Wildlife According to Og the Frog Read online

  Look for all of the adventures in Room 26

  Starring Og the Frog

  Life According to Og the Frog

  Exploring According to Og the Frog

  Wildlife According to Og the Frog

  Starring Humphrey

  1 The World According to Humphrey

  2 Friendship According to Humphrey

  3 Trouble According to Humphrey

  4 Surprises According to Humphrey

  5 Adventure According to Humphrey

  6 Summer According to Humphrey

  7 School Days According to Humphrey

  8 Mysteries According to Humphrey

  9 Winter According to Humphrey

  10 Secrets According to Humphrey

  11 Imagination According to Humphrey

  12 Spring According to Humphrey

  Fun Humphrey nonfiction

  Humphrey’s Book of FUN-FUN-FUN

  Humphrey’s World of Pets

  Don’t miss Betty G. Birney’s chapter books for younger readers

  G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York

  Copyright © 2020 by Betty G. Birney

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  G. P. Putnam’s Sons is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Visit us online at penguinrandomhouse.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Birney, Betty G., author.

  Title: Wildlife according to Og the frog / Betty G. Birney.

  Description: New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, [2020] | Series: Og the frog; book 3 | Summary: “Og the frog goes to summer camp with his best pal Humphrey, and has an exciting adventure in the wild”—Provided by publisher.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019029818 (print) | LCCN 2019029819 (ebook) | ISBN 9781984813756 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781984813763 (ebook)

  Subjects: CYAC: Camps—Fiction. | Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. | Frogs—Fiction. | Hamsters—Fiction. | Forest animals—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.B5229 Wil 2020 (print) | LCC PZ7.B5229 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019029818

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019029819

  Ebook ISBN 9781984813763

  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.

  PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

  COVER DESIGN BY JESSICA JENKINS

  pid_prh_5.5.0_c0_r0

  To Cynthia, Jeanne, Michelle, Merelyn and the indomitable Marian

  CONTENTS

  1. The End

  2. Road Trip

  3. Learning the Ropes

  4. The Thing in the Woods

  5. Hoots and Howls

  6. Furry Worries

  7. Stuck

  8. Unexpected Journey

  9. Froggins and Friends

  10. Unexpected Rescue

  11. Clashing Cabins

  12. The Haunted Howler

  Sing-Along Suggestions for Og’s Songs

  The End

  In the swamp, the only thing that stays the same is change.

  —Granny Greenleaf’s Wildlife Wisdom

  I can’t believe it’s happening to me again!

  Just a few months ago, I was frognapped out of my home in the swamp—the only home I’ve ever known. I went from a life full of my lively green frog friends, classes with our teacher, the wise Granny Greenleaf, all the yummy insects a frog could dream of and long afternoons floating on a lily pad to my new life at Longfellow School.

  The human world was strange at first, but I came to like the big tads in Mrs. Brisbane’s class. I even became friends with a furry fellow whose cage is next to my tank. Humphrey is his name, and he’s the other classroom pet in Room 26.

  Now, just as I’ve learned the ins and outs of being a classroom frog and have come to love this new life, it’s over! Gone!

  And I have no idea what comes next.

  It all begins on a warm day, when I am gazing out the window at the blue sky. Our teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, suddenly says, “Just four days until the end of school.”

  I am as shocked as a bat in bright light!

  I’d think I didn’t hear her correctly, except for the fact that Humphrey also squeaks in alarm.

  “SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK!” he cries out. He’s a squeaky little hamster, but he has a big heart.

  “I can’t believe it!” I say, even though I know Humphrey and the big tads only hear the twangy sound I make: “BOING-BOING!” They think it’s funny.

  After the students leave for the day, Mrs. Brisbane comes over to our table by the window. She is humming happily.

  “I guess you fellows are wondering what you’ll be doing when school is over,” she says with a grin.

  Humphrey lets out another series of SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAKs, and Mrs. Brisbane explains that it’s a surprise.

  Surprises like a tasty mosquito who flies right into my mouth are nice. But I don’t like surprises like hungry snapping turtles with huge jaws. Especially Chopper, who also lived in the swamp with me.

  I don’t think Humphrey likes surprises of any kind.

  Once we’re alone, my neighbor is quiet until it gets dark and Aldo comes in to clean Room 26, as he does on every weeknight.

  He’s extra cheery as he goes to work. He tells us that school is already over for him, and he got good grades.

  Aldo is bigger and older than the big tads, but he still goes to school to learn to be a teacher like Mrs. Brisbane.

  Tonight, he cleans the room as he’s never cleaned it before. He whistles, twirls his broom and practically dances across the floor. When he settles down to eat his sandwich, he tells us, “When Longfellow School closes next week, I’m leaving town!”

