Astrid and Apollo and the Puppy Surprise Read online

  “Oh, I left your present at home,” Astrid said.

  “We brought it,” Dad said from the front seat. He held up a gift bag.

  “Thanks, Dad!” said Astrid.

  “I’ll open it later,” Apollo said.

  “So, are we going shopping?” asked Astrid.

  Apollo sat back in his seat and smiled. “Kind of,” he said. “But your present should be ready when we get there.”

  “This was all Apollo’s idea,” said Dad.

  Mom looked back at them.

  “Apollo worked hard to make it happen.”

  “You and Dad helped,” said Apollo.

  Astrid did not understand. She knew Apollo was good at drawing. He could have drawn lots of puppies. Why did he need Mom and Dad to help? Mom had helped Astrid iron her drawing onto the shirt, but that was all she had helped with.

  “I thought someone bought all the shirts,” Astrid said.

  Apollo looked at her. “What shirts?”

  Astrid covered her mouth. She did not want to ruin her surprise for him. “Forget it!” she said.

  As they drove onto the highway, Astrid’s stomach growled. She was getting hungry.

  “Wherever we’re going, I hope there’s food!” said Astrid.

  Apollo smiled. “I think they have food, but not something you could eat.”

  “Oh no! Is it bitter melon soup?” Astrid did not like that soup. Her parents and Apollo loved it, but Astrid thought it was too bitter!

  Apollo didn’t have a chance to answer because Mom said, “There it is! Up ahead.”

  Astrid looked out the window. She did not know where they were. She saw a big brown building down the block. Some cars were in the parking lot. People were walking into the building.

  “It just opened,” Mom said. She turned into the lot and parked.

  As they got out of the car, Astrid asked, “Where are we?”

  “Follow your brother,” Dad said.

  Apollo led the way. Dad, Mom, and Eliana followed him. Astrid shrugged and followed too. She saw a sign and was just about to read it when Apollo blocked her view.

  “No reading!” he said.

  Apollo opened the big doors. They walked into a small lobby. Astrid saw a tall desk and a man and a woman standing behind it. Next to the desk was a small store. It looked like a pet supply store.

  Astrid looked around. Another set of doors near them opened, and more workers came out. Astrid smelled a strong smell. Was it … animals?

  She looked at the glass windows of the doors and saw birds in cages. Inside were more cages with rabbits and cats.

  “What are we buying here? Do they even sell T-shirts?” she asked.

  Apollo laughed. “Astrid, why do you keep talking about shirts?”

  “Oh, you’re Astrid!” said the woman behind the desk. “You’re here! She’s almost ready for you.”

  The woman walked through the set of doors.

  “Who’s ready for me?” asked Astrid, but no one answered. She suddenly felt nervous.

  The man came out from behind the desk. He smiled and pointed to some chairs nearby. “Why don’t you have a seat over here, Astrid?”

  He looked at Mom and Dad. “We’ll have some papers for you to sign. We have a bag of food for you to take too.”

  Astrid stared at them. “What is happening?” she asked Apollo.

  Apollo grinned at her.

  “Have you decided on a name yet?” the man asked Astrid.

  “Name?” Astrid asked.

  Her heart started to beat faster. Was she getting something better than a T-shirt? She didn’t want to get too excited in case she was wrong.

  “It’s a surprise,” Apollo said.

  The man laughed. “That’s right! Have a seat. I’m sure you’ll think of something once you see her,” he said.

  Astrid slowly sat down. “What is he talking about?” she whispered.

  Mom and Dad sat next to her. Eliana sat on Dad’s lap. Apollo stood near her.

  Then the doors opened again, and the woman walked out. She came straight toward Astrid. She was holding something in her arms. Something with a green bow.

  Astrid could not believe what she saw!

  CHAPTER 5

  Loona Loona

  It was not a T-shirt. The woman handed Astrid a small white dog!

  The dog had a light gray patch down her back. The tips of her ears were a cream color. She had a black nose and big, black eyes.

  Astrid held the dog in her lap. She felt soft and warm. Her ears wiggled. Her fluffy tail wagged.

  “Happy birthday!” Apollo said.

  Astrid could not talk.

  “This is your surprise!” said Apollo.

  “She’s really for me?” Astrid’s voice was shaking. She hoped she wouldn’t cry.

  Apollo nodded.

