Monsters and Mold Read online

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1: THE BREAD EXPERIMENTS

  CHAPTER 2: PARDON ME

  CHAPTER 3: MOLDY FUR

  CHAPTER 4: AN EASY FIX?

  CHAPTER 5: HE’S BACK

  CHAPTER 6: PLAYDOUGH

  CHAPTER 7: KITCHEN SCIENCE

  CHAPTER 8: THE PRESERVATIVE HUNT

  CHAPTER 9: THE MOLDY FUR EXPERIMENT

  CHAPTER 10: SUCCESS?

  CHAPTER 11: DECISIONS, DECISIONS

  CHAPTER 12: OH NO!

  CHAPTER 13: THANK YOU

  GLOSSARY

  FOR CHLOÉ AND JULIEN – ML

  FOR GOOSE AND BUBS – AC

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.

  Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication

  Citro, Asia, author.

  Monsters and mold / Asia Citro; illustrator, Marion Lindsay.

  pages cm -- (Zoey and Sassafras; 2)

  Summary: A girl, Zoey, and her cat, Sassafras use science experiments to help a monster with a problem.

  Audience: Grades K-5.

  LCCN 2016904045

  ISBN 978-1-943147-16-8

  1. Monsters--Juvenile fiction. 2. Molds (Fungi)--Juvenile fiction. [1. Monsters--Fiction. 2. Molds (Fungi)--Fiction. 3. Science--Experiments--Fiction. 4. Experiments--Fiction.] I. Lindsay, Marion, illustrator. II. Title. III. Series: Citro, Asia. Zoey and Sassafras; 2.

  PZ7.1.C577Mo 2016

  [E]

  QBI16-600079

  Text copyright 2017 by Asia Citro

  Illustrations copyright 2017 by Marion Lindsay

  Journal entries handwritten by S. Citro

  Published by The Innovation Press

  P.O. Box 2584, Woodinville, WA 98072-2584

  www.theinnovationpress.com

  Production Date: February 2017 | Plant Location: Stevens Point, Wisconsin

  Cover design by Nicole LaRue | Book layout by Kerry Ellis

  PROLOGUE

  These days my cat Sassafras and I are always desperately hoping we’ll hear our barn doorbell.

  I know most people are excited to hear their doorbell ring. It might mean a present or package delivery, or a friend showing up to play. But our doorbell is even more exciting than that. Because it’s a magic doorbell. When it rings, it means there’s a magical animal waiting outside our barn. A magical animal who needs our help.

  My mom’s been helping them basically her whole life. And now I get to help, too . . .

  CHAPTER 1

  THE BREAD EXPERIMENTS

  Spluuuurk.

  I laughed. The sound of the moldy bread squishing inside the ziplock bag was super gross.

  So I poked the bag again.

  Spluuuurk.

  My cat jumped up on the table to see what I was doing. A cool breeze from the window ruffled his fluffy fur, and he squinted in the sunlight. Spluuuurk. He jumped backward and hissed.

  “It’s OK, Sassafras,” I said, giggling and tickling his chin. “The mold is sealed inside the bag. It won’t get you, kitty!”

  My cat didn’t look convinced.

  “It’s actually really cool. I’m running two experiments with the old bread Mom found. See,” I said and pointed across the room. “That experiment over there is testing whether wet bread molds faster than dry bread.” I poked the bag on the table again. “And this one is testing whether warm bread molds faster than cold bread. That’s why it’s here in the sun.”

  Sassafras poked a toe at the bag and wrinkled his nose.

  “There are other bags in the fridge and freezer, but they don’t have any mold yet. Which means this one is much more fun to look at. Don’t you think, kitty?”

  Sassafras scrunched up his face and jumped off the table. I guess he didn’t enjoy these mold experiments as much as I did.

  Maybe he was too busy hoping the magic doorbell would ring. But ever since the sweet baby dragon I’d nursed back to health had left, the doorbell had been disappointingly silent. I was trying to fill my time with experiments to keep my mind busy. Working on science was way more fun than sitting outside my mom’s office, waiting and waiting and waiting for the sound of the magic doorbell.

