Perfect Pet Story by Cynthia Rylant Pictures by Sugie Stevenson VINNERS OF THE THEODOR Seuss GEISEL AWARDHenry and Mudge have had many adventures together and you can read them all! Look for these great stories: Henry and Mudge Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble Henry and Mudge in the Green Time Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All Henry and Mudge in the Family Trees Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night Henry and Mudge and Annie's Good Move Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan Henry and Mudge and Annie’ Perfect Pet Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch Henry and Mudge and a Very Merry Christmas Henry and Mudge AND Annie’s Perfect Pet The Twentieth Book of Their Adventures Story by Cynthia Rylant Pictures by Sugie Stevenson Ready-to-Read Aladdin Paperbacks New York Lond onto. Sydney SingaporeFor Leah Brown, our perfect pet-sitter-—CR For M.C., Ron, Owen, Huck, the fish, and the kitties—Sss ‘THE HENRY AND MUDGE BOOKS First Aladdin Paperbacks Edition February 2001 Text copyright © 2000 by Cynthia Rylant llustrations copyright © 2000 by Sucie Stevenson Aladdin Paperbacks ‘An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. READY-TO-READ is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster. {Also available in a Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers edition The text for this book was set in 18-point Goudy. The illustrations were rendered in pen-and-ink and watercolor Manufactured in the Linited States of America 20:19 18 17 16 15 14 ‘The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as: Rylant. Cynthia Henry and Mudge and Annie's perfect pet: the twentieth book oftheir adventures story by Cynthia Rylant; pictures by Sucie Stevenson. . _em.—-(The Henry and Mudge books) (Ready-to-read) ‘Summary: Although Henry's cousin Annie likes his dog Mudge, when she gets her own pet she decides that a bunny willbe perfect for het. ISBN-13: 978-0-689-81177-7 (he) ISBN-10: 0-689-8117-2 (he) [I_ Rabbits—Fiction. 2, Dogs—Fiction. 3. Pets—fition. 4, Cousins—Fiction] 1. Stevenson, Sucie. il. Title. Il Series, IN Series: Rylant, Cynthia, Henry and Mudge books. PZ7.R9szHeah 2000 [Fic]—de21 98-20017 ISBN-13: 978-0-689-83443-1 (Aladdin pbk.) ISBN-10: 0-689-83443-8 (Aladdin pbk} Contents Annie’s Wish Soft and Dry The Pet Store Snowball 15 23 31Annie’s Wish % Henry and Henry’s big dog Mudge always visited Cousin Annie next door. Annie used to live far away. Henry didn’t see much of her. But now she lived next door and it was fun!Henry and Annie rode bikes, played Frisbee, and traded comics. And, of course, they petted Mudge all the time.Annie loved Mudge. She loved his soft eyes and his warm nose and his big paws. Annie wished she had a dog. But her father was at work every day. No one would be home to take care of a dog. Henry felt sorry for Annie. He remembered how much fun it was to get a new pet.Mudge had been the cutest puppy. He was all round and rolly. And very small. Henry could pick him up and kiss him. Henry sure couldn’t do that now!And Mudge was so short that he could walk under the collie down the street. Not anymore! Henry wanted Annie to have her own pet. He went to his parents for help.Soft and Dry “Maybe she could get a mouse,” said Henty’s father. “Annie's afraid of mice,” said Henry.“Okay,” said Henry’s father, “Annie needs a pet that isn’t scary, isn’t wet, isn’t hard, doesn’t fly, and tap-dances.” “Tap-dances?” Henry giggled. “T just threw that one in,” = said Henry’s dad. “A bird?” said his mother. Henry shook his head. “Tt might fly into Annie’s teacups,” he said.Henry’s mother was thinking. “I know!” she said. “A bunny! It’s soft and dry and doesn’t fly.” “And it doesn’t have to be walked like a dog,” said Henry. * “Yes,” said Henry’s father, “but can it dance?”¥f > The Pet Store Henry and Henry’s parents and Henry’s big dog Mudge took Annie to the pet store. When they went inside, birds were singing, puppies were barking, kittens were meowing, and mice were squeaking.But the bunnies | in the corner were being quiet. Quiet and careful. ‘h Just like Annie. “Perfect,” said Henry’s mother. ¢ Annie picked up a white baby bunny. She had soft eyes, just like Mudge. She had a warm nose, just like Mudge. amM And she had something Mudge didn’t: a little cottontail. “She’s so cute!” Annie said with a smile. Mudge put his warm nose up to the bunny’s warm nose. The bunny sniffed, sniffed, sniffed. She seemed to like Mudge. 7Henry looked at his parents. “We've found Annie’s perfect pet,” he said. And they took the bunny home. And when Mudge gave her a big drooly kiss, she didn’t even mind.Tt was painted with flowers and trees. It had a little china bowl for the bunny to eat from. And soft bits of cotton for the bunny to sleep on. It fit Annie’s room perfectly.34 Annie named her bunny Snowball. She played with her, and sang to her, and took her to Henry’s house for visits.And when he got tired, they stopped for crackers. The bunny liked Henry's house. She liked riding on Mudge’s back. Mudge carried the bunny all around.Annie was so happy to have a pet. A pet just right for her. “J love my bunny,” Annie told Henry. “I know,” Henry said. “She’s soft and dry and doesn’t fly.” a0,Suddenly the bunny went flying through the air and landed on Mudge’s back. Annie laughed. “Maybe she does!” she said. “I live in Oregon with my son, Nate, and our two dogs and one large cat. Ihave always loved pets. Raised in the country in ‘West Virginia, I was surrounded by hound dogs and barn cats. “When I grew up and found myself raising a boy and dogs, Iwas inspired to write the Henry and Mudge stories. I know all about cold shivers, big tests, happy cats, and wild winds. And especially big drooly, lovable dogs.” —Cynthia RylantREADY-TO-READ What's the perfect pet for a careful cousin? In Henry and Mudge’s twentieth adventure, Henry wants to find the perfect pet for his cousin Annie. Annie needs a pet that’s soft and dry and doesn’t fly—one that’s quiet and careful, just like Annie. What could that be? Ready-to-Read books offer children a world of possibilities at four different reading levels: Recognizing Words ‘+ Word repetition + Familiar words and phrases t I } ‘Rich vocabulary + More-challenging stories * Longer chapters Visit Henry and Mudge at www.henryandmudge.com gL