Stuart Little By E. B. White Character Description: Stuart Little - a mouse in the Littles’ - PowerPoint Presentation

Stuart Little By E. B. White

Character Description: Stuart Little - a mouse in the Littles’ household; he is the main character and is known as the Littles’ second “son” Mrs. Little - Stuart’s mother Mr. Little - Stuart’s fatherGeorge Little - the Littles’ first son and Stuart’s older brother Snowbell - the Littles’ pet cat Margalo - a bird who Stuart became very close friends with

Plot Summary: Stuart Little is a mouse in the Littles’ family household. He may be a bit shy, but he loves to go on adventures! Stuart also loves to help around the house. He may encounter problems every now and then because he is so small, but he sure does live a happy life! In fact, everybody in the Littles’ household likes Stuart a great deal, except Snowbell the cat. However, Stuart finds a new friend instead, Margalo the bird who stayed in the Littles’ house for a few days. It is on his search to meet up with Margalo once again that Stuart experiences his biggest adventure yet!

Vocabulary to Know: Character - a person in a book, play, or movie Advantage - something that puts you in a good position Encounter - to experience somethingFern - a plant Clothespin - a wooden or plastic clip to put clothes on a clothes line Handkerchief - a piece of cloth used for blowing or wiping your nose

Vocabulary to Know: Routine - a set of actions; a schedule Chores - work around the house Embarrass - to cause someone to feel foolishLouse - a small insect without wingsRespect - a feeling of appreciation towards someone Concerned - worried

Chapter 1: In the Drain: Using Our Skills and Abilities to Help Others: Mrs. Little arrived at the Littles’ household with her second son, Stuart. However, Stuart was not like the rest of his family - he was a mouse! He was only two inches tall, and he had a sharp nose and a mouse’s tail and whiskers.

Stuart was so small that Mr. Little had to make him a tiny bed out of four clothespins and a cigarette box! Mrs. Little even had to make Stuart his very own small suit. The suit fit him just right and had pockets for Stuart’s handkerchief, money, and keys. Chapter 1: In the Drain : Using Our Skills and Abilities to Help Others:

Tactile Representation: *Demonstrate to the student(s) the actual size of Stuart’s bed by bringing in the cigarette box and the four clothes pins that make up Stuart’s bed.

Chapter 1: In the Drain: Using Our Skills and Abilities to Help Others: The Littles’ household was a happy place near a park in New York City. Every member of the family woke up early each morning - it was their routine. Stuart was also a great help to his parents and to his brother George because of his small size. He was always willing to help.

Chapter 1: In the Drain: Using Our Skills and Abilities to Help Others: One day, when Mrs. Little was cleaning the bathtub, she lost a ring off her finger and was very upset when she saw that it had fallen down the drain! She didn’t know what she could do to get her ring back. George suggested using a hairpin to fish the ring out with it, but that didn’t seem to work too well.

Chapter 1: In the Drain: Using Our Skills and Abilities to Help Others: Then, Mr. Little came up with the idea to send Stuart down the drain in order to find the ring. He asked Stuart if he would like to try it out, and Stuart said yes! Stuart climbed down with a string and told Mr. Little to pull him back up once he tugged on the string three times.

Chapter 1: In the Drain: Using Our Skills and Abilities to Help Others: It was easy for Stuart to slide down the drain. After a minute or two, there came three quick tugs on the string: one, two, three! Mr. Little carefully pulled Stuart back up. Stuart had found the ring! Everybody in the family thought he was so brave. Stuart was happy to help.

Chapter 2: Home Problems: Being Careful of Others’ Feelings: Stuart was not only helpful with the chores around the house, but he was also helpful with the activities that took place. When the Littles played ping-pong, he would chase after the balls that rolled under the chairs and sofas, but the balls were almost as tall as he was!

Tactile Representation: *Bring in a ping-pong ball to demonstrate to the student(s) how small Stuart is compared to the ping-pong ball.

Chapter 2: Home Problems: Being Careful of Others’ Feelings: George also needed Stuart’s help whenever he played the piano. One of the keys was a sticky key and it didn’t seem to work, so George thought of putting Stuart inside the piano to push the key up after it was played. This was not easy for Stuart, but he thought it was exciting inside!

