Sam wanted a pet. A little one. A big one. One that flew or walked. Any kind of pet at all.
But Mrs. Cabot, the landlady, said: "NO PETS!" And that was that.
Sam's mom and dad bought him fuzzy stuffed bears and a kite in the shape of a kitten and a plastic parrot on a stick. But he wanted a live pet. And that was that.
Sam tried to change Mrs. Cabot's mind. He told her he would get a quiet pet. He told her he would keep it clean. He told her he would not let the pet scratch the woodwork or jump through the hedges.
But Mrs. Cabot looked Sam square in the eye and said: "NO PETS!"
One day Sam heard Mrs. Cabot screaming in the hallway. He rushed over. "What's wrong, Mrs. Cabot?"
"A mouse!" she shrieked. "I saw a mouse!"
"I thought you had a rule, Mrs. Cabot. No pets allowed."
"It wasn't a pet mouse," the landlady squawked. "It was a plain old terrorize-the- building type of mouse."
Sam grinned. "What you need, Mrs. Cabot, is a cat."
While it was true that Mrs. Cabot hated cats, there was something she hated even more — mice! And so that very day, Mrs. Cabot went to the animal shelter and found herself a cat.
The next time Sam saw Mrs. Cabot, he said, "I see you have a cat."
"Yes indeed," she replied.
"Does that mean I can get a pet?" Sam asked.
"No, it does not!" snapped Mrs. Cabot. "If I let you get a pet, I'd have to let everyone get a pet. Then I'd be running a zoo and not an apartment building!"
Another day Sam was coming home from school. Police cars surrounded the apartment building. "What happened, Mrs. Cabot?" he asked.
"I was robbed!" she cried. "They took my radio and my penny bank and my entire collection of salt and pepper shakers!"
"That's too bad," said Sam, shaking his head. "What you need is a good watchdog."
While it was true that Mrs. Cabot hated dogs, there was something she hated even more — robbers! And so that very day, Mrs. Cabot went to the kennel and bought herself a dog.
A week later Sam found Mrs. Cabot dusting the stairs. There were tears in her eyes.
"You look sad," said Sam.
"I am sad," replied Mrs. Cabot. "My very best friend in all the world is moving away."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Sam.
"She and I would talk for hours," sniffled Mrs. Cabot.
"Can't you talk to Mr. Cabot?" asked Sam.
Mrs. Cabot shook her head. "Mr. Cabot likes to read the newspaper. He likes to watch TV. He likes to build shelves for his wrench collection. But he doesn't like to talk."
"What you need, Mrs. Cabot, is a parrot."
Mrs. Cabot dabbed at her eyes with the hem of her apron. "A parrot?"
Sam nodded. "Parrots love to talk."
While it was true that Mrs. Cabot hated birds, there was something she hated even more — not having anyone to talk with.
And so that very day, Mrs. Cabot went to The Exotic Bird Shop and bought herself a parrot that talked all the way home.
In spring the grass grew green and thick and tall. Mrs. Cabot tried to mow the lawn, but every time she pushed the mower, she sneezed.
"Bless you," said Sam.
"Thank you," said Mrs. Cabot, between sneezes.
"Do you have a cold?" Sam asked.
Mrs. Cabot blew her nose. Sneezed. Pushed the mower. Then sneezed again. "No. I have allergies."
"You shouldn't be mowing grass, then," said Sam.
"I know that," replied Mrs. Cabot, sneezing. "But Mr. Cabot hurt his back. So he can't mow the grass."
"Maybe I could," offered Sam.
"That's kind of you," said Mrs. Cabot. "But you're too small."
Sam smiled. "I know just what you need."
"What's that?" asked Mrs. Cabot.
"A goat!" Sam laughed. "A goat will eat every bit of grass. You'll never have to mow again."
While it was true that Mrs. Cabot hated goats, there was something she hated even more — sneezing! And so that very day, she drove to a farm and came back with a goat.
A month later Sam found Mrs. Cabot hammering a For Sale sign into the front lawn.
"Are you selling the building?" asked Sam.
"I don't want to," sighed Mrs. Cabot. "But I'm so busy taking care of the cat and the dog and the parrot and the goat that I don't have time for anything else. The laundry room is full of cobwebs. The stairs are full of dust. And as for the hedges — well, see for yourself."
Sam patted Mrs. Cabot on the shoulder. "What you need is a pet-sitter."
Mrs. Cabot stopped hammering. "But who on earth would take care of all those pets?"
Sam's grin was as wide as a wheelbarrow. "I know just the person," he said. "And he even lives in the building!"
Copyright © 1990 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Illustrations by Donna Sabaka, © 1997 by Advanced Systems in Measurement and Evaluation, Inc.
A. the cat, dog, parrot, and goat
B. Sam, his mother, and his father
C. Sam and Mrs. Cabot
D. Mrs. Cabot and her pets
| "A mouse!" she shrieked. "I saw a mouse!" |
The word shrieked means
A. whispered.
B. sighed.
C. screamed.
D. asked.
A. He said he would help mow the lawn.
B. He offered to cut the hedges and clean the woodwork.
C. He offered to share his pet with her.
D. He promised his pet would be no trouble.
| "Yes indeed," she replied. |
Which word in this sentence is a VERB?
A. yes
B. indeed
C. she
D. replied
A. She bought all of them from the same pet store.
B. She chose all of them to help her in some way.
C. They were all pets Sam did not want.
D. They were all easy to take care of.
| Mrs. Cabot dabbed at her eyes with the hem of her apron. |
The word dabbed means
A. painted.
B. fanned.
C. patted.
D. glued.
A. himself
B. his father
C. Mr. Cabot
D. the goat
A. Sometimes you can get what you want by helping others.
B. Sometimes you can find pets at an animal shelter.
C. Sometimes you can find work to do around an apartment.
D. Sometimes you can meet new people near your home.