Chapter 1: Harkook Misbehaves

Once there was a little girl named Sailor Jane. She lived with her mother, her grandmother, whom she called “Mimi,” and her grandfather, “Papa.” As you might expect from her name, Sailor was was very fond of water.

She liked catching hermit crabs in tide pools on warm summer days.

She enjoyed searching for polliwogs and fish in ponds where dragonflies hovered on hot afternoons.

On rainy days she put on her boots and splashed merrily in mud puddles.

Wearing her goggles, Sailor daringly dived down to the bottom of their backyard pool.

But most of all, Sailor loved bath time.

Nearly every evening, after dinner and before her bedtime story, Sailor’s mother or grandmother filled the bathtub with warm water. Each night was much the same, but also different, because she could choose between a bubble bath, or different colors of water.

While the tub filled, Sailor tossed in the toys she wanted to play with. Her regular bath toys — bowls, a cup and spoon, plastic fish, a funnel, and a beautiful mermaid — were kept in a bag in the bathroom, but Sailor usually brought at least one or two more of her favorites from her toy box or dollhouse.

Often her plastic dinosaurs joined her in the tub. Of the three — a Tyrannosaurus rex with an open mouth full of sharp teeth; a spiky Stegosaurus; and a long-necked Brontosaurus — the T. rex was by far her favorite. She called him, “Harkook.”

Sailor Jane got Harkook when she was three. After hours of energetic play in the bathtub and pool the glue that kept the top and bottom halves of the hollow dinosaur dissolved. After that his two halves could be separated and put back together whenever Sailor wished. This made Harkook even more fun to play with.

But an unexpected side effect was that Harkook’s appetite increased dramatically.

Before, he had been content to munch on a piece of plastic bacon or hot dog, but now he stuffed himself with all sorts of surprising things. Harkook gobbled up coins, the dollhouse plates and bowls, jewelry, and even the small plastic people and animals that lived in her playhouse and barn. Nothing that would fit into Harkook’s hollow body was safe from his voracious appetite.

Sailor wondered why Harkook had become so mischievous and hungry. Not only did he eat everything in sight, he often hid from her, sometimes going missing for days at a time.

As all children and even some adults know, toys come to life at night. After dark many can move about on their own. But toys cannot move or speak when adults are present, and they must go back to where they were before the sun rises. Sailor knew her toys had nighttime adventures, and she often had conversations with her favorites.

“Harkook, why do you hide from me, and why are you eating my toys?“ she asked the dinosaur, when she found him after he’d been missing for three days.

He had been hiding behind some books, and his hollow body was packed full of some of her favorite glass beads and jewels.

The dinosaur smiled his toothy grin, and said not a word.

“Harkook is getting to be a problem,” Sailor told her mother that evening during her bath.

“Is he biting the other toys?”

“No, he doesn’t bite—well, not very often anyway.”

“Is he keeping you awake at night?”

“No, but he’s misbehaving. He hides from me, and he keeps eating everything.”

“Maybe he’s upset about something. Sometimes we behave badly when we are worried or angry,” her mother suggested.

“What could he be upset about?” Sailor wondered.

“You don’t play with him as much as you used to. Maybe he’s jealous of the other toys you play with more.”

“Okay, I will play with him every day and see,” Sailor decided.

Sailor Jane was as good as her word. She let Harkook stand on the table next to her bowl while she ate breakfast. He lay next to her while she watched TV before dinner. He swam with her in the backyard pool, and splashed with her in the bathtub. She even let the little dinosaur join her special nighttime stuffed animals next to her pillow, while she fell asleep to the voice of her mother or Mimi reading her nighttime stories.

For a long time Harkook didn’t hide from her. He didn’t eat any of her jewelry or coins. For a while he was the happiest of toy dinosaurs.

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Chapter 2: More Trouble

Sailor Jane’s mother and father did not live together. She spent every other weekend and half of Christmas and summer vacations with her father in another town. She had different toys there, and had lots of fun playing with them, but she sometimes wondered if her toys at home missed her when she was gone.

When Sailor came back from her father’s house after her latest Christmas break, Harkook was not where she had left him. He had made a mess of the dollhouse and toy barnyard, knocking over the dollhouse furniture, and scattering the animals around. Then, when she came home after her first day back at school, she found him stuffed full of things she had told him not to swallow.

Sailor decided it was time to have a serious talk with the toys. She put Harkook on the floor of her bedroom in a circle with some of her favorites; the other two plastic dinosaurs; Pegasus, the flying horse; a unicorn mother and her colt; Fido, the soft dog hand puppet; Mirabelle, the wisest of her dolls; and several stuffed animals.

“Harkook, I’m very worried about you, and so are the other toys,” Sailor began.

“You’re always grumpy, and you snapped at me yesterday when I accidentally stepped on your tail!” the stegosaurus accused.

“You ate my plates and cups, so I couldn’t have my special tea party,” the small plastic woman who lived in the dollhouse complained.

“You scribbled all over my beautiful picture,” Fido the puppet sobbed.

Fido was very sensitive, and proud of his coloring skills.

Sailor could see that Harkook was thinking of running away from this trouble. She was a very kind-hearted girl, and hated to see him upset.

“Okay, okay, we all know about the bad things Harkook is doing, but he’s not always this way. So something must be bothering him,” she explained.

She patted the dinosaur’s head gently. He seemed to relax.

“I miss you when you’re gone!” Harkook suddenly blurted out.

“You mean when I’m at my daddy’s house?”

“You never take me with you,” Harkook pouted.

“I’m not allowed to take any of you. You all live here, and anyway I always come back and play with you again.”

“But what if you don’t come back? Who will play with us then?” Harkook fretted.

“All of the toys feel the same way, even though we don’t misbehave or eat bad things. It makes us sad when you leave,” Mirabelle, the most mature doll explained.

Sailor Jane did not know how to reply to this. She put her toys away and went outside to swing and think. She did all her best thinking while she was swinging.

Soon she heard her grandmother, Mimi, calling her for dinner. Sailor did not answer, and Mimi had to come outside.

“Sailor, didn’t you hear me calling? It’s time to eat.”

“I’m not hungry,” she said, and pumped her legs harder so that the swing shot high into the air.

“I made your favorite spaghetti, and your mom will be home from work any minute. It’s time to come inside and wash your hands,” her grandmother insisted.