  Aldo seems pleased about leaving, but I see Humphrey’s tail twitch and his whiskers droop.

  When we’re alone again, Humphrey crawls into his little sleeping hut, and I don’t see him again the rest of the night. Poor guy. He loves school so much, and now so do I.

  It’s time to float in the water and let my thoughts wander.

  I can almost hear Uncle Chinwag back in the swamp, saying, “Float. Doze. Be. And you will live so happily.”

  But I’m not feeling so hoppy tonight, so I dive into the water side of my tank and splash around until I am as tired as a hummingbird flying against a heavy wind.

  Then I hop back up on my rock and go to sleep.

  * * *

  When our principal, Mr. Morales, visits our classroom, he seems as happy about the end of school as Aldo and Mrs. Brisbane are. He and his family are going to “hit the road,” he says. I think it means they are leaving town, too.

  Mrs. Brisbane explains that she and her husband are going to Tokyo, where their son is getting married. That’s a long way from here. Are Humphrey and I g
oing, too? Is that the surprise?

  “SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK!” By now, I know those are squeaks of alarm.

  Our future is as mysterious as the Great Unknown, as we called the world beyond the swamp.

  Over the next few days, the students in Room 26 are as busy and buzzy as bees in a field of flowers. There are reports to be graded, desks to be cleaned out and books to return to the library.

  But why does school have to end? And where will that leave Humphrey and me?

  * * *

  Speaking of Humphrey, I don’t know what in the swamp he’s thinking, but I do know his busy brain is always working.

  Once we’re alone that night, the little fellow jiggles his lock and scampers over to my tank.

  “SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK! SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK!”

  Then he scrambles to the edge of the table and slides down the leg, as fast as an eagle swooping down on a lizard. That’s fast.

  Still moving quickly, he hurries across the floor, then flattens himself so he can slide under the door and out into the hallway.

  “Be careful, Humphrey!” I try to warn him. But it’s too late. He’s gone.

  I don’t see Humphrey again for a long time.

  I should be used to watching him go off on a nighttime adventure. He does it often.

  Truthfully, I’m a little jealous. I’m an adventurous guy, too. I’d like to go exploring at night, the way he does. But I can’t slide down the table leg, squeeze under the door or let myself dry out.

  So, I’m left behind. And every single time, I’m as nervous as a mouse listening to the midnight hoots of an owl until he comes back.

  While I wait, I dive into my water and swim laps, wondering what my furry friend could be doing all this time. Where can he be? What is he thinking?

  A song drifts into my head, and as I often do, I calm myself by singing.

  Humphrey loves to help his friends,

  He’s a daring class pet,

  But he is roaming far away,

  And he has not come back yet.

  Humphrey Hamster, please come home,

  Humphrey Hamster, hurry!

  If you are not back here soon,

  I will turn gray with worry!

  My tank isn’t big, so I swim a lot of laps before Humphrey finally crawls under the door again.

  “BOING-BOING!” I welcome him. But he still has hard work ahead of him.

  Since Humphrey can’t slide up the table leg, he grabs onto the blinds’ cord and swings back and forth, higher and higher, until he’s level with the table. Then he lets go and leaps onto the tabletop. Now, that’s something I’m good at: leaping.

  “Welcome back!” I greet him again.

  Humphrey doesn’t answer. I can tell he’s really tired by the way his tail is dragging.

  However, he’s not too tired to take out the tiny notebook hidden behind the mirror in his cage and scratch away with his little pencil.

  Scritch-scritch-scritch!

  Poor guy. I wish he could chill out.

  I float in the water again, trying to relax, but I keep wondering: Where did my pal go tonight?

  * * *

  On the last day, it seems as if one minute Mrs. Brisbane is taking attendance, and the next thing I know, she’s checking to see that the big tads have emptied their desks.

  Late in the day, the door opens and someone unexpected enters. I know her, of course. I remember her bouncy dark curls and her smiling face.

  The big tads cheer loudly when she arrives, but Humphrey is unusually silent. That surprises me, because the one thing I know about Ms. Mac is that she and Humphrey are special friends.

  In fact, I think he loves her.

  “Am I too early?” Ms. Mac asks.

  Mrs. Brisbane says her timing is perfect.

  Then Ms. Mac speaks to the big tads about their summer plans, which is nice.

  But the next words she says change everything.

  “I just want you to know that your friends Humphrey and Og are going to have a fantastic summer, too. Because they are coming with me!”

  I don’t know where Ms. Mac is taking us, but at least I know someone will be looking out for us, and I whoop out, “BOING-BOING-BOING-BOING-BOING!”

  Ms. Mac laughs and then says something that makes my heart leap. “We are going to have a great adventure!” she announces.

  Before I know it, the bell rings and the big tads rush out, with Garth in the lead, as always.

