It's Simple Said Simon Read online

  Title Page

  Copyright

  First Page

  About the Author & Illustrator

  THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

  Text copyright © 2001 by Mary Ann Hoberman

  Illustrations copyright © 2001 by Meilo So

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of America by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC, New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, Penguin Random House Companies.

  Distributed by Random House LLC, New York.

  randomhouse.com/kids

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hoberman, Mary Ann.

  “It’s simple,” said Simon / by Mary Ann Hoberman ; illustrated by Meilo So.—1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Summary: After successfully meeting the challenges posed by a dog, cat, and horse, Simon meets a tiger that is much harder to satisfy and that he must outwit before he becomes the tiger’s dinner.

  ISBN 0-375-81201-6 (trade) — ISBN 0-375-91201-0 (lib. bdg.)

  [1. Tigers—Fiction. 2. Humorous stories.] I. So, Meilo, ill. II. Title.

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-307-79313-3

  v3.1

  To Theo Moszynski, with much love—M.A.H.

  To Joe and Brightness—M.S.

  One day, Simon met a dog.

  “I bet you can’t growl,” growled the dog.

  Simon growled a low growl.

  “Very good,” said the dog.

  “It’s simple,” said Simon.

  Next, Simon met a cat.

  “I bet you can’t stretch,” purred the cat.

  Simon stretched a small stretch.

  “Very good,” said the cat.

  “It’s simple,” said Simon.

  Farther on, Simon met a horse.

  “I bet you can’t jump,” neighed the horse.

  Simon jumped a short jump.

  “Very good,” said the horse.

  “It’s simple,” said Simon.

  Then Simon met a tiger.

  “I bet you can’t growl,” growled the tiger.

  Simon growled a low growl.

  “That’s not loud enough,” growled the tiger.

  Simon growled a louder growl.

  “Still not loud enough,” growled the tiger.

  Simon growled a really loud growl.

  “Very good,” said the tiger.

  “It’s simple,” said Simon.

  “I bet you can’t stretch,” said the tiger.

  Simon stretched a small stretch.

  “That’s not long enough,” said the tiger.

  Simon stretched a longer stretch.

  “Still not long enough,” said the tiger.

  Simon stretched a really long stretch.

  “Very good,” said the tiger.

  “It’s simple,” said Simon.

  “I bet you can’t jump,” said the tiger.

  Simon jumped a short jump.

  “That’s not high enough,” said the tiger.

  Simon jumped a higher jump.

  “Still not high enough,” said the tiger.

  Simon jumped a really high jump.

  “Very good,” said the tiger.

  “It’s simple,” said Simon.

  “I bet you can’t jump up on my back,” said the tiger.

  Simon jumped up on the tiger’s back.

  “Now I’ve got you,” said the tiger, and off he trotted into the jungle.

  It began to get dark.

  “Could you please take me home now?” said Simon. “It’s almost suppertime, and I’m hungry.”

  “I am, too,” said the tiger.

  “I’m having an egg for my supper,” said Simon.

  “I’m having a boy for mine,” said the tiger.

  “I’m thirsty,” said Simon.

  “I am, too,” said the tiger, and he ambled down to the river.

  “I can’t reach the water,” said Simon.

  The tiger waded out a little.

  “I still can’t reach it,” said Simon.

  The tiger waded out a little farther.

  “I still can’t quite reach it,”said Simon.

  The tiger waded out as far as he could.

  Simon leaped off his back and began to swim.

  “Help!” yelled the tiger.

  “I can’t swim!”

  “It’s simple,” said Simon.

  And he swam down the river and got home just in time for supper.

  MARY ANN HOBERMAN is the author of many highly acclaimed books for children, including And to Think That We Thought That We’d Never Be Friends, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, One of Each, The Seven Silly Eaters, and the classic A House Is a House for Me. Ms. Hoberman has four grown children and four grandchildren. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their two dogs.

  MEILO SO has illustrated several award-winning books, among them Tasty Baby Belly Buttons by Judy Sierra; The Beauty of the Beast: Poems from the Animal Kingdom, selected by Jack Prelutsky; and The 20th-Century Children’s Poetry Treasury, also selected by Jack Prelutsky. To create the artwork for It’s Simple, Said Simon, she used inks and wa- tercolors on Indian rice paper. Ms. So was born in Hong Kong and now lives on the south coast of England.

 

 

  Mary Ann Hoberman, It's Simple, Said Simon

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