And with that, the mayor and the zookeeper of Blue River Creek discovered that they had something unexpected in common. They talked for hours about dahlias and gardening and slugs and snakes and the zoo and the good people of their town. Especially the kids who cared so much about what happened there.

  “Oh my! Look at the time!” said the mayor. “That speech isn’t going to give itself!”

  While the mayor and Zookeeper Fred had been talking, the festival activities had ended, and everyone had made their way through the ribbon tunnel to the dahlia garden. The crowd cheerfully chatted about the day’s events and admired the dahlias, which glowed with a new intensity in the fading afternoon light. Mr. Frost awkwardly held the folded-up PSSST! banner by himself. His group had evaporated somewhere between the puppet show and the sculpture-making station.

  The mayor and city council members headed to the gazebo at the center of the garden, where a microphone had been set up. They chatted as they waited for the crowd to gather around. At last, Clerk Clark introduced them.

  The crowd clapped and cheered.

  “We live in a marvelous town,” said the mayor. “I am honored to be your mayor. I hope you have all enjoyed the beautiful dahlias. I think it’s the best display we’ve ever had.”

  The Plantsburg gardeners clapped.

  “We’ll come again next year!” one gardener yelled. “With three buses!”

  “Much better than Flowerton’s festival!” cried another gardener.

  The mayor beamed. The crowd cheered again. The mayor cleared his throat and continued.

  “I know that many of you are here today because of the situation at the zoo,” he said. “I must tell you that today, the council voted to get rid of the snakes at Blue River Creek Zoo.”

  The crowd sighed. Mr. Frost and a couple of others cheered.

  “But—” started the Questioneers.

  “But . . .” the mayor continued, “then we came here to the First Ever Detective Dangernoodle and Dahlia Festival and we changed our minds! We just voted again. We are keeping Vern and the other snakes at the zoo as long as they are safely contained in appropriate enclosures. I learned some new things here today about snakes and why they are important to the zoo and our gardens! Can you believe they eat slugs?”

  The Plantsburg gardeners cheered very loudly.

  The mayor continued, “I also learned some things about our town and the people who live here. Thanks to Vern, I’ve even made a new friend today.”

  He waved at Zookeeper Fred, who waved back.

  The crowd cheered yet again.

  “We have a great public,” said the mayor, looking at the Questioneers. “And the zoo needs to reflect that and be a great resource for ALL our citizens. AND the animals. So, I hope to see you all back here next year at the Second Ever Detective Dangernoodle and Dahlia Festival!”

  And with that, the festival was over, though it took a very long time for the conga line to snake all the way back to the big balloon arch. And nobody minded at all.

  CHAPTER

  27

  It was night, and the Slater house was quiet once more. Oberon and Eugene purred softly at the foot of Jacob’s bed. Aaron lay awake, watching the scraggly tree branches dance in the moonlight outside his window. He wanted to sleep, but so much had happened in the last two days and his brain couldn’t settle down.

  The wind rustled the branches outside the window. Aaron kicked off his covers and fluffed his pillow. He yawned and pulled his covers back up, but nothing helped. He was about to get some water when Jacob flipped on the lamp between their beds.

  “I CAN’T SLEEP,” signed Jacob.

  “SAME,” signed Aaron.

  They signed back and forth about Vern and the zoo. About how art had saved the day. And how science did, too. And about the festival and what might happen next year at the Second Ever Detective Dangernoodle and Dahlia Festival.

  After a few minutes, they grew still.

  “AARON,” Jacob signed, “WILL YOU TELL ME A STORY?”

  “O-K,” signed Aaron. “ONCE, THERE WAS A SNAKE—”

  Jacob shook his head. “NO,” he signed. “THE ONE WITH DRAGONS.”

  “I DON’T KNOW HOW IT ENDS,” signed Aaron.

  “YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT,” signed Jacob, pulling his bear close and snuggling into his pillow. “YOU ALWAYS DO.”

  Aaron smiled at his brother. He took a breath, closed his eyes, and thought a moment. Then, he opened his eyes, raised his hands, and began to paint the story in the air with signs . . .

  . . . ONCE . . .

  He began.

  . . . ONCE THERE WAS A DRAGON THE COLOR OF THE SUN . . .

  The Paradise Flying Snake

  We all know that snakes can’t fly.

  But there’s one snake that loves to try.

  It spreads its ribcage double wide.

  And man, oh man! Just watch it glide

  from way up in the canopy

  to catch a lizard in a tree,

  sitting there so warm and fat

  and lunch is over

  just

  like

  that.

  It’s true that snakes can’t fly like birds or bees or bats. But there is one snake that glides from tree to tree in the jungle. The paradise flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) lives in the high canopy of trees in the dense jungles of Indonesia. It grows to about four feet long. It eats lizards, frogs, and birds.

  When it spies its prey, it uses its very strong muscles to extend its body into the air. It holds onto the branch with just the end of its tail. It spreads its ribs and flattens its body to twice its usual width. Then it leaps out and slithers through the air toward its prey. It can glide up to eighty feet away.