Reluctantly Sailor stopped pumping her legs. She drug her feet on the ground to slow the swing.

“We’ve got ice cream for desert if you eat your dinner,” her grandmother promised.

“Mimi, sometimes I miss you and mommy and papa when I’m at daddy’s house.”

Sailor drew the letter “S” in the gravel beneath the swing with her foot while she talked.

“We miss you when you’re there, just like your daddy misses you when you’re with us. We can’t be with the ones we love all the time.”

“But you and Papa live together, why can’t mommy and daddy?”

“You’re too young now to understand. Sometimes people just can’t stay together.”

“That’s what grown-ups always say when they don’t want to explain something!” Sailor said angrily, and jumped up from the swing.

“I don’t think Mirabelle or the other toys will like that answer very much!”

“Wait, Sailor. What does this have to do with your toys?”

“They miss me when I’m at daddy’s house. That’s why Harkook is making a mess, and hiding, and eating everything.”

“Well, it seems that you’ve finally figured out why Harkook is misbehaving again. Maybe we can think of something to help him feel better when you’re gone. I bet your mother and Papa will have some ideas.”

At dinner Sailor ate most of her spaghetti and broccoli. Afterwards, while she enjoyed her chocolate ice cream cone, they talked more about missing friends and family, and whether toys and animals felt the same way. Down the hall in Sailor’s bedroom the toys listened.

“Just look at all the trouble you’re causing, Harkook!” the brontosaurus berated.

“Why can’t you just behave yourself?” the stegosaurus scolded.

That night the other toys would not let Harkook join in their fun. He sat alone and silent behind the dollhouse stairs while they played their games without him.

As he sat he hummed a sad song of his own invention.

Harkook’s Sad Song

Nobody likes me, not at all
Nobody hugs me when I fall
They all play and have their fun
I sit alone until they’re done
And then they simply pass me by
While I sit by myself and cry
Poor me, poor me
Winter, spring, summer, fall
Poor me, poor me
The saddest dinosaur of all

Poor me, poor me
The saddest dinosaur of all
Poor me, poor me
Winter, spring, summer, fall

Strangely, the more he sang his sad song, the better he felt.

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Chapter 3: A New Friend For Harkook

Just before dinner the next evening Sailor’s mother came home from work, as she did every week, Monday through Friday. Sailor jumped up from coloring and greeted her mom with a big hug.

“Did you have a good day at school?” her mother asked.

“It was a three—well, except Mia got a tummy ache and had to go home at lunch time,” Sailor replied.

Sailor rated her school days from one to three, with three being wonderful, two just okay, and one terrible. Sailor liked school, her teacher, and classmates, so she gave most days a three.

“I’m sorry to hear about Mia. I hope she’s better tomorrow,” Sailor’s mother said.

“She swallowed her bubble gum—maybe that’s why,” Sailor explained.

“Well, I doubt that would give her a tummy ache, though it’s best to throw away your gum when you’re done with it. I’ve got a surprise for you, Sailor—well, really for you and Harkook,” Sailor’s mother continued, reaching into her purse.

She took out a toy plastic T. rex nearly identical to Harkook, except this one, being brand new, had more intense colors and didn’t come apart.

“Maybe Harkook will feel better when you’re gone if he has a friend like him to play with,” Sailor’s mother suggested.

“It’s not a boy—she’s a girl. She can be Harkook’s girlfriend!” Sailor declared.

“That’s an even better idea. What will you name her?”

“How about “Debbie Dinosaur?” Mimi suggested.

“…or Teresa Tyrannosaur,” Papa offered.

“No—her name is Roxie—Roxie Rex,” Sailor informed the family.

After dinner Sailor took Roxie back to her bedroom to introduce her to the other toys. Roxie turned out to be an exceptionally polite and well-mannered dinosaur. Sailor could see that Harkook loved Roxie at first sight. While she played with her toys he was on his best behavior.

Later in her bath Harkook did tricks and showed off to impress Roxie. Roxie smiled at his antics, but she was horrified and frightened when Sailor separated his two halves and he sunk to the bottom of the bathtub.

“It’s okay, Roxie. Harkook does that all the time. It doesn’t hurt him—he likes it. It’s one of his superpowers. See—he’s fine!” Sailor said, as she put his top and bottom halves back together again.

“He has more superpowers?” Sailor’s mother asked.

“Oh yes! Harkook can breathe underwater, eat almost anything without getting a tummy ache, and talk to wild animals.”

“I didn’t know that. How does he speak so many animal languages?”

“He really only speaks the crow language. But crows are the smartest, so they made a language almost all the other animals understand.”

“How do you know so much about wild animals, Sailor?”

“Harkook tells me. I’m sure he’ll teach Roxie the crow language too.”

That night, after the family was asleep, the toys gathered together to learn more about Roxie. The toys who lived in the dollhouse or on the shelves sat on the floor near Roxie, while the stuffed animals that slept with Sailor leaned over from her top bunkbed to listen. They were all eager to hear more about the new toy.

“Where did you live before?” Mirabelle asked.

“I was in a bin with lots of plastic toys in a big department store. It was crowded and uncomfortable during the day, but at night we played in the aisles,” Roxie told them.

“How did Sailor’s mother find you, and pick you specially?” Fido wanted to know.

“Oh, she knew exactly what she wanted. She sorted through the bin and set the rest of the dinosaurs and other plastic animals aside until she found me. She took me straight to the checkout counter without stopping, then out to her car.”

“You got to ride in the car!” Oh how lucky! How I wish I could,” Fido said.

The little dog puppet’s greatest wish was to ride in the car to school with Sailor, but so far he had not been chosen. Sailor’s grandmother allowed only one stuffed animal per trip. Sailor usually picked her sleepy-time fox or one of the unicorns.

“Actually, the car ride wasn’t so great. I was in a plastic bag on the seat. I couldn’t see anything, but I was excited to be out of the store.”

“Do you miss your friends there?” Fido asked.

“Oh, a little—but now I have all of you!”

“Oh yes, what fun you’ll have with us—way more than at the store! We know lots of games, and we love to sing and dance!” Harkook bragged.

Roxie was so happy she gave Harkook a quick hug with her short little arms, and Harkook’s usually dull brown face seemed to glow in the dark with joy. He danced around the  playhouse and sang a happy song of his own invention.