  I sighed.

  Outside the window, there was a rustling in the bushes. Sassafras leapt onto the table. He pointed his ears toward our backyard and held very still, listening.

  “You heard that, right?” I whispered to Sassafras.

  He meowed once in reply without taking his eyes off the yard. We both pressed our faces to the window screen. Maybe it was a deer? Or a cute little chipmunk?

  The bushes rustled again. Then something . . . or someone . . . cleared its throat. Sassafras and I jumped!

  CHAPTER 2

  PARDON ME

  My heart pounded and my stomach did flip-flops. I couldn’t think of any forest animal that cleared its throat. My mom was out running errands. Should I get my dad? Maybe I’d just imagined that noise . . . I could think of one way to find out.

  “Um, hello? Is someone out there?” I squeaked.

  The shrubs parted, and a creature about the same size as me walked out. He was furry, orange, and had giant ears with two horns on top of his head. He squinted at me and Sassafras with his two big eyes. He looked like . . . like . . . a monster?

  I stood there, frozen, with my mouth hanging open.

  The monster brushed his fur off and cleared his throat again. He seemed like he was about to say something. Could monsters talk?

  Sassafras broke the silence by launching out of my arms. Before I could stop him, he flew out the cat door and raced toward the monster outside. I began to follow, but stopped. That was an awfully tall monster. But then again, I didn’t want Sassafras to get hurt. What should I do? I took a deep breath. Mom never said there were dangerous magical creatures in our forest. So maybe the monster was really big and really friendly? I crossed my fingers that this would be true as I ran outside.

  The monster stood with his arms in the air, looking terrified. Sassafras galloped toward him. Once he was close enough, my cat leapt into the air and aimed straight at the monster’s chest.

  The monster screamed, “What is that? Eeek! Help me!” He stumbled backward.

  Was my cat trying to leap into the monster’s arms? The monster wouldn’t keep still, so Sassafras gave up and started purring furiously at the trembling monster’s feet. He bumped his head against the monster’s legs and kept purring.

  The monster put his hands up to his cheeks in horror and shrieked again. “It’s trying to eat me! I can hear its tummy growling from here. Oh, help me!”

  I scooped Sassafras into my arms. “I’m so sorry! My cat isn’t trying to hurt you. I think he just really likes you.”

  Sassafras strained in my arms, wanting to love on the monster more. I squeezed him to my chest a little tighter.

  “Likes me enough to eat me!” the monster huffed.

  I giggled. “Sassafras eats cat food, not monsters. I promise.”

  The monster calmed down a bit. He took a closer look at me and wrinkled his face. “I thought you were a bigger human, from the stories I’ve heard in the forest.”

  I stood up a bit straighter. “The stories were probably about my mom, but I’m big enough to help you.”

/>   The monster raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You seem rather small.”

  I moved Sassafras over to my hip. “I know all about the magic doorbell and the barn. I even helped a baby dragon all by myself.”

  “Really?” The monster seemed a little more convinced. “I love dragons.”

  “Me too,” I said with a sigh, remembering little Marshmallow. “I figured out what was wrong with a baby dragon who didn’t even speak, so I’m sure I can help you,” I added confidently. I mean, really. How hard could this be with someone who could answer questions!

  The monster looked me over once more, then he nodded. “As I’m sure you know, it’s almost time for the annual Monster Ball.”

  The Monster Ball? An annual monster dance? The thought of a bunch of monsters dancing together almost made me laugh out loud. I didn’t want to seem rude, though. I also didn’t want to look like I’d never heard of the Monster Ball. So I nodded and smiled.

  “Well, anyway, it’s coming up in a few days,” he continued. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve, uh, had a bit of an embarrassing problem. And because of it, I’ve never gone to the big dance. But I’d really like to go this year. I was hoping you could help me get rid of it.”