  The dog stuck out her tongue and licked Astrid’s hand. Astrid laughed. “It tickles!”

  “We know you’ve wanted a puppy for a long time now,” Dad said.

  “Puppy!” echoed Eliana.

  “We feel you and Apollo are now ready for a pet,” Mom said.

  “You wanted a Teddy Bear, but we got you this one,” Apollo said.

  “She’s a Maltese mix,” said the woman. “The shape of her ears makes us think she could be part Yorkie. We call those Morkies.”

  Astrid slowly petted the dog’s head. “I don’t care what she is. I love her!” she said.

  The dog snuggled up to Astrid’s face. She was just as soft as Astrid thought a puppy could be. Astrid was so happy.

  “Thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you, Apollo! This is the best birthday present! I love this puppy!” said Astrid.

  “Well, she’s five years old,” said the man. “So she’s not a puppy anymore.”

  “She’s so small. She looks like a puppy,” said Astrid.

  “Yes, Morkies are little dogs,” said the woman. “She’s only five pounds, and this is as big as she’ll get. The good thing is, she’s an adult, so she’s already house-trained.”

  “That means potty-trained,” said Apollo.

  “Potty!” repeated Eliana.

  “That’s very good.” Dad looked at Mom and smiled.

  Astrid carefully scratched the dog’s chin. The dog rested her head on Astrid’s other hand.

  Eliana reached out to pet her too.

  Soon the whole family was petting her.

  “She looks smaller than in her picture on the website,” said Apollo.

  The woman nodded. “It’s good you called when you did. The little ones get adopted right away. Many people asked about her already. And we just opened!” she said.

  “We got lucky!” said Apollo. “Astrid, we were trying to get you a Teddy Bear dog. We found a breeder. But then they sold the whole litter of puppies before we could get one.”

  “It’s not easy to find Teddy Bear dogs,” said Dad.

  “We looked at many places,” Mom said. “Last night we checked this shelter and saw her.”

  “She’s perfect!” said Astrid.

  “Anyway, it’s good to adopt,” Dad said.

  “It’s true. Many dogs need homes,” said the man.

  The woman handed Astrid a pink collar. “I heard you like pink,” she said. “Once you decide on a name, let me know. We’ll put it on her tag. Then you can take her home.”

  A name? Astrid had to think of a name for her new dog! She thought and thought. Finally she said, “What if I name her after the moon? She’s bright and white like the moon.”

  “You could call her Luna! That means moon,” said Apollo.

  “Yes, Luna in English! Gao Hlee in Hmong,” said Astrid.

  “Sounds good to me!” Dad said and gave a thumbs-up.

  Eliana put her thumb up too. “Loona Loona!”

  “Now we have a sunny girl, a shiny girl, a star, and a little moon in our family,” Mom said.

  When they walked out to the car later, the sun was shining. Luna squinted at the sun. Astrid hug
ged her and smiled. She had a dog! It wasn’t a Teddy Bear. But it was just as cute.

  In the car, Astrid gave Apollo his present.

  When he opened it, Apollo smiled and said, “A cat T-shirt! Did you draw it?”

  Astrid nodded.

  “Thanks!” Apollo put the T-shirt on over his other shirt. “This is a cool birthday surprise!”

  “If you like that, wait until next year!” said Astrid.

  Apollo looked at her. “Wait, are you getting me a cat?”

  Astrid smiled and said, “I can’t tell you because then it wouldn’t be a surprise!”

  Facts About the Hmong

  Hmong people first lived in southern China. Many of them moved to Southeast Asia in the 1800s. Some Hmong decided to stay in the country of Laos (pronounced LAH-ohs).

  In the 1950s, the Vietnam War started in Southeast Asia. The United States joined this war. They asked the Hmong in Laos to help them. When the U.S. lost the war, Hmong people had to leave Laos.

  After 1975, many Hmong came to the U.S. as refugees. Refugees are people who escape from their country to find a new, safe place to live. Today, Minnesota is home to around 85,000 Hmong.

  Many Hmong American families enjoy outdoor activities like camping, boating, and fishing.

