Astrid and Apollo and the Puppy Surprise Read online

  For Justyn —VTB

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Meet Astrid & Apollo

  Hmong Words

  Chapter 1: Sea Blue

  Chapter 2: Bright Moon

  Chapter 3: Tae Kwon Do Cat

  Chapter 4: Where Are We Going?

  Chapter 5: Loona Loona

  Facts About the Hmong

  Popular Hmong Foods

  Glossary

  Talk About It

  Write It Down

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  Cover

  Title Page

  Table of Contents

  Start of Content

  Main Body

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  back cover

  Meet Astrid & Apollo

  Hi, I’m Astrid. My twin brother is Apollo, and we were born in Minnesota. We live here with our mom, dad, and little sister, Eliana.

  Hi, I’m Apollo! Our mom and dad were both born in Laos. They came to the United States when they were very young and grew up here.

  Hmong Words

  gao (GOW) —

  girl; it is often placed in front of a girl’s name. Hmong spelling: nkauj

  Gao Chee (GOW chee) —

  shiny girl. Hmong spelling: Nkauj Ci

  Gao Hlee (GOW lee) —

  moon girl. Hmong spelling: Nkauj Hlis

  Gao Nou (GOW new) —

  sun girl. Hmong spelling: Nkauj Hnub

  Hmong (MONG) —

  a group of people who came to the U. S. from Laos. Many Hmong from Laos now live in Minnesota. Hmong spelling: Hmoob

  Nou Kou (NEW koo) —

  star. Hmong spelling: Hnub Qub

  tou (TOO) —

  boy or son; it is often placed in front of a boy’s name. Hmong spelling: tub

  CHAPTER 1

  Sea Blue

  Astrid looked at the crayons. She tapped her chin. She did not know which color to pick. But she knew Apollo liked blue.

  She read the names of the crayon colors. There were so many blues. “Baby blue, navy blue, sea blue. Eliana, what’s the best blue for Apollo’s shirt? Sea blue?” she asked.

  Eliana was sitting in her high chair drinking juice from her sippy cup. She said loudly, “SEE BOO!”

  Astrid put her finger to her lips. “Shhh! We don’t want Apollo to hear!”

  Eliana copied her big sister. She put her finger to her lips too and said, “Shhh!”

  “You are so silly!” Astrid laughed and picked up the sea blue crayon. “Let me test this,” she said.

  She drew the shape of a T-shirt. She colored it in with the crayon.

  “Sea blue is perfect!” she said. “Now I need to draw a funny cat.”

  “CAT!” said Eliana.

  “Be quiet, Eliana! You are going to ruin my surprise,” Astrid whispered.

  “Suh-pies!” said Eliana.

  “What surprise?” Mom asked as she walked into the kitchen. She was carrying a small pack of paper.

  Astrid stood up. “Mom, did you get the transfer paper?” she asked softly.

  Mom handed it to Astrid. She said quietly, “Yes, this is for you!”

  “Thank you!” whispered Astrid. She opened the pack. Inside were thin pieces of paper. “When I finish my drawing, I can print it on this!”

  Mom nodded. “Yes, we’ll scan your drawing into the computer and print it on the transfer paper. Then we’ll iron that onto a T-shirt.”

  “Will you help me iron it, please?” Astrid asked.

  “Of course,” Mom said. “A T-shirt will be a very nice birthday present for Apollo.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Astrid said happily.

  Every year on their birthday, Astrid and Apollo surprised each other with fun presents. This year Astrid wanted to make the present herself.

  Apollo always said he wasn’t sure whether he wanted a pet cat. But he sure liked to wear cat T-shirts! So when her cousin Lily told her about the transfer paper, Astrid knew what to do. She would draw a funny cat and put it on a T-shirt for Apollo!

  “What color shirt do you want to give him?” Mom asked.

  Astrid showed Mom the crayon. “Eliana and I picked sea blue.”

  “That’s a nice color. I’ll try to find a shirt to match at the store,” said Mom.

  Apollo walked into the room. “Find what at the store?” he asked.

  “Nothing!” said Astrid. She hid the transfer paper behind her back.

  “Nothing!” Mom repeated. She picked up Eliana from the high chair.

  “Nuh-ding!” Eliana screamed.

  Apollo covered his ears and said, “Sorry I asked!”

  CHAPTER 2

  Bright Moon

  After dinner, Astrid saw Mom, Dad, and Apollo in the living room. Astrid could hear them whispering.

  Astrid smiled. Were they talking about her birthday present? What was Apollo planning?

  They did not see her, so Astrid snuck up to hear better. She heard the words “green” and “pink.” Then she heard the word “puppy.”

  Astrid gasped.

  Apollo turned around.

  Astrid ran down the hall and up the stairs. She hurried to her room, which she shared with Eliana. She quietly closed the door in case Eliana was sleeping.

  Green and pink? Puppy?

  Had Apollo guessed that Astrid was making him a cat shirt? Maybe he wanted to make Astrid a dog shirt! Maybe he was deciding between a green or pink shirt.

  That had to be it. Apollo knew how much Astrid liked dogs. How funny! Astrid thought. They would give each other T-shirts!