  Imagine holding on to a branch with your toes and leaping out to catch a frog two houses away! That’s some snake!

  FROGVILLE

  Frogs are amphibians. They spend the beginning of their lives in water, breathing through gills. As adults, they live on land, breathing through lungs. Frogs can also absorb oxygen through their skin. Because of this, they are very sensitive to chemicals such as fertilizers and weed killers, which run into the waterways from lawns, farmland, and roads.

  Because frogs are so sensitive to the environment, they are considered “bioindicators” of an ecosystem. Their populations are the first to show trouble signs. Frogs are eaten by predators up the food chain such as snakes, coyotes, hawks, and herons. If frog populations drop, these species can also be in trouble. Without frogs, insect populations can get out of whack. Frogs are also vulnerable to habitat loss, climate change, and disease.

  Frogs have been on Earth for more than 200 million years! However, their numbers are declining. More than 500 species of frogs are critically endangered and at risk of extinction!

  Zookeeper Fred and the Questioneers are creating a new habitat at the zoo for native frogs and other wildlife. “Native” means they come from the local area.

  Like all animals, frogs need food, shelter, and water. Frogville provides all three. Its pond gives frogs a place to lay eggs and tadpoles a place to grow into adult frogs. The garden offers a hiding place for frogs and other animals. The plants offer food for insects, pollinators, and birds.

  There are many ways people can follow Frogville’s example to help frogs and other wildlife:

  Stop using chemicals on lawns and gardens. That means no chemical fertilizers or weed killers.

  Use a mulching mower to return grass clippings to the lawn. Grass clippings rot and feed the lawn.

  Replace lawn with clover or flowering plant alternatives, which will attract pollinators and are drought-resistant. Saving water also helps the environment!

  Grow native plants. They will attract local insects, which will attract local frogs and other wildlife.

  Use compost and natural plant foods such as liquid seaweed to feed plants if needed.

  Create a water feature. A pond is great, but even birdbaths can help wildlife.

  Even a few flowerpots with flowers can help feed pollinators, which help the rest of the ecosystem. Plus, they are beautiful!

  Everyone can help save the frogs!

  Ribbit!

  WHAT IS BEHIND JACOB’S EAR?

  Aaron’s brother, Jacob, is hard of hearing and wears a cochlear implant. It is a device with two parts that help Jacob process sounds. Part of the cochlear implant sits behind Jacob’s ear with a microphone that picks up sounds. The sounds are transmitted to the internal part of the implant, which is under the skin behind his ear. The internal part of the device has a small wire that stimulates the nerves inside the inner ear and produces a hearing sensation in Jacob’s brain.

  WHAT IS ASL?

  The Slater family is learning American Sign Language (ASL) so Jacob can communicate how he prefers. ASL is a complete language with its own grammar, vocabulary, and rules for sentence structure. ASL combines hand, face, and body motions.

  ASL is one of about 300 natural sign languages used by deaf and hard-of-hearing people around the world. It is used in America and Canada and parts of Africa and Asia. Other sign languages include British Sign Language (BSL), Irish Sign Language (ISL), Chinese Sign Language (CSL), Lange des Signes Quebecoise (LSQ), Mexican Sign Language (MSL), Spanish Sign Language, and many, many others.

  Not all deaf or hard-of-hearing people use sign language, spoken language, hearing aids, cochlear implants, or lip reading. Each person and family is unique and has their own preferences for how to communicate in different settings.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ANDREA BEATY is the bestselling author of the Questioneers series, as well as many other books, including Dorko the Magnificent, Secrets of the Cicada Summer, Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, and Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau. She has a degree in biology and computer science and spent many years in the computer industry. She now writes children’s books in her home outside Chicago.

  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

  DAVID ROBERTS has illustrated many books, including the Questioneers series, The Cook and the King, and Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau. He lives in London, where, when not drawing, he likes to make hats.

  An advertisement poster for other books by the Questioneers is shown. Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year is a new picture book coming in fall 2023. The covers of the five other books, Iggy Peck Architect, Rosie Reverie Engineer, Ada Twist Scientist, Sofia Valdez Future Prez, and Aaron Slater Illustrator are given in the poster.

  Loved the book?

  Check out our entire catalog of great novels, graphic novels, and non-fiction for young adults and middle-grade readers at Amulet Books!

  Hungry for more YA?

  Take a

  with sneak piques, behind-the-scenes, interviews and much more inspired by our latest YA books at piquebeyond.com!

  A back cover shows the plot of the book featuring Aaron Slater and Zookeeper Fred. A sketch of Aaron painting a snake with sketch is shown. Amulet books logo are given at the bottom. Covers of five other picture series book by The Questioneers are given below the plot.

 

 

  Andrea Beaty, Aaron Slater and the Sneaky Snake (The Questioneers Book #6)

 

 

  Thank you for reading books on GrayCity.Net
Share this book with friends