Harkook’s Happy Song

Sing your favorite song
Dance your favorite dance
That’s the way to make a happy day
If you’re feeling sad
Or you’re feeling bad
Sing and dance your cares away

Maybe you feel small
‘Cause everyone is tall
And they never let you join their play
No matter what your size
Or the color of your eyes
Dance and sing your special way

When you’re feeling down
Wearing a big frown
And they won’t let you have your way
Hum your favorite tune
Dance around the room
And everything will be okay

Sing a happy song
Dance a crazy dance
That’s the way to chase the blues away
If you’re feeling sad
Or you’re feeling bad
Sing and dance your cares away

The other toys joined Harkook, dancing and singing together with their new friend, Roxie.

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Chapter 4: The Crows

One warm summer afternoon Sailor brought all three of her dinosaurs outside to play in the pool. They had a great time splashing and swimming while Mimi and Papa sunned themselves on the deck.

While Sailor played a family of crows who lived in the tall fir trees in the yard next door watched.

“I don’t suppose they will leave that bag of salty chips outside,” Cameron Crow croaked.

“That would be too much to hope for, but the small human dropped quite a lot of crumbs,” Sheryl Crow observed.

“You can always count on the little ones for a bite or two. There will be treats enough for all,” said wise old grandfather crow.

When Sailor and her family went inside their large nest to eat their dinner the crows swooped down to peck at the crumbs left behind.

“Keep an eye out for that sneaky cat. Remember how your poor uncle Ned died,” grandfather crow warned.

“Hey, look at this! I’m taking it back to our nest,” Russell Crow cawed, and away he flew to the big fir trees with Harkook clutched in his claws.

Of course Harkook could do nothing. No toy can move during the day.

“Look what I have, honey—something for the chicks to play with until they’re fledged,” Russell exclaimed.

He dropped Harkook into the nest.

“Get that out of here! It’s filthy with human dirt!” his wife, Nancy, squawked.

“No mommy—we want to play with it!” the smallest chick, Nellie, cried.

“Yes, may we keep it…please?” her brother, Norbert begged.

“Now see what you’ve done, Russell. I’ve spent the whole morning cleaning—but okay, just until their first flight, then the human thing must go.”

Young crows take over a month from hatching to fledging. Nellie and Norbert were only two weeks out of their eggs. They looked forward to many days of playing with their new toy. The very first night, as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon and he could speak and move, Harkook introduced himself to the crow family.

“How is it you speak our language?” grandfather crow asked Harkook.

“Before I came to live with Sailor Jane I lived in a toy store. The owner had a pet crow, George. He kept him in a cage hung from the ceiling close to the shelf where I was.”

“Oh, the poor dear! How he must have suffered locked up like that!” Sheryl Crow said.

“Yes, he was bored and frustrated with his caged life, and wanted someone to talk too. He had terrible insomnia as well. He wasn’t the most patient of teachers, but eventually I did learn to speak your tongue.”

“Well, I think you speak beautifully!” little Nellie proclaimed.

“George was a great mimic, too. He taught me lots of bird calls. He recited poetry, and danced, but he was a terrible singer. All the toys in the store plugged their ears when George sang.”

“Do you remember any of his poems?” Norbert asked.

“Most of them didn’t make much sense to me, but there were a few I really liked. I even memorized one about his life before they caught him and put him in that cage.”

George Crow’s Poem

“Oh, that is such a sad poem,” Nellie said, wiping a tear from her eye with her wing tip.

“It is, but most of the time George was a lot of fun, and he kept all the toys entertained with his stories about humans. Every toy hoped to be bought and taken home to a child someday, so we listened eagerly to George’s tales.”

“Were you very sad to leave him?” Norbert asked.

“Actually, It was George who left us. One night robbers broke into the store. George got excited and began cawing loudly.”

“Shut that bird up!” one of the robbers said.

His partner grabbed George’s cage and threw it out the door into the parking lot. The cage broke apart and George hopped and fluttered away to a nearby hedge. That’s the last we ever saw of him.”

“Oh, how terrible!” Nellie exclaimed.

“Maybe not—the store owner had forgotten to clip  George’s wings for several months. One of the dolls by the window saw the cage break open. She said George flew quite a ways before hiding in the hedge.”

“Well, I hope he made it back to his family and friends. After so long in that cage he deserved some good luck,” Russell Crow said.

Over the next two weeks the young crows and Harkook became great friends and playmates. During the day, when Harkook could not move or speak the crows played with him, and used their beaks and claws to move him around. As soon as the sun set, they would laugh, sing, and caw together until bedtime. Harkook even took his turn at telling the bedtime story some evenings. The little crows and their parents listened intently to Harkook’s tales about his life with the human family. Nellie and Norbert looked forward to the day when they could fly, and observe the humans for themselves.

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Chapter 5: A Close Call

Most evenings Sailor’s next door neighbors threw their food leftovers into their yard, where seagulls, starlings, sparrows, and crows would gather noisily to feast. Norbert and Nellie were growing fast, and always hungry. They eagerly anticipated the tasty tidbits their parents brought back to the nest, though Nancy and Russell insisted they finish their seeds and insects first.

One evening Snuggles, the cat who lived with Sailor’s family, noticed that both adult crows were busy squabbling with the seagulls over some especially yummy pizza crusts. Quickly she ran to the fir tree and scrambled up to the nest. Tender young birds were a favorite treat of hers.

Fortunately for Norbert and Nellie the sun had set a few minutes earlier. Harkook heard the tinkle of the bell on Snuggles’ collar, and realized the young crows were in grave danger. Just as Snuggles made ready to pounce, Harkook jumped onto the tree limb between the nest and the cat.

“Hey!—what are you doing here Harkook? Get out of my way, or I’ll knock you off that branch!” the cat hissed.

“Wait! I’ll show you a much tastier meal!” Harkook said.

“There’s hardly anything as delicious as a young bird. You’d better move if you know what’s good for you!” Snuggles growled.

In the nest behind Harkook, Norbert and Nellie were paralyzed with fear. They had heard terrible tales of Snuggles, the cat who terrorized the neighborhood birds and mice.

“Don’t you remember when I helped you open the cupboard so you could get at the garbage can—or the time I told you the neighbors forgot to close the lid on their barbecue after they’d roasted those fish? I should think you would be more grateful, and now you threaten me over these measly little chicks!”

