CHAPTER ONE
James Says Good-bye


Marvin is sad.
James is going away.
"Just to the beach," James tells him.
Mrs. Pompaday and William are going too.
Only Mr. Pompaday will stay. Marvin does not like Mr. Pompaday.
James says, "I will be back in a week."
That does not make Marvin feel better. A week is a long time! He will miss James.
He rolls into a ball, like this:
James leans close to Marvin. "Don't be sad, little guy. When I come home, I'll bring you a surprise!"
Even that does not make Marvin feel better. What will he do without James? James is his best friend.
"You can help me pack," James says. He lifts his suitcase onto the bed.
Marvin does not want to help James pack. But at least it is something they can do together.
James has a list of everything he needs to pack. He puts the list on his desk.
"Now, when I say something, cross it off," James tells Marvin. He opens the bottle of ink on the desk. He puts the cap next to Marvin with a little ink in it.
Marvin can't read, but he is good at crossing things off. He dips his front legs in the ink.
"One," says James. "Socks." He puts socks in the suitcase.
Marvin draws a line through the first word on the list.
"Two," says James. "Underwear." He puts underwear in the suitcase.
Marvin draws a line through the second word.
"Three … swimsuit." James puts his swimsuit in the suitcase. It has dragonflies on it. Marvin thinks it would look nicer with beetles. He draws a line through the third word on the list.
"Four … pajamas." James puts his pajamas in the suitcase.
Marvin draws a line through the fourth word.
"See? You are really helping!" James tells him. "That is half my list. Five … shirts." He puts shirts in the suitcase.
Oops! Marvin has no more ink on his legs. He dips them in the cap again. He draws a line through the fifth word on the list.
"Six … shorts. My suitcase is almost full." James squeezes his shorts into the suitcase.
Marvin draws a line through the sixth word on the list.
"Seven … toothbrush. I always forget my toothbrush," James tells Marvin. "That's why I made a list in the first place." He puts his toothbrush in the suitcase.
Marvin draws a line through the seventh word.
There is only one word left.
"Eight … book! That's everything," says James. He takes a book from his shelf. Marvin draws a line through the last word on the list.
"There's no room," James says. He puts the book on the floor and moves things around in the suitcase.
"James!" Mrs. Pompaday calls. "Are you ready? We can't be late for the plane."
"Coming, Mom," James says. He zips his suitcase shut.
Uh-oh! The book is still on the floor. James will forget his book! Marvin runs over the list. All the words are crossed off. He taps his legs on number eight.
James sees him. "Good job!" he says. "You crossed off everything."
Marvin keeps tapping.
James puts on his shoes.
Marvin runs around in circles.
"Don't worry," James says. "I'll be back soon."
Marvin runs to the cap of ink and dips his legs in it.
James stands up. "Time to go."
Marvin runs back to the paper and draws this:
Finally, James understands. "Oh!" he says. "I forgot my book!"
He finds the book on the floor and puts it in his suitcase. Marvin sighs.
"Thanks, little guy!" James smiles at Marvin. "You are a big help."
He pats Marvin's shell. "Good-bye! See you in a week."
Marvin lifts one leg and waves good-bye. He is still sad. But at least he helped James pack, and James did not forget his book.



Text copyright © 2014 by Elise Broach
Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Kelly Murphy