food was gone. (How they’d eaten all of the food on the farm in one night, he couldn’t imagine.) He spent the whole afternoon gathering food from the market. The animals worked all day without anything to eat, except for the blue jay and hawk who dug for worms. (If you’ve ever tried to work on an empty stomach, then you know how terrible that can be.) ”

“ The dragon was already miles away because dragons fly quickly after a knight charges at them. It took the knight days to find the dragon who was resting in a cave. The brave knight crept up on the beast as he slept.
The dragon was having such a wonderful dream that fire came shooting out of his nose. (You see, dragons breathe fire when they are scared and angry, but also when they are very happy.) The fire made the brave knight’s armor extremely hot, so he started removing it until he was wearing only the raggedy clothes underneath. ”

“ Do you know what Buck is doing?
He’s combing his hair!
Head Zoo Keeper Buck is looking down at his bare feet. He’s called in because ten are on the loose, wiggling around like wild animals. Buck covers them up and ties them down. Do you know what he’s doing?
He’s putting on socks and shoes!
Chief Buck of the Rescue Team sits down at the kitchen table. Dozens are drowning in a sea of white. He scoops them up with just one arm, but none of them are going to make it. Do you know why?
Because he’s just eating his cereal!
When Buck’s in his room, he’s the Construction Boss. ”

“ I think that on Neptune dogs must eat human food because Shoe likes to eat what I’m eating, but he hates his earthly dog food. He’s a lot faster than any of the earth dogs in the neighborhood. He can beat any of them in a race, but he never rubs it in, because all Neptunians are good sports. ”

“ There once lived a brave knight who was always saving princesses. One day he rode by a tower with a princess inside and a horrible dragon nearby. The knight charged at the dragon and drove him off. Victorious, he burst through the tower door and found the princess. ”

“ When Buck is playing with his little baby brother, he’s careful not to play too rough, and he listens to his Mom and Dad. Do you know what Buck’s doing now?
He’s being a good brother!
Even Buck can’t be in charge all the time. ”

“ The dot began to feel silly one last time. It had not realized that all along it was not just a dot, but also a seed. A seed may start off small, but there’s no telling how large it will become, how many beautiful leaves it will grow, and how many people will find shelter under it. ”

“ Tell me what the secret is, tell me how to grow.”
“Well, my father is a mammoth, and my mother is one, too.
It’s all about your family- if they’re big, so are you.”
When Elan went home he asked his dad, “Why am I so small?
You’re enormous, so is mom. Shouldn’t I be tall?”
“It’s simple,” said his father, “like I’ve told you all along,
Eat your veggies, drink your milk, and you’ll be big and strong.
“No way!” he thought, “Not a chance! Veggies are the worst.
And my brother, Eli, never eats them. I should’ve asked him first”
“I know you’re really busy, Eli, but I need some advice. ”

“ I’ll go ask the coyotes, if they might know why.”
So Jenny went off to ask the coyotes, and then reported back.
“They said that the boulder came falling from high,
The hawks might have seen, since we know they can fly.”
So Jenny went off to ask the hawks, and then reported back.
This time she came back looking sad and upset.
Her boss yelled, “If the birds did not see, then you must ask the bear.
Surely he knows, since his cave is up there.”
“No need,” said Jenny (since the hawks had just told her) .
“The bear will not help, since HE threw down the boulder.” ”

“ So even though the cricket’s wings were no longer frozen, they still could not fly anymore. And ever since then, the cricket stays on the ground like his friend the ant, and he hops from place to place. And now the cricket is the fastest and fanciest hopper there is.
At nighttime, you can hear him chirping from rubbing his wings together to keep warm. But he is doing much more than just that: At bedtime, the cricket is telling you how warm or cold it is by his chirping. He chirps faster when it is warm, and he chirps slower when it is cold. ”

“ Whenever Philip did his homework, he had to hold the paper down. If he let it go for one second, it would run off the desk and try to go outside by sliding under the front door. If you thought Philip’s parents didn’t like his explanations, you should have seen his teacher’s reaction!
One day Philip’s mom bought him a brand new ruler for him to bring to school. “Everyone will need a ruler tomorrow,” his teacher had said. His mother was very clear that Philip had better not lose the ruler. ”

“ Tug is thrown in the air until he falls into a bowl shaped hole. He crawls to the top, but there’s nothing close by. It’s like he’s in the middle of nowhere, or maybe it’s the middle of the human body? ”

“ Neon is better than everyone at video games.
He has a game where you can race the fastest cars in the world. No one is faster than Neon. He has a game where you can play football. No one can tackle Neon. ”

“ So the knight put on the armor, and it fit extremely well. He hopped on the horse and rode it perfectly. The dragon was very impressed. With the pet dragon now safely home, the brave knight went inside to tell the princess the good news. ”

“ He sat in the backseat of the car, and his hair dragged behind him. His parents sat him in the barber chair, and his hair filled up the entire shop!
When the haircut was over Sammy felt great. When he looked in the mirror he decided that maybe he was wrong about haircuts.
Everyone was happy... except for the barber who spent the next three days cleaning up all the hair he had cut.
XI IN SPACE
I’ve decided I’m moving, I’m running away.
I’m bored of this room, and I’d rather not stay.
The best place to live for a girl such as me
Is in space with no rules and no gravity. ”

“ They’re covered brown by furry hair,
Just like paws on any bear.
Nathan hated both his paws.
He never used their mighty claws.
It’s also hard to make a friend
When there’s a tail on your rear end.
It’s black and white and wags around.
When it swats, you hear a sound.
His mom said, “Never be ashamed”,
But classmates said, “He should be tamed!”
He taped his tail down everyday,
But still they wouldn’t let him play.
“He can’t join; he’ll pop the ball!”
So recess wasn’t fun at all.
He wished his tail were off his rear.
He wished his paws would disappear.
But then one day... ”

“ How the Firefly Got its Light I Don’t Want a Haircut In Space Jerry’s Box Martin and the Wave Microbug Tug Muddy Feet My Dog Is From Neptune Neighbors Neon Can Beat Anyone! Night Hippos No Dancing at the Dinner Table! Noble Gnarble Ode to Burping Philip Loses Everything! Prescott Hawthorne Simon and Barry The Boulder and the Beavers The California Gold Rush The Difference a Dot Makes The Island of Bum Bum Ba Loo The Particular Way of the Odd Ms. McKay The Story of Yes and No The Three Brothers of Maladime Tremendous Stupendous! Why the Cricket Chirps Will You Walk My Wikosh? ”

“ The dragon felt much better knowing that despite the same armor, this new knight was not so horrible.
VIII DISHWASHIA!
Who washes the dishes, inside the dishwasher?
It can’t be the work of the furry mish-mosher
You might think they’re cleaned by a set of scrub-tubbers
Or even a pair of guck blasting dirt clubbers
I assure you, my friends, that this isn’t the case
Creatures like those don’t belong in this place
The truth is more simple, without clubbing troubles
It’s a traveling crew of tiny blue bubbles ”

“ He walked down the aisle and stopped at the desk of Oscar.
Oscar’s eyes lit up. Nobody paid attention to Oscar. Nobody talked to Oscar. And nobody had ever stopped at Oscar’s desk, until now. Jerry handed him the box, with a new note tucked inside. Oscar read the note. “Dear Oscar, This is my box. Enjoy. P.S. It works better if you don’t open it!”
On Tuesday, nobody had more people at his desk than Oscar.
XIII MARTIN AND THE WAVE
Martin was hot as he sat by the shore.
They’d come for the ocean, but he liked the sand more.
“The water is fine, come on in!” said his dad. ”