“Well, maybe I do owe you a favor. What will you do for me if I leave your little friends alone?”

To Harkook’s great relief, the cat sat up, and began lazily licking her paw. The dinosaur thought quickly.

“I know where you can find smoked salmon,” Harkook said.

“So what—I know too, but that smoker door is always shut, and I can’t open it.”

“Yes, but I can,” Harkook said.

“I don’t believe you—not with those tiny hands. Now let me by or I’ll knock you down into the blackberry bush where no one will ever find you.”

“I can open that door, and I will if you take me there,” Harkook answered quickly.

He had no idea if he could really get the door open, but he knew if he stalled long enough the crow parents would return. Together they would drive Snuggles away with their sharp beaks and flapping wings.

“Okay then, but you’d better be telling the truth, or into the blackberry bush you go!”

Snuggles grabbed Harkook roughly in her mouth, and ran down the tree just as Russell and Nancy Crow returned with food for their chicks. After first gobbling up the scraps as fast as they could, as young crows always do, Nellie and Norbert told their parents how the brave little dinosaur had saved them from the cat.

“Oh, what will become of poor Harkook now?” little Nellie said.

“Don’t worry. Although he’s small, he’s very tough. Even Snuggles can’t do him much harm. I’ll watch and see where that cat takes him,” father crow said, and flew off.

Russell Crow did not have far to fly. The smoker was in the backyard of a house just a short distance from their nest. From a branch of a nearby tree he saw the cat, with Harkook in his mouth, climb onto the top of the smoker. Snuggles held the dinosaur by his tail while Harkook struggled to remove the large nail through the catch that held the door shut. Although a bigger, stronger toy could have easily removed the nail, it was too much for Harkook’s tiny arms. He tried again and again, but only managed to get it half way out before his arms tired and the nail slipped back.

Russell Crow could see that Harkook would never get the door open, and Snuggles was getting angry.

“You lied to me! I could be snacking on those yummy little chicks, instead of wasting my time here. I’ll give you one more chance, and if that door doesn’t open you’re going straight into the blackberries!”

This time Harkook used his mouth and pulled so hard that two of his plastic teeth broke off, but the nail stuck, with just the tip still holding the hasp closed. Suddenly, with a great swooshing of his wings, Russell flew down from his perch. With a quick jerk of his beak the crafty crow plucked the nail away, and the door to the smoker fell open.

The sight of the succulent salmon drying on the shelves of the smoker drove all thoughts of Harkook and the crow chicks out of the cat’s mind. She dropped the dinosaur to the ground and jumped into the smoker, where she immediately began to feast, purring contentedly as she bit into the fish.

“Hey, what about me?” Harkook said, from the lawn below the smokehouse where Snuggles had dropped him.

“You can wait until I’m done eating,” the cat said, between bites.

“Don’t worry—I’ll fly you home. Norbert and Nellie are almost ready to leave the nest anyway, and I bet your human family misses you. It’s the least I can do. Our family will always be in your debt for saving our chicks from that vicious cat,” Russell cawed.

He picked up the little dinosaur, flew over the fence to Sailor’s backyard, and set him gently on the deck next to Sailor’s playhouse.

The next day Sailor was overjoyed to find Harkook in her playhouse, where he had spent a quiet night recovering from his exciting adventures.

“Hey—what happened to your teeth, Harkook?” Sailor asked the little dinosaur later that evening, just before bedtime.

Harkook told Sailor and the toys about his new crow family friends, and how he helped save them from the cat.

“You’re my hero!” Roxie said, and she gave him a big toothy kiss on the cheek.

“I’m glad you helped the crows, but from now on I won’t let you out of my sight when we’re outside!” Sailor declared.

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Chapter 6: Harkook Goes Sailing

“Today is a perfect day to go sailing,” papa said one morning as Sailor’s family ate breakfast.

Sailor had been out on her grandfather’s sailboat twice before, and was especially excited. She loved the motion of the boat, the the breeze in her face, and the spray that sometimes splashed onto the deck when the boat sailed into the wind.

“Please, not too many toys, and no stuffed animals, Sailor. Fido and Mirabelle will have to stay home,” her mother said.

“I’m sorry Fido, mom says you can’t go,” Sailor told the puppet dog.

Fido’s big brown eyes looked sad.

“You can keep Mirabelle company, Fido. I’ll be back soon,” Sailor said, and sat the puppet and doll together on her bed.

“What about Harkook? He likes to sail,” Sailor asked her mother.

“Harkook or any of your bath toys are fine, but just three or four.”

The day was warm and the wind brisk as they sailed out on the bay. Sailor wore her life vest, which was tethered to the boat. She kneeled on the deck and pretended Harkook was a pirate. With a toothpick clutched in his small claw he wildly attacked the other toys. After a fierce battle the other toys—a mermaid, rubber duck, and a wind-up plastic fish—forced the pirate dinosaur to the rail of the boat. Pirate Harkook had stolen the mermaid’s treasure—a shiny agate that was the source of her magic powers.

“The magic stone is mine now!” Pirate Harkook shouted.

“Give it back, or you’ll walk the plank!” Sailor made the mermaid say.

But Harkook defied them, singing his pirate song and dancing merrily on the rail.

Harkook’s Pirate Song 

But just as Sailor made Harkook dance and jump his highest, a puff of wind struck the sails, the boat heeled over, and Harkook slipped from her grip and over the rail and into the sea.

“Oh no, Harkook fell in!” Sailor screamed.

“Keep your eyes on him! Is he still floating, Sailor?” papa said.

“I see him!”

“Okay, don’t look away. Show your mom and Mimi where he is. We’ll sail back and pick him up,” papa said.

At the same time he began turning the boat back downwind towards the place where Harkook had fallen overboard.

“I see him too!” Sailor’s mother said, pointing to the dinosaur, who was bobbing up and down on the small wavelets left in their boat’s wake.

The cold water was a shock, but after a few seconds Harkook got used to it. He was not worried. He had spent many hours in the pool and tub with Sailor. Harkook had no idea how big the ocean is, or how difficult it might be to retrieve something from the moving deck of a boat.

With papa at the tiller, Mimi helping with the sails, and Sailor pointing out the place where Harkook floated, Sailor’s mother made two tries at grabbing the wet and slippery dinosaur, but each time he slipped from her fingers.

