A Surprise Visitor Read online

  Finch looked confused.

  Sophie headed for the kitchen. “Come on, Finch! I know exactly what we should do next!”

  More Visitors?

  Finch rubbed his belly. “That looks so delicious,” he said to Sophie.

  She was scraping the last scoop of whipped cream out of the mixing bowl. She plopped it on top of the dessert.

  “It’s called a trifle,” Sophie said. “And I think this one turned out even better than yesterday’s.”

  Sophie had told Finch the whole story. She told him about the dinner party the night before. She told him about the beautiful dessert she’d made.

  She told him how she had dropped it all over the floor.

  Then, together, Sophie and Finch had remade the trifle.

  Sophie scooped the delicious-looking dessert into two bowls, one for each of them. Then they dug in.

  And it tasted just as delicious as it looked!

  As Sophie took her last bite, there was a knock at the door. She jumped up from her chair. “Maybe it’s Mom or Dad!” she cried. “But wait. Why would they knock?”

  Sophie hurried to the door and peeked out. On the doorstep were three young birds. Sophie didn’t recognize them.

  “Yes?” she asked uncertainly.

  The orange bird in the middle cleared her throat. “Um. Hello. My name is Ginger. I’m looking for my friend. He’s a blue-winged warbler and his name is Finch. I don’t suppose—”

  Sophie gasped and flung the door wide open. Finch came running up behind Sophie.

  “Ginger!” he cried. “Max! Lewis!”

  All three of the birds were overjoyed to see Finch. Then they noticed the sling on his wing.

  Ginger gasped. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  Finch looked embarrassed again. “I had a . . . hard landing,” he said. Then he pointed to Sophie. “But luckily, I landed on Sophie’s house. She really helped me out.”

  Finch introduced Sophie to each of his friends. “Nice to meet you!” Sophie said.

  Now I have four guests! Sophie thought. This was turning into a party. She was so glad she had made the trifle!

  “Is anybody hungry?” Sophie asked.

  First, Dessert!

  While Sophie served the trifle, the birds took turns telling their stories. Finch told his friends how he’d gotten lost, been hit by the branch, and wound up hurt on Sophie’s roof.

  “How did you find me?” Finch asked his friends.

  Ginger explained they’d been looking all over for him. “At first we just thought you had a really great hiding place,” she said.

  Max added, “Then it seemed like something must have happened.”

  “So we flew around in circles, searching for you,” said Lewis. “Finally, Ginger spotted a few feathers on the roof of this house.”

  Ginger held the feathers up. “Look familiar?” she asked Finch with a grin. “We weren’t sure they were yours. But we thought we should check it out.”

  Soon all the dessert bowls were empty. Lewis patted his belly. “Wow! That was so yummy!” he exclaimed. Ginger and Max agreed.

  Finch put his good wing on Sophie’s shoulder. “It’s called trifle,” he said, proud to share his new knowledge. “We made it this afternoon.”

  Ginger looked outside. “Uh-oh. It’s getting late,” she said. “I think we’d better head home.”

  “Yeah,” said Max. “My mom told me to be back for dinner.”

  “Mine too,” Finch said. “But . . .” He looked down at his sling. “I don’t think I can fly. My wing still hurts a lot. How am I going to get home?”

  Sophie and the others were quiet as they thought it over.

  “I wish I knew the way,” Sophie said. “I could tell you how to walk home.”

  Ginger frowned. “Though that would take a lot longer than flying,” she pointed out. “We might not make it there before dark.”

  Lewis crouched down with his back to Finch. “Hop on my back,” Lewis told him. “Maybe I could carry you.”

  Finch climbed on. Lewis’s legs trembled a bit. He could hold Finch. But when he flapped his wings, Lewis couldn’t get off the ground.

  “Nope, I can’t do it,” said Lewis. “At least, not by myself.”

  But Lewis’s idea gave Sophie an idea. “Maybe you could all carry him—together?” Her eyes fell on Finch’s sling. “That’s it!”

  Sophie rushed upstairs and opened the hall closet. She pulled out a dandelion-fluff blanket and carried it downstairs. “Come on!” she called to the others as she led them outside.

  Sophie spread the blanket out on the ground. “Finch sits in the center,” she explained. “Then each of you grab a corner or side of the blanket in your beak. When you take flight, you’ll lift Finch up!”

  Lewis gasped. “It’s like a big sling!” he cried.

  “Exactly!” said Sophie.

  Ginger and Max nodded and smiled.

  Finch was the only one who didn’t seem excited. In fact, he looked pretty nervous.

  He shook his head and backed away from the blanket. “What if I fall out? What if you drop me? I don’t think I can get in there.”

  What were they going to do now?

  When Mice Fly . . .

  “You’re right,” Ginger said matter-of-factly. “You’re not getting in there. Not until we test it. We need to make sure it’s safe.”

  Sophie liked Ginger. She reminded Sophie of Hattie—practical and very cautious.

  “Good idea!” said Sophie. She picked up a large rock and put it at the center of the blanket.

  Ginger, Max, and Lewis grabbed different corners of the blanket in their beaks.