Chapter 2: Home Problems: Being Careful of Others’ Feelings: Mr. and Mrs. Little often talked quietly about Stuart when he wasn’t around. They were still very surprised to have a mouse in the family! He did present some problems, though. One problem was that everyone had to be careful about not using the word “mice” in their conversations.

Chapter 2: Home Problems: Being Careful of Others’ Feelings: Mrs. Little also said that they should be careful when reading the poem ‘’Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.’ She thought it might embarrass Stuart. So Mr. and Mrs. Little decided to use the word “louse” instead of “mouse,” and Stuart’s feelings never had to get hurt.

Chapter 3: Washing Up: Coming Up With Solutions: Stuart loved to wake up early. Once Stuart got out of bed, he would join George to do some exercises. Stuart would touch his toes ten times every morning because George said that it would help him keep in good shape.

Chapter 3: Washing Up : Coming Up With Solutions: After exercising, Stuart would slip into his robe and head towards the bathroom. The bathroom was always dark and the light switch was too high up for Stuart to reach, so Mr. Little tied a long string to the light switch so that Stuart could pull it down and turn on the light himself.

Chapter 3: Washing Up: Coming Up With Solutions: To get to the sink, Stuart had to climb a tiny rope ladder that Mr. Little had made for him. He would then wash his face and hands with a doll’s size soap. Stuart would even brush his teeth with a doll’s size toothbrush, and he would comb his whiskers with a doll’s size comb.

Tactile Representation *Pass around to the student(s) a doll’s size toothbrush and comb to see how small they are, and have the student(s) compare them to the size of their own toothbrush and comb.

Chapter 3: Washing Up: Coming Up With Solutions: Because Stuart was so small, he had a hard time turning the water on. He then came up with an idea to pound on the handles of the sink and turn it on that way! Mr. Little gave Stuart a light hammer made of wood, and by pushing on the handle three times with the hammer, Stuart turned on the sink all by himself!

Chapter 4: Exercise: Do Not Mistreat Others: One morning in May when Stuart was three years old, he woke up early, washed and dressed himself, and went downstairs to the living room to see if anyone was awake, but Snowbell was the only one around.

Chapter 4: Exercise: Do Not Mistreat Others: Snowbell and Stuart never seemed to get along. In fact, after Stuart had told Snowbell that he was going to do some exercises that morning, Snowbell made fun of him and said that the exercises were not helping him get stronger. Stuart then responded back to Snowbell, saying that he thought his muscles were stronger than Snowbell’s. After much arguing, Stuart decided to find a way to prove it to Snowbell.

Chapter 4: Exercise: Do Not Mistreat Others: Seeing the shade cord hanging down from one of the windows, Stuart decided to climb onto the window sill and jump onto the cord. To both of their surprises, Stuart had taken such a hard jump that the shade flew up, rolling Stuart up inside!

Chapter 4: Exercise: Do Not Mistreat Others: Stuart cried for help, but Snowbell did not listen to him. Instead, Snowbell took Stuart’s hat and cane that was left behind and hid them by the entrance of a mouse hole in the living room. When Mrs. Little later came down, she saw Stuart’s items and thought that Stuart had tried to escape through the hole! Snowbell had set up a mean trap.

Chapter 5: Rescued : Looking Out For Others: After thinking that Stuart had escaped into the mouse hole, the Littles tried to find ways in which they could get him back inside the house, but they couldn’t come up with anything! They then decided to see if they could get down on their hands and knees and call out to Stuart through the mouse hole.

Chapter 5: Rescued: Looking Out For Others: They put their mouths as close to the hole as possible and yelled, “Stuuuuart!” There was no answer. They called out again, but there was still no answer! The Littles became very upset and didn’t know what to do.

Chapter 5: Rescued: Looking Out For Others: During lunchtime, everybody sat down to eat, but they were all so sad that they couldn’t even speak. Mrs. Little began to cry, saying that she thought Stuart must be dead. George thought that if Stuart was dead, they should at least pay him some respect. He then went to pull down the shades of the window in the living room, and out came Stuart!

Chapter 5: Rescued: Looking Out For Others: The family was very concerned as to what had happened, but they were so happy to see that Stuart was safe and back in the house. Stuart had explained to the family that it was all because of Snowbell.