“Use the net. You’ll never get him that way,” Papa said.

As Sailor’s mother went down into the sailboat’s cabin to retrieve the long handled fishing net, Harkook noticed a dark shadow in the water nearby. The shadow swam closer and became a very large fish. It opened its huge mouth, then closed it on the unfortunate toy, and swam quickly away from the boat.

“A fish got Harkook!” Sailor shouted.

“Nonsense,” papa said. “No fish would be stupid enough to eat that plastic toy.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t see him anymore,” Sailor’s mother said.

“Here, you steer and I’ll get the binoculars,” papa told Mimi.

Meanwhile the fish, which happened to be a very large king salmon, was having a hard time trying to swallow the toy. Harkook’s long tail stuck, and he simply could not force the toy down his throat.

“Yuk, no good,” the fish said at last, and spit Harkook back into the water.

For a time Harkook was tossed back and forth by the waves, but the tide was coming in, and finally an especially big wave landed the soaked toy beyond the water’s reach on a rocky beach, where he lay until sunset.

Eventually Sailor’s family had to give up their search for the unlucky dinosaur.

“It’s going to be dark soon. I’m sorry we couldn’t find Harkook,” papa said.

Sailor becan to cry.

“We’ll buy you another one. They have more at the toy store,” Mimi said.

“They’re not Harkook! They don’t know me like he does. He’ll be lonely without me and his other friends,” Sailor sobbed.

“Hush now, he’s just a toy, and you have lots more,” her mother said.

“He’s NOT just a toy—he’s SPECIAL!”

That night Sailor held her soft nighttime fox and dog puppet extra tightly while her mother read her bedtime story.

“Poor Harkook! But don’t worry Foxy and Fido. I’ll never take you on the boat,” she whispered to them just before she fell asleep.

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Chapter 7: Harkook Lost

Once the sun set, and he could move again, Harkook began walking the beach, heading in the direction he imagined his home was. The moon was nearly full, and Harkook, who had very good night vision, could see quite well. A pair of curious crabs scuttled up to him. One reached out a claw and pinched him on the leg.

“Whoa—this one has a tough shell!” the crab said to its partner.

“Hey—knock it off!” Harkook said, kicking at the creature, who easily dodged the blow.

“Feisty fellow isn’t he,” the second crab said.

Harkook had an idea. He knew that seagulls and crows both spent a lot of time on the beaches, looking for smelly things to eat, and crabs were especially favored.

“Leave me alone, or my crow friends just might come and gobble you up!” Harkook cawed loudly.

Hearing the dreaded sound, the frightened crabs scuttled to a nearby tide pool as fast as their many legs could carry them.

But now Harkook was alone in the night again. He missed his toy friends. He missed the playhouse and the toy box. Most of all, he missed Sailor. He heard a soft flutter of wings, and an owl swooped down.

“Whoooo are you?” the bird asked.

Harkook didn’t know if the bird was friend or foe, so he used his crow voice again.

“I’m Harkook—king of the dinosaurs!” he said in his loudest crow voice.

“Ha—you don’t scare me—I’ve eaten bigger morsels than you for snacks!” the owl screeched, and he gave Harkook such a vicious peck that the dinosaur fell over onto his side.

“Ick—you taste terrible,” the owl said, spitting out a piece of Harkook’s plastic skin. With a few flaps of his wings the bird rose and flew silently off into the night to hunt for tastier treats.

“Why does everyone wants to pinch or bite me?” Harkook said to himself.

Harkook could not feel pain, but he turned his head and looked sadly at the place where the owl had bitten a piece out of him.

“Sailor will be upset about that,” Harkook thought, “if I ever see her again.”

After walking for a long time in the moonlight Harkook came to a place where a wide stream entered the bay. He did not think he could swim across, and he was afraid another fish might try to eat him. He decided to walk along the bank until either the stream got narrower, or a bridge crossed over.

Suddenly there was a splash, and a loud quacking and fluttering. He had disturbed a pair of ducks sleeping in a thicket on the banks of the stream.

“Wait—don’t go away! Help me, please!” Harkook cawed.

He guessed that ducks, like the owl understood the language of the smartest of the birds, for crow language is a sort of universal language among all wild animals.

Ducks are easily frightened, but they are also very curious birds. The two ducks, a drake and a hen, had never heard a crow down by the stream at such a late hour.

“Where are you? Show yourself!” the drake called, swimming cautiously toward the voice.

“I’m right here!” Harkook called back, jumping up and down to get the duck’s attention.

The drake swam closer.

“What kind of crow are you? You don’t seem to have any feathers at all.”

“That’s because I’m not a crow, of course.”

“Then why can you speak like a crow?”

“That’s a long story, and if you give me a ride across this water to the other side, I will tell you on the way,” Harkook replied.

“Don’t do it! It could be some kind of trick!” the drake’s wife said.

“I can’t possibly do you any harm. Look how much smaller I am than you. You can easily throw me in the water if I misbehave,” Harkook said.

“Look at those teeth—and you know crows aren’t always friendly to our kind,” the hen duck insisted.

“Well, I don’t know. She might be right,” the drake said, and started to swim away.

Harkook was becoming desperate. He wasn’t sure how far it was to his home, but he knew he was going in the right direction, and he must cross the stream to continue.

“Wait! See this stick?” Harkook said, picking up a twig from the shore.

“I’ll hold this in my mouth while you carry me across, so it will be impossible for me to bite!”

“That seems reasonable,” the drake replied.

“I will swim next to you, and if he drops the stick, you must quickly throw him into the water,” the drake’s wife agreed.

Harkook, with the twig gripped firmly in his mouth, climbed upon the back of the drake, and the ducks swam to the other side. When he was safely ashore Harkook told the drake and hen how he learned to speak the crow language from George, the captive crow, and how he had come to be separated from his human family.

“That’s a sad story, but I know where these human homes are that you speak of, and you’re not far away, as the duck flies,” the drake said.

“Yes, but it may take you several days walking along the shore,” the hen pointed out.

“Please, can you fly me home?” Harkook begged.

Having already flown with the crows, he had no fear of flying.

“We’re sorry, but that would be much too dangerous. It’s hunting season, and to get to your house we would have to fly right over the place where the hunters shoot,” the drake explained.

“Well, thank you for your help anyway,” Harkook said.

