A Monster is Coming! Read online

  Text copyright © 2011 by David L. Harrison

  Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Hans Wilhelm

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Harrison, David L. (David Lee).

  A monster is coming! / by David L. Harrison ; illustrated by Hans Wilhelm.

  p. cm. — (Step into reading. A step 2 book)

  Summary: When Inchworm overhears Mama Bug tell Baby Bug that she eats like a monster, he cries out in fear and sets off a chain reaction of animals trying to hide from the horrible beast they believe is coming.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-98690-1

  [1. Fear—Fiction. 2. Forest animals—Fiction. 3. Food habits—Fiction.] I. Wilhelm, Hans, ill.

  II. Title.

  PZ7.H2474Mon 2011

  [E]—dc22 2010014513

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.1

  To Alexis, who may be our next writer,

  from Uncle David with love

  -D.L.H.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  First Page

  “I’m hungry,”

  said Baby Bug.

  Mama Bug smiled

  and gave Baby Bug

  a leaf.

  “You eat like a monster,”

  she said.

  Inchworm heard

  Mama Bug say monster,

  so he cried,

  “Monster!

  Inch for your lives!”

  Inchworm tried to hide,

  but his bottom

  stuck out.

  When Toad hopped by,

  he said,

  “Inchworm,

  is that you?”

  Inchworm said,

  “Shhh! I’m hiding!

  A monster is coming!”

  “Oh no!”

  said Toad.

  “A horrible monster?

  Leap for your lives!”

  Toad tried to hide, too,

  but his head stuck out.

  Mouse ran by

  with a mouthful of seeds.

  She said,

  “Toad, what are you

  doing?”

  “I’m hiding from

  a horrible monster!”

  said Toad.

  “Oh my!”

  said Mouse.

  “A hairy, horrible

  monster?

  Scamper for your lives!”

  Mouse tried to hide, too,

  but her tail stuck out.

  Rabbit tripped

  on Mouse’s tail.

  “Oops!

  Mouse, what is wrong?”

  said Rabbit.

  Mouse said,

  “It is awful, Rabbit!

  A hairy, horrible monster

  is coming!”

  Rabbit said,

  “Oh my goodness!

  A huge, hairy,

  horrible monster?

  Hop for your lives!”

  Poor Rabbit

  tried to hide,

  but his ears stuck out.

  Fox said,

  “What is going on

  around here?”

  “Why is

  everyone hiding?”

  Rabbit said,

  “Fox, don’t you know?

  A huge, hairy,

  horrible monster

  is coming!”

  “Help me!”

  yelped Fox.

  “A hungry,

  huge, hairy, horrible

  monster is coming!”

  And he dived in a hole.

  Baby Bug

  was chewing a leaf.

  She said,

  “Hey!

  Why is everyone hiding?”

  “A monster is coming!”

  said Fox and Rabbit

  and Mouse and Toad

  and Inchworm.

  “Fly for your life!”

  Baby Bug looked

  this way and that.

  She said,

  “I don’t see a monster,

  but I’m so hungry

  I could eat a monster.”

  Inchworm heard

  Baby Bug say

  eat a monster.

  He shouted,

  “Have you heard?

  Baby Bug ate

  the monster!”

  “Hooray for Baby Bug!”

  everyone cried.

  Baby Bug was glad

  she was a hero.

  But talk about eating

  always made her hungry.

  Mama Bug smiled

  and gave Baby Bug

  another leaf.

 

 

  David L. Harrison, A Monster is Coming!

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