Chapter 6: A Fair Breeze: Pursuing Your Dream: One morning, Stuart set out for a walk outside New York City. Stuart loved to take walks, but he was also afraid of dogs and had to be careful with them. Whenever he saw a dog, Stuart would have to hurry to the nearest doorman and hide inside his uniform! When he saw that it was safe to come back out, Stuart would continue on his walk.

Chapter 6: A Fair Breeze: Pursuing Your Dream: Stuart then set out to wait for the bus, but nobody at the bus stop noticed him because he was tiny. In fact, he was so small that the step of the bus was too high for him! Stuart had to hold onto a man’s pants just to get brought aboard.

Chapter 6: A Fair Breeze: Pursuing Your Dream: The bus brought Stuart to the sailboat pond in Central Park - just in time to see the sailboat race! Stuart loved to watch the sailboat race. Since he was so adventurous, he always dreamed of getting aboard one of the ships and sailing through the pond.

Chapter 6: A Fair Breeze: Pursuing Your Dream: On that morning, Stuart noticed one boat that really caught his attention. He decided to go over to the owner of the small sailboat and ask him for permission to go on the ship. The owner was unsure at first, but he agreed to let Stuart go just as long as Stuart could help his boat go faster and beat one of the other sailboats in the race.

Chapter 6: A Fair Breeze: Pursuing Your Dream: Stuart agreed with excitement. After getting ready for the race, he jumped aboard and sailed away. He was so excited that he even let go of the wheel for a second and didn’t even notice that he almost bumped into another boat! His dream had come true.

Tactile Representation: *Bring in an actual sailboat, if possible, in order to demonstrate to the student(s) how Stuart sailed the boat.

Chapter 7: The Sailboat Race : Never Giving Up: When the crowd in Central Park found out that a mouse was steering one of the small sailboats in the race, they all came running to see the race themselves. There were so many people that the police had to come out as well!

Chapter 7: The Sailboat Race: Never Giving Up: However, the most excited boy at the race was the one whose sailboat was competing against Stuart. He wanted Stuart to steer his ship instead, but Stuart did not want to leave the boat that he was on. They would have to compete instead.

Chapter 7: The Sailboat Race: Never Giving Up: Stuart and the boy began to steer their boats to the starting line for the race to begin. Once both ships were ready, a man from the crowd came out and counted down for the race to start, yelling, “Three, two, one!” And off the ships went.

Chapter 7: The Sailboat Race: Never Giving Up: Stuart was having such a great time on the sailboat, but before the two ships had gone too far, an accident happened on shore. So many people were pushing one another to see the race that they pushed the policeman right into the water! When the policeman fell into the water, he created a great big wave that crashed onto Stuart’s boat!

Chapter 7: The Sailboat Race: Never Giving Up: Everyone thought that Stuart had drowned, but he climbed back up and continued to steer. Then, another problem came along. Stuart noticed that the water was moving the ship faster and faster, and before he knew it, another wave was approaching!

Chapter 7: The Sailboat Race: Never Giving Up: The wave came closer to the sailboat. Stuart tried to steer away, but he couldn’t move. A loud thump then shook the boat, and as Stuart looked behind him, he saw that the other ship had crashed right into him! At this moment, neither ship could move.

Chapter 7: The Sailboat Race: Never Giving Up: The owner then tried to tell Stuart what to do to break free. He told Stuart to steer around the other boat to escape - it worked! Stuart was finally heading towards the finish line, with the other boat far behind. As he reached the shore, the crowd of people came over to congratulate him for his hard work.

Chapter 7: The Sailboat Race: Never Giving Up: The owner was so happy and proud of Stuart for not giving up that he told Stuart he could stop by and steer his sailboat at any time. It was a great day for the both of them.

Chapter 8: Margalo : Helping Out a Friend: Since Stuart was so little, it was always hard for the rest of his family members to find him around the house. The Littles would constantly worry about where Stuart was. Mr. Little was so worried that he even made Stuart a tiny red hat so that it would be easier to find him.

Chapter 8: Margalo: Helping Out a Friend: One day when Stuart was seven years old, he was in the kitchen feeling hungry. He wanted something to eat, so when Mrs. Little opened the door of the refrigerator to put some food away, Stuart slipped inside to get a piece of cheese.

Chapter 8: Margalo: Helping Out a Friend: Stuart cried for help, but Mrs. Little could not hear him! It wasn’t until half an hour later that she opened the door again and found Stuart standing on a plate of butter trying to keep warm. Mrs. Little was so surprised, but she made him some hot tea to help him feel better. Even so, Stuart still caught a bad cold.