“Don’t worry little dinosaur—just keep on in the direction you’re going, and you will eventually get home I’m sure,” the hen said hopefully.

The pair of ducks swam back across the stream, and once again Harkook was alone in the night.

The sad dinosaur walked along the shore all night, but he was too small to get very far, and he was miles from his home. Just before the sun’s first rays found him, Harkook, exhausted from the day’s events, lay down in the driftwood near the edge of the woods, where he judged he would be safe until night came and he could move again.

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Chapter 8: Harkook Found

When night came again Harkook rose from the pile of driftwood where he had hidden and resumed walking the shore. No crabs, owls or other creatures bothered him. Harkook was so lonely he would have gladly endured the crabs pinches just to have some company. He wondered if Sailor was looking for him still, or had given up.

Thinking of Sailor, Harkook was overwhelmed with emotion. He sobbed as he walked and sang a sorrowful song of his own invention.

Harkook’s Lost Song

Nearby a mother coyote and her two pups hunted. Mother was trying to show her children how to work as a team to flush mice or rabbits out of the blackberry thickets, but the two pups were not paying much attention. They were enjoying the luscious late summer blackberries, which they carefully nibbled from the thorny vines.

“Ouch—I scratched myself!” Cory Coyote said, rubbing his nose with his paw.

“It serves you right for not paying attention,” his mother scolded.

“How will you ever learn to hunt for yourself if you don’t watch and listen?”

“Ah mom,” his sister Cathy said. “Can’t we just eat a few more berries?”

“Children, you know the best times to hunt are just before sunrise or after sunset. Those berries will be ripe for a few weeks more. You need meat, not just sweet berries to grow into strong, healthy coyotes.”

Reluctantly the two pups took their positions, one on each side of a large dense thicket of blackberries. Cathy Coyote had the side nearest the shore. As they quietly sniffed the ground, searching for scent of mice or other small animals, Cathy, who had the best ears in the family, heard Harkook singing his melancholy song.

“Did you hear that, Cory? Someone is singing,” Cathy whispered.

“Children—how many times have I told you—no noise when hunting! Now you’ve spoiled our hunt here, and we’ll have to try somewhere else!”

“But mom, someone is singing—listen!”

The three coyotes perked up their ears, and heard the soft, mournful voice.

“What a sad song it sings,” Cory coyote said.

“It sings with human words, but sounds like no human voice I’ve ever heard,” mother coyote observed.

“Who could be wandering the beach alone so late? May we go see—please?” Cathy coyote pleaded.

Like ducks, coyotes are curious creatures, and even more cautious. Slowly and silently they creeped closer, until at last they saw that the voice came from a very small and unfamiliar creature, unlike any they had ever seen. When she was sure the creature was alone, mother coyote stepped out of the brush.

“Good day to you,” Harkook cawed, after he had recovered from his surprise.

“How is it you speak both the crow and human languages?”

“I have lived with humans and crows,” Harkook replied.

“What brings you here at this hour, and why do you sing such a sad song?” mother Coyote asked.

“I want to go home, but I’m not sure of the way.”

The young coyotes were delighted at meeting such a strange new creature. They sniffed him eagerly, and Cory even ventured a cautious lick.

“Children—your manners!” mother coyote exclaimed.

“It’s okay. I’m very used to children. I’m happy to meet you! I don’t suppose you know the way to my home?”

Harkook described as best he could Sailor’s home among a group of houses on the side of a hill overlooking a bay.

“I know the place. It isn’t far as the hawk flies,” mother coyote said,” but as the rabbit hops it’s quite a long journey. You can’t get there by walking the shore. You must travel through the woods and across a road where the human machines may crush you flat if you are not careful.”

“Will you take me there?” Harkook asked, hopefully.

“Yes mommy—oh please!” the coyote cubs begged.

“I don’t know. It can be dangerous. There are vicious dogs, and humans sometimes shoot at us. On the other hand, the humans and their dogs usually go to bed early, and we often sing our midnight songs unmolested. We have relatives near those homes, though we don’t often risk a visit.”

The pups pleaded with their mother until she finally gave in.

“Well I suppose it’s as good time as any to show you more of the wide world, and anyway we’re not having much luck hunting here.”

Cory and Cathy agreed to take turns carrying their new friend. Cory gently placed Harkook on his sister’s back.

“Hang on tight to her neck hairs. We must move quickly through the trails where you might be be knocked off by a low hanging branch,” mother coyote advised.

After a short time they reached a road.

“Never run across the road without looking first! You must look and listen for the sound of the machines that kill. They travel faster than the fastest animal can run. Last year Olive Opossum and most of her family were squashed by one of the terrible things. At night their bright lights can hypnotize—never look directly at them!” Mother coyote warned.

The coyote family and Harkook crossed safely. Soon after they arrived at the edge of a field of newly cut hay next to the group of houses where Sailor and her family lived.

“This is as close as we dare go. You’re on your own now.” Mother coyote said.

“Be careful and good luck!” The cubs called after him, as Harkook scampered over a drainpipe and onto the shoulder of a paved road.

“This is the street to my house!” Harkook realized.

As he ran eagerly toward his home he heard the high-pitched barks and howls of the coyote family, singing joyfully in the distance.

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Chapter 9: A Very Happy Birthday

The next morning Sailor and her family were delighted and mystified to find Harkook, a little worse for wear, but safe and sound at the bottom of the steps leading to their front door.

“Perhaps some animal picked him up and dropped him there,” papa suggested.

“How do we know it’s really the same toy?” Mimi asked.

“Of course it’s Harkook!” Sailor said. “See—he’s missing two front teeth, and look—he comes apart!”

As Sailor pulled the toy apart the magic agate stone that he had taken from the mermaid when they were sailing fell out.

“I guess it really is Harkook. I remember that rock,” Sailor’s mother said.

“If he could talk, I bet he would have quite a tale to tell,” papa said.

“He can talk, to me,” Sailor insisted. “It’s not a rock. It’s a magic jewel!”

That night, after the family was in bed, the toys gathered around to hear about Harkook’s exciting adventures.

“So now you know why I will never go boating again if I can help it,” the dinosaur said, after he ended the story of his adventures.

“Hogwash and horsefeathers! You’ll go wherever Sailor takes you,” Harvey, the toy horse declared.

“I’ll hide if I hear about another sailing trip,” Harkook insisted.

