This entry posted by Twayn, who has a hunch Baby Dash will enjoy Kevin Henkes.

"Hello. My name is Justin. I'm the American League MVP.
I like hockey and sandwiches and hitting home runs."

Justin had his own way of doing things. He always cut his Jimmy John's submarine sandwiches diagonally, for good luck. He always got out of bed on the same side, for good luck. And he never left the house without double-knotting his shoes, for good luck.

Justin always had the same thing for breakfast – toast with jam and peanut butter - for good luck. And he always carried a hockey puck in his back pocket. Just in case.

Justin’s best friend Joe was exactly the same way. That’s why they were best friends. Justin wouldn’t play baseball unless Joe played, and they never slid headfirst or swung at the first pitch, unless it was a hanging breaking ball. Joe wouldn’t call a pickoff play at first base unless Justin wanted to, and they always used hand signals in the infield. If Justin was hungry, Joe was too, but they rarely ate between meals. Justin and Joe, Joe and Justin. That’s the way it was.

They loved to play baseball. Once, when Joe accidentally swallowed a sunflower seed in the dugout and said he was afraid that a sunflower plant would grow inside him, Justin swallowed one, too.

“Don’t worry,” said Justin. “Now, if you grow a sunflower plant, I’ll grow one, too.”

For Halloween, Justin and Joe always dressed as things that went together – salt and pepper shakers, Canadian bacon and eggs, the Blues Brothers.

In spring, Justin and Joe shared the same locker room. In winter, they never threw snowballs at each other. In fall, they raked leaves and tried to get past the first round of the playoffs. And in summer, they reminded each other to wear sunscreen, so they wouldn’t burn. Justin and Joe, Joe and Justin. That’s the way it was.

And then Nicky moved into the neighborhood...

Nicky had his own way of doing things.

He wore band-aids all over his tiny body, to look brave. He talked backwards to himself in the infield, so base runners wouldn’t know what he was saying. And he never left the house without one of his nifty disguises, like a hungry piranha or a tiny superhero.

Nicky waved at all the fans that waved at him, even if he didn’t know who they were. And he always carried a loaded squirt gun in his back pocket. Just in case.

When Nicky asked Justin and Joe to play, they said they were busy. When he called them up on the phone, they disguised their voices and said they weren’t home. If Nicky was walking on one side of the street, Justin and Joe crossed to the other side and hid.

One day, while Justin and Joe were practicing baseball, some White Sox boys ran out onto the field. They ran in circles around Justin and Joe and yelled personal remarks at them. Justin and Joe didn’t know what to do. Just when they were about to give up hope, a cuddly looking bear wearing a Twins cap and jersey ran out of the dugout and frightened the White Sox boys away with a squirt gun.

“Are you who I think you are?” Justin asked the bear.
“Of course,” the bear replied.
“Thank you, Nicky,” said Justin.
“You’re welcome, Justin,” said Nicky.
“Thank you, Nicky,” said Joe.
“You’re welcome, Joe,” said Nicky.
“I’m glad you were wearing a disguise,” said Justin.
“And I’m glad you had your squirt gun,” said Joe.
“I always do,” said Nicky. “Just in case.”

Afterward, Justin invited Nicky over for lunch.
“You have a Muscle Mouse cup?” said Nicky.
“Of course,” said Justin.
“I do, too!” said Nicky.
“Same here,” said Joe.

That night, Nicky invited Justin and Joe to sleep over.
“You have a night light?” said Justin.
“Of course,” said Nicky.
“I do, too,” said Justin.
“Same here,” said Joe.

After that, when Nicky asked Justin and Joe to play they said yes. When he called them up on the phone, they had pleasant conversations. And if Nicky was walking on one side of the street, Justin and Joe waved and ran to catch up with him.

Justin and Joe wouldn’t play baseball unless Nicky played, and they never swung at the first pitch, unless it was a hanging breaking ball, of course. And they never slid headfirst, except for Nicky, who still had his own way of doing some things. Nicky taught Justin and Joe to talk backwards in the infield. And they taught him hand signals and how to double-knot his shoes. Justin and Joe and Nicky. That’s the way it was.

For Halloween, they dressed as the three blind umpires. For Christmas, Nicky gave Justin and Joe nifty disguises. And they gave him a box of multi-colored shoelaces – extra long for double knotting.

They loved to play baseball. When Justin and Joe told Nicky about how they had each swallowed a sunflower seed, Nicky swallowed three of them. “I’ll grow a sunflower plant for each of us,” he said.

In spring, Justin and Joe and Nicky shared a locker room together. In winter, they never threw snowballs at each other. In fall, they raked leaves and tried to get past the first round of the playoffs. And in summer, they reminded each other to wear sunscreen, so they wouldn’t burn. Justin and Joe and Nicky, Nicky and Joe and Justin. That’s the way it was.

And then Jason moved into the neighborhood...