A Boy, a Dog, a Frog, and a Friend Illustrated by Mercer Mayer Story and coloring by Erzsebet Harskuti

2 A boy sat down beside a pond. He was fishing. He waited patiently. “Shh! Be quiet,” he said to his dog and his frog. “I don’t want you to scare the fish.” So his dog and his frog sat on the bank quietly.

3 Suddenly something pulled on the boy’s fishing line. He was excited. Maybe it was a big fish! The dog and the frog wondered what was pulling the line.

4 The boy had to pull hard on the line. He pulled so hard his foot slid into the water. “It must be a very, very big fish to pull so hard,” he thought.

5 Suddenly the boy was pulled into the pond head first. The dog and the frog jumped in the water after him.

6 The boy stood up. The boy told his dog, “Quick! Get my fishing pole!” The dog started to swim.

There was a turtle getting out of the pond. The fish hook was in his mouth. 7

The dog came to the edge of the pond. He barked at the turtle. The dog’s barking scared him. The turtle dropped the hook. The frog watched from behind a rock. 8

Suddenly the turtle bit the dog’s paw! The dog yelped! “What’s wrong?” said the boy. The frog was scared now too. He jumped away from the mean turtle. 9

The boy picked up his dog. He tried to pull the dog away from the turtle. The turtle held on. The dog’s paw was hurting. 10

The boy turned around. He carried his dog back into the pond. The turtle still held on. 11

In the middle of the pond, the turtle finally let loose. Frog swam underwater. The turtle fell back into the pond. 12

The boy and the dog got out on the edge of the pond. The frog climbed out too. The dog licked his hurt paw. 13

The frog was glad the dog was okay. The dog sat beside the pond and licked his paw. The boy picked up his pail and shovel. 14

Suddenly the dog yelped again. Something was biting his tail now. It was the turtle! 15

The turtle swam away, pulling the dog by the tail. The boy yelled, “Come back here with my dog!” 16

The turtle pulled the dog underwater. The frog jumped into the pond to save his friend. The boy unbuttoned his shirt. 17

The boy took off his boot and his shirt. The frog dived in the pond head first. 18

The boy took off his pants. Suddenly the dog came up and started to swim. The frog climbed onto a lily pad. 19

The boy put his pants and boots on again. The dog climbed out of the water. The frog put his head underwater to look for the turtle. 20

“Oh no! Look!” said the boy. “The turtle is dead. He drowned.” The dog and the frog couldn’t believe it. 21

The boy pulled the turtle to the edge with his fishing pole. The frog sat sadly on a lily pad. The dog felt terrible. 22

The boy picked up the turtle. He and the frog were angry at the dog. “It’s your fault,” said the boy to the dog. 23

“Poor little turtle,” said the boy. The dog walked with his tail between his legs. 24

The boy dug a hole with his shovel. The frog watched. The dog hung his head down. The turtle lay upside down. 25

The boy was digging a grave for the turtle. Suddenly the frog thought he saw the turtle move his legs. 26

The boy picked a flower for the turtle’s grave. Yes! The frog was right! The turtle was alive! The turtle turned over and started to walk back to the pond. The dog saw the turtle walking too. 27

The boy turned around. The turtle had his fishing pole in his mouth. The dog wagged his tail. Everyone smiled—the turtle smiled too. 28

Hooray! The boy lifted the turtle in the air. Everyone was very happy. The frog and the dog jumped up and down. 29

The boy, the dog, and the turtle walked home together. The turtle carried the pole for the boy. Frog didn’t have to walk. He rode home on his new friend’s back. 30