“I will go in your place next time if Sailor wants a dinosaur on the boat,” Roxie said.

“We’re just glad you are back safe and sound—and it’s only a week until Sailor and your birthdays!” Fido said.

Sailor’s birthday was the day after Halloween. It was always a costume party. Harkook had been a present on her second birthday, so she celebrated his birthday on the same day too.

This year Sailor would be eight. She helped her mother stir the batter for the cake and cupcakes. When it came time to frost them, she helped with that too, but her favorite part was licking the frosting off the mixer beaters.

“Can we make a cake for Harkook too?” Sailor asked, between licks.

I suppose one of the cupcakes can be his,” her mother replied.

“By the way, did Harkook ever tell you how he found his way back home?”

“Of course. The ducks and coyotes helped him.”

“I see. It seems he has quite a few wild animal friends.”

“He does, but the crows are his besties. He saved their chicks from Snuggles. They’re really happy he’s back home.”

“How do you know that?”

“Don’t you remember how they cawed and flew over our house the day Harkook got back, mom?”

“I just thought the neighbors were throwing food out again.”

“No—there were just crows. The seagulls and other birds always come if there’s food.”

That evening, after all Sailor’s friends had left with their party favors and stomachs full of cake, and the family was fast asleep, the toys celebrated. It was the wildest birthday party ever.

Harkook was so grateful and excited to be back home that he hugged and kissed all of his toy friends, especially Roxie. They all danced around while Harkook, wearing a shiny necklace and feather hat, played a little toy guitar and sang a birthday song of his own invention.

Harkook’s Birthday Song

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
I’m the luckiest dinosaur that you’ll ever see
I’m singing and dancing and feeling so free
Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to me!

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
It’s a happy unbirthday for all of you too
Everyone should all love you as much as I do
Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to all
Happy birthday to all
It’s such a great party, and we’re having a ball
We’ll dance and we’ll sing until we all fall
Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to all!

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Chapter 10: Harkook Goes Camping

Winter came and went, and the days became warm and sunny. School was out for the summer. Sailor’s grandparents and mother had carefully packed their small motorhome with most of the things they would need for a week of traveling and camping. Sailor was excitedly putting her toys into a suitcase.

“There’s not room for all those, Sailor,” her mother said.

“You can take foxy and one or two of your stuffed animals to sleep with, and a few more of your favorite toys to play with, if they’re small. That suitcase has to hold all of your clothes, and mine too.”

Reluctantly Sailor took the toys out, one by one.

“You’ll have to stay home, Mirabelle. Someone has to watch out for the rest of the toys while I’m gone. I’m sorry Rainbow, you and Pinky can’t come either. You take up too much space.”

The unicorns were disappointed, but in fact, they had been a little afraid of leaving the comfort and security of their cozy place with the other stuffed animals on Sailor’s bed. The two were best friends, and unicorns, like horses, are herd animals who don’t like being apart from their own kind.

“Is this okay, mom?” Sailor asked.

She had removed all the stuffed animals from the suitcase except Foxy, Fido, her faded rabbit, Bow, and Snowy, the white polar bear with the shiny black nose. Her four plastic dinosaurs; the brontosaurus, stegosaurus, Roxie, and of course, Harkook were so small they fit easily into one of the suitcase pockets.

“Snowy will have to go too. The others can come. You’ll be spending lots of time in the water, so we’ll take your goggles and a few pool toys too.”

“It’s okay, Snowy. I’ll only be gone a week, and you can sleep at the head of the bed while I’m away.”

Sailor knew that all the toys loved that spot the best, where only her favorites were allowed to stay. Of all her toys, only foxy had been with Sailor longer, and she knew the kind, gentle bear would miss her.

The next morning Sailor’s family were up before sunrise. Sailor had a hard time waking up, and was too sleepy to eat her breakfast.

“That’s okay,” Papa said. “She can eat while we drive. We need to get an early start to miss the freeway traffic.”

Sailor loved camping trips. While her grandfather drove, she sat in the back of the RV at the table, where she could color, draw, read, or play video games as they drove. She loved seeing the wild places where they stayed, playing outdoors everyday, and roasting marshmallows on a stick over the campfire. Most of all she loved sleeping in the tent with her mother.

By the time they finally made it to their first campsite late that afternoon Sailor was impatient, and very tired of sitting. As soon as they were parked she bounced out of the RV and began running wildly around their campsite.

“Don’t go out of sight, Sailor, and don’t bother any other campers!” her mother called.

“She just needs to move. That’s a long time to sit for a kid—or an adult—I feel like I need to run too, or at least take a short hike,” Papa said.

“Why don’t we go for a walk before it gets too late? We still have lots of daylight left to eat dinner and set up the tent.”

They followed a trail that led to the river. Along the way they saw tracks that Sailor’s grandfather said were from coyotes and rabbits. Sailor jumped and let out a squeal when she nearly stepped on a snake that slithered across the path in front of her.

“Was that a rattlesnake?’ Sailor asked. She had learned about snakes in school, and knew that some were dangerous.

“No, it’s a garter snake like the ones we have at home. It’s just bigger than any you’ve seen,” her grandfather said.

After their walk Sailor helped Papa gather twigs and kindling for the campfire while her mother set up their small tent, and her grandmother made dinner in the RV. The evening was warm, and they ate outside on a picnic table next to the crackling fire.

“Can we roast marshmallows for desert?” Sailor asked.

“Of course!” Sailor’s mother replied.

Sailor’s first marshmallow caught fire, and burned to a black crisp, but she was more careful with the second one. Her mother helped her put the sticky treat between two graham crackers and a slab of chocolate. It was the best desert ever!

“What’s that awful smell?” Mimi said.

“That smells like burning plastic,” Papa said.

“I told you never to throw trash on the campfire, Sailor,” her mother reminded her.

“Oh no! Harkook’s on fire!” Sailor screamed.

She pointed to where the dinosaur lay close to the fire pit. An ember from the campfire had landed on his leg, and it was engulfed in flames.

Papa jumped up quickly, and using the spade they always kept near the campfire, quickly smothered the flames with dirt. For good measure, he poured a glass of water over the unfortunate toy.

“Oh no, look at poor Harkook!” Sailor cried.

