The porcupine offered up an indifferent grunt.
“And Ereth . . . I should apologize.”
“What for?”
“Asking you to come.”
Ereth paused in his licking and squinted angrily down at Poppy. “Why?”
“I should have remembered you’re too old for such a trip.”
The salt dropped from Ereth’s paws with a clatter. “Too what?” he gasped.
“Well, you know,” Poppy said with care. “Elderly.”
“Me? Old? Elderly?” the porcupine cried, quills bristling. “You twisted bee burp! I can do whatever I want. Where I want. When I want. Or are you hankering to turn yourself into a busted bee bottom?”
“But, Ereth . . .”
“Look here, you pickle-tailed fur booger,” he roared on, “I can keep up with you any day of the week. Night too, for that matter, you slippery spot of squirrel splat!”
“You mean you’ll come with me?” Poppy cried, trying to keep from grinning.
“Blow your nose and fill a bucket!” Ereth screeched. “Can’t you understand anything? Never mind me going with you. You’re going with me!”
With that, Ereth burst past Poppy, moving so fast, so furiously, his quills combed her belly fur into twenty-seven neat rows.
Poppy, laughing, ran after him.
About the Author and Illustrator
AVI is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning CRISPIN: The Cross of Lead and the Newbery Honor Books NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH and THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE. He also writes the beloved Poppy stories, an animal adventure series that includes RAGWEED; POPPY, winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award; POPPY AND RYE; ERETH’S BIRTHDAY; POPPY’S RETURN; and POPPY AND ERETH. His many other critically acclaimed books include DON’T YOU KNOW THERE’S A WAR ON?, the hilarious animal fantasy THE MAYOR OF CENTRAL PARK, and the Victorian ghost story THE SEER OF SHADOWS. Avi lives in Denver, Colorado. You can visit him online at www.avi-writer.com.
BRIAN FLOCA’s illustrations have appeared in several books by Avi, including the six volumes of the Poppy stories and the graphic novel CITY OF LIGHT, CITY OF DARK. For younger readers, he is the author and illustrator of MOONSHOT: The Flight of Apollo II as well as the highly praised books LIGHTSHIP, a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book and ALA Notable Book; THE RACECAR ALPHABET, also an ALA Notable Book; and FIVE TRUCKS. You can visit him online at www.brianfloca.com.
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Books by Avi
Ragweed
Poppy
Poppy and Rye
Ereth’s Birthday
Poppy’s Return
Poppy and Ereth
Praise for the Poppy Books
RAGWEED
“A crackerjack tale that’s pure delight from start to finish.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
POPPY
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Winner
SLJ Best Book
Booklist Editors’ Choice
ALA Notable Book
“IRRESISTIBLE!” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
POPPY AND RYE
“A sequel worthy of its predecessor.” —The Horn Book
ERETH’S BIRTHDAY
“A must-read for fans of the series.” —ALA Booklist
POPPY’S RETURN
“A heartwarming tale of friends, family, and home.”
—Chicago Tribune
Credits
Cover art © 2006 by Brian Floca
Cover design by Jennifer Bankenstein
Copyright
POPPY. Text copyright © 1995 by Avi. Illustrations copyright © 1995 by Brian Floca. The illustrations are drawn with Eberhard Faber Design Ebony pencils on Stonehenge paper. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 95-006040
ISBN-10: 0-380-72769-2 — ISBN-13: 978-0-380-72769-8
EPub Edition © March 2018 ISBN 9780062696342
Revised Harper edition, 2007
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