Chapter 8: Margalo: Helping Out a Friend: One cold afternoon, Mrs. Little noticed a small bird lying on the windowsill, appearing to be injured. She brought the bird inside the house and fixed a place for her in the living room. Mrs. Little also fed her and gave her a cup of water. It was a pretty little bird and the Littles were very fond of her. Soon the bird felt much better and went hopping around the house.

Tactile Representation: *Bring in a stuffed animal of Margalo to show to the student(s). Have the student(s) hold the stuffed animal to get a better idea of what Margalo is like and how she is different from Stuart Little.

Chapter 8: Margalo: Helping Out a Friend: She hopped upstairs and into Stuart’s room where he was still lying in bed. Stuart was very curious as to who she was and where she came from. She told Stuart that her name was Margalo and that she had come from fields far away.

Chapter 8: Margalo: Helping Out a Friend: Margalo and Stuart continued to talk until Margalo became very tired. She then decided to head to bed in the fern of the Littles’ living room. Stuart settled back into his bed as well, but after Mrs. Little had tucked him under the covers, he began to worry about Margalo.

Chapter 8: Margalo: Helping Out a Friend: Stuart thought that Margalo was not safe in the living room with Snowbell the cat. He decided to climb out of bed and take his bow and arrow that Mr. Little had made for him. He then tiptoed out into the hall to see where Snowbell was.

Chapter 8: Margalo: Helping Out a Friend: After finding his way into the living room, Stuart climbed onto the shelf by the fern and hid behind a candlestick, waiting to see where Snowbell could be. Stuart waited half an hour, and he finally saw two gleaming yellow eyes. Snowbell was trying to get closer to Margalo! Stuart was scared, but he knew he had to to help his friend out.

Chapter 8: Margalo: Helping Out a Friend: As Snowbell crept slowly toward the bookshelf and climbed up into the chair near the fern, Stuart got his bow and arrow ready and aimed it toward Snowbell’s left ear. He got a direct hit! Snowbell screamed with pain and ran off toward the kitchen. Stuart knew that Margalo was now safe to sleep.

Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape: Helping Out a Friend: Margalo was so happy at the Littles’ household that she decided to stay a little while longer. She and Stuart became very good friends, and Stuart became very fond of her.

Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape: Helping Out a Friend: One day when Stuart had recovered from being sick, he decided to go outside and go skateboarding on the street. Stuart sadly didn’t get far because the minute he stepped onto the street, he saw a dog and quickly jumped into a garbage can.While Stuart was inside, a truck drove up to the curb and two men picked up the can!

Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape: Helping Out a Friend: Stuart felt that he was being lifted up, and as he looked over, he saw that he and everything else would be dumped in the big truck! Stuart didn’t know what to do, so he stayed inside and waited. The can was then thrown over, and everything shook out. Stuart was now caught in the middle of a big pile of trash! He tried to make his way back to the top, but it was no use.

Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape: Helping Out a Friend: Stuart continued to climb over the pile of garbage until he finally made it to the top. He saw that the truck was now driving off, heading towards a different direction. “I wonder where we are heading,” Stuart thought to himself. There was no way for him to get out of the truck, so he just had to wait.

Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape: Helping Out a Friend: When the truck arrived near a river, the driver drove to the dock and dumped out the load of garbage. Stuart came crashing down along with everything else. As he looked up, he could see nothing but water! Stuart felt helpless and thought he was going to die there. He then heard someone calling out his name from behind. “Stuuuart!” He looked up and saw that it was Margalo!

Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape: Helping Out a Friend: Stuart was so happy to see Margalo, and Margalo told him that she was going to bring him back home! In order to bring Stuart back with her, Stuart had to hold on to Margalo’s ankles as she flew in the air. The only problem was that Stuart smelled like garbage and made it hard for Margalo to breathe. He was also heavy for her!

Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape: Helping Out a Friend: In order to lighten up the weight, Stuart had to get rid of his skateboard. Margalo then was able to bring Stuart safely with her back home. After being so worried, Mrs. Little jumped up with joy when she saw that Margalo had rescued Stuart and brought him back. Margalo had saved Stuart’s life!

