Edwin Speaks Up Read online

  Text copyright © 2011 by April Stevens. Cover and interior illustrations copyright © 2011 by Sophie Blackall

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Schwartz & Wade Books and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Stevens, April. Edwin speaks up / April Stevens; illustrated by Sophie Blackall.—1st ed. p. cm.

  Summary: Before his family leaves the grocery store, Baby Edwin makes sure their grocery cart contains the last ingredient needed to make his birthday celebration complete.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-98875-2

  [1. Babies—Fiction. 2. Birthdays—Fiction. 3. Grocery shopping—Fiction. 4. Family life—Fiction. 5. Humorous stories.] I. Title. PZ7.S84315Bb 2010 [E]—dc22 2009028009

  v3.1

  Title Page

  Copyright

  First Page

  About the Author and Illustrator

  Mrs. Finnemore was racing around the house.

  “Gloo poop SHOE noogie froo KEY,” Baby Edwin was babbling. He was all dressed and ready to go to the supermarket.

  “Mommmmmy,” Finney whined. “Can’t we just go?”

  Suddenly Mrs. Finnemore stopped short.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake, there they are!” she said, and she reached into Fergus’s shoe on the hall table and pulled out her car keys.

  It was a fine day as Mrs. Finnemore and her five children trooped down the front steps and out to their old car.

  “I call the front seat!” Fergus hollered.

  “But Mommmmy,” Franny complained, “Fergus always gets the front seat.”

  “Fergus,” Mrs. Finnemore said, putting her hand on her hip. “You’ll sit in the back today.”

  She plopped Edwin into his car seat.

  Then she started up the engine and backed down the driveway.

  “Figbutton noo noo POCKY BOOKY froppin ROOF,” Edwin babbled.

  “Now, children, we absolutely mustn’t forget the sugar for Edwin’s birthday cake tomorrow,” Mrs. Finnemore said, and turned out onto Horatio Avenue.

  “I’m hot! Franny, open your window,” Finney shouted.

  “Mom, tell Franny to close her window. My hair’s blowing,” Fergus hollered.

  Once they’d parked at Fineson’s Fine Grocery, Mrs. Finnemore looked around the car. “Oh dear, I forgot my pocketbook,” she said.

  All the Finnemore children groaned.

  “Frigle dee ROOFY plowck.” Edwin kicked his little feet.

  Just then Mr. Caruso, who’d been loading his groceries nearby, tapped on Mrs. Finnemore’s window. “Pardon me,” he said, and pointed. “Perhaps you should check your roof.”

  Mrs. Finnemore looked up. “Well, what do you know!” She laughed and marched into Fineson’s Fine Grocery.

  Mrs. Finnemore had her keys, her pocketbook, her list and her children. She plunked Baby Edwin into the shopping cart and started off up aisle number one.

  “Children,” she announced. “Remember, your job is to not forget the sugar for Edwin’s birthday cake.”

  “Clob foo poop SWEETY,” Edwin babbled.

  Mrs. Finnemore began throwing apples, pears, grapes and bananas into the cart.

  Fiona climbed on the back.

  “It’s MY turn!” Franny screeched, and yanked Fiona off.

  “But I just got on! MOMMMMMY, make her stop,” Fiona howled.

  Mrs. Finnemore was bagging string beans, grabbing broccoli and clutching cucumbers.

  “Let’s see, what’s next on my list?” she murmured.

  “Gloody pooper do no LEAVEY.” Edwin kicked his little feet as Mrs. Finnemore rounded aisle number two, heading for the cracker section.

  “Did someone take my cart?” Mrs. Finnemore could hear Mrs. Lutzheimer call from aisle number one.

  “However could someone lose their cart?” Mrs. Finnemore clucked and shook her head as she turned into aisle three. “Now, children, make sure to get that sugar.”

  “Doon weewee fleetum FASTY!” Mrs. Finnemore heard Edwin giggle in the next aisle.

  “Oh my, where has Baby Edwin got to?” she said.

  Suddenly Mrs. Lutzheimer rounded the corner.

  “Excuse me, but I believe you have my cart,” she said.

  “Oh, and I believe you have my Edwin!” Mrs. Finnemore laughed, shook her head and gave Baby Edwin a little kiss.

  Mrs. Lutzheimer took her cart and waved goodbye to Edwin.

  “Rootin popel CART no no SWEETY,” Edwin said as all the Finnemores rolled toward the ice cream section.

  “I want chocolate,” Fergus announced.

  “Mommmmy,” Fiona moaned. “I don’t like chocolate!”

  “Edwin, darling, what flavor ice cream would you like with your cake?” asked Mrs. Finnemore.

  All four Finnemore children turned and looked at their little brother.

  “Gimpin chalk lil wizz um SWEETIN’ do a bye bye.” Edwin pointed across the store.

  “I think he said chocolate,” Fergus said.

  “He said vanilla,” Fiona insisted.

  Mrs. Finnemore gave a little shrug and threw a pint of each into the cart. Then off they all rolled to the checkout.

  “Plopin grouff shooop CAKE sweet NO NO,” Edwin said.

  Franny took the ice cream out of the cart and put it on the checkout belt.

  “SWEETUM NO NO!” he said a little louder.

  “Oh, Edwin honey, is your diaper wet?” Mrs. Finnemore sighed.

  Fergus leaned in for the macaroni.

  “Now, isn’t it a perfect day?” Mrs. Finnemore chatted with the cashier as she began ringing up her groceries.

  Fiona grabbed the broccoli.

  Finney begged Mrs. Finnemore for gum.

  But Baby Edwin was quiet.

  And just as Mrs. Finnemore reached for her pocketbook to pay, Baby Edwin dropped one large box of sugar onto the belt.

  It was still a fine day as the Finnemores came out of Fineson’s Fine Grocery. Edwin looked up into the sky. “Pople goo goo BIRD dooola looopy,” he said.

  The family piled into their old blue car and Mrs. Finnemore started the engine.

  “Roofum sweet,” Baby Edwin babbled.

  Mrs. Finnemore looked at her youngest and shook her head. “Tomorrow is Baby Edwin’s birthday—he’s growing up so fast. Soon he’ll be talking. Can you even imagine that?”

  is the author of Waking Up Wendell, a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year, which Kirkus Reviews in a starred review called “as absolutely charming as a sunny morning can be.” She also wrote an acclaimed novel for adults, Angel, Angel. Ms. Stevens lives in Connecticut and once drove the fifteen miles home from the supermarket with her wallet on the roof of her car.

  received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award for her illustrations for Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges. She is also the illustrator of Meet Wild Boars by Meg Rosoff, a Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon selection; Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan; and the Ivy and Bean series, among other books. A native of Australia, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she doesn’t own a car and rarely visits a supermarket. But sometimes she wishes she had a family of ferrets so they could help carry groceries and she could dress them up in winning outfits. Visit her at sophieblackall.com.

 

 

  April Stevens, Edwin Speaks Up

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