Free Margaret & Taylor by Kevin Henkes Page A

already sitting on a chair, testing it.
    Margaret moved back and forth. She bounced up and down.
    â€œThat looks like fun,” said Taylor, as he climbed onto a chair of his own.
    â€œGet down from there,” said Margaret. She pulled Taylor’s leg. “Come on, we’re here to buy a present for Grandpa.”

    â€œGrandpa could use a new hat,” said Margaret. “His is old and gray.”
    â€œI like it,” said Taylor. “So does Grandpa. He wears it all the time.”

    â€œBut look at those,” said Margaret, pointing. “They have feathers and birds and bows on them.”
    â€œGrandpa would look funny with feathers and birds and bows on his head,” said Taylor.
    But Margaret wasn’t listening. She was trying on the hat with feathers. She tried on the hat with birds. She tried on the hat with bows.
    Taylor picked up one of the hats.
    Margaret looked at him.
    â€œThere isn’t time for you to try on hats,” she said. “Did you forget? We’re here to buy a present for Grandpa.”
    But it was getting late. It was almost time for the party to start. Margaret and Taylor had to go.
    As they left, Margaret said, “Just because of your playing around, we have nothing for Grandpa. You didn’t remember.”
    Taylor nodded. He pulled his hand from behind his back.
    â€œOh, yes, I did,” he said. “ I remembered. I remembered all the time.”

4
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THE BALLOONS

    A fter they got home from Grandpa’s, Margaret and Taylor sat on the front porch before going to bed.
    They were holding their balloons from the party. Margaret’s was yellow with orange stripes. Taylor’s was red all over.

    The wind was blowing, so the balloons bobbed up and down.
    â€œLook!” said Taylor. “Mine’s a giant floating tomato.”
    Margaret didn’t look. She was tying the string from her balloon to her wrist.
    â€œSee?” she said. “Now my balloon is safe. It can’t blow away.”
    â€œWill you help me do mine?” asked Taylor.
    â€œYou’re big enough to tie by yourself,” said Margaret. “Don’t be a baby.”

    Taylor looped the string around his wrist. When the wind gusted again, his balloon sailed away.
    â€œHelp!” yelled Taylor. “Come back!”
    But it was too late. His balloon was gone.

    â€œToo bad,” said Margaret. “I was just thinking of all the things we could do with our balloons. We could draw ugly faces on them and then walk under windows, so the faces would scare the people inside.”
    Taylor tried not to listen.

    â€œOr,” said Margaret, “we could write secret messages and sign our names and address, tie them to the balloons, and send them off. Then we’d get mail from faraway places.”
    The more Margaret talked, the worse Taylor felt.
    â€œOr,” said Margaret, “we could pretend the balloons were real people—brother and sister. We could use yarn for hair and dress them in old clothes.
    â€œBut now you can’t,” said Margaret. “You should be more careful.”
    Taylor didn’t say anything. He just looked at Margaret’s balloon.
    From inside the house, Father called, “Time for bed, you two.”
    Margaret untied her balloon on the way in.
    â€œSee?” she said. “Even untied, if you’re very careful and hold on tight, nothing can happen.”
    When Margaret opened the door, their dog Chopper jumped up on her.
    â€œLook out!” cried Margaret. But her balloon got away. Margaret ran down the steps after it, but it was too high and too far away to catch. She watched her balloon until she couldn’t see it any longer. Then Margaret yelled at Chopper and ran inside the house.
    â€œIt’s okay,” said Taylor, petting Chopper. “Maybe the balloons really were brother and sister. And now they can be together.”

5
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THE CAKE

    M argaret saved a piece