Emerson and Princess Peep

• Who is Coming?
• Princess Peep
• A Yellow Puff of Downy Fluff
• Hello, Yellow Shadow
• Birds of a Feather
• For Parents

Who is Coming?

The WellieWishers are almost done building something very special. It may be the most fun project they’ve ever done. Just then, a red truck comes driving up the road. Inside is Mr. Louie, Aunt Miranda’s neighbor. In his arms, he’s holding a clucky red-and-white hen.

Mr. Louie explains her name is Queen Ruby because the red comb on her head looks like a crown. All the girls gush over how beautiful she is and how they love her already. Kendall moves over to show Queen Ruby the new chicken coop they are building. It has pretty flowers, a nest, and a weather vane on top.

Mr. Louie gently sets Queen Ruby inside. She wiggles her bottom up and down, and settles in. The girls are thrilled she’s already loving her new home.

Mr. Louie explains that the girls need to keep an eye on her because she might lay eggs soon. If she does, Queen Ruby will need to sit on her eggs for three weeks until they hatch. He hands Willa a book all about chickens, instructing if they have any questions, the book will have the answers.

The girls wave as Mr. Louie drives away. The WellieWishers gather around Queen Ruby. Emerson stands at the back, and sings a little song to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”:

  Good Queen Ruby, feel at home!
  Fluff your feathers. Wave your comb.
  Eat your feed and stretch your legs.
  Soon we hope you’ll lay some eggs.
  Good Queen Ruby, we love you,
  And we’ll love your babies, too!

The next day, when the girls come to visit Queen Ruby, they see a bright round white egg sitting in the nest. The next day, they see two more eggs. Queen Ruby ruffles her feathers to the many compliments the girls give her.

The girls decide each of them must be in charge of something. Willa is in charge of ensuring straw is always in the nest. Ashlyn is on water duty, and Camille is on feed duty. Kendall is on cleaning duty. Emerson is on entertainment duty! She makes up new songs to sing every day and dances them in front of Queen Ruby:

  Sit, Queen Ruby, be our guest.
  Keep your eggs warm in your nest.
  Help them hatch out pretty quick.
  Soon you’ll have some baby chicks!
  Good Queen Ruby, we love you,
  And we’ll love your babies, too!

Princess Peep

The days pass, and the girls are beginning to feel like it’ll be forever until the baby chicks hatch. Emerson explains that’s why she performs for Queen Ruby, so she doesn’t get bored.

At last, after three weeks pass, the girls and Aunt Miranda hear a peep, peep, peep coming from the nest. The girls look inside to see a little hole that was pecked from inside the eggshell. Then, the chick makes the hole bigger, until it completely cracks. And then, the egg wobbles, and the chick pushes itself out. It says Peep peep peep. Peep peep peep repeatedly.

Emerson kneels down so that she’s at eye level with the chick. She begins singing the “Happy Birthday” song to the baby chick, who’s all wet and scrawny. Emerson says the should name her Princess Peep, since she’s always peeping so much.

But the more Princess Peep peeps, the less she sounds like a princess. She sounds like a poor, baby chick calling out to its mother. But, Queen Ruby seems uninterested in coming back to the nest. Instead, Queen Ruby jumps out of the coop and walks away.

Willa, looking through the chicken book, says they only have a few hours to get Princess Peep to warmth, until she’ll die. She needs to stay at about 100° Fahrenheit.

Aunt Miranda suggests they make an incubator in the greenhouse for her. An incubator is a special box with a heat lamp. Maybe if they take Princess Peep away, Queen Ruby will come back to sit on the other eggs. Emerson stays with Princess Peep while the others rush off to make their incubator.

A Yellow Puff of Downy Fluff

Emerson is happy to be staying with Princess Peep. She sings a little song to her:

  Little princess, we love you!
  And we know just what to do.
  You’ll be warm and you’ll be fed,
  In the greenhouse, in your bed.
  Princess Peep, how we love you.
  Pretty soon you’ll love us, too.

In a little bit, Kendall comes back to tell Emerson the incubator is ready. Emerson carefully picks up the tiny little chick and walks her down to the greenhouse. Emerson sets Princess Peep down into the incubator box very gently.

The incubator has a lamp to keep the box warm, a layer of pine shavings on the bottom, and even a thermometer so they can keep track of the temperature. It also has a water dispenser and a little bowl of feed for Princess Peep.

The chick seems happy to have found a nice warm home, and she settles in. The girls watch as her feathers slowly dry, and she becomes fluffy and round. Camille explains she’s just a yellow puff of downy fluff! She peeps, and cheeps, and pecks, and drinks, and hips, and hops. Then she takes a nap, and then will do it all again.

Back at the chicken coop, the girls see that Queen Ruby has come back to her post, and is sitting once again on the other two eggs.

Hello, Yellow Shadow

The next morning, Queen Ruby’s other eggs still hatched. So the girls go down to take care of Princess Peep. The girls resume their assigned duties, and make sure Princess Peep is well taken care of. And Emerson continues to keep Princess Peep company by telling her chicken themed jokes, riddles, and stories with her puppets.

