9 788378 290711 ISBN 978-83-7829-071-1 ANTE ROOM TO A N T F A R M DETOUR DR. FEELERS - ANTENNA REPAIR ANTRHOPOLOGY SOCCER FIELD ANT POLLY’S CAFE GRAND ANT THEATER CHARLIE’S ANT ANTY MAMME ANTS IN PANTS CLOTHING T O D A I R Y FINE APHID M ILK G RA ND A N T D A IR Y CENTIPEDE EXPRESS A N TRA C K D E P O T A N T Y L A N D P A R K T O G R A N D A N T S C H O O L ANTHILLS INC. CONDOS CAUTION ROOT TRIMMING A little ant with big ideas, and his human friend Joey will delight your children with their exciting adventures. The imaginative stories in these fun, colorful books will both entertain your children and help them learn valuable lessons that every kid should know. THE RUNAWAY DOG During his neighbor’s holiday leave, Joey takes care of his dog, Ralph. He is very happy because he can earn a lot of money doing that! But at some point, thinking about spending his wages becomes so important for Joey that he forgets about the task he had been given. The dog seizes the opportunity and runs away. Will the boy manage to find him? Thanks to this adventure, Joey learns that doing a good job is much more important than focusing on money. LAWN MOWER ON THE LOOSE RUNAWAY ANTS THE SWIMMING HOLE DISASTER THE BAND MUSIC MYSTERY DANGER AT THE CIRCUS THE RUNAWAY DOG THE SECRET OF THE SPOOKY HOUSE THE GOOFED UP SCIENCE PROJECT Books For Those We Love The Runaway Dog Look for Andy Ant in his other books, too!
Transcript
9 788378 290711
ISBN 978-83-7829-071-1
ANTE ROO
MTO ANT FARM
DETOUR
DR. FEELERS - A
NTEN
NA
REPAIR
AN
TRH
OPO
LOG
Y
SOCCER FIELDANT POLLY’S CAFE
GRA
ND
AN
T THEA
TERC
HA
RLIE’S AN
T AN
TY MA
MM
EA
NTS IN
PAN
TSC
LOTH
ING
TO DAIRY
FINE APHID MILKGRAND ANT DAIRY
CENTIPEDE EXPRESS ANTRACK DEPOT
AN
TYLA
ND
PA
RK
TO GRAND ANT SCHOOL
AN
THILLS IN
C.
CO
ND
OS
CA
UTIO
NRO
OT
TRIM
MIN
G
A little ant with big ideas, and his human friend Joey will delight your children with their exciting adventures.
The imaginative stories in these fun, colorful books will both entertain your children and help them learn valuable lessons
that every kid should know.
THE runaway DOGDuring his neighbor’s holiday leave, Joey takes care of his dog, Ralph.
He is very happy because he can earn a lot of money doing that! But at some point, thinking about spending his wages becomes so important for Joey
that he forgets about the task he had been given. The dog seizes the opportunity and runs away. Will the boy manage to find him?
Thanks to this adventure, Joey learns that doing a good job is much more important than focusing on money.
lAWn moWeR on THe looseRunAWAy AnTs
THe sWimming Hole DisAsTeRTHe BAnD music mysTeRy
DAngeR AT THe ciRcusTHe RunAWAy Dog
THe secReT of THe spooky HouseTHe goofeD up science pRoJecT
Books For Those We Love
The Runaway Dog
Look for Andy Ant in his other books, too!
