Mother Bruce Read online

  RYAN T. HIGGINS

  • HYPERION

  Los Angeles New York

  For Griffin, the silliest goose I know

  Thanks to my editor, Rotem Moscovich,

  and designer, Whitney Manger,

  for their help in cooking up this book.

  Copyright © 2015 by Ryan T. Higgins

  Cover illustrations © 2015 by Ryan T. Higgins

  All rights reserved. Published by Disney • Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be

  reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or

  by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address

  Disney • Hyperion, 125 West End Avenue, New York, New York 10023.

  ISBN 978-1-368-00532-6

  Visit www.DisneyBooks.com

  Bruce was a

  bear who

  lived all by

  himself.

  He was

  a grump.

  He did NOT

  like sunny days.

  He did NOT like rain.

  He did NOT like cute little animals.

  Bruce only liked one thing—eggs!

  He collected them

  from all over the forest.

  But Bruce didn’t eat

  eggs raw like other bears.

  Instead, he cooked them

  into fancy recipes that

  he found on the internet.

  One day, Bruce came

  across a recipe for hard-

  boiled goose eggs drizzled

  with honey-salmon sauce.

  So he went out to get the ingredients.

  First, he caught

  a few salmon.

  Then he collected

  honey from

  a local beehive.

  He liked to support

  local business,

  you see.

  Last, he went to

  Mrs. Goose’s nest

  to pay her a visit.

  At home, Bruce

  prepared the eggs

  for hard-boiling.

  But the fire in

  his stove fizzled.

  So he went out to

  get more wood.

  When Bruce came back,

  he was met with an

  unwelcome surprise.

  Bruce became the victim

  of mistaken identity.

  Bruce wanted

  hard-boiled eggs,

  NOT goslings.

  He supposed he could settle

  for buttered goslings on toast . . .

  but for some reason, he lost his appetite.

  Bruce scooped up the little geese

  and stomped back to their nest . . .

  only to find Mrs. Goose

  had flown south early.

  Bruce left the goslings there anyway

  and went back home.

  But he was followed.

  Bruce was very

  stern and said

  things like

  And

  And also

  Bruce could take it no longer

  and became EXTRA grumpy

  with them.

  It didn’t work.

  Goslings always

  follow their mother,

  even if SHE

  is a HE and

  HE is a bear.

  Bruce was stuck with them.

  He tried to make the best of it.

  It was hard work.

  As the seasons passed,

  Bruce watched

  the pesky goslings

  grow older.

  Then one fall afternoon,

  he saw other goose families flying south.

  Finally, he’d be rid of those geese,

  and he could take a long winter nap.

  Bruce explained migration.

  But they didn’t listen.

  Bruce needed the geese to leave.

  So he got creative.

  Nothing worked.

  The geese would not leave Bruce.

  So Bruce decided to pack some bags

  and take his geese into town.

  They boarded a bus . . .

  . . . and migrated to Miami.

  Now every winter,

  Bruce and his geese

  head south together.

  They laze about at the beach

  in tacky shirts, sipping ice-cold

  lemonade, while Bruce dreams

  of new recipes—

  recipes that don’t hatch!

  Los Angeles New York

  Visit www.DisneyBooks.com

 

 

  Ryan T Higgins, Mother Bruce

  Thanks for reading the books on GrayCity.Net