  “Ready?” Sophie called out. “One! Two! Three!”

  The birds flapped their wings. They rose into the air. The sling cradled the rock inside. It was working!

  Ginger, Max, and Lewis flew slowly in a wide circle, practicing. They had to fly close together to keep the rock cradled. But they had no trouble at all. The rock seemed safe and secure.

  Then they came in for a landing, carefully setting the rock down before they landed themselves.

  “That was great!” Sophie exclaimed. She turned to Finch. “What do you think?”

  Finch still looked nervous. “I don’t know . . .”

  “Really?” said Sophie. She knew Finch was probably still rattled from his accident. But Sophie couldn’t hide her enthusiasm. “It looks so fun! I’d get in there in a second.”

  Finch’s eyes went wide with surprise. “You would?”

  “Sure!” Sophie replied. “In fact, why don’t I try it? I’ve always wanted to know what it would feel like to fly!”

  The birds giggled at her eagerness.

  “Let’s do it!” cried Ginger.

  Ginger, Max, and Lewis took their places again. They grabbed the corners of the blanket. Sophie felt the fabric hugging her on all sides, then lifting her off the ground.

  “Whoo-hoo!” Sophie cried out. “Be back in a minute, Finch!”

  At first the birds flew fairly low to the ground. The wind ruffled Sophie’s fur. The blanket swung left and right as the birds swooped this way and that. Sophie peeked over the top of the blanket.

  “I’m flying!” she yelled. “Yippeeee!”

  The birds carried her higher into the air. Sophie looked down. She could see the roof of her house. She could see Hattie’s house and the stream. They went even higher. Sophie could see some of the buildings in town and even parts of Forget-Me-Not-Lake.

  “Wow,” Sophie whispered in awe. She had been high up on a Ferris wheel before. But this felt different. She knew it was the closest she’d ever get to being able to fly herself. She studied the blue sky. It didn’t look any more or less blue than from the ground, but somehow it seemed even more beautiful. She loved being able to see the treetops, and her fellow ground-dwellers down below. She even thought she could see Hattie playing near her house. She couldn’t wait to tell Hattie all about her day.

  Too soon, the
birds came in for a landing next to Finch. They lowered Sophie gently onto the ground. Then they let go of the corners. The blanket unfurled, and Sophie jumped out.

  “Amazing!” she cried. “You guys are so lucky that this is how you get around!”

  The birds laughed.

  “Okay,” said Finch. “I think I’m ready.”

  Finch’s Farewell

  Finch took a deep breath. He stepped onto the blanket.

  And just like that, Sophie realized it was time to say good-bye.

  “Oh, wait!” she cried suddenly. “Don’t go yet!”

  She ran into her house and up to her room. The painting of Sugar Maple Lane was still sitting on her easel. She gently touched it to make sure it was dry. Then she rolled it up and tied it with a blade of grass.

  Sophie carried it outside. “You can’t forget this!” Sophie said, handing it to him. “It’s all dry. Just make sure to unroll it when you get home so it lays flat!”

  Finch smiled. “Thank you, Sophie!” he said. “For everything.” He gave her a one-winged hug.

  “I hope your wing feels better soon,” Sophie replied.

  Finch nodded. “I’m sure it will. And then I can come back and visit again.”

  Ginger, Max, and Lewis agreed. “We’ll come along and show Finch how to get here,” Ginger said.

  Sophie clapped excitedly. “I can’t wait!” she replied.

  Ginger, Max, and Lewis grabbed the corners of the blanket. Sophie waved as they lifted Finch up into the air. She kept on waving as the birds flew higher and higher, and disappeared into the trees.

  Then, as Sophie Mouse turned to go inside, she heard a familiar sound. It was Winston’s voice echoing down the forest path. He and Mom were home!

  Sophie ran down the path to meet them. She was eager to tell them all about her guests—and her stay-at-home adventure.

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  While Sophie and her friends are exploring Sassafras Alley, they come across a paw print. They have seen paw prints before, but they’ve never seen one this big! What sort of animal could possibly have made such a giant paw print? As the friends go on an adventure to find out, they are in for a great big surprise!

  Poppy Green can talk to animals! Unfortunately, they never talk back to her. So she started writing in order to imagine what they might say and do when humans aren’t watching. Poppy lives on the edge of the woods in Connecticut, where her backyard is often a playground for all kinds of wildlife: birds, rabbits, squirrels, voles, skunks, deer, and the occasional wild turkey.

  Jennifer A. Bell is an illustrator whose work can be found on greeting cards, in magazines, and in more than a dozen children’s books. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband, son, and cranky cat.

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  Simon & Schuster • New York

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  authors.simonandschuster.com/Poppy-Green

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division • 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 • www.SimonandSchuster.com • First Little Simon hardcover edition August 2016 • Copyright © 2016 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected]. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Designed by Laura Roode. The text of this book was set in Usherwood.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this title is available from the Library of Congress.

  ISBN 978-1-4814-6699-8 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-4814-6698-1 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-4814-6700-1 (eBook)