  Popular Hmong Foods

  barbecued meat sticks—grilled beef, pork, chicken, or other meat on a stick

  bitter melon—a vegetable that looks like a bumpy cucumber and tastes very bitter. It is often cooked in Hmong soups and other dishes.

  fish sauce—a strong, salty sauce that is used as a seasoning for Hmong and other Southeast Asian dishes

  mango on sticky rice—slices of mango on sticky rice flavored with coconut milk

  pandan—a tropical plant used as a sweet flavoring in Southeast Asian cakes and desserts

  pork and green vegetable soup—pork and leafy green vegetables boiled in a broth. This is a typical dish that Hmong families eat at mealtime.

  rice in water—a bowl or plate of rice with water added to it. Many Hmong children and elderly Hmong people like to eat rice this way.

  Glossary

  breeder (BREED-ur) —

  a person who raises animals to sell

  buffet (buh-FAY) —

  a meal of several dishes where guests help themselves

  loyal (LOI-uhl) —

  being true to something or someone

  Maltese (MAWL-tees) —

  a type of small dog with a long white coat and a black nose

  scan (SKAN) —

  to move a beam of light over something to copy an image

  shelter (SHEL-tur) —

  a place that takes care of lost or stray animals

  snuggle (SNUHG-uhl) —

  to hold close

  squint (SKWINT) —

  to look at something through partly closed eyes

  tae kwon do (tai kwon DOH) —

  a style of martial arts that uses kicks and punches

  transfer paper (TRANS-fur PAY-pur) —

  a thin piece of paper that copies an image onto fabric

  Yorkie (YOR-kee) —

  short for Yorkshire terrier, a type of small dog with long gray hair. Yorkies have tan hair on their heads and chests.

  Talk About It

  Astrid was so happy to get a dog for her birthday. Share what you think the best birthday present would be.

  Talk about why Astrid likes Teddy Bear dogs. What kind of dog did her family give her instead?

  Have you ever surprised someone for their birthday? Have you been surprised for your birthday? Discuss what happened.

  Write It Down

  Astrid drew funny pictures of cats for Apollo’s T-shirt. Pretend you are making a T-shirt and draw a picture of a cat or other animal doing something funny. Write a sentence about it under the drawing.

  Astrid’s family did not want her to know about the birthday surprise. Write what they said or did each time she asked about it.

  What was the reason Astrid named her dog after the moon? What did Mom say after they picked the name Luna, or Gao Hlee?

  About the Author

  V.T. Bidania has been writing stories ever since she was five years old. She was born in Laos and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, right where Astrid and Apollo live! She has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and won a Loft Mirrors and Windows Fellowship. She now lives outside of the Twin Cities and spends her free time reading all the books she can find, writing more stories, and playing with her family’s sweet Morkie.

  About the Illustrator

  Evelt Yanait is a freelance children’s digital artist from Barcelona, Spain, where she grew up drawing and reading wonderful illustrated books. After working as a journalist for an NGO for many years, she decided to focus on illustration, her true passion. She loves to learn, write, travel, and watch documentaries, discovering and capturing new lifestyles and stories whenever she can. She also does social work with children and youth, and she’s currently earning a Social Education degree.

  Published by Picture Window Books, an imprint of Capstone.

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  capstonepub.com

  Text copyright © 2021 by V.T. Bidania.

  Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Capstone.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Bidania, V. T., author. | Yanait, Evelt, illustrator.

  Title: Astrid and Apollo and the puppy surprise / by V.T. Bidania ; illustrated by Evelt Yanait.

  Description: North Mankato, Minnesota : Picture Window Books, [2021] | Series: Astrid and Apollo | Audience: Ages 6-8. | Audience: Grades K-1.| Summary: Astrid and Apollo each have a special, surprise birthday gift planned for the other, and Astrid thinks she has guessed what Apollo is giving her, but as she puts more clues together, she realizes she is in the middle of a birthday mystery. Includes facts about the Hmong.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2021002447 (print) | LCCN 2021002448 (ebook) | ISBN 9781515882084 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781515883166 (paperback) | ISBN 9781515891758 (ebook pdf) | ISBN 9781515893318 (ebook)

  Subjects: CYAC: Twins—Fiction. | Brothers and sisters—Fiction. | Birthdays— Fiction. | Dogs—Fiction. | Hmong Americans—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.B5333 Ar 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.B5333 (ebook) | DDC [E]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021002447

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021002448

  Designer: Kay Fraser

  Image Credits: Capstone/Dara Lashia Lee, 61; Shutterstock: Ingo Menhard, 60, Yangxiong (pattern), 5 and throughout