about it. In my mind, our ABC book was on its way to being a bestseller! In my mind, Pip and I were about to be a world-famous writer-artist sister duo!
I tried to remind myself of the Aesop moral: âDonât count your chickens before they are hatched.â But it was hard not to start counting. In fact, I started picturing a basket of eggs and a half dozen baby chicks hatching out of shells, their tiny beaks first, peep peep peep , cheep cheep cheep .
One two three
four five sixâ¦
Chick chick chick
chicks chicks chicksâ¦
Ava Ignoring Aesop
1/15
bedtime
Dear Diary,
I told Pip that Mr. Ramirez said he would give our book to Jerry. I even mentioned that we might turn into a world-famous author-illustrator team.
âDream on, Ava,â Pip said, but I bet she has been daydreaming too. She once told me that while she would not want to be famous, she would like to be an artist.
I handed her:
Q is for queen triggerfish.
The queen triggerfish is big and bright;
It changes colors and sleeps at night.
Then I casually mentioned that we had to finish by next Friday.
âWhat??!â Pip said, her voice rising. âAva, we still have ten letters to go!â She was freaking out, but I think she was also getting extra inspired because next thing you know, she was drawing an elaborate border of shiny golden crowns for the Q page and telling me to get to work on ârainbow trout.â
I am now going to bed. Iâm going to leave my door wide open in case Taco Cat decides to visit. Lately, when Pip and I have been writing or drawing, heâll plunk himself on top of our picture book as if asking to be pettedâor maybe saying, âI dare you to make me move.â
Pip says itâs annoying. Me, I never mind putting down my pen and picking up my cat. I love that heâs becoming more affectionate!
Ava, Affectionate
P.S. Chuck and I have gone over a week without talking. Bea said I should try to act normal with him, but how can I when we havenât been sitting next to each other? Is he avoiding me? (Or does he⦠miss me a little too?) I canât believe Zara caused so much trouble with one stupid question! Arrrggghh!
1/16
Saturday N-O-O-N
Dear Diary,
Here are my latest poems:
S is for seahorse.
With a kangarooâs pouch and a horseâs head,
The dad carries the babies and makes sure theyâre fed.
and
T is for trumpetfish.
The slow trumpetfish is straight as a stick,
Hiding in branches is its very best trick.
Speaking of hiding, Taco Cat isnât hiding as much as he used toâexcept when he finds a bag or box or wants to take a catnap. It seems like heâd rather keep us company than keep his distance. When we watch a movie on TV, for instance, heâll sit near us, almost as if heâs watching too.
Sometimes he even follows us into the bathroom. (This morning I heard Pip say, âTaco, get out! I need privacy!â)
When Mom or Dad drives into our garage, or Pip comes home from art class, Taco pricks up his ears and goes trotting over to the back door to say a quiet hello.
He doesnât like when we play Boggle though. When anyone shakes the letters, he takes off. So thatâs another sound he abhors. (And âabhors,â which means âhates,â is another six-letter word with all its letters in alphabetical order.)
Personally, I think Taco canât really change his inner nature, which is that he is a bit of a scaredy-cat.
I wonder if Zara canât change her inner nature either, which is that sheâs a bit of a blabbermouth.
I once read an Aesop fable about how itâs hard to hide your inner nature. Itâs called âThe Cat and the Maiden,â and it goes like this:
The gods were arguing about whether a living creature can change its nature. Jupiter, the king of the gods, said yes, but Venus, the goddess of love, said no. To prove his point, Jupiter turned a cat into a beautiful maiden. A man fell