THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

Copyright © 2010 by Mini Grey

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in hardcover in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of the Random House Group Limited, London, in 2010.

Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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eISBN: 978-0-375-98603-1

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Title Page

Copyright

First Page

About the Author

On a pebbly stretch of shore in a beach hut by the sea, there lived a black cat, a white dog, and a little gray mouse.

The dog tended to the garden.

The cat took care of the housework.

The mouse looked after the cooking.

And they lived happily.

Or so they thought.

One night a Stranger blew in to the shore

and found his way to the beach hut by the sea.

He invited himself in.

The Stranger announced that they were the Lucky Winners of a visit from the WINDS OF CHANGE TRADING COMPANY and it would be absolutely FREE.

He explained that if you felt strangely discontented, or wondered if your life was missing a special Something, then WINDS OF CHANGE was the company for you. And, of course, everything was ABSOLUTELY FREE.

The Stranger also explained that he needed to sleep in a proper bed with plenty of pillows and eiderdowns.

There was only one bed.

The next day, after breakfast, the Stranger took Mouse aside and said: “You know, Mouse, I don’t mean to be rude about Dog, but his idea of gardening is a bit odd.

He only plants bones!

Who wants a bone garden?

Where are the flowers?

Where are the vegetables?

Where are the herbs?”

The Stranger gave Mouse some things to read from his suitcase.

After lunch the Stranger said to Dog: “Dog–while you’ve been busy digging the garden, Cat has been doing the housework. Come and look at Cat doing the housework.”

“Hmmm,” said Dog. “Well, we didn’t sleep very well last night.” But he felt a little upset.

The Stranger gave Dog a present too.

Around suppertime the Stranger found Cat alone and said: “You know, Cat, I’ve never been that keen on fondue myself– but I suppose that mice never get tired of cheese.

Do you have fondue every night?”

“Pretty much,” said Cat.

Cat also got some gifts from the suitcase.

At dinner everyone was very quiet, until– “A spot more fondue, anyone?” asked Mouse,

and…

That night while Cat and Dog were trying to sleep,

Mouse was packing his things, planning to travel to somewhere where his cooking was appreciated.

At about midnight the cat woke with a lurch and a sinking feeling that something was wrong.

She walked along the seafront. On the pebbles was a bundle of things–the sort of things that belonged to Mouse.

Through the roar of the sea her keen ears heard a desperate faraway squeak.

Cat couldn’t swim, but she waded into the water anyway. She just had to rescue Mouse.

Cat scooped up Mouse and put him on her head, but she was having trouble staying afloat.

Then, from the watery darkness, a pale blob got nearer and nearer and nearer.

Dog was a good swimmer, good enough for all three of them.

Dog carried them all to safety on the shore.

Back on the beach they made sure that everyone was still alive and nobody was drowned.

They all agreed it was probably time for the Stranger to leave.

But in the beach hut there was not a shred of the Stranger or his suitcase. Except a note, and these packets of seeds.

And now, if you happened to drop by the beach hut near the sea, you might notice that they were doing things a little differently.

You might see Mouse and Dog cultivating their bone and herb garden.

Or you might see Cat and Mouse making cheese and sardine fondue

(with a twist of thyme and a bay leaf).

If it was first thing in the morning, you’d most probably hear Cat and Dog humming a tune as they kept the hut cozy and clean.

And you just might notice a scent of herbs in the sea air.

MINI GREY studied art and then worked as a theater designer and elementary school teacher before devoting full time to writing and illustrating picture books. Some of her many awards include the Kate Greenaway Medal for The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Picture Book Award for Traction Man Is Here! She lives in Oxford, England, with her partner, Tony, their son, Herbie, and her cat, Bonzetta.