ANDY’S SWIMMING HOLE
ANDY’SROOM
FAMILY ROOM
JOEY’S HOME
ANDY’S HOME
Mr. DAVIS’HOME
Creator: Lawrence W. O’Nan created Andy Ant in the 1970s when he told bed-time stories to his children. He developed Andy Ant to assist him in instilling values and providing an imaginary hero for his two daughters. He regularly lectures and teaches on subjects dealing with values. He and his family reside in California, where is he is a fund raising consultant with nonprofit organizations.Author: Gerald D. O’Nan is the author of the Andy Ants stories. The stories are based on events that occurred during his childhood and individuals who played important roles in his life as a child. He actively works with children in his community as a teacher and storyteller and also teaches seminars in public and private schools on creative writing and storytelling. He and his family reside in Colorado, where he is an attorney.Illustrator: Norman McGary is an internationally recognized illustrator. He began his career in 1957 when he illustrated children’s books for Walt Disney and became known for his illustrations in 101 Dalmatians and Sleeping Beauty. His career also in-cludes extensive work with Hanna-Barbera Productions, Warner Brothers, and Jere-miah Films. He resides in California, where he continues to illustrate many projects.
STORM DRAIN
DINING ROOM
HALLWAY
SIDEWALK
INSIDEANDY’S HOME
ANT SCHOOL
JOEY’SSCHOOL
PORCH STEP
Dear
Have you ever had a job — and
thought you were going to earn lots
of money? Well I did! In fact, Andy
and I spent more time thinking about
how to spend the money than I did
working. And it nearly caused a disa-
ster! I hope you learn as much as
Andy and I did about working hard
and doing a good job.
Sincerely,
Joey
Vocatio PUBLiSHiNG HoUSE Warsaw
Created by Lawrence W. O’NanWritten by Gerald D. O’Nan
Illustrated by Norman McGary
the Runaway Dog
In memory of Theodore “Teddy” Garner, our beloved cousin
i was having the most fun i had ever had, and to-morrow i was going to be rich!
You see, nearly two weeks ago, Mr. anderson asked me to take care of his dog, Ralph. Since i don’t have a dog of my very own, i was really excited. We have a dog at our house, but he real-ly belongs to my older brother Dwane. at least Dwane had the dog before i was born so i figure
it’s really his, even though mom and dad say it’s mine, too.Mr. anderson wanted me to take care of Ralph while he went on
vacation. this way, i would have a dog that was just mine for two whole weeks.
But the exciting part of taking care of Ralph was getting paid for it! Mr. anderson said he would give me $1 for each day he was gone. that would be $14. Wow, can you imagine having $14 all at one time?
of course, i told Mr. anderson i would take the job, so he show- ed me where the food was and how to fill the water dish. Mr. an-derson said Ralph wouldn’t go to sleep at night unless he was in his own house. that meant i would have to put Ralph in his dog house each night. and i had to remember to let him out each morning.
then Mr. anderson said that Ralph might get loneso-me, so i should try to play with him every day. Wow, i figured that would be the best part.
“and don’t forget to keep the gate closed,” Mr. an-derson had said, “because Ralph might run away.”
i told Mr. anderson he could depend on me. i would take very good care of Ralph. after all, Ralph and i were already good friends and i wanted to earn the $14.
can you imagine getting paid real money for ha-ving fun? i was so excited about my new job that i ran out to the front steps and told andy right away.
“What do you think you will buy with all the money, Joey,” was the first thing andy had said.
and that was still the question we were trying to figure out. the two weeks were nearly over and i still hadn’t decided what to buy. andy and i had just finished giving
Ralph some food, so we sat down on the grass while Ralph ate.
“Well, what are you going to buy with all that mo-ney,” andy repeated for nearly the 100th time.
and each time he would ask the question, i seemed to think of something else i wanted.
“i may get a new soccer ball...” i said. “Yeah, that sounds great,” andy responded.
“or maybe a new bell for my bicycle. or maybe some candy and a whole truck load of big peanuts.”
i knew andy liked peanuts, especially the big kind, so i wasn’t surprised when he said that’s what he would vote for. i closed my eyes and just started dreaming about all the things i wanted to buy with the money.
