Adventure Book:
Winifred Finds Her Shoes |
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“Grandma”, said Max, “I like a horse that looks full and round and this one still looks too flat.”
“Well you know what to do Max. Winifred (and that was her name) needs to be stuffed and that’s your job,” said Grandma.
So Max placed small pieces of poly-fil® stuffing in Winifred’s feet and larger pieces in her tummy to make her round.
“Burp,” she went, and Max giggled.
“Well, I guess she’s full now,” said Grandma.
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“Imagine what would happen if a horse could find their own shoes,” said Max to Grandma.
“Just imagine!” said Grandma.
“Horses do wear shoes,” said Max.
“I’ve heard it said,” Grandma replied. “While we imagine about a horse and her shoes, let’s see if I can find some
gumdrops.”
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“Hmm...” said Max. Grandma and Max chewed on the gumdrops.
“What are you doing, Max?”
“Well,” said Max, “I am exercising my imagination.”
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“Don’t forget to put on your shoes,” Winifred neighed to her farmyard friends.
“Horses wear shoes, you know,” quacked Arbuckle duck.
“They need their shoes to protect their feet,” moo’d Flora the cow.
“They need their shoes so they can trot down the street,” joined in Pickles the pig.
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"Shoes? Shoes for me?" neighed Winifred.
"How about these flip-flops? They're 'kickie' and informal. How about these?"
"Oh dear, no," said the other animals. "Horses do not wear flip-flops!"
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“Now, I could wear these. They are very slimming for my ankles, although I might have just a tiny bit of trouble balancing.”
“Oh, Winifred!,” moo’d Flora. “Those shoes will never do when you’re climbing hills.”
“Well, probably not,” sighed Winifred.
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“Couldn’t you wear these?” asked Pickles. He held a pair of bunny slippers in his mouth.
“Ah,” said Winifred. “They are snuggly, snuggly, bunny slippers.” She put them on and a smile floated over her face. Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
“It’s noon— horses don’t fall asleep at noon,” quipped Max.
“Certainly not,” agreed Grandma.
Winifred fell over in a heap. “Oh dear!” she said. “No bunny slippers for horses— not in broad daylight.”
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“Perhaps I should settle for sensible shoes,” said Winifred.
“Sensible they may be, but not for you,” said Pickles. “These shoes are not sensible for a horse.”
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"Oh, dear," said Winifred. "I guess that leaves me with sandals. I do like these. What do you think?"
"No, no, no," quacked Arbuckle duck. "Horse shoes like these!" Arbuckle duck jumped on a pile of horseshoes around a stake that stood in the yard ready for a game of pitching horseshoes with Grandpa and Max's dad.
"They put horseshoes on a horse with nails," explained Arbuckle duck.
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“Nails?” said Winifred, and she looked worried.
“Nails?” said Max.
“Yes,” Grandma explained. “A horse’s hooves are like big, thick fingernails. When the blacksmith makes the shoes and pounds them in, using square nails, it doesn’t hurt the horse, and they will protect her feet when she trots down the road.”
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Winifred wasn’t frightened any longer, and she knew what kind of shoes she would wear.
“Now that Winifred has got her shoes on,” said the animals, “let’s hold a hoedown and do the “stomp!”
What a racket there was in the barn that night! Everyone was groovin’ to the music of the Chicken Quartette.
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| Written and illustrated by elinor peace bailey |
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