Chapter 10: Springtime : Looking Out For Others: Snowbell the cat always seemed to enjoy the night-time more than the daytime because there were always so many things going on in New York at night. Because Snowbell had stayed in the Littles’ household for a long time, he also had several friends in the neighborhood. Most of his friends were cats as well.

Chapter 10: Springtime: Looking Out For Others: One Spring evening, Snowbell saw one of his friends in the park - a young Angora cat. He asked if she would walk with him. When they got to the Littles’ house, the two cats sat down, and Snowbell started to tell his friend about Stuart and Margalo.

Chapter 10: Springtime: Looking Out For Others: The Angora cat was surprised to know that Snowbell was living in the same house with a bird and a mouse. She knew that Snowbell didn’t like them, but Snowbell said that they were still part of the family. They continued to talk, and the Angora cat began to have an idea. She told Snowbell that since she wasn’t a member of the family, there was no reason for her not to do something! She was very sneaky.

Chapter 10: Springtime: Looking Out For Others: Snowbell agreed with her, but he told her not to go in the house that night because he was afraid she would get caught. Instead, he told her to wait until the next night when Mr. and Mrs. Little would be out of the house. When a pigeon close by had heard about the terrible plan, he decided to warn Margalo and write her a note to tell her what was going on.

Tactile Representation: *Write out a small note on a piece of paper saying, “Dear Margalo, be careful of a strange cat who might be coming into the house tomorrow night.” Read the note to the student(s).

Chapter 10: Springtime: Looking Out For Others: As Margalo woke up the next morning, she saw the note on the branch of her fern, and she became very worried. She was so worried that she didn’t even tell Stuart, but instead she hopped up to one of the open windows and flew away! She decided to head North.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: For three days, everyone in the Littles’ household searched all over for Margalo, but they couldn’t seem to find her anywhere! When Stuart found out that Margalo was missing, he was heartbroken. He even refused to eat. Stuart was so heartbroken that he decided to run away from home and look for Margalo without telling anybody.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: After much preparation the next morning, Stuart got out his biggest handkerchief, and in it he placed his toothbrush, money, soap, comb, a clean pile of underwear, and his pocket compass. Stuart then rolled everything up into a bundle and quietly sneaked outside the house. “Goodbye, beautiful home,” Stuart said as he headed out.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: As he looked outside to the streets, Stuart was unsure of which direction to go. The world was a big place to look for a small bird! Stuart decided that he would need some advice on where to begin, so he headed over to find his friend Dr. Carey, the dentist who was also the owner of the small sailboat he sailed.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: Dr. Carey was glad to see Stuart. He let Stuart come right into his office where he was busy pulling a man’s tooth out. The Doctor let Stuart sit on his bookshelf so they could talk during the operation. As the Doctor began to talk to Stuart, Stuart told him about how he ran away from home to look for a lost bird.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: Stuart asked the Doctor which direction he thought he should go. The Doctor asked what color the bird was and when he found out that she was brown he told Stuart that he better go North. The Doctor then began to tell Stuart that he shouldn’t go on his journey by foot - it would be too tiring for him!

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: He then came up with an idea. He led Stuart into another room, and from a different shelf he took a tiny car that seemed to be the perfect size for Stuart! It was a toy car, but it was easy enough for Stuart to handle the driving.

Tactile Representation: *Bring in a red toy car to show to the student(s) how small the car is compared to a regular car and how fast it can go.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: Stuart was so excited but thought the car would make him too visible out on the streets. The Doctor assured Stuart that nobody would see him because the car was actually an invisible car! Stuart was confused, but when the Doctor told him to press one of the buttons inside, the car disappeared! However, when Stuart tried to press the button again to make the car reappear, he couldn’t see where he was pressing and he ended up pushing the starter button.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: The car then began to move all on its own, and it was moving so fast that the Doctor had to pick Stuart up to make sure that the car wouldn’t crash into him. “There it goes!” The Doctor yelled as he heard the car roaring and bumping into the wall. Stuart cried when he saw what he had done.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: The car would continue to move, bumping into everything. Pounce! Crash! The Doctor was racing all over the room but he was never able to keep up the car. Stuart felt so ashamed, and he apologized to the Doctor. He and the Doctor then sat down and waited patiently until they no longer heard any crashing sounds in the room.