Harkook did indeed look terrible. Besides being covered with mud and dirt, his leg and back were blackened from the smoke and heat. But after Sailor’s mother cleaned away the grime with soap and water, and gave him a good scrubbing with a stiff brush, he didn’t look as bad. There was a small melted spot on his thigh, and part of his leg and side were discolored from the fire’s heat, but he could still stand and balance on his back legs and tail as before, and his large toothy smile was perfectly intact.

“He must have fell out of my pocket when I was helping Papa make the campfire. I’m sorry Harkook—I was so excited to help, I didn’t notice,” Sailor apologized to the dinosaur, who really seemed no worse for the experience.

“That shows you how dangerous it is to get too close to a fire,” her grandfather said. “Even when you think you’re far enough away, a spark can land on you and give you a nasty burn.”

That night Sailor took Harkook into the tent to sleep.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight again,” she told him, as she tucked him safely under her pillow.

Of course Harkook could not feel pain, but he had been frightened by the experience. Roxie, who Sailor had brought into the tent too, told Harkook she thought his burn marks made him look even more unique and handsome.

All in all, Harkook thought, it had been a good day, and he looked forward to more camping adventures, though he vowed he would do his best to stay far away from campfires in the future.

Harkook didn’t mind that he was trapped under Sailor’s pillow, and could not move around as he usually did at night. It gave him a feeling of security to lay there listening to Sailor’s quiet breathing as she drifted off to sleep. He began to hum softly to himself, and soon another song came to him.

Harkook’s Campfire Song

Oh I love to cook on the campfire, and it’s lots of fun
But you must be very careful that you don’t get well done
Tails and feet and hands and hair should never get too close
Use a skewer when you cook
Or you’ll you’ll end up like burnt toast!

Oh I love to dance ‘round the campfire, as fast as I can run
But I never get too near, or I might burn my buns
Listen to the grownups when they tell you to move away
If like me you want to live
To dance and sing another day!

Oh I love it by the campfire, under the shining moon
With all my friends together, we sing our favorite tunes
But be sure you stay upwind, and don’t inhale the smoke
‘Cause it’s very hard to sing
While you have to cough and choke!

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Chapter 11: Short Arms

One evening, after Sailor returned home from playing at a friend’s house she could not find Harkook. She looked in the usual places; her toybox, the bookshelves, the doll playhouse, the living room bookshelves, and even outside in her playhouse, but Harkook could not be found.

“Mimi, Harkook is lost,” She told her grandmother.

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll turn up. Weren’t you just playing with him on your bed last night? Did you look under your blankets and pillow?”

Sailor went back to her room and searched her bunkbed. At last she found him, under the covers at the foot of her bed, in the corner nearest the wall.

“Harkook, why are you hiding?” she asked.

Harkook refused to answer.

“I know why,” Mirabelle said. “Some toys were making fun of him.”

“It’s true! Some of the toys have been mean to Harkook. He’s too proud to say so, but he’s very sad,” Fido agreed.

“Making fun of him—how?” Sailor asked.

“They said my arms are too short, and they laughed at me!” Harkook suddenly blurted out.

“Harkook’s head was itching, and he asked Roxie to scratch it. That’s what started it,” Mirabelle explained.

Sailor thought for a minute.

“Roxie’s arms are just like yours. Do they tease you too?” Sailor asked Roxie.

“Oh, I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me, but they know it upsets Harkook. That’s why they like to make fun of him,” Roxie said. “I told him to ignore them, but he’s just too sensitive about his little arms—poor Harkook!”

That night, just before her mother began to read her bedtime story, Sailor told her about the toys teasing the dinosaur.

“I know how he feels,” Sailor told her mother.

“Oh? Have you ever been teased or made fun of?” her mother asked.

“Sometimes,” Sailor replied.

“Sometimes, where?”

“During recess—the bigger kids—no one in my class.”

“What do they tease you about at school?”

“They call me short-stuff or skinny-bones or shrimpy—not everyone, just a few. They’re just bullies—the kids everyone tries to stay away from.”

“Now I see. You know how Harkook feels, because they tease him about his small arms, like the children who tease you about being so small. But you know we’re all made different, and some children who start out small grow up to be big, and some who start bigger don’t always grow up to be the biggest adults.”

“Yes, but Harkook will never grow any bigger, and his arms will always be small. It’s not fair!”

“Oh Sailor, you will have to learn that the world is not always fair, so we must figure out who the loving, caring people are, and avoid the mean ones as best we can.”

“Harkook can’t do that. I guess he’ll have to learn to be more like Roxie.”

“Yes, sometimes we just have to pretend not to be bothered by what others say, even if it hurts our feelings. Now, it’s getting late, let’s read our story. Do you remember where we were last night?”

“Of course I do! Charlotte just wrote the first word in her web, to help save Wilbur.”

Sailor’s mother started another chapter, but well before she finished Sailor was sound asleep. After her mother left the room the toys began to discuss what they heard.

“Can you believe it? Mean children have been making fun of Sailor at school!” Mirabelle said.

“She’s never said anything about it before,” the brontosaurus replied.

“She doesn’t like to tell us about the bad things that happen,” Fido said. “She doesn’t want to worry us.”

“I shouldn’t have made such a big deal about being teased. It’s much harder for humans than for us toys. From now on I’m not going to let it bother me. In fact my head is itching right now—who wants to scratch it?” Harkook said.

“Let me!

“I do, I do!”

“No it’s my turn!”

Harkook’s favorite toy friends gathered around him, all trying at the same time to scratch his big, bony head.

“Okay, not everyone at once—it only itches a little! You can all have a turn,” Harkook laughed.

Later Harkook sang a new song, one he made up just for the occasion.

Harkook’s Short Arms Song

My arms aren’t big but they will do
Don’t help me much, but they’ll help you
Can’t reach the top of my head, it’s true
But they’re long enough for me!

When a baby’s young it’s arms are short
Can’t touch its head I’ve heard report
But they get by fine and make good sport
Cause their thumbs reach to their mouths!

Different shapes and colors we are
But that is much more fun by far
Though some of us may look bizarre
We all get along just fine!

Harkook sang the last two lines over and over, changing them slightly each time, while he and Roxie jumped around on their strong hind legs, waving their little arms wildly.

Though some of us look weird or strange
We all get along just fine!

And short or tall or thin or wide
We all get along just fine!

The toys—even the ones that had teased Harkook earlier, all joined in as Harkook sang, singing and dancing far into the night while Sailor slept soundly in her bed.