  Astrid was sure that Apollo would draw a Teddy Bear dog. Teddy Bear dogs were her favorite in the whole world. She had read a lot about them. They were small, sweet, and soft as teddy bears. They liked to snuggle. They did not bite. They loved their owners.

  She wanted a Teddy Bear dog so much. That’s why she had lots of things with Teddy Bear puppies on them.

  There was a knock on her door.

  “Astrid?” Mom said softly.

  “Come in,” whispered Astrid.

  Mom walked in.

  “I’m checking on Eliana. Is she asleep?” Mom asked.

  They both looked at Eliana’s crib.

  “She looks asleep to me,” said Astrid.

  She really wanted to ask Mom about the puppy shirt, but she knew it was supposed to be a surprise. So she said, “I’m working on my cat drawing for Apollo.”

&nbs
p; “That’s great! Show me when you’re done,” Mom said. Then she left the room.

  Astrid sat down at her desk. She took out paper and crayons. Outside the window, she saw the moon. It was a perfect, white circle. It looked so bright. It made her feel happy.

  The white color made her think of a cat too. Astrid started to draw a cat fishing. Then she drew a cat playing soccer. She laughed as she drew. The cats looked funny!

  “Cat!” said Eliana.

  Astrid jumped. “Eliana! I thought you were asleep.”

  She walked over to Eliana’s crib. Eliana was standing up, holding her blanket.

  “You need to go back to sleep. Hurry, before Mom hears you’re awake,” said Astrid.

  Eliana sat down and pointed to Astrid’s drawing. “Cat!” she said again.

  “Shhh!” said Astrid.

  “Did someone say cat?” Apollo’s voice came from the open doorway.

  Astrid hurried to her desk. She turned over the drawing. “No. Go away!” she said.

  “Why? That’s not nice,” Apollo said.

  “Sorry, Apollo. I mean, see you later!” Astrid said.

  “Later!” Eliana echoed.

  Apollo pretended to cry.

  “Boo-hoo. Bye!” he said.

  The next day was the day before the twins’ birthday. Astrid went with Dad and Eliana to the grocery store. When they came home, she saw Apollo and Mom in the dining room.

  Mom was talking on the phone, looking at her computer. Apollo stood behind her. He was smiling. Then he saw Astrid, and he poked Mom’s shoulder. Mom closed the computer.

  “What are you doing here?” Apollo asked Astrid.

  “I live here!” Astrid said.

  “Let’s put the groceries away,” said Dad.

  “Away!” Eliana said.

  Apollo pointed to the kitchen. “Go!”

  Astrid frowned. She followed Dad and Eliana to the kitchen.

  At lunchtime, Mom got three phone calls. Each time she picked it up, she would go to a different room. Apollo kept following her.

  “What are they doing?” Astrid asked Dad.

  He shrugged. “You need more rice?” he asked Eliana.

  Eliana was eating a bowl of rice with water. She shrugged too.

  “Who keeps calling? Why do they have to leave the room?” Astrid asked.

  Dad shrugged again. So did Eliana.

  When Apollo and Mom came back, Astrid asked, “Who called?”

  But no one answered her.

  “Please pass the fish sauce,” Apollo said instead.

  “Who wants another bowl of pork and green vegetable soup?” Mom asked.

  “You need more rice?” Dad asked Eliana again, even though she was done eating.

  Later, Astrid and Eliana were sitting on the carpet. They were working on a big puzzle. It was a map of Laos.

  Apollo came and sat down next to them.

  “You still like Teddy Bear dogs?” he asked. He was grinning.

  Astrid tried not to smile back. She did not want Apollo to know she knew about the puppy shirt.

  “Teddy Bear dogs will always be my favorite,” she said.

  Apollo handed Eliana a corner puzzle piece.

  “Why do you like them again?” he asked.

  “They are the sweetest dogs!” Astrid said. “They are tiny. They are loyal. They are the best little dogs ever!”

  “Okay. Do you like green? Or pink?” he asked.

  Astrid was right! Apollo was making her a T-shirt. He would draw a cute little Teddy Bear puppy on it.

  “I like both colors,” said Astrid with a smile.

  Apollo nodded and stood up.

  CHAPTER 3

  Tae Kwon Do Cat

  “Mom, I finished the drawing!” Astrid said.

  For Apollo’s shirt, she had drawn a cat doing tae kwon do. The twins loved tae kwon do. She used the brightest crayons. She made the cat happy and funny, just like Apollo.

  Astrid showed it to Mom. “Do you like it?” she asked.

  Mom held up the drawing. “This is amazing! Great job, Astrid! Let’s scan it,” she said.

  After they scanned it into the computer, Astrid gave Mom the transfer paper. Mom placed it in the color printer. Then she printed out the drawing.

  “It looks nice!” Astrid said.

  Mom handed her scissors. “You can cut it, and we’ll iron it onto the shirt. Cut close to the outline of the cat. I’ll get the iron ready,” she said.

  Astrid cut out the drawing. She wished she could ask Mom about the puppy T-shirt. She wondered how Apollo drew the puppy. Walking? Playing? Maybe doing tae kwon do!

