cats."
Sam nodded. He was carrying his worm box very carefully.
"And Mom was afraid there might be rodents," Anastasia said.
"Yeah. Mom hates rodents."
They both remembered how much their mother had hated Anastasia's gerbils.
"Good thing a worm isn't a rodent," Sam said, patting his box. "Mom likes worms okay."
"And fish," Anastasia added, thinking of Frank.
They were almost at the corner, where the small brick library building was set in the middle of a big green lawn. The pet show would be on the library lawn, under the trees.
Sam could hear the sound of barking.
"A
dog
won't win first prize," he said confidently to his sister, "because dogs are ordinary."
"Let me tie your shoe tighter, Sam," Anastasia said suddenly.
She knelt on the sidewalk, and Sam looked at her in surprise. "Nobody needs to tie my shoes," he reminded her, "because Mom bought me Xerox shoes. I mean Velcro," he corrected himself.
"I really only wanted to talk to you for a minute," Anastasia explained, as she knelt beside him. "Sam," she said, "don't be disappointed if you don't win the prize. Prizes don't matter."
"Yeah, they
do
!" Sam told her. "Prize means
best.
I think King of Worms will be the best pet! I washed him. And I changed his dirt."
"But, Sam,
every
child thinks his pet is the best. And we don't really care what the judges think, do we? As long as
we
know King of Worms is the best, that's the important thing, isn't it?"
Sam shook his head. "No," he said. "The really important thing is to win the prize."
Anastasia sighed. "Come on," she said. She stood up and took Sam's hand, the hand that wasn't holding the worm box. "Let's get it over with."
The library lawn was very noisy. Dogs were barking, babies were crying, children were shoutingâSam recognized some of his nursery school friendsâand a lot of people were standing around a tree, looking up and calling to a cat, asking it please to come down.
The librarian recognized Sam and Anastasia. She gave Sam a number on a square of cardboard. "There you are," she said. "Your pet is number seventeen. And your place will be over there. Do you see the seventeen on that table? Better get in your place because the judging will start soon. Then we'll have refreshments, afterward."
Anastasia nudged Sam over to the empty card table with the 17 taped to it. They placed the little box on the center of the table and removed the lid.
Sam poked gently in the fresh dirt until he found King of Worms. "Stick your head out," he whispered, "and look beautiful when the judges come around."
"Hey, look, Sam," Anastasia said, "somebody
did
bring a goldfish. See over there?"
They checked to make certain that Sam's worm box was safely situated on its table, and then wandered over to look at the goldfish in a bowl nearby.
"Not as good as Frank the Second," Anastasia whispered to Sam, and Sam nodded in agreement. "Not as bright-colored, not as big. And Frank's face is more intelligent."
Sam tugged suddenly on Anastasia's jeans. He pointed. "That's Nicky from my school," he whispered. "Remember Nicky the biter?"
"Well, Nicky wouldn't dare bite anyone at a pet show," Anastasia reassured Sam. They strolled over and looked into the huge box beside Nicky.
"Forty-seven gerbils," Nicky said in a loud voice.
"Nice," Anastasia said politely, and she and Sam moved away.
"And there's my friend Adam with his cat." Sam pointed. "Adam's cat is named Squeaky."
"Shhh," Anastasia said. "Look. There are the judges!"
The three men and one woman were stopping in front of the first pet, a rabbit in a cage, and discussing it. Sam could see them talking quietly to each other. One man was carrying a shopping bag. He reached into it and took out a bright blue ribbon with a badge attached to it. He wrote something on the badge and attached it to the rabbit's cage. The girl standing beside the cage grinned proudly.
"No fair!" wailed Sam. "They're giving the prize and they didn't even look at King of Worms!"
The
Sam nodded. He was carrying his worm box very carefully.
"And Mom was afraid there might be rodents," Anastasia said.
"Yeah. Mom hates rodents."
They both remembered how much their mother had hated Anastasia's gerbils.
"Good thing a worm isn't a rodent," Sam said, patting his box. "Mom likes worms okay."
"And fish," Anastasia added, thinking of Frank.
They were almost at the corner, where the small brick library building was set in the middle of a big green lawn. The pet show would be on the library lawn, under the trees.
Sam could hear the sound of barking.
"A
dog
won't win first prize," he said confidently to his sister, "because dogs are ordinary."
"Let me tie your shoe tighter, Sam," Anastasia said suddenly.
She knelt on the sidewalk, and Sam looked at her in surprise. "Nobody needs to tie my shoes," he reminded her, "because Mom bought me Xerox shoes. I mean Velcro," he corrected himself.
"I really only wanted to talk to you for a minute," Anastasia explained, as she knelt beside him. "Sam," she said, "don't be disappointed if you don't win the prize. Prizes don't matter."
"Yeah, they
do
!" Sam told her. "Prize means
best.
I think King of Worms will be the best pet! I washed him. And I changed his dirt."
"But, Sam,
every
child thinks his pet is the best. And we don't really care what the judges think, do we? As long as
we
know King of Worms is the best, that's the important thing, isn't it?"
Sam shook his head. "No," he said. "The really important thing is to win the prize."
Anastasia sighed. "Come on," she said. She stood up and took Sam's hand, the hand that wasn't holding the worm box. "Let's get it over with."
The library lawn was very noisy. Dogs were barking, babies were crying, children were shoutingâSam recognized some of his nursery school friendsâand a lot of people were standing around a tree, looking up and calling to a cat, asking it please to come down.
The librarian recognized Sam and Anastasia. She gave Sam a number on a square of cardboard. "There you are," she said. "Your pet is number seventeen. And your place will be over there. Do you see the seventeen on that table? Better get in your place because the judging will start soon. Then we'll have refreshments, afterward."
Anastasia nudged Sam over to the empty card table with the 17 taped to it. They placed the little box on the center of the table and removed the lid.
Sam poked gently in the fresh dirt until he found King of Worms. "Stick your head out," he whispered, "and look beautiful when the judges come around."
"Hey, look, Sam," Anastasia said, "somebody
did
bring a goldfish. See over there?"
They checked to make certain that Sam's worm box was safely situated on its table, and then wandered over to look at the goldfish in a bowl nearby.
"Not as good as Frank the Second," Anastasia whispered to Sam, and Sam nodded in agreement. "Not as bright-colored, not as big. And Frank's face is more intelligent."
Sam tugged suddenly on Anastasia's jeans. He pointed. "That's Nicky from my school," he whispered. "Remember Nicky the biter?"
"Well, Nicky wouldn't dare bite anyone at a pet show," Anastasia reassured Sam. They strolled over and looked into the huge box beside Nicky.
"Forty-seven gerbils," Nicky said in a loud voice.
"Nice," Anastasia said politely, and she and Sam moved away.
"And there's my friend Adam with his cat." Sam pointed. "Adam's cat is named Squeaky."
"Shhh," Anastasia said. "Look. There are the judges!"
The three men and one woman were stopping in front of the first pet, a rabbit in a cage, and discussing it. Sam could see them talking quietly to each other. One man was carrying a shopping bag. He reached into it and took out a bright blue ribbon with a badge attached to it. He wrote something on the badge and attached it to the rabbit's cage. The girl standing beside the cage grinned proudly.
"No fair!" wailed Sam. "They're giving the prize and they didn't even look at King of Worms!"
The
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