  At this, he turned around. I gasped. The monster’s fur was covered in mold!

  CHAPTER 3

  MOLDY FUR

  The monster turned back, but kept his eyes on the ground. “It’s disgusting. I know.”

  “Oh! Sorry! It’s not that bad, really,” I said. “I was surprised, that’s all. I’ve never seen mold on fur before. But then again, I’ve never seen monster fur. Is this something that happens to lots of monsters?”

  “No, just to me.” He sighed sadly. “It’s so embarrassing. We monsters take great care with our appearance. But no matter how often I bathe, this awful mold always grows. It starts on my back and spreads until I’m covered with it!”

  “I’m so sorry.” I felt bad for the poor monster. What a terrible problem to have.

  “Can you help me? There must be some way to stop the mold from growing in my fur.”

  “I’d be happy to help. Ummm, I could . . .” I pressed a finger to my lips in thought. Molds can be dangerous. I’d need to think of a solution where I didn’t touch the mold, or I’d have to wait until my mom was home to help.

  Sassafras meowed. Then he reached a paw up and bopped me on the head!

  “Hey! What was that for?” I frowned at him. But then I realized Sassafras was reminding me to use my Thinking Goggles. It sounds silly, but it always works. Wearing my lucky pair of goggles on my head always gives me fantastic ideas.

  “Um, just a minute, Mr. Monster. I’ll be right back. I’ve got to grab something from our house.”

  The monster humphed. “My name is Gorp. Not Mr. Monster.”

  “Oh, sorry, Gorp! One second.”

  As soon as I put my Thinking Goggles on, I thought of more questions to ask. Phew. I could probably figure out this whole problem before my mom got home. I grabbed a pen and my science journal and ran outside.

  I adjusted my Thinking Goggles and opened my science journal. It flipped to the page with the photo of Sassafras riding Marshmallow the dragon. I slowly ran my fingers over the photo. The shimmering light from Marshmallow’s scales jumped right out of the page. It made the magical photo seem alive.

  Gorp cleared his throat.

  I quickly found a new page in my journal and wrote my problem at the top:

  PROBLEM:

  Gorp’s fur is molding.

  “So Gorp, how often do you take a bath? And where?”

  “I bathe every day in the stream.”

  “And then what? You dry off and go home to your . . . monster house?”

  “Well, sort of. I shake my fur off, and then I go sleep in my warm cave up in the mountains.”

  I wrote down:

  Aha! That was it. I circled the words damp and warm in my notes. This was actually just like my bread experiments.

  “Gorp, I solved your problem!”

  CHAPTER 4

  AN EASY FIX?

  “Mold grows quickly when things are damp and warm,” I explained to Gorp. “When you get back to your cave, your fur must still be a little damp. And then you go to sleep in your warm cave. It’s the perfect way to grow mold.”

  He looked worried. “You mean, the problem is my warm cave? I don’t want to sleep outside in the cold!”

  I patted his arm. “I think if we take care of the damp fur, you’ll be fine sleeping in your warm cave. You can borrow one of our towels. Use it to get your fur completely dry. And just to be extra safe, take your bath earlier in the day so your fur is super dry by the time you get to your warm cave. That should stop the mold from growing.”

  I wrote in my journal:

  SOLUTION:

  1.Gorp will take bath early in day.

  2.Gorp will use towel to get very dry.

  I touched the page I was writing on. I kind of wanted to add a photo of Gorp to my journal entry. My mom had given me an instant film camera, and I was allowed to take one photo of each magical creature I helped. But I was nervous to ask him since we’d just met. Anyway, his problem had been so easy to solve. I closed my science journal.

  “I’ll be right back,” I announced. I ran inside and returned with a towel for Gorp.

  He picked it up between two fingers and peered at it.

  Oh, right. A monster wouldn’t actually know what a towel was. “Here, you use it like this,” I said as I pretended to dry myself.

  Gorp watched closely and then smiled and took the towel. “Thank you for your help, small human. I am very excited to be able to go to the Monster Ball.”

