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Winnie & Ernst
By Gina Freschet Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Copyright © 2003 Gina Freschet
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4668-9532-4
CHAPTER 1
Winnine and Ernst Go Hunting
It was the day of Ms. Zora Beaver's birthday party. Ernst knocked on Winnie's door. It flew open.
"I'm not ready!" Winnie cried, and pulled Ernst inside. "I can't find the gift! I've lost it!"
"Where did you leave it?" asked Ernst.
"If I knew that," said Winnie, "it wouldn't be lost. Help me look," she pleaded.
They hunted through her house. Ernst went to the kitchen. He looked in the cupboards. He looked in the Mixmaster. He looked in the refrigerator and got himself a snack.
"Wait a minute. What am I looking for?"
Winnie said, "You are looking for Ms. Zora Beaver's birthday present!"
"Is it a bug?" asked Ernst. "There's a bug in the blender."
"No," said Winnie.
"Is it a banana peel? There's a banana peel in the fruit bowl."
But Winnie said, "No, it isn't a banana peel."
"Did you get her cobwebs? There's cobwebs on the tea set."
Winnie said, "Are you looking or what?"
"Well," said Ernst, "how will I know it when I find it?"
Winnie told Ernst, "It's a mood ring. It has a stone that changes colors when you're happy or sad. It's in a little blue box."
She tapped her chin. "I wonder if I hid it in a pocket."
She went to the closet and threw down all her clothes and costumes. She searched all the pockets. No dice.
"We have to find it," whined Winnie. "We can't go to the party without a gift."
"I have a gift," said Ernst. "It can be from both of us."
"What is it?"
"It's a surprise."
"Is it a pair of skates?" Winnie asked.
"No, it's not skates."
"Is it a Fishin' Musician? Soap on a rope?"
"Nope."
"An ant farm? A Lava lamp? Sea-Monkeys?"
Ernst shook his head until Winnie demanded, "What is it?!"
"It's a pinecone," said Ernst. "A perfect pinecone."
Winnie just looked at him. "What for?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure it will be useful for something."
Winnie said, "Let's keep looking."
Ernst looked in the fish-head soup tureen. He looked in Winnie's silkworm box, in her bowling-ball bag, and behind all the pictures of Winnie having lunch.
Together, all they found was an old dog biscuit, a fuzzy lollipop, and Winnie's missing copy of Cooking with Smoke and Mirrors.
"Aha!" said Winnie. She went to her bookcase and took out all her books.
"Aha!" she said again, because there, behind the very last book of Eskimo campfire songs, was the blue box. Winnie eagerly opened it.
"Oh no!" Winnie wailed. The box was empty. "Where can it be?" She clapped her paws to her face.
"Right under your nose," said Ernst. He pointed to her paw. On it was a sparkling red ring.
Winnie laughed. "Now I remember! I put it on so I wouldn't lose it!" She let out a big sigh, and the mood ring instantly changed to milky blue. Winnie put it back in its box.
At Ms. Zora Beaver's house, there were balloons and games and prizes and music.
Ms. Beaver got a pair of goggles and a Frisbee and a bracelet and a necklace. And a mood ring.
Plus, she got a perfect pinecone, which turned out to be a perfect jewelry tree.
CHAPTER 2
Winnie and Ernst's Nut Loaf
It was early morning, and the big bake sale was that afternoon. Winnie and Ernst still couldn't decide what to bake.
"How about a coconut cream pie?" said Ernst.
"Look around," said Winnie. "Do you see any coconut trees?"
"How about a cake?"
"Boring," said Winnie. "Everyone will bring a cake."
They thought and thought until Winnie finally said, "I know! We'll make my Aunt Sally's Famous Nut Loaf."
"What's it famous for?" asked Ernst.
"For selling at bake sales."
Winnie and Ernst got out some butter, eggs, sugar, flour, apples, spices, berries, salt, and baking powder. They mixed it all up and poured it in a pan and baked it in the oven.
When the loaf came out, it was golden brown and puffy and fluffy.
On the way to the bake sale, they met Wally. Winnie said, "Would you like to sample my Aunt Sally's Famous Nut Loaf?"
"Glad to," said the rabbit. He took a nibble. "Not bad," said Wally. "But something seems to be missing."