  Humphrey squeaks a farewell, and he’s still squeaking as I take a deep dive off my rock. It’s cooling and calming in the water, so I can think about what just happened: the end of school.

  Then I remember Granny Greenleaf saying, “If you think more about where you’ve been than about where you’re going, you’ll never get anywhere.”

  At least Humphrey and I are going somewhere, and we’re going there with Ms. Mac.

  I like her a lot. When she comes into the room, she’s like a breath of fresh air. Besides the fact that Ms. Mac is nice, all I know about her is that long before I came to school, she was substituting for Mrs. Brisbane. She’s the human who went to the pet shop and brought Humphrey back to Room 26.

  She picked him out . . . and that’s why they have a special friendship.

  It was a good decision to make Humphrey a classroom pet.

  But then a funny little thought hops into my head: Ms. Mac has known Humphrey a lot longer than she’s known me. She knows he’ll have a wonderful summer. But what about me?

  * * *

  The first thing I learn about Ms. Mac is that she doesn’t waste time. She says good-bye to Mrs. Brisbane, and in a flash, we’re on our way.

  I’m not sure where we’re going, but at the rate Ms. Mac is moving, we’ll get there quickly. She’s as peppy as a frog who swallowed some bees. Believe me, nothing can get you hopping like swallowing a couple of buzzing bees.

  Ms. Mac lives in an apartment, which means there are different homes grouped together in one building. Her apartment is full of nice bright light and colorful pictures on the wall.

  “Welcome back, Humphrey!” Ms. Mac places his cage on a big round table. “You remember living here before?”

  Humphrey answers with a happy squeak.

  So, he lived here before? I always thought Ms. Mac brought him directly from the pet shop to school. They know each other even better than I thought.

  Once we’re settled, Ms. Mac checks Humphrey’s cage to make sure everything is in its right place. “There, Humphrey. Your mirror and hamster wheel are right where you like them,” she says. “And you have nice clean water.”

  “SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK!” he thanks her.

  Ms. Mac inspects my tank next. “Hmm,” she says. “I’m not sure exactly where things go, Og. And I have a little trouble understanding you. But I’ll learn.”

  “BOING-BOING!” I answer.

  She chuckles. “No wonder the children say you’re funny!”

  “I’m not trying to be funny,” I respond. “I’m trying to talk!”

  This time, she starts to laugh, then she stops herself and leans toward my tank. “I’m sorry, Og. I’m not laughing at you. I think you have a fabulous voice,” she says.

  “You should hear me sing,” I tell her.

  She smiles at my boings, but she doesn’t laugh again. “I don’t know much about frogs,” she tells me. “But I have a book, so I can figure out exactly what you need.”

  She holds it up. It’s a big thick book. I hope she’s a fast reader, because I’m a little hungry.

  Luckily, the food section is near the front of the book, and I get some tasty mealworms for dinner. Not as nice as a juicy cricket, but least I’m not hungry anymore.

  * * *

  The days at Ms. Mac’s are quiet, except for the music tha
t is almost always playing in the background.

  Some nights, Ms. Mac makes a maze on the floor and lets Humphrey out of his cage. He is good at running through mazes, especially if there are a few sunflower seeds at the end.

  “I’d take you out, Og, but I’m not sure if you should be out of the water,” she tells me.

  I think she needs to read faster.

  One day, she does a thorough tank clean, following the book step by step, and she cleans Humphrey’s cage as well.

  At least I’m in good hands, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be as close to Ms. Mac as Humphrey is.

  So far, it’s a good summer, although I don’t see it as the great adventure Ms. Mac mentioned the day she took us home.

  A nice, cozy break, yes. A great adventure, no.

  Then one evening, the music gets turned up and the doorbell starts ringing. Before I know it, Ms. Mac is introducing us to a parade of friends, many of them carrying dishes and bowls full of food.

  “Dion, Annie, Marcus—meet Humphrey and Og!” She brings them over to our table.

  “Oooh, what a fine-looking frog,” the woman called Annie says. “And the hamster is adorable!” she adds.

  We meet even more friends. Andre, Evelyn, Joe. They all linger around the table to “ooh” and “ahh” over Humphrey and me.

  “SQUEAK!” my neighbor greets them.

  “BOING-BOING!” I add.

  The man called Andre says, “That was original!”

  “Thank you,” I boing.

  I have spent many boisterous evenings in the swamp with the sounds of howling, chirping and hooting. But this evening at Ms. Mac’s is every bit as noisy as that—without the annoying RUM-RUMMINGs of the bullying bullfrogs.

  As the music goes on, the dancing begins. More people come through the door. Vic from next door and Maura from downstairs arrive and, well, I lose count of all the guests.

  And then I hear it. BEAT-BEAT-BEAT. BONGA-BONGA-BONG!