Metro Goes Stargazing: Metro The Little Dog, #3

By Susie Slanina

Metro takes a trip to the desert for a night of stargazing with friends. She climbs a rocky hill and sees Saturn through a telescope. That night Sherry has a dream that she and Metro tap dance on Saturn’s rings.

Marguerite, Lori, and Sherry reap the harvests of the vegetable garden and have a backyard BBQ and campout. Marguerite reads scary stories in the tent. Metro helps Sherry make a big decision which surprises everyone, especially Sherry!

Metro gets two Forever Friends! Tawny is a coppery colored doggy who always barks twice and Gizzy is a white dog with huge brown eyes. Marguerite and Sherry take the dogs up to the mountains and Sherry realizes she doesn’t want to leave. She tries to convince glamorous Marguerite to go camping, but Marguerite’s idea of “roughing it” is a five star hotel. They finally reach a compromise. Then Sherry surprises Marguerite with an astounding statement. Marguerite surprises Sherry with another astounding statement!

Recommended Age: 7-12

• Language: English
• Publisher: Windtree Press
• Release date: Dec 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781940064758

Book preview

Windtree Press

Portland, Oregon

Copyright 2014 by Susie Slanina

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electornic or mechanical methods, without the prior writtenpermission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address or email below.

Published by

Metro the Little Dog

In Partnership with

Windtree Press

818 SW 3rd Avenue #221-2218

Portland, Oregon 97204-2405

855-649-0821

http://windtreepress.com

email: [e-mail]

Cover Design and Illustrations by Paul Bunch

Ordering Information:

Quantity Sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, booksellers, and others. For details contact the Special Sales Department at the address above.

Metro Goes Stargazing / Susie Slanina, – 2nd ed.

ISBN 978-1-9400647-5-8

To Metro

Your devotion and sweet Metro nature

still shine like the most twinkling star.

Thank you, Good Doggy!

Silently one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven

Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of angels.

--Longfellow

Cast of Characters

Metro ...........................................................................Sherry's Puppy

Sherry.........................................................................17 Year Old Girl

Marguerite ................................................................17 Year Old Girl

Lori ...........................................................................12 Year Old Girl

Butterscotch & Playmate .......................................Sherry's Two Cats

Starbuck ..................................................................Marguerite's Dog

Amy & Annie .................................9 Year Old Twins (Lori's Sisters)

Terry ............................................... 8 Year Old Boy (Lori's Brother)

Johnny .......................................18 Year Old Boy (Sherry's Brother)

Roz & Roger ......................................................Lori's Mom & Dad

Tawny & Gizzy ........................................................ 2 Shelter Dogs

1

Graduation Day

(Puppy Kindergarten)

Marguerite was Sherry's best friend. They had been best friends since kindergarten. They were both seventeen years old. Lori was Sherry's next door neighbor. Lori was twelve and had a big Irish family.

Sherry had been missing Marguerite who lived down the block. Marguerite now lived in a sorority at USC where she attended college in downtown Los Angeles. Now it was finally summer and Marguerite was home for the long summer vacation. The girls had not seen each other since late spring when Marguerite had been home for Memorial Day weekend. On that weekend they had taken Metro, Sherry's puppy, to Hollywood and had a very good time as told in Metro Goes To Hollywood. They promised each other that they would set aside a day just to daydream about what kinds of fun they would have on summer vacation.

Sherry and Marguerite remembered to keep their Daydreaming Date on June 16. They went to Covina Park with Metro and Lori and daydreamed like mad. They spread beach towels on the soft grass and dreamed of fun things to do for summer vacation.

It was so pleasant that sometimes they forgot to plan, and just enjoyed the birds singing and the soft swaying of the leaves above their heads.

Metro, however, was NOT planning for the future. She heard the girls talk about future plans. What on Earth could be better than this present moment? the little dog wondered, wagging her feathery tail in contentment.

Just then Sherry sat up. She had remembered something. Just think, we all have very important birthdays coming up. Marguerite and I will turn eighteen and be able to vote, and Lori, you'll be thirteen...a real teenager!

Lori sat up too. Oh boy, maybe Mummy will finally let me get holes in my ears. Ooh, pierced earrings! Ever since she was a little girl, Lori had been enchanted by sparkly things.

Metro will be six months old in July. You're getting to be a big girl too, Metro! And in just a few days you'll be graduating! Sherry said, looking fondly at Metro who was looking fondly at the green grass which was full of interesting bugs. And the interesting bugs were looking fondly at teeny tiny things even smaller than the bugs!

Metro had been attending puppy kindergarten every Saturday morning and in a few days she would graduate. She loved puppy kindergarten and Lori always came to sit on the bench and watch. For the first fifteen minutes of each class the puppies got to "socialize.'' They would run, tumble and roll all over each other just like happy playful puppies!

Oh, Metro thought. That's exactly what we are. (Metro would sometimes forget she was a puppy.) Then, after the fifteen minutes of playtime, the class got strict. The puppies practiced their commands: sit, stay, come, down, heel.

Graduation Day was on Summer Solstice, the very longest day of daylight for the whole year.

Lori, Marguerite, and Johnny, Sherry's brother, came to watch the ceremony. The puppies played together, then it was time to show off what they had learned.

Sherry said Heel, Metro! and walked her around the skating rink. Metro stayed in proper form on the left side of Sherry. (When Metro was not at school, Sherry let Metro trot ahead.)

The teacher blew a whistle. Sherry said, Sit, Metro! Immediately, like an obedient soldier, Metro sat.

All the puppies did very well but Metro did the best. She won a gold trophy for First Place and was awarded a plaque that said Miss Congeniality. All the other puppies won awards and Metro was very modest so the other doggies were not jealous at all.

After the graduation, Marguerite surprised everyone. She had brought little miniature tiaras for Metro and the ten other puppies. And Lori finally got to