As they approached the fence, the first four little puppies slipped under the fence as fast as they could because they were so excited about rice pudding. The poky little puppy was more cautious, and he noticed that he could see their mother's fur through the fence, so he held back so that he wouldn't get in trouble for digging the hole. He stopped and chatted with the neighbor dog for a while.
"So you're the little puppies who dig holes under fences!" their mother said. "No rice pudding for you! Go straight to bed!" So the four little puppies went to bed hungry.
The poky little puppy finally came home and slipped under the fence. He didn't know that the other puppies had been denied their rice pudding, but he did notice that there was plenty left, and he was very hungry, so he licked the bowl clean and went to bed, happy as a lark.
The next day the hole in the fence had been filled in, and there was a sign that said, "Don't ever dig holes under this fence!" But the five little puppies dug a hole under the fence just the same and went for a walk in the wide, wide world. They decided to go back to the hill since they hadn't spent much time there the day before.
When they got to the top of the hill they counted themselves: One, two, three, four. One little puppy wasn't there. "Now where in the world is that poky little puppy?" they wondered. They looked all over the hill and saw some interesting things like spiders and grasshoppers, but they didn't see the poky little puppy. Then they saw him at the bottom of the hill, with one ear cocked up. So they ran down the hill, tumble bumble, and asked what he was doing. "I hear something," he said. "Chocolate custard!" they all cried. "Someone is spooning it into our bowls!" So they went running home, and apparently they hadn't learned their lesson, because the four little puppies dove through the hole in the fence without looking where they were going,, and there was their mother again. "So you're the little puppies who dig holes under fences!" she said. "No chocolate custard tonight! Go straight to bed!" So the four little puppies had to go to bed hungry, and they were very sad.
The poky little puppy figured their mother might be waiting again, so he held back and approached the fence with caution. He had to wait a while because she was standing at the kitchen window washing dishes and would see him slip under the fence, but when he had a chance he snuck into the yard and came inside. He saw the big bowl of chocolate custard and just couldn't help himself--he ate it all up, and went to bed, happy as a lark.
The next morning there was a sign by the fence that said, "Don't ever, ever dig holes under this fence!" But the five little puppies dug a hole under the fence just the same and went for a walk in the wide, wide world. Once again, they ran to explore the hill. When they got to the top, they counted themselves: One, two, three, four. One little puppy wasn't there. "Now where in the world is that poky little puppy?" they wondered. For he certainly wasn't on top of the hill. They looked around on the sides of the hill and saw some other stuff, but no poky little puppy. But then they saw him at the bottom of the hill with his nose to the ground, and they ran down the hill, tumble bumble, to see what he was doing. "I see something," said the poky little puppy. Then they realized he was looking at a wild strawberry, and that reminded them that their mother was making them strawberry shortcake, so they ran home as fast as they could.
When the four little puppies slipped under the fence, their mother was there waiting again, and she said, "So you're the little puppies who dig holes under fences! No strawberry shortcake tonight! Go straight to bed!"
The four little puppies were getting desperate because they hadn't eaten anything for three days, so they snuck outside while they thought their mother wasn't looking and filled up the hole in the fence. They turned around and found their mother standing there, watching them proudly. "What good little puppies!" she said. "Come have some strawberry shortcake."
As usual, the poky little puppy took his time. He got pretty nervous when he realized his brothers and sisters were filling in the hole. He had to squeeze under a gap in the fence to get back home. He arrived home just in time to find his siblings licking up the last of the strawberry shortcake.
"Oh, dear! What a pity you're so poky!" their mother said. So the poky little puppy went to bed with no strawberry shortcake, feeling very sorry for himself and rather hurt that nobody thought to save any dessert for him. (Years later when he had puppies of his own he realized that his mother probably knew all along that he had secretly eaten the entire pan of rice pudding and the entire bowl of chocolate custard and therefore didn't need or deserve any strawberry shortcake.)
The next day there was a sign that said, "No desserts ever unless puppies never dig holes under this fence again!"
And the moral of the story is:
- Avoid doing sneaky things with siblings who aren't old enough to be sneaky without getting caught. If you do decide to do it, know how to bail out before it's too late.
- If you have a chance to eat dessert, do it, because they might decide to eat it while you are gone and forget to save some for you.
- Sometimes it's advantageous to be sneaky by yourself because then you don't have to share.
- In most cases Mom really does know you did it, even if she didn't actually catch you in the act.
Right?
(P.S. I still love the book, especially because of my childhood memories of reading it with my parents.)
(P.P.S. I was the poky little puppy.)
(P.P.S. I was the poky little puppy.)
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