A BOOK

Fatherand

Mother

BYMORDICAIGERSTEIN

A BOOK

BrotherGirl

Dog Cat Fish

I live in I live in I live in

We live in I live in I live in

Once, in A Book by MORDICAI GERSTEIN, published by Roaring Brook Press, New York,

redesigned by Cheng Cao,there lived a family of characters.

There was a father and a mother, a girl and a boy, and some pets.

When the book was closed it was night in the book, and the family slept.

zzz

zzz

zzz

zzz

zzz

zzz

zzz

When the book was open it was morning, and the family woke up.

They did all the things families do when they get up and begin the day.

Fatherand

Mother BrotherGirl

Yaaaaaaaaawn! Yaaaawn! Snore!

Gooooood

morning!

Good

morning!

Good

morning!

zzz

Dog Cat Fish

Yaaawn! Yaaaawn! Yaaaawn!

Good

morning!

Good

morning!

Good

morning!

Father Mother Brother

Gi

Why,it’s the story of a loving father who is a hardworking circus clown. Goodbye till dinner. I’m off to be silly!

I know we live but what is

One morning the girl asked about something that had been troubling her

Actually, it is the story of a devoted mother who is a fearless fire fighter.Be careful crossing gutters, and don’t be late for dinner... I’m off to fight fires!

It’s really the story of a boy who grows up to be an astronaut.See you latter. I’m off to grow up!

rl

Dog

Mouse

Cat Fish

in a book,our story?

It’s the story of a cat who looks for small things that move quickly. Goodbye. I’m off to hunt.

It’s the story of a fish who looks for the sea. Goodbye. I’m going to swim round and round my bowl and look!

It’s the story of a dog who seeks interesting odors. Goodbye. I’m off to sniff!

Everyone has a What’s

Gi

story but me.my story!

And off went the girl to the next page.

rl

Fish

There she met a large goose.

I’m looking for my story, Ms. Goose. I don’t know what it is.

What are . . . readers?

Oh, you’d better find it. Readers like a good story, else they close the book, you know.

Look up.

Girl Goose

They rushed to the next page.

Girl Goose

EEEEEK!What’s that huge...blobby thing that

looks something like a face?

Oops!

That’s a reader.And you might want to be careful. It can read everthing you say.

Maybe your story is a wonderful fairy tale like mine! Hurry! The best part is on the next page!Watch this!

There the goose laid an egg.

It’s solid gold!I could teach you to lay them too.

It’s easy!

Goose

Witch Rumpelstiltskin Big Bad Wolf

Taste my roof!Taste my door!

You can even eat my floor!

Guess my name!Oh, guess!

Please guess!

Let’s race to Grandma’s house for breakfast!

Thank you, but it’s not the kind of thing I like to do.

The girl ran to the next page.

Chicken Little Kind Frog

Jack Little Bo Peep Three Bears

Have you ever climbed a beanstalk?

The sky is falling!Run tell the queen!

Just try on this glass slipper and become a real

princess!

Would you please give me a big kiss?

You haven’t seen any lost sheep, have you?

Have some porridge!Not too hot . . . not too cold,

just right!

Thank you all very much, but I’m sure my story is not a

fairy tale!

DetectiveGirl

?

dog

I can help you find your story.I’m a detective . . .

. . . and I’ve become a detective too.

DetectiveGirl dog

Your story is obviously a mystery! Maybe it’s been stolen!

Shhhhhhh . . .

Sniff. . . sniff.I think I can smell it!

Shhhhhhh.

Stranger2in manhole

Stranger 1with long moustache

Stranger5 Holding a bread Detective Dog

Stranger3 wearing jeffhat

I saw your story go that way.

Your story was stolen by an evil publisher.

The people are mysterious charac-ters, and the footprints are clues.

We have to find which prints belong to your story.

Are you the rat who stole the story?

Pssst! Your story is down here Follow me. I’ll take you to your story . . .

RatStranger6

wearing a tophat

Ghost Stranger4wearing a scarf

Was it about garbage? I only read garbage.

Pssst! I have a story that will make you rich!

