Lost and Found Read online

  PENGUIN WORKSHOP

  Penguin Young Readers Group

  An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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  Text copyright © 2019 by Erica S. Perl. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. PENGUIN and PENGUIN WORKSHOP are trademarks of Penguin Books Ltd, and the W colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN 9781524790424 (paperback)

  ISBN 9781524790431 (library binding)

  ISBN 9781524790448 (ebook)

  Version_1

  To Mike. Without you, I’d be lost—ESP

  Contents

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  About the Authors

  Chapter One

  Arnold collected things.

  Rocks. Pinecones. Sticks shaped like letters.

  They were his treasures.

  Louise did not collect things.

  “I only need the sun in the sky,” she explained.

  But it wasn’t just that Louise didn’t collect things.

  Louise also lost things.

  Usually, Arnold’s things.

  One day, Arnold found the best treasure ever.

  It was shiny and blueish greenish and—

  “Can I see it? Can I have it?” asked Louise.

  Arnold shook his head.

  “I need it for my Blue Things collection,” he told her.

  “It’s more green than blue,” she said.

  “Then for my Green Things collection.”

  “Is this because I lost your favorite acorn cap?” Louise asked.

  “And my second-favorite acorn cap,” Arnold reminded her.

  “See!” said Louise. “You’re still mad!”

  “Louise, you lose everything,” said Arnold.

  “I don’t! I won’t,” said Louise. “I’ll just borrow it until tomorrow. Pleeeeeease?”

  Arnold considered.

  Louise did her best to look trustworthy.

  Finally, Arnold nodded.

  With a happy squeal, Louise ran off with the treasure.

  “You won’t be sorry!” she called.

  Arnold hoped she was right.

  Chapter Two

  The next morning, Arnold went to find Louise.

  But she wasn’t home.

  Arnold sat down to wait.

  He closed his eyes.

  Hop!

  Hop!

  Bop!

  “Ow!” said Arnold, grabbing his nose.

  “Now you have to find me!” yelled Louise, darting into the bushes.

  “I just came to get my treasure,” said Arnold.

  “Relax, Arnold,” said Louise, peeking out. “Your treasure is safe. So now we can play Hop-Hop-Bop!”

  Arnold raised one eyebrow.

  “Hop-Hop-Bop?” he asked.

  “Yes!” said Louise. “It’s like hide-and-seek. But with hopping. And bopping!”

  “Can I at least have my treasure back first?” asked Arnold.

  “Your treasure is hidden,” said Louise.

  “Hidden?”

  “Yes! That’s how Hop-Hop-Bop works.”

  “But, Louise—” said Arnold.

  “Just give it a try,” said Louise. “Start looking and I’ll say if you’re hot or cold. Ready? Go!”

  Arnold sighed. He walked toward the creek.

  “You’re cold, Arnold. Hop!” said Louise.

  Arnold turned and started to walk toward a big tree.

  “No, really. You have to hop,” explained Louise.

  Arnold hopped toward the tree.

  “Brrr . . . getting colder. Hop-Hop!” said Louise.

  Arnold hopped in the other direction.

  “You’re an icicle!” Louise giggled. “Hop-Hop—!”

  “STOP!” shouted Arnold. “Louise, I have looked—and hopped—in EVERY direction.”

  “Every direction but one,” said Louise.

  Just then Arnold heard tweet, tweet, tweet.

  He looked up.

  “You’re getting warmer,” said Louise.

  Chapter Three

  “You gave my treasure away?” asked Arnold.

  “Not exactly,” said Louise.

  “So, you lost it?”

  “Of course not!”

  “Then what happened to my treasure?!”

  “Excuse me,” said a voice. “Oh good, it is you. Do you want to see how it looks?”

  Louise nodded. She was up the tree in a flash.

  “Arnold, you have to come see this,” called Louise.

  Arnold squinted up at her.

  He wanted to stop playing the game.

  But he also wondered what Louise wanted to show him.

  Arnold took a deep breath and started to climb.

  He came upon a nest of baby birds and their mother.

  “What are you?” asked the baby birds.

  “I’m a bear,” said Arnold.