  Mom said, “Here’s the T-shirt. I tried to match it to the crayon color you picked.”

  Astrid looked at the shirt in the bag. “The color looks just like the sea! A bright blue sea on a sunny day. My tae kwon do cat will look great on it!” she said.

  As Astrid gave the bag back to Mom, a green bow fell out. It landed by her feet.

  Astrid bent down to pick it up. “What’s this?”

  Mom quickly took the bow from her. “Are you ready to iron?” she asked.

  Astrid tried to hide her smile. Maybe the bow would go on her present, the puppy shirt!

  Mom ironed the cat drawing onto the blue T-shirt. Astrid could see the colors showing through the paper. She was so excited.

  When Mom was done ironing, she peeled the transfer paper away.

  Astrid covered her cheeks with her hands. “That’s so cool!” she said.

  The tae kwon do cat was in the center of the shirt. The funny cat had one leg up in a high kick.

  “It looks wonderful. Your brother will love it!” Mom said.

  “I hope so!” said Astrid.

  Suddenly, Apollo ran into the room. “Mom!” he said.

  Astrid quickly tossed the T-shirt into the closet.

  “What’s wrong?” Mom asked.

  Apollo looked at Astrid. He pulled Mom’s arm, and they left the room.

  Astrid heard him say, “They’re all gone! There’s no more left!” As they walked away, Astrid wondered if Apollo was talking about the T-shirts.

  For the rest of the day, Apollo seemed upset. He walked back and forth all over the house. He was worried about something. Astrid felt sorry for him.

  “You want to play soccer?” she asked.

  He shook his head.

  “What about checkers? Or chess?” she asked.

  “Not right now,” he said.

  “Want to help Eliana and me finish our puzzle? We have the bottom half of the country done,” she said.

  “Maybe later,” said Apollo.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Nothing, Astrid. Everything’s fine,” he said.

  But Astrid knew something was wrong. Apollo was usually not that quiet.

  She wanted to ask Mom and Dad, but they were busy making phone calls. She did not know who they were calling.

  In the evening, Astrid walked past Apollo’s room. He was sitting on his bed. She really wanted to cheer him up.

  “Tomorrow’s our birthday. I made you a present!” she said.

  Apollo looked up. “Thanks. I tried to get you something you wanted. But people bought them all. I’m sorry.”

  “What? What do you mean?” asked Astrid. She wondered if someone had bought all the T-shirts. Was that why Apollo was so sad? Astrid felt confused.

  All of a sudden, Dad said, “Apollo, come here!”

  Apollo dashed out of his room.

  “What is it, Dad?” asked Astrid.

  “Don’t worry, Astrid. You should get ready for bed soon. Tomorrow we may be going somewhere early,” he said.

  “But it’s our birthday tomorrow. What about our special birthday breakfast?” Astrid asked.

  Dad didn’t hear her. He and Apollo were walking down the stairs. Astrid heard Dad say, “We’ll try something else.”

  Astrid went to her room. She looked at the moon shining in her window. It was so bright
and white. It made her feel better, even though she still felt bad for Apollo.

  CHAPTER 4

  Where Are We Going?

  Astrid woke up to Eliana jumping on her bed.

  “Way cup! Way cup! WAY CUP!!!” she said. She jumped one more time and fell on top of Astrid.

  Astrid laughed and hugged Eliana so she wouldn’t fall off the bed. As Eliana wiggled in her arms, Astrid saw Mom, Dad, and Apollo standing above her.

  “Happy birthday!” they all said.

  Astrid sat up. “Thanks. Happy birthday to you too, Apollo!”

  Apollo looked happier this morning. He was smiling a big smile. “Thanks! Now get up!” he said.

  “We need to go now,” said Dad.

  Mom picked up Eliana. “Get dressed. We’ll see you in the car,” she said.

  “Where are we going?” asked Astrid.

  “You’ll see,” said Apollo.

  Usually on their birthday, Mom and Dad cooked a big breakfast for Astrid and Apollo. At lunchtime they would eat another nice meal with a coconut pandan birthday cake.

  Astrid couldn’t wait to eat the sweet cake made from the pandan plant! But when she got downstairs, there was nothing on the dining room table.

  Astrid heard the car horn beep! from the garage.

  Apollo ran inside and said, “Hurry, Astrid!”

  “Why aren’t we having our birthday breakfast?” Astrid asked.

  Apollo took her arm. “Come on!” he said.

  In the car, Astrid tried to guess where they were going. “Are we having brunch at the Chinese buffet?” she asked.

  “Nope,” said Apollo.

  “The sushi buffet?” she asked.

  Apollo shook his head. “It’s too early for that.”

  “A pancake place? Waffles? Wait, is it fast food?” guessed Astrid.

  “No, no, and no.” Apollo laughed.

  “NO!” repeated Eliana.

  “Please stop, Eliana. It’s too early for screaming,” said Mom.

  Eliana crossed her arms over her chest.

  Dad laughed.

  “Can you please give me a hint?” said Astrid. Are we going to a T-shirt store? she wondered.

  Apollo grinned. “We’ll get your present there.”