For Emma, with love

  —A.H.

  For Kurt, an inspirational illustrator,

  mentor, and friend

  —L.C.

  Text copyright © 2012 by Amy Hest

  Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Lauren Castillo

  All rights reserved

  Amazon Publishing

  Attn: Amazon Children’s Books

  P.O. Box 400818

  Las Vegas, NV 89149

  www.amazon.com/amazonchildrenspublishing

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hest, Amy.

  The reader / by Amy Hest ; illustrated by Lauren Castillo. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Summary: A boy and his dog hike to the top of a very tall, snowy hill

  where they play, enjoy a snack, and then share their favorite book before

  sledding home.

  ISBN 978-0-7614-6184-5 (hardcover) — ISBN 978-0-7614-6185-2 (ebook)

  [1. Snow—Fiction. 2. Books and reading—Fiction. 3. Dogs—Fiction.] I.

  Castillo, Lauren, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.H4375Rdm 2012

  [E]—dc23

  2011046914

  The illustrations are rendered in ink and watercolor.

  Book design by Anahid Hamparian

  Editor: Melanie Kroupa

  First edition

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Amazon Children’s Publishing

  The reader has a small brown dog

  and a sturdy suitcase that is brown . . .

  and a long red sled with a long, loopy rope

  for pulling through deep snow.

  His boots are high and very heavy, but he is strong,

  and his train tracks are impeccably straight.

  They are beautiful.

  The dog skips off, a bouncing dot, chasing his tail . . .

  a bunny . . . a blue jay . . . his tail.

  Then off he goes to the top of the hill to wait.

  He is good at waiting.

  The reader comes slowly,

  pulling his sled across the world.

  It is hard work, but he is good at working hard.

  The wind blows. Snow blows.

  The hill is very, very tall.

  The top is far, far away.

  Up and up he climbs,

  tilting in the wind,

  pulling in the blowing snow.

  And then he is there, at the top of the world.

  “Here I am!” says the reader to the dog.

  They make angels . . .

  snowballs . . . more angels . . .

  and a snow dog

  for the dog.

  It is shivery-cold at the top of the world.

  But there are warm drinks and crunchy toast for two.

  Snow falls.

  And the only sound in the world is

  sssip-crunch-crunch . . . sssip-crunch-crunch.

  When there is nothing left to crunch or sip,

  they curl up close.

  “And now,” says the reader to the dog, “it’s time.”

  Slowly, he opens the suitcase.

  Click. Click.

  A book. The very best book.

  “Two Good Friends,” says the reader to the dog,

  and he opens the book to the very first page.

  The dog waits. It is hard, but he is good at waiting.

  And then at last the reader reads.

  And the only sound in the world is

  the sound of the reader reading

  to the very last page . . .

  the very last word.

  “Two Good Friends,” says the reader to the dog.

  “Just like us!”

  The dog licks his nose.

  They pack up the suitcase.

  Click. Click.

  Then the reader wraps the dog in his two strong arms.

  And off they go!

  Fast . . . and faster still

  to the bottom of the hill . . .

  across the world . . .

  And then they are there.

  Home. Together.

  A boy, a dog, and a snowy day…

 

 

  Amy Hest, The Reader

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