A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Yosemite (By Nancy Hatcher)

            It was a dreadful, cold dreary day, keeping Freddy and friends huddled and miserable in the barn. Grumbling was not a cure. Freddy began to ruminate about the possibilities of a sojourn to sunnier parts. A trip to California came to mind. The friends thought it would be grand to see a National Park or two, though Mrs. Wiggins fretted about what hat she would wear and Charles wondered about roosters being allowed. Plans were immediately made for another "Perilous Adventure." Freddy procured a hot air balloon. A note was left for Mr. and Mrs. Bean to explain their absence. Everyone hopped into the large basket and the compass was set for Yosemite National Park and they lifted off.

 

            Freddy and his friends considered themselves most fortunate to have found themselves on updrafts taking them over mountains, rivers, and the Great Plains, all with splendid views. The Grand Canyon was spectacular. Whilst taking their afternoon tea with crumpets (though Robert preferred a biscuit), Simon, the lookout atop the balloon, suddenly cried out, "I see California!" Tea cups went flying and several crumpets went overboard as everyone jumped up, Jinx climbing on Hank's back to have a better view. Freddy declared that it was indeed California, and, if one looked very hard, one could see Yosemite's Half Dome! Everyone congratulated each other on this most marvelous adventure that had not been 'perilous' at all. Then, all of a sudden, it happened!

 

            A blustery, gust of wind came blowing off the Sierras, sending the balloon this way and that, up and down. Freddy took command immediately, shouting above the howling wind for everyone to get down quickly as he consulted his navigation guide and determined that the balloon must land immediately. The balloon landed with a thud, not in Yosemite, but a few miles south in the play yard of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno.

 

            Crawling out from under the balloon, Simon took charge of exploring the yard, taking Robert along for protection in case they came upon any suspicious characters, and Jinx for his ability to leap upon window sills to peek inside. Mrs. Wiggins was more interested in finding her hat. Hank decided to wander off in search of fresh grass to chew.

 

            Simon, Robert and Jinx returned with some exiting news! They had discovered a door with a sign, "Welcome to the Norelma Walker Youth Library. Please Come In." "What are we waiting for?" exclaimed Freddy.

 

            Freddy and his friends found themselves in a small, cozy library that appeared wonderful and captivating for any young reader, even older ones, and even intelligent barnyard readers! Jinx found himself staring straight up to a top shelf where there sat another cat, the Cat in the Hat! From a rocking chair came, "Hello, please look around," from Paddington Bear. A small inquisitive monkey, swung down from atop a bookcase, introducing himself as "Curious George" and asked, "Where did you come from and how did you get here?" It was astonishing! The stuffed animals began talking, just like Freddy and his friends!

 

            After many "how-do-you-do's," Peter Rabbit hopped over from his window sill where he had been looking longingly at the Community Garden and offered a tour of the collection. There were fiction and non-fiction alike, biographies, poetry, shelves and shelves of beautifully illustrated  picture books and thick "chapter" books. Freddy gasped when he saw the complete collection of books about himself and his adventures! And the complete set of first edition facsimiles of the "Oz books," all of "The Adventures of Tintin," Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, and the Harry Potter books, and more. "We are computerized, all 1600 books are catalogued, everyone has a library card, and we have a 'dot' system," explained Peter, "where books have a colored dot on their spine to indicate green for the environment, blue for peace, purple for women's history, red for civil rights, yellow for the labor movement, pink for LGBT, and orange for local authors such as William Saroyan, Leo Politi and Margarita Engle."

 

            "Most impressive," observed Hank. They all loved the round, hooked globe rug upon which to curl up to read, the small blue table and yellow chairs, the handmade, quilt map on the wall, the windows through which the sun lit up the collection, and finally, a great poster of Freddy the Pig himself! Everyone agreed that this was a most, marvelous library. "Good things come in small packages!" said Freddy.

 

            Alas, it was time to get on with their journey. The balloon was filled with air, the friends all gathered for a sweet farewell. Freddy and friends made promises to return again. And they did. But, that is another story.

 

The End.