All About Sam Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Lois Lowry
didn't want to have a beard, especially. He didn't want to watch baseball on TV. He loved his daddy, but he didn't want to be like his daddy, especially.
He wanted to be like the train guy in the book, and drive an engine, and wear a blue-and-white striped hat.
So Sam said "No" and gave the training pants back to his mother.
She looked exasperated. "Sam," she said, "don't you want to be toilet trained?"
Toilet
trained? What did
that
mean? That was the weirdest thing he had ever heard. He wouldn't mind being freight trained. He wouldn't mind being passenger trained. He would
love
being circus trained, like the train in his favorite book.
But
toilet
trained?
"
No,
" said Sam loudly. "
No.
No. No no no no no no."
And his mother began to shriek, just the way Anastasia did. "I CAN'T STAND THE TERRIBLE TWOS!" his mother shrieked.
Sam looked around, but the mysterious Terrible Twos were still invisible.
"I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could," Sam sang as he chugga-chugged down the hall.
5
"Sam," Anastasia said in a serious voice, "I have something very important to tell you. Horrible, awful news. You're going to hate it just as much as I do."
"What?" Sam asked. Anastasia had just changed his diapers and now she was trying to snap up his overalls. He liked it better with his legs bare, so he wiggled about.
"Hold still," Anastasia said, "and listen."
Sam stayed very still. He listened.
"We're moving," Anastasia said.
Sam stared at her. She was mistaken. He was being absolutely still. He wasn't moving at all.
"I'm not moving," Sam said.
"Yes, you are," Anastasia said. "We all are. Our whole family."
He continued to stare at her. It was true that she was moving. She was snapping his overalls, and in a minute she would put his sneakers on him, and tie them, which meant that her hands would be moving.
From the kitchen, he could hear his mom's footsteps as she walked from the stove to the refrigerator to the sink. His mom was certainly moving.
He didn't know about Dad. But it was almost the time when Dad would be getting home from atwork, so probably Dad was moving, too.
But Sam was absolutely motionless. So Anastasia was wrong.
"I'm not moving," Sam whispered. He whispered it so that not even his lips would be moving.
Anastasia tied both of his sneakers. She sighed. "Yes, you are," she said mournfully. "You have no choice." She adjusted his overalls, lifted him, and stood him on the floor.
Sam was very still. He tried not even to breathe. "I'm still not moving," he whispered.
"Mom!" Anastasia called toward the kitchen. "Sam's on my side! Sam says that he is absolutely not moving!"
His mother appeared in the doorway. "We'll discuss it later," she said. "Sam? You want to help me frost some cupcakes?"
"Sure," Sam said. He began to breathe again. He ran toward the kitchen. "Now I
am
moving," he called to his sister. "I like moving."
Anastasia glared at him. "Traitor," she said.
Sam loved moving day. Men with tattoos on their arms came in and out of the apartment. Sam had never before seen anyone with tattoos.
One man had a fish, another man had a dragon, and the third had an anchor.
Sam decided that when he grew up, he would be a moving man, so that he could have tattoos. When no one was looking, he took a blue marker and made himself the beginning of a tattoo on one arm. Possibly it was the beginning of a dragon.
The moving men carried everything to their truck. They carried the living room couch. When they picked up the couch, their tattoos bulged.
"Oh, no!" said Sam's mom, after the moving men picked up the couch. "That's disgusting!"
Sam looked where she was pointing. He didn't think it was disgusting at all. He thought it was
wonderful.
A whole lot of lost stuff appeared on the rug where the couch had been. There were three socks, each covered with gray dust. There was the plastic pretzel that Sam remembered from when he was a baby just getting teeth. There was some green paper,
He wanted to be like the train guy in the book, and drive an engine, and wear a blue-and-white striped hat.
So Sam said "No" and gave the training pants back to his mother.
She looked exasperated. "Sam," she said, "don't you want to be toilet trained?"
Toilet
trained? What did
that
mean? That was the weirdest thing he had ever heard. He wouldn't mind being freight trained. He wouldn't mind being passenger trained. He would
love
being circus trained, like the train in his favorite book.
But
toilet
trained?
"
No,
" said Sam loudly. "
No.
No. No no no no no no."
And his mother began to shriek, just the way Anastasia did. "I CAN'T STAND THE TERRIBLE TWOS!" his mother shrieked.
Sam looked around, but the mysterious Terrible Twos were still invisible.
"I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could," Sam sang as he chugga-chugged down the hall.
5
"Sam," Anastasia said in a serious voice, "I have something very important to tell you. Horrible, awful news. You're going to hate it just as much as I do."
"What?" Sam asked. Anastasia had just changed his diapers and now she was trying to snap up his overalls. He liked it better with his legs bare, so he wiggled about.
"Hold still," Anastasia said, "and listen."
Sam stayed very still. He listened.
"We're moving," Anastasia said.
Sam stared at her. She was mistaken. He was being absolutely still. He wasn't moving at all.
"I'm not moving," Sam said.
"Yes, you are," Anastasia said. "We all are. Our whole family."
He continued to stare at her. It was true that she was moving. She was snapping his overalls, and in a minute she would put his sneakers on him, and tie them, which meant that her hands would be moving.
From the kitchen, he could hear his mom's footsteps as she walked from the stove to the refrigerator to the sink. His mom was certainly moving.
He didn't know about Dad. But it was almost the time when Dad would be getting home from atwork, so probably Dad was moving, too.
But Sam was absolutely motionless. So Anastasia was wrong.
"I'm not moving," Sam whispered. He whispered it so that not even his lips would be moving.
Anastasia tied both of his sneakers. She sighed. "Yes, you are," she said mournfully. "You have no choice." She adjusted his overalls, lifted him, and stood him on the floor.
Sam was very still. He tried not even to breathe. "I'm still not moving," he whispered.
"Mom!" Anastasia called toward the kitchen. "Sam's on my side! Sam says that he is absolutely not moving!"
His mother appeared in the doorway. "We'll discuss it later," she said. "Sam? You want to help me frost some cupcakes?"
"Sure," Sam said. He began to breathe again. He ran toward the kitchen. "Now I
am
moving," he called to his sister. "I like moving."
Anastasia glared at him. "Traitor," she said.
Sam loved moving day. Men with tattoos on their arms came in and out of the apartment. Sam had never before seen anyone with tattoos.
One man had a fish, another man had a dragon, and the third had an anchor.
Sam decided that when he grew up, he would be a moving man, so that he could have tattoos. When no one was looking, he took a blue marker and made himself the beginning of a tattoo on one arm. Possibly it was the beginning of a dragon.
The moving men carried everything to their truck. They carried the living room couch. When they picked up the couch, their tattoos bulged.
"Oh, no!" said Sam's mom, after the moving men picked up the couch. "That's disgusting!"
Sam looked where she was pointing. He didn't think it was disgusting at all. He thought it was
wonderful.
A whole lot of lost stuff appeared on the rug where the couch had been. There were three socks, each covered with gray dust. There was the plastic pretzel that Sam remembered from when he was a baby just getting teeth. There was some green paper,