Friday is report card day. Robin is a big kid in grade five. She gets marks for her subjects. Joe is a big kid in grade three. He gets comments for his subjects. Ben is a little kid in preschool. There are no report cards in preschool.
The new kid, named Erv, came to Ben’s house the next day with her mom and her dog. The dog’s name was Max. They all sat in Ben’s backyard.
Ben liked Erv right away. Erv was short for Minerva, like Ben was short for Benjamin. She could whistle, snap her fingers, blow a double bubble, and do a perfect cartwheel.
Ben didn’t like Max. Max left dog-slobber on Ben’s hand, and he gave a big, loud bark when he spotted Ben’s cat. But at least Erv kept him on a leash.
Ben decided he would move too. Not across the world. Not across the country. Not across town. He would move under the table. He would become a caveboy.
There once was a fine young mouse named Gregory. He lived in Perambulator Park, surviving mostly on seeds and breadcrumbs and bits of cheese he found under the picnic tables.
Gregory made his home in a tiny hole at the bottom of an extremely large tree. His best friend Al the caterpillar lived nearby on the leaves of a milkweed plant.