Next Webber hopped by. Winnie offered him some of Aunt Sally's Famous Nut Loaf, too. He took a slurp and said, "It's all right, but I doubt it will sell at the bake sale."
"Why not?" said Winnie.
Two field mice came along. They took a taste, and both made a face. "Something's missing," they said.
"But what is it?" wailed Winnie. "Vanilla?"
"Nooo," burped Webber.
"Honey?" asked Ernst.
"Nooo," said Wally.
"Raisins!" the field mice blurted out.
"Yes! Yes!" everyone shouted. "It needs raisins!"
Winnie huffed. "There aren't any raisins in the recipe!"
All of them shook their heads regretfully. They left Winnie and Ernst and went on their way to the bake sale.
Winnie looked sadly at her last little piece of Aunt Sally's Famous Nut Loaf.
"Don't listen to them," said Ernst. "Rabbits eat grass, frogs eat flies, and mice will eat anything. What do they know about fine baking?"
"I know one thing." Winnie sniffled. "Aunt Sally's Famous Nut Loaf isn't very famous after all."
Just then Watson came by. Winnie gave him the last piece of the not-so-famous nut loaf.
"Delicious," said Watson. "Except for one thing: no nuts."
"No nuts?!" cried Winnie.
"No nuts?!" said Ernst. "No nuts in the nut loaf! The Famous Nutless Nut Loaf!" He laughed himself silly until Winnie was laughing, too.
"Follow me," said Watson.
He took Winnie and Ernst to all of his secret hiding places. Under logs, roots, and rocks they found walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, and more acorns than you could shake a stick at.
Winnie and Ernst gathered all they could carry. They thanked Watson and hurried back to Winnie's kitchen, where they made another loaf — this time with plenty of nuts.
It was just as golden brown and puffy and fluffy as the first one — only nuttier.
At the bake sale, it became known as Winnie and Ernst's Famous Nut Loaf. They sold every crunchy, munchy piece and gave most of their earnings to the local home for lost loons.
There was enough left over to buy Watson a bag of walnuts to last him all winter.
CHAPTER 3
Winnie's Garden Party
The long, cold winter was ending. Winnie looked out her window. She saw the first flower in her yard. It was yellow. After months of gray skies and white snow, it made her very happy.
"I'll have a garden party," she said, "on the first day of spring." She checked her calendar. The first day of spring was in just one week. She had to get busy and send out invitations.
She would invite Wally and Webber and Old Thorny the turtle, and the ducks, Ling and Ing. And of course the Buttress Badgers. She asked Ernst to come over and help. "What should I say?" asked Winnie, tapping the pen on her tiny teeth.
"How about this?" Ernst said.
"Perfect!" said Winnie.
Replies came the next day by Post Owl Service. Winnie was delighted. "So everyone is coming to my garden party!"
First Winnie and Ernst tackled the garden. They shoveled the last of the snow, cracked the ice in the birdbath, and painted all the lawn chairs different colors.
Then they began to cook. The good smells brought some of the young guests early, and Ernst had to shoo them away. "The party is tomorrow," he told them.
That night, Winnie could hardly sleep. In her dream, snow began falling. The way it falls in a snow globe. Silently.
When Winnie woke up, she went to the window and pulled back the curtains. "Eek!" she screamed.
Her yard was knee-deep in snow. There was no yellow flower, nothing but white snow and gray sky.
Ernst came by early to start the flapjacks. He found Winnie crying. "The party is wrecked! Whoever heard of a blizzard on the first day of spring? Whoever heard of a garden party in the snow?"
Ernst said, "Well, you know our neighbors. I bet they're still coming. There's free food."
"Of course they're still coming!" Winnie said. "What should we do?"
"Whatever it is, we'd better do it fast," said Ernst.
He went outside and brought in all the lawn chairs. Next he and Winnie dragged in all the porch plants.
Winnie quickly got her arts-and-crafts kit of paper, glue, paints, and glitter.
"Here, take this end," she told Ernst, and they strung green garlands all around the room.
"Hurry," said Winnie. She and Ernst twisted up dozens of paper flowers and tied them to the bare bushes.
Winnie sprayed her favorite perfume, Mink Stink, around the room. The doorbell rang, and she jumped.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Winnie & Ernst by Gina Freschet. Copyright © 2003 Gina Freschet. Excerpted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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