A Donkey Called Mistletoe E-Book

Helen Peters

• Herausgeber: Nosy Crow
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: The Jasmine Green Series
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 83

Beschreibung

Jasmine's dad is a farmer, and her mum is a large-animal vet, so Jasmine spends a lot of time caring for animals and keeping them out of trouble. Unfortunately, this often means she gets into hot water herself... A perfect animal story for younger readers by Waterstones Children's Book Prize-shortlisted author Helen Peters, with beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Ellie Snowdon. When Jasmine learns that Mr Hobson has grown too old to take care of his pet donkey, Mistletoe, she is determined that they won't be parted. Of course, this means Mistletoe will have to come and live with her. With Christmas coming, how can she convince her parents to give her this most unusual present? Brilliant storytelling that will make you laugh and cry, this is Dick King-Smith for a new generation. Look out for Jasmine's other adventures! A Piglet Called Truffle A Duckling Called Button A Sheepdog Called Sky A Kitten Called Holly A Lamb Called Lucky A Goat Called Willow An Otter Called Pebble An Owl Called Star A Deer Called Dotty

Leseprobe

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For Kirsty and Fiona, my wonderful editors.

H. P.

For Han x

E. S.

1

Chapter One

The Back End of a Donkey

Jasmine and her best friend, Tom, were in the kitchen at Oak Tree Farm when Jasmine’s little brother, Manu, flung the door open and ran in, dropping his coat and school bag on the floor.

“Guess what?” he said, an enormous grin on his face.

“What?” said Jasmine, glancing up from the chopping board. She was cutting up a carrot as a treat for Dotty, her pet deer. Dotty only had three legs, which meant she couldn’t live in the wild, but she managed very well in the orchard. 2

“Where’s Dad?” asked Manu. “I want to tell you all together.”

“In his office,” said Jasmine.

Their dad was the farmer at Oak Tree Farm. He worked outdoors most of the time but he had an office in the house where he did all his paperwork.

“Oh, good,” said Manu, running out of the room. “I’ll go and get him. I’ve got the best news.”

Jasmine’s mum, Nadia, walked into the kitchen and hung up her car keys. Nadia was a vet, and she had collected Manu from his after-school football club on her way home from the surgery.

“Hey, you two,” she said. “I bet you’re happy it’s Friday.”

“Yep,” said Jasmine. “We’re going to spend lots of time with Dotty and Truffle this weekend. Try to cheer them up.”

Truffle, Jasmine’s pet pig, lived with Dotty in the orchard. 3

“Are they any better today, do you think?” asked Nadia.

“No,” said Jasmine flatly. “They’re still lying down all the time, and they’ve hardly touched their food.”

Until last week, Jasmine’s dad’s elderly spaniel, Bramble, had lived in the orchard too. But Bramble hadn’t been very well for the past few months, and on Monday she had died in her sleep.

Mum had tried to comfort Jasmine. “She was very old for a spaniel. And she had a lovely life. She got to spend every day running around the farm with Dad, and when she wasn’t with him she had Truffle and Dotty to keep her company.”

But Jasmine was inconsolable. She was very upset about Bramble, but she was even sadder for Truffle and Dotty. They always used to run and greet her every time she came to see them. Truffle would grunt with happiness and flop over to have her tummy tickled. Dotty would 4lick Jasmine’s hand and nuzzle against her. But since Bramble had gone, they just lay on the grass all day. Truffle kept her head down and Dotty curled herself up into a ball. They didn’t even look up when Jasmine approached. Most worrying of all, they showed no interest in food.

“We’re giving them carrots and grapes,” Tom told Nadia. “We tried apples, but they didn’t want them.”

Just then, Manu came back, dragging Dad by the hand. 5

“So what’s this amazing news, then?” asked Mum.

“We got told our parts in the nativity play,” said Manu, “and guess what me and Ben are going to be?”

“Shepherds?” said Mum.

Manu grinned and shook his head. “No.”

“Wise Men?” asked Dad.

Jasmine snorted. “Wise Men? Those two? As if.”

“Angels?” said Mum, and everybody laughed.

“Sheep?” suggested Tom.

Manu smiled knowingly. “Getting closer.”

“Cows?” said Tom. “Pigs?”

Jasmine shook her head. “They’re not clever enough to be pigs.”

Manu could contain himself no longer. “We’re the donkey!” he burst out.

Dad roared with laughter. “Well, that makes perfect sense.”

“Mrs Cowan’s going to get an actual proper 6donkey costume,” said Manu, looking as if he might burst with excitement. “Ben’s going to be the front legs and the head and I’m going to be the back legs.”

“Well, this is definitely an event that will need to be recorded,” said Dad. “We must make sure we get front-row seats.”

“We’re doing a special performance for the old people in Holly Tree House the week before we do the one for the parents. And we’re going to have tea with the old people after the play,” said Manu. “Everyone’s going to sing ‘Little Donkey’ when me and Ben come in. Except Harrison. He won’t sing. He doesn’t even want to be in the play.”