Chapter 11: The Automobile: Think Before Acting On a Situation: The Doctor then searched all over the floor until he finally found the car buried in the fireplace. He pressed the button for the car to reappear and saw that it was scratched. Stuart felt terrible about what he had done, and he learned a lesson that day: Think before acting upon a situation.

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: While Dr. Carey was fixing up the toy car for Stuart, Stuart went shopping to look for proper clothes for his long trip. He headed towards a doll’s shop where the clothes fit him just right. The next morning Stuart headed out early from the Doctor’s office to avoid the morning traffic.

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: Stuart headed out onto the road and saw that the car was running great - Dr. Carey had truly fixed it! Although the people on the road were staring at him at times, Stuart didn’t mind. He made a promise to himself to never make the car disappear again after seeing what had happened the day before.

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: While driving, Stuart saw a man seated by the side of the road, and he steered his car alongside to ask the man if he needed any help. The man told Stuart that he was a Superintendent of the schools in that town and that one of his teachers was sick that day - he was having a hard time finding another teacher who could take her place.

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: Stuart then told the man that he would be glad to take the teacher’s place. The man was very happy to hear that Stuart was willing to help him. Then he stopped for a moment. “Do you think you can teach an entire class?” the man asked. Stuart assured the man that he could. The man then thanked Stuart and showed him to the school.

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: As school was about to start, the students began to enter the class. When they heard that there was going to be a substitute teacher, they all became very happy! Stuart then boldly entered and climbed up to the top of the teacher’s desk. In order to get everyone’s attention, he decided to jump onto the teacher’s bell. “Let me have your attention, please!” Stuart said.

Tactile Representation: *Bring in a desk bell to mimic how Stuart Little would jump on the bell to get the class’s attention.

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: When the students were quiet, Stuart told them that instead of working on their regular subjects that day, he was going to talk to them about something different - about the King of the World. The students were very happy that they weren’t going to do any of their usual work!

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: One of the students then said, “There is no King of the World. Kings are old-fashioned.” Stuart responded, saying, “If there isn’t a King of the World, then there should at least be a Chairman of the World. I would like to be Chairman of the World myself.”

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: Stuart then began to exclaim that a Chairman has to know what is important. He questioned the students to see if they knew what was important to them. As the conversation continued, Stuart was able to hear from the students and see them thinking all on their own. He was teaching them without any of the students realizing! The students were having so much fun that it didn’t even feel like work to them.

Chapter 12: The Schoolroom: Making Learning Fun: Stuart realized class was already over, and he told the students that they were dismissed. As Stuart headed out to his car, the students raced alongside and yelled “Goodbye!” They wished they could have a substitute every day. Stuart truly made learning fun for them.

Chapter 13: Ames’ Crossing: Reaching Out to Others: As Stuart headed down the road, he stopped by one of the loveliest towns he had ever seen. He parked his car in front of a store and stepped out onto the porch of a store. This was the most peaceful and beautiful spot Stuart had found in all his travels.

Chapter 13: Ames’ Crossing: Reaching Out to Others: The storekeeper later stepped out and joined Stuart on the porch. Stuart began to tell the storekeeper that he has been traveling in search for a beautiful bird named Margalo. The storekeeper then told Stuart that there was somebody in the town that Stuart really should meet. Her name was Harriet Ames, and she was just as short as Stuart!

Chapter 13: Ames’ Crossing: Reaching Out to Others: The storekeeper continued to talk about Harriet, and he told Stuart that he thought she would be very much interested in meeting him. Stuart thanked the storekeeper for his kind offer, but he told the storekeeper that he is always traveling and looking for Margalo - he wouldn’t be staying in town for too long. In fact, Stuart was supposed to head back and continue on the road, so he said goodbye and drove off.

Chapter 13: Ames’ Crossing: Reaching Out to Others: Although Stuart knew he had to keep looking for Margalo, he decided to drive to a quiet spot in town to enjoy the scenery one last time. “Harriet Ames,” Stuart murmured as he stopped his car. He couldn’t help but think back to his conversation with the storekeeper. He then sat down and decided to lay down for the night.

Chapter 13: Ames’ Crossing: Reaching Out to Others: The next morning, Stuart walked up to a post office close by. As he entered the post office, he happened to look towards the door and saw a girl about two inches high who was entering as well - it was Harriet Ames! Stuart wanted to speak to Harriet, but he was also nervous to go up to her. He decided to hide behind until she left the post office.

