Adventure Book:
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“It’s time to stuff the duck,” announced Max. “Ducks do not look their best when they are flat.”
“You are right about that,” said Grandma. When Max was right, he was right.
So together Max and Grandma stuffed the yellow duck using their stuffing tool and the bag of poly-fil® stuffing that Grandma had packed, and they called him Arbuckle Duck because it felt funny in their mouths to say. And if you say it many times over, it will feel funny in your mouth too.
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“Imagine how confused you’d be if you
didn’t know which line to march in,” said Grandma.
“What do you mean by that?” replied Max.
“Baby ducks walk in lines following after their mothers, don’t they? So, what if Arbuckle duck lost his line?” asked Grandma.
“He would never do that,” but Max was a
little unsure.
“Well, just imagine,” said Grandma.
And he did.
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One day, when he wasn’t paying attention, Arbuckle duck lost his brothers and sisters.
So... he went looking for them. He found a line of trucks that had been formed by Max’s baby brother, George. He stood behind the last truck for a very long time. It never did move.
“Ducks don’t line up with toy trucks,” said the other animals.
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He followed the children to where they stood in line to get on the bus.
When he got to the head of the line, the driver said, “ducks don’t ride on buses.”
So... Arbuckle duck waved goodbye to the
children.
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There was a line of kittens following their
mother cat.
She looked annoyed when Arbuckle duck stepped in as they headed toward the barn.
So... he went the other way.
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Grandma and Max were hanging towels and sheets on the clothesline to dry so they would smell fresh and clean.
Arbuckle duck didn’t want to be hung in the air on the line with the sheets, so he kept looking.
Where was his mother, and where were his brothers and sisters... in a line?
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Where was the duck line for Arbuckle?
Not in the garden with the toy trucks.
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Not in the tree with the Robin, or on the ground following the ants.
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And not in the pen with Pickles—
that was much too dirty for a family of ducks.
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Not in the stalls with Flora and her friends, all lined up to be milked; nor in the stall where Winifred waited to be brushed and fed.
Where was Arbuckle duck's family— all in a line?
In a minute Arbuckle thought he might cry. Then he heard something...
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"Quack, quack, quack."
"That sounds familiar," said Arbuckle duck. "That sounds just like home..." and so it was.
"There's my line!" he shouted, heading right for the pond which looked curiously like Max's plastic swimming pool.
"Fall in line, Arbuckle duck," said Max.
"You come too, Max," said Arbuckle duck.
And he did.
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It was late, and Max and Grandma picked up the critters to take them inside.
“Imagine,” said Grandma, with a smile and a wink “there will be another day.”
“To imagine,” said Max, and he slipped his hand into hers.
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| Written and illustrated by elinor peace bailey |