Harrison was a new boy in Manu’s class. Manu and his best friend, Ben, had made friends with him straightaway. Jasmine’s family had heard a lot about Harrison lately. He liked things to be calm and orderly, and he got stressed and upset if people were noisy and boisterous. So it was very 7strange, Jasmine thought, that Harrison would want to be friends with her brother. But the boys had bonded over a shared love of bugs, and now they seemed to spend most of their playtimes making homes for insects on the school field.

“Can Harrison come round to ours?” asked Manu. “He says there’ll be loads of good bugs here, because of all the dung.”

“I like the sound of Harrison,” said Dad. “Not everybody appreciates the finer qualities of farm manure.”

“Of course he can come,” said Nadia. “I’ll text his mum.”

“Will Ella be home in time for the play?” said Manu. “I really want her to see it.”

Ella was Jasmine and Manu’s older sister, and she was away at university.

“I’m sure she’ll be there if she can,” said Mum. “I can’t believe my son’s going to be the back end of a donkey. I’ve never been more proud.”

8

Chapter Two

Meeting Mistletoe

On Saturday morning, Tom and Jasmine took grapes and pears out to the orchard. Truffle ate half-heartedly. Dotty just sniffed the pieces and turned away.

Jasmine sighed. “Look at her sad eyes. I don’t think she’ll ever feel better.”

“It’s only been a week,” said Tom. “Your mum said they should improve soon.”

“But what if they don’t? What if they carry on refusing to eat?”

“Do you think your dad will get another 9dog?” asked Tom.

Jasmine shook her head. “Manu wants a puppy, but Dad said no because of Sky.”

Sky was a collie that Jasmine had rescued as a puppy. He belonged to her, but because he was a sheepdog, he spent a lot of time on the farm with Dad.

“And Mum says we’ve got more than enough pets as it is,” said Jasmine.

As well as Truffle, Dotty and Sky, Jasmine had two cats called Toffee and Marmite, a tame duck called Button and a sheep called Lucky. Button lived with the chickens in the farmyard and Lucky lived with the other sheep in the field, though, so they didn’t make any extra work.

When the children went in for lunch, Jasmine’s dad said, “I’m going to do a few jobs for Mr Hobson at Honey Farm this afternoon. Would you two like to come along?”

“Can we meet his donkey?” asked Jasmine.

“Of course,” said Dad. 10

“Then we’ll come,” said Jasmine. “Won’t we, Tom?”

“Definitely,” said Tom.

Dad had told Jasmine about Mr Hobson. He lived close to Oak Tree Farm. He was very old now, and Dad had recently started helping him out with odd jobs. Mr Hobson had had to sell most of his animals, but he had kept Mistletoe, his pet donkey.

When they got to Honey Farm, Dad introduced Jasmine and Tom to the old farmer.

“Mistletoe’s very friendly,” Mr Hobson said. “He’ll love you making a fuss of him. Just approach him from the side, and talk to him as you approach, so you don’t startle him.”

Jasmine and Tom left the men to chat and walked across the yard to Mistletoe’s field. Tom had brought a carrot for him and Jasmine had an apple, which they carried in their pockets. They stopped at the gate and scanned the field.

“There he is!” said Tom, pointing. 11

At the far end of the meadow, near a wooden barn, a small brown donkey was looking over the fence into the next field, where two floppy-eared goats and a group of hens were gathered.

“Come on,” said Jasmine, climbing over the gate.

In the middle of the field they passed a single tree. Its branches were bare, but a huge clump of mistletoe, with bright-green leaves and fat pearly-white berries, hung from a high branch.

“Look!” said Tom. “I wonder if that’s how the donkey got his name.”

“Hello, Mistletoe,” said Jasmine, as they slowly approached. “How are you today?”

Mistletoe had deep-brown eyes and a patient, gentle expression. His fur was all brown except for the tip of his nose, which was pure white, and a long black cross on his back.

“He’s lovely,” said Tom, stroking the donkey’s dark mane. “He’s got such a kind-looking face. And beautiful eyes.” 12

13“He looks very thoughtful, doesn’t he,” said Jasmine, patting Mistletoe’s flank.

“Huge ears,” said Tom, stroking the long pointed ears, brown on the outside and white on the inside, that stood straight up on the top of the donkey’s head, facing attentively forward. Mistletoe nuzzled his arm.

“Look, he really likes me,” said Tom.

Jasmine laughed. “I think he can smell the carrot.”

Sure enough, the donkey started to nuzzle the pocket of Tom’s coat. “You’ll have to move your head away, Mistletoe,” said Tom, “or I won’t be able to get it.”

Jasmine took the apple from her pocket and, holding it out with her palm really flat, offered it to Mistletoe. He snatched it up and crunched noisily. When he finished, he started nuzzling Jasmine’s pocket again. Tom held the carrot towards him. The donkey grabbed it and Tom hastily let go as Mistletoe pulled the whole thing 14into his mouth. He crunched it contentedly as Jasmine and Tom stroked his soft fur.

“He seems really peaceful,” said Tom.