The day after, the eggs still haven’t hatched. While most of the girls go down to the greenhouse to check on Princess Peep, Emerson decides to sing Queen Ruby a song to encourage her to keep persisting:

  Stay, Queen Ruby, on your nest.
  Though it does not feel the best.
  Hatch your eggs out soon today,
  And we will all shout, “Hooray!"
  Good Queen Ruby, we love you!
  And we’ll love your babies, too.

In the greenhouse, Willa nervously notices that Princess Peep doesn’t look that great. She’s laying down lethargically. She droops and moops on the pine shavings, not making a single peep.

Then, Emerson comes through the door skipping. Ashlyn tells her to quiet down because Princess Peep doesn’t feel well today. Emerson comes over to the incubator box. The moment Princess Peep sees Emerson, the chick lifts her head and begins to peep happily. The chick hops up and splatters her water.

“She looks fine to me,” Emerson says. The girls stare at Emerson. How did she do that? Then Willa realizes: Princess Peep imprinted on Emerson!

Willa explains that when a chick hatches, it thinks the first big shape it sees is its mother. Since Princess Peep saw Emerson first, she imprinted on her.

While the girls clean the incubator box and tidy up the greenhouse, Emerson takes responsibility of keeping Princess Peep company. Wherever Emerson goes, the little chick hops along after, peeping and cheeping along the way.

Willa, Kendall, and Ashlyn are all jealous that Princess Peep imprinted on Emerson. Camille knows it’s better for Princess Peep to have imprinted on Emerson than on Queen Ruby, who was neglecting her. But either way, it feels strange to think of Emerson has a mother hen!

When the chick is ready to be put back in her incubator, Emerson tries to sing her a lullaby to make her go to sleep:

  Little princess, go to sleep.
  Do not make a single peep.
  When you wake up, we’ll have fun.
  We’re each other’s favorite one.
  But right now you have to sleep.
  Please don’t make a single peep.

The girls begin to creep away from the incubator. But the moment Princess Peep realizes they’re leaving, she cries and begins to fuss. Camille offers to hold Princess Peep while the others go play, but Princess Peep begins crying even louder than before when Camille reaches in to pick her up. Princess Peep doesn’t want Camille; she wants Emerson.

Emerson is happy to be of service, and willingly stays behind while the others go to play hopscotch outside. The minutes pass on. Emerson tries every idea imaginable to make Princess Peep go to sleep. But she refuses to fall asleep.

Eventually, Emerson picks her up and puts her on the ground. Maybe some exercise will tire her out. But when Emerson turns around, Princess Peep is gone. She has hopped under a shelf, and gotten lost behind a stack of flowerpots.

Emerson gets down on her hands and knees, and she can see Princess Peep’s head through the shadows. Emerson crawls under the shelf farther to reach her hand in to get the chick.

Suddenly, Willa dashes into the greenhouse, yelling for Emerson to come quick, for the next eggs are hatching. Emerson is surprised, and she sits up quickly, banging her head on the underside of the shelf. The flowerpots clatter to the ground, and pets and leaves go flying. Water from an overturned watering can leaks all over the floor. Emerson regretfully says she can’t come because she has to rescue Princess Peep and clean all of the mess up. But Willa is already running away up the path.

Birds of a Feather

When Willa gets back to the chicken coop, she explains that Emerson is busy taking care of Princess Peep and won’t be able to come. So, the four girls stand back and watch the holes in the eggs get bigger and bigger until the chicks pop their little heads out.

Ashlyn congratulates Queen Ruby on her two newest babies. She _Pawk_s proudly, fluffs her feathers, and sits down on her chicks again.

When the girls come back down to the greenhouse, they find Emerson finally putting Princess Peep to sleep in the incubator. Emerson explains that being a mother hen is hard. She loves Princess Peep, but it’s a lot of work taking care of her. The chick could’ve gotten hurt when she got lost under the shelf, and Emerson feels terrible. At first, Emerson was so thrilled that Princess Peep imprinted on her and loves her the most, but now, she’s tired of being a mother hen.

Willa pulls her head out of her chicken book. Willa says there’s a way to reunite a chick with its mother after they’ve been separated. It’s worth a shot!

That evening, Aunt Miranda and the girls carefully carry Princess Peep back to the chicken coop. While the chicks are all asleep, Aunt Miranda slips Princess Peep into the nest underneath Queen Ruby. Queen Ruby rustles a bit, but then settles back into slumber.

The next morning, the girls hurry to the chicken coop. The plan worked! Queen Ruby is being a mother to Princess Peep just as they hoped. In the nest, the girls can clearly see three chicks, and Queen Ruby sitting on top of all of them.

Camille asks Emerson if she’s sad Princess Peep likes Queen Ruby and the chicks more than her. Emerson shakes her head and grins. Princess Peep is fun and all, but the WellieWishers are more fun, and way less work! Then Emerson breaks out into song:

  You can be a chicken’s friend,
  But don’t be its mother hen!
  Chicks are cute and lots of fun,
  Peeping, cheeping, on the run.
  But for friends both smart and sweet,
  WellieWishers can’t be beat!

For Parents

Discusses taking care of animals and plants. Topics include:

• Growing a plant from seed to sprout in a pot
• Visiting or contacting a local animal shelter to ask what the shelter needs, such as towels, blankets, food, litter, and toys

Discusses creative outlets related to eggs and animals. Topics include:

• Making musical maracas
• Making an egg carton caterpillar