  “No problem. And my name is Zoey, and this is Sassafras. We hope you have fun at the dance.”

  Well, that was easy! I waved good-bye, and Gorp disappeared into the forest. As I turned back to the house, I heard my mom’s car coming up the driveway. Sassafras and I hurried to meet her.

  “Mom! I solved a problem all by myself! There was a monster and Sassafras loved him. But the monster was covered in mold. We were super careful not to touch him, since I know some molds are dangerous. Anyway, I figured out his fur was molding because he was going to bed in his warm cave with wet fur. It’s just like my bread experiments! See, all he needs to do is bathe earlier, use the towel to completely dry his fur, and by the time he goes to bed he should be very dry and not have any more mold problems! Oh, and I gave him one of our towels to use. I hope that’s OK.”

  “Phew! That sounds like quite the afternoon adventure,” Mom said. She put her arm around me, and we walked into the house. “I wonder why Sassafras loved him so much?”

  “Oh, you should’ve seen it, Mom. Sassafras was desperate to love him. He even tried to jump into Gorp’s arms. Gorp was terrified. I don’t think monsters see many cats.”

  Mom nodded thoughtfully. “No, I don’t imagine they do. Poor Gorp. Monsters take such pride in being clean. Having moldy fur must be hard on him.”

  “Yes, he seemed really worried about what the other monsters thought of him. He said he’s always stayed home from the Monster Ball because of it.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame! I’ve heard such wonderful stories about the Monster Ball. It sounds like so much fun. Well, I hope he’ll feel brave enough to go this year. It sounds like you did some good work.”

  I just knew I’d solved Gorp’s problem, especially after talking to my mom. I was so sure that I flipped my science journal to a new entry and began to daydream about what sort of magical animal we’d meet next.

  CHAPTER 5

  HE’S BACK

  I was in the barn, trying to think of a new experiment to run with the last few pieces of bread, when the doorbell rang. I jumped to my feet so quickly, my Thinking Goggles tumbled off. I grabbed them and ran.

  Sassafras practically danced over to the back door.

  “What sort of animal do you think it will be this time, Sassafras?”

&
nbsp; “Meow?”

  “Yeah, I don’t know either. Hopefully a baby something, though. Little Marshmallow was the cutest!”

  “Meow!”

  I opened the door slowly so I wouldn’t startle the animal who had come for help. My shoulders slumped. It wasn’t a new creature at all. It was Gorp. And he was still moldy. Oh no!

  Gorp sighed. I frowned. The only happy one was Sassafras. He pranced around purring and oozing happiness. He was so happy, in fact, he didn’t even notice the fly buzzing around. This was huge because Sassafras is obsessed with chasing and eating bugs. I snatched him up before he had a chance to scare Gorp again.

  “It didn’t work at all.” Gorp kicked at the ground. “I tried everything you said. I bathed early in the day. I used your towel. I made extra sure that my fur was dry before I went to sleep. But I am still moldy!”

  He looked like he was about to cry. Then the fly circled around Gorp’s head. He tried to swat it away, but it wouldn’t leave.

  “I’m so gross that this fly won’t even leave me alone!” he wailed.

  “Gorp, please don’t cry! Don’t give up yet. The first thing we tried didn’t work, but that doesn’t mean we can’t solve your problem. We’ve just got to try something else.”

  “But what?” cried Gorp. “Nothing will fix my moldy fur. I’ll be covered in mold forever and ever. I’ll never get to go to the dance! Never!”

  Sassafras wrestled out of my arms and ran up to Gorp. Sassafras’ snuggles always make me feel better when I’m crying, but Gorp saw him coming and backed up.

  I managed to grab Sassafras. “Stay!” I instructed.

  He gave me a stinky look, but sat down by my feet.

  “I know you don’t see a lot of cats, but they aren’t mean, and they don’t eat monsters. You really don’t need to be scared of Sassafras. He wouldn’t hurt a fly!”