Mom and dad thought i should “save it for a rainy day.” But i wasn’t much interested in rainy days, and besides, it’s more fun to play with a new soccer ball on sunny days. Mom and dad sure had funny ideas sometimes.
all of a sudden, andy jumped up on my shoulder and said, “Joey, Joey, wake up!”
i hadn’t realized that andy was even on my shoulder. Guess i was thinking too hard about all that money. “Joey, Joey,” andy said again. “the gate is open and i can’t get it closed by myself.”
Sure enough, the gate was wide open. i had to close it before Ralph decided to
run out and see what the rest of the world looked like. i turned and looked over at Ralph, and he looked up at me. then he looked over at the open gate.
one look was all it took. Ralph must have forgotten about the good food in his bowl because he was off at a dead run heading for the gate. Luckily, he still had his leash on, and i tried to grab it as he ran by. But the leash just slipped through my fingers.
13
at the same moment, andy said, “i’ll get it.” and he jumped from my shoulder to the leash. i sup-pose andy thought he could stop Ralph. But even i could see that was impossible.
Ralph bolted through the gate and headed down the street like a shot. andy was hanging on to the leash for dear life yelling, “stop, Ralph, stop!”
i knew i couldn’t run as fast as Ralph, so i grabbed my bicycle and tried to chase after that runaway dog.
“Joey, help me, Joey, help,” i could hear andy shouting as Ralph charged down the street.the leash was bouncing up and down, and i wasn’t sure if andy could hang on. i could just imagine how he must feel every time the leash banged against the curb.
“Joey, hurry, Joey,” andy hollered.“i’m coming, andy,” i yelled, but Ralph seemed
to be getting further and further ahead. i was peda-ling as fast as i could, but it didn’t seem to make any difference.
“Here Ralph. come her boy,” i said as loud as i could. Ralph didn’t act like he even heard me. all of a sudden, Ralph decided to turn the corner. But
instead of staying on the street, he cut across the grass and straight through the flowers that Mrs. Holland was so proud of.
“oh no,” i said right out loud. “Ralph, you come back here, this minute.” When my mom says that to me i always came real fast, but Ralph just kept on running at full speed.
“Joey, i can’t hold on much longer,” andy yelled as Ralph knocked over some garbage cans and the leash bounced over the top.
Ralph turned another corner going full speed. i couldn’t see him, but i could still hear the trash cans being banged around, so i knew i was on the right track. But all of a sudden, i didn’t hear the trash cans and andy wasn’t yelling anymore. Maybe Ralph got tired and was taking a rest.
i figured this was my chance to catch up, so i pedaled even harder. all of a sudden, i hit the breaks and my bike came to a screeching halt. there was Ralph and andy, but they were locked up inside the dog catcher’s truck. i wasn’t sure why God had ever made dog catchers, but there he was. My heart sank! What was i going to do now? the dog catcher was walking around the truck ready to get in. Maybe he would let Ralph go if he knew i was ta-king care of him.
“Sir, excuse me, sir.” i began.“Yeah, what do you want kid?” the dog catcher mumbled.“Well, that’s my dog in the back and i’d really appreciate it if
you would let me take him home.”“What’s your name kid?” he asked. “Joey — a — Joseph tyler
Johnson, sir.”“Well, the dog’s tag says he belongs to Fred anderson,
so it doesn’t look like it’s your dog after all. anyhow, that dog has been making a mess out of this neighborhood and we’ve already had several complaints. So he’s going to the pound. if you still think he’s your dog, you can come out to the pound and pay the fine,” the dog catcher said.
as he drove away, i saw andy holding onto the bars of the truck. He looked like he had seen better days, and i was praying this wouldn’t be his last day.
What was i going to do? i didn’t want to tell mom, but i figured i had to. Maybe she would know how to get Ralph out of the pound. i rode back home and was glad to see mom out on the front lawn.
“Hi, Joey,” mom said. “Did you know that Mr. anderson’s gate was open?”