I am the ghost of your story, done in by a nasty critic!

I knew your story when it was just a baby . . .

The girl hurried on.

Girl

My story is definitely not a mys-tery! Mysteries make me nervous!

On the next page, a large white rabbit grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled her toward a deep rabbit hole.

Rabbit

Hurry! Oh, hurry!We’re late! We’re late!

And the queen will be furious!

Just in time, the girl broke away, and the rabbit went down the hole . . .

. . . and on the girl ran to the next page.

Hurry! Hurry!We’re Late!We’re Late!We’re Late!We’re Late!We’re Late!

We’re Late!

We’re Late!

We’re Late!

Girl

I’m sorry reader. My name isn’t Alice, and this isn’t my story! Please be patient. I’m sure I’ll find my story

on the next page . . .

CaptainParrot

Fish

Pirate1Seating on a crocodile

Octopus

Ahoy! Be ye the landlubber what filched

me treasure?I’ll shiver your timbers!I’ll boil your barnacles!

Raise the poopdeck!Avast! Pirate wants a cracker!

It’s the sea! I found it, and met lots of friendly sharks, and I’ve become

a PIRATE!

Don’t go! It’s really more fun than it looks . . .

I don’t walk the plank, I dance on it!

Girl

Help! I’m in a lot of salty water, and I think I’m drowning!

Pirate2Wearing ear rings

Pirate3Having a gun and sword

Shark

Batten down the mainsail! Split their gullets and grill their giblets!

Delighted to be of help.

Girl

I can’t understand a word those pirates say,

but the sharks really are friendly.Drop me on the next page

please!

Take me with you! I’ve been marooned on this page since the

book was written!

Castaway

Girl

What are you doing here?

Cat Milkmaid

FarmerBeans

Gatherer

This is a historical novel and I love it! It’s full of mice!

Hurry! Milk the cow!Storm’s coming!

And then gather the eggs! . . . and quick pick the beans!It’s a hail storm!

GirlCarpenter Native American

Sheep Shearers Cat

. . . and help us build this cabin!A blizzard’s coming!

. . . and hurry! I’ll teach you to spear fish!

. . . and shear the sheep,and spin the wool!

. . . and then you can help me catch mice!

I think this historical novel is too much work. I’ll try the next page.

On the next page she found her brother.

Girl

YEEEEEEOOOOW!I’m falling . . . or floating!

BrotherInhabitant2

with green color

Inhabitant1with pink color

I think your story is science fiction like mine.

Look! I found a tiny new planet with very friendly inhabitants!

Pipick.

Pipick.

Girl

Have you grown up to be an astro-

naut already?

And what is science fiction?

What ‘s that shiny thing coming

toward us?

I don’t want to be an astronauts, or go down a rabbit hole, or be in a

mystery, or a fairy tale, or a historical novel. But I think that now I know

what my story is. Let’s go home to dinner.

Inhabitants

Brother

Growing up only took a few pages, and this is science fiction!

It’s a COMET!

Pipick! Pipick!

Father Mother Brother

Gi

And so . . . ? And so . . . ? And so . . . ?

My story is that who doesn’t know

and

At dinner, the girl made an announcement.

rl

Dog Cat Fish

And so . . . ? And so . . . ? And so . . . ?

of a young girlwhat her story is,so . . .

Father Mother Brother

Gi

Brilliant! Captivating! Original!

. . . and so she I shall become

rl

Dog Cat Fish

Thrilling! cool!

writes her own story;an author!

Father Mother

TV

Brother

And right after dinner, while the rest of the family watched TV . . .

Dog

On and on she wrote . . .

. . . the girl lay down on the rug, opened her notebook, and began to write.

Once, in a book, there lived a young girl, who did not know what

her story was . . .

GirlCat

zzz

. . . until it was time for bed.

Girl

Dear reader, now that you’ve reached the end of the book, would

you mind closing it please? I’d like to go to sleep. Thank you and

sweet dream . . .

Cat

Mouse

Cat

Redesigned by Cheng Cao typeset in

Century Gothic bold, bold italic, and regular.