Baxter is a basset hound – you know, the kind with the long ears that droop and drag all over the ground. Bassets love to relax in the sun, and that’s just what he was doing one bright spring morning when the boy began shouting for everyone to come and look and Eloise. Well, naturally, Baxter wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so he made his way to the shed too, where Eloise the cat was hunkered down in her box.
Baxter could see tiny little bodies in next to Eloise just as she hissed and scratched at him. The boy led Baxter to the tree and tied him up, explaining that the cat wouldn’t want him too near the kittens for a while. Poor Baxter – he hated being tied up. But even worse was the thought that the kittens would get more attention than he would. It was enough to make him howl, so he did.
Hours went by, long lonely hours for Baxter. He was surprised when Eloise herself wandered out after a time. She told him that she had seven gorgeous kittens, but that he’d better stay away from all of them.
Finally, after a whole day’s wait, the boy came out and hugged Baxter, giving him a dish of dinner. But he still had to sleep in the garage, and he couldn’t go in the laundry room where the kittens were. He could hear them through the door, though.
One day, everyone seemed to be gone, including Eloise, and the kittens were mewing like crazy. Baxter discovered that the laundry room door was open and he went in to check on them, to find that they were just as cute as they could be. But where was everyone? Why wasn’t anyone taking care of them?
Not knowing what else to do, Baxter climbed in the box. All the kittens snuggled up with him and went to sleep, and he sighed a deep sigh of contentment.
When Eloise came back, she was furious to see him so close to her babies, but he berated her for being careless. As the days went on, Baxter took over the nurturing of the kittens, while Eloise took care of the feeding. She didn’t like to be in the box all the time, but Baxter loved it.
Finally it came time for the kittens to find new homes, and it nearly broke Baxter’s heart. But he and Eloise were good friends now, and she promised him there would be more kittens, another time.
This adorable story does have a somewhat sad ending as the kittens leave, but I think it’s best for young listeners to know the ways of the animal kingdom and that not every kitten gets to stay.
(This book was published in 1988 by Holiday House and was illustrated by Janet Stevens. It first appeared in Cricket Magazine.)
Related Blogs:
Monsters are Afraid of the Moon