  “Ooooo!” The baby birds’ eyes opened wide.

  “Are you going to eat us?” peeped the tiniest one.

  “Of course he’s not!” said their mother. “He’s here to see our new mirror. I’m trying to figure out if this is the right spot for it.”

  “Actually, I just—” Arnold started to say, but then he saw it.

  His treasure.

  There it was, so close he could touch it.

  And it was as beautiful as he remembered.

  Suddenly, a surprising feeling came over him as he watched the baby birds dance.

  “Mir-ror! Mir-ror!” they sang happily.

  “It’s . . . perfect,” said Arnold, “right where it is.”

  Chapter Four

  On the ground again, Arnold thanked Louise.

  “Today you gave me a treasure I can keep forever,” he said.

  Louise looked confused. “Can I see it?” she asked.

  Arnold shook his head. “You can’t see it because it’s a feeling,” he explained. “It’s a good feeling, and it’s more important than a thing.”

  “Hey, maybe you can start a feelings collection,” suggested Louise.

  Arnold smiled. “Maybe I will.”

  “Thanks for having us!” Louise called up to the nest.

  “Thank you, dear,” the mother bird replied. She laughed. “That mirror was good and stuck in the mud down by the creek. If you hadn’t come along and helped me pull it out, I would have had to leave it.”

  Arnold looked at Louise.

  “In the mud? By the creek? So you did lose my treasure.”

  “I did not,” said Louise. “She found it. I just said she could have it.”

  “She only found it because you lost it!”


  “Why are you so mad?” asked Louise. “You said you had a good feeling. And you said feelings are more important than things.”

  “My good feeling is gone!” said Arnold. “You must have lost that, too!”

  Then he walked away, fast.

  “Arnold, wait up. I found a really cool rock for you,” said Louise.

  Arnold did not wait up.

  “Arnold, stop! I found pinecones. Your favorite kind, lots of them.”

  Arnold did not stop.

  “Arnold, I found a stick shaped like the letter A! Come look,” said Louise.

  Arnold did not come look.

  “FINE. I LOSE THINGS!” yelled Louise. “I don’t mean to, but I do.”

  “Please, Arnold,” she added. “I don’t want to lose my best friend.”

  Chapter Five

  Arnold turned around.

  He walked back over.

  Louise held out the A stick.

  “I won’t even ask to borrow it!” she said happily.

  Arnold examined the stick. He had to admit, it was perfect for his collection.

  “It’s a really nice stick,” said Louise. “I mean, for your collection. Though, if you know someone who doesn’t have a stick collection and wants to start one . . .”

  Arnold looked down at the stick.

  He looked at Louise.

  There were a million sticks in the forest.

  But there was only one Louise.

  Just then, Arnold realized that he still had the good feeling.

  Apparently, it was a treasure even Louise couldn’t lose.

  “You can keep it, if you want,” said Arnold.

  “Really?” said Louise.

  Arnold nodded.

  They walked on together, Louise holding the stick tightly.

  “I thought you just needed the sun in the sky,” said Arnold.

  “Yes,” said Louise. “And this stick.”

  “Even if you lose the stick,” said Arnold, “you are never going to lose me.”

  “Promise?” asked Louise.

  Arnold answered by gently bopping her nose.

  Louise smiled. “No bopping without hopping!” she said. “Wait a minute, I’ll hide.”

  She hopped off, her stick held high.

  “I wasn’t really worried,” Louise called. “We’re best friends, after all.”

  “We are,” agreed Arnold.

  “Besides,” added Louise, “you’re much too big to lose.”

  About the Authors

  Erica S. Perl is the author of The Capybara Conspiracy, When Life Gives You OJ, Aces Wild, Vintage Veronica, and a number of picture books. She lives in Washington, DC, with her family. Learn more about her on Twitter @ericaperl or at ericaperl.com.

  Chris Chatterton began his career in graphic design and animation, working on a variety of projects including Doctor Who and CBBC's The Dumping Ground. Chris's passion for illustration then led him to pursue a career as a freelance artist working on a number of children's books. Originally from County Durham, Chris now lives and works in the basement studio of his house in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

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