Mabel Read online

  For Maya

  Copyright © 2020 by Rowboat Watkins. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

  ISBN 978-1-4521-5527-2 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-4521-5569-2 (epub2)

  ISBN 978-1-4521-5683-5 (epub3)

  ISBN 978-1-4521-5682-8 (kindle)

  Design by Sara Gillingham Studio. Typeset in Austral Slab Rough. The illustrations in this book were made with pencil, watercolor, ink, vintage book paper, and an iMac.

  Chronicle Books LLC, 680 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94107

  Chronicle Books—we see things differently.

  Become part of our community at www.chroniclekids.com.

  What was weird about Mabel wasn’t her mustache.

  Her dad had a mustache.

  Her mom had a mustache.

  Her big sisters had matching mustaches.

  Even her baby brother had a tiny baby mustache.

  What was weird about Mabel was that she had no mustache at all.

  Mabel tried hiding her nose behind jaunty shells

  and by wearing seaweed falsies,

  but this only made her feel like a clown.

  Mabel had no idea what a nudibranch was, but if she WAS one the only thing to do was . . .

  HIDE!

  So she frittered away

  who knows how long,

  hiding in holes

  along the ocean floor.

  Until Mabel realized she was not alone.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “I’m Lucky,” said the giant eye. “Who are YOU?”

  “I’m Mabel.”

  “Why are you here?” Mabel asked.

  “Because I only have seven legs.”

  “That sure sounds like a lot of legs.”

  “I’m supposed to have eight,” said Lucky.

  “What can you do with eight legs can’t do with seven?” Mabel asked.

  “Count to eight,” said Lucky.

  “I can teach you to count to eight!” said Mabel.

  Mabel actually helped Lucky count all the way up to . . .

  And Lucky sort of taught Mabel how to juggle.

  Then they pretended to be King and Queen of the Corals.

  “Sorry,” said Lucky. “I leak when I’m scared.”

  “That’s ok,” said Mabel. “What’s a nudibranch?”

  “Nudibranchs are sea slugs,” said Lucky.

  “Oh,” said Mabel. “So that’s why they’re awful.”

  “They aren’t awful, silly,” said Lucky.

  “Nudibranchs are . . .”

  Suddenly, Mabel realized every thing she ever really needed . . .

  was already right under her nose.

  ROWBOAT WATKINS is a recipient of the Sendak Fellowship and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor Award. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, but you can also visit him at www.rowboatwatkins.com.

 

 

  Rowboat Watkins, Mabel

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