Chapter 13: Ames’ Crossing: Reaching Out to Others: When Stuart was sure that Harriet was out of sight, he left the post office and headed back to the store. Stuart asked the storekeeper if he had any stationary paper to write a letter. When the storekeeper gave him some small paper, Stuart began to write a letter to Harriet. He wrote about how the storekeeper has told him so much about her.

Chapter 13: Ames’ Crossing: Reaching Out to Others: Stuart then went on to ask Harriet if she was willing to meet up with him the next afternoon and go for a paddle in his canoe. However, Stuart realized that he did not own a canoe! He asked the storekeeper if he had any small canoes available, and the storekeeper said he had one that was just the right size for him.

Chapter 13: Ames’ Crossing: Reaching Out to Others: Stuart then headed out with his canoe and paddles to wait to see if Harriet would come the next day.

Chapter 14: An Evening on the River: Not Everything Can Go As Planned: When Stuart arrived by the river, he was very tired and hot. He put the canoe in the water, but it was leaking badly - in just seconds it was already half full of water! Stuart was very upset, and he pulled the canoe back up to see if he could fix it. Although Stuart was already tired, he climbed up a tree and found some leaves to stop the leaking.

Chapter 14: An Evening on the River: Not Everything Can Go As Planned: All afternoon, Stuart worked on the canoe, getting everything ready for the next day. He could think of nothing else but his date with Harriet! In fact, at suppertime, he even got some dandelions for her from the grass area by the river. He began to dream of how his time with Harriet would go.

Chapter 14: An Evening on the River: Not Everything Can Go As Planned: The next day was very cloudy, and the sky looked very rainy. Stuart began to feel rather nervous about his date with Harriet, as he had never taken a girl canoeing before! As five o’clock arrived, Stuart heard someone coming down the path - it was Harriet! Stuart then tried to act very calm and casual.

Chapter 14: An Evening on the River: Not Everything Can Go As Planned: Stuart had told Harriet that he was very excited to go canoeing with her, but that he wished the weather was better. He then brought Harriet to where he left his canoe by the water. The only problem was that when he reached the spot where he hid his canoe, he saw that it was gone!

Chapter 14: An Evening on the River: Not Everything Can Go As Planned: Stuart was horrified, and he felt like crying. He then began racing up and down, looking everywhere for the canoe. Harriet joined in the search, and after a while they found the canoe, but it was a mess!

Chapter 14: An Evening on the River: Not Everything Can Go As Planned: Stuart didn’t know what to do. He sat down on a twig and buried his head in his hands. “What’s the trouble?” asked Harriet. Stuart began to explain to Harriet that he had the whole evening planned wonderfully, but everything had fallen apart. He then decided that it may be best if they called it a night. Harriet then said goodbye to Stuart and headed home.

Chapter 15: Heading North: Never Giving Up: Stuart slept under the canoe that night. He then woke up at four to find that the rain had stopped. Stuart decided it was time to drive off again. He stopped at a gas station first in order to fill up his car for the rest of his long journey. After it was filled, he continued on his way. Stuart felt refreshed and glad to be on the move again.

Chapter 15: Heading North: Never Giving Up: Half a mile out of town, the road split up into two different directions. Stuart didn’t know which way to go, so he stopped to check both sides more carefully. To Stuart’s surprise, he saw that there was a man sitting on the side of the road. He looked as if he must be a repairman for a telephone company. “Good morning,” said Stuart to the man.

Chapter 15: Heading North: Never Giving Up: After a few minutes, Stuart asked the man if he ever sees any birds at the tops of his telephone poles. The man replied, saying that he constantly sees birds. Stuart then told the man that if he ever runs across a bird named Margalo, he would hope that the man could call him. He gave the man a card with his information on it just in case.

Chapter 15: Heading North: Never Giving Up: The man told Stuart he would keep an eye out for Margalo. He then asked Stuart, “Which direction are you headed?” “North, I think,” Stuart replied. “North is nice,” the man said. “There’s something about going North that makes you think you are always on the right path,” he continued.

Chapter 15: Heading North: Never Giving Up: And with that, Stuart agreed and said his goodbye to the man so that he could continue on his journey. He knew he still had a long way to go, but he somehow felt he was headed in the right direction. The End.