“Well you see, mom, i was sitting on the grass in Mr. anderson’s back yard while Ralph was eating, and i didn’t notice that the gate was open. i guess i was thinking too much about what i was going to buy with the money. When i finally saw the open gate, i guess Ralph saw it too. and before i could get it closed, he was alrea-dy heading down the street. that’s when the dog catcher grabbed him,” i said with a lump in my throat.
“are you telling me the dog catcher took Ralph to the pound?” mom questioned.
“and we can’t get him back unless he’s ours, and we’ll have to pay a fine,” i said, choking back the tears.
21
“Let’s get in the car and drive over to the dog pound. i’ll see what we can do,” mom said.
“oh, thanks, mom. i just knew you would take care of eve-rything,” and i gave her a big hug.
When we got to the dog pound, i felt sure that mom would know what to do. But the man at the pound told mom we couldn’t take Ralph because he didn’t belong to us. Mom explained to the man what had happened and how i was supposed to be taking care of Ralph. Finally, the man said we could take Ralph home but first we would have to pay the fine.
“How much is it?” i asked.“$14,” the man said.
22
Mom looked over at me as she reached into her purse for the money, “i guess you know how you’ll be spending the money you get from Mr. ander-sen.”
“Yes, mom,” i said. “i’m just glad we get to take Ralph home.”
after mom paid the money, the man went back where all the dogs were and brought out Ralph. He looked just fine, but where
24
was andy? i looked all around Ralph, but there was no sign of my little friend.
the man must have seen me looking around. “is there a problem with the dog?” he asked.
“No, i was just looking him over,” i answered as mom and i walked out the door.
Maybe one of the men stepped on andy, or maybe one of the dogs ate him, or maybe... i didn’t even want to think of anything
25
else. But just then, i saw something yellow move at the edge of Ralph’s collar.
Sure enough, it was andy’s yellow cap — and there was andy! it looked like he had been hiding under Ralph’s collar during most of the commotion.
By the time we got home, it was starting to get dark and i wanted to get Ralph back into his own yard. as i led Ralph past the front step, andy jumped off.
“Say, Joey, i’m going to change clothes and i’ll stop by in a little bit,” he said.
“o. K., just tap on the window of my room when you get there.”
i put Ralph into his house along with some fresh water and more food. i knew Ralph would be pretty hungry after his afternoon workout. as i left the yard, i carefully locked the gate. i knew i wouldn’t make the mistake of leaving it open again.
When i walked into the house, supper was ready and i was pret-ty hungry, too. Mom had made chocolate chip cookies for dessert, so i took an extra one for andy. i figured he deserved something special for trying to help me stop Ralph.
after dinner, i went to my room and saw andy tapping on my window.
“Hi andy,” i said. “How are you feeling?”“oh, i’m fine, and i’ll be even better if i could
have some of that cookie,” he said with a laugh.as we sat and ate the cookie, i told andy how i
had to pay the fine with the $14.“at least you don’t have to spend any more time
deciding what to do with the money,” andy said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Yeah,” i moaned.“and i’m sure you’ll never forget to close the gate again,” andy
said in his philosopher’s voice.“i think you’ve learned a pretty important lesson, Joey. the rea-
son the gate didn’t get closed is because we were thinking about the money more than doing a good job.”
“You’re right,” i said. “and i think you learned another good les-son!”
“i did?” andy asked.“Sure! You probably know that you’re too little to stop Ralph if
he ever tries to run away again,” i said with a laugh.“Yeah,” andy moaned. and then we both laughed.
as we sat on my bed eating the cookies, i started feeling better. i even decided that i was glad God had made dog catchers. after all, if it hadn’t been for the dog catcher, Ralph might not be in his house right now. if Ralph wasn’t in his house, Mr. anderson wouldn’t think i had done a good job. and i wanted to do a good job for Mr. anderson.
So don’t ever forget that doing the best job you can is always the most important thing, even more important than money... i think i’ll go check the gate one more time.
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