Troy Cummings - Giddy-Up, Daddy!

Copyright 2013 by Troy Cummings All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Childrens Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Visit us on the Web! randomhouse.com/kids Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cummings, Troy.
Giddy-up, daddy! / written and illustrated by Troy Cummings. 1st ed.
p. bdg.)
eBook ISBN: 978-0-375-98123-4
[1. bdg.)
eBook ISBN: 978-0-375-98123-4
[1.

PlayFiction. 2. ImaginationFiction. 3. Father and childFiction. 4.

Humorous stories.] I. Title.
PZ7.C91494Gid 2013
[E]dc23 2012009236 Random House Childrens Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read. v3.1

O nce there was a dad who was really good at playing horsey. Seriously, he was the best.
He was sure-footed on any terrain carpet, hardwood, or linoleum.
And he hardly ever bucked, no matter who was riding on his back.
One morning, while the kids finished eating breakfast, the dad trotted out to the backyard to practice his jumps.
He was so busy he didnt notice he was being watched by horse rustlers! What a magnificent horse, they said.
He was so busy he didnt notice he was being watched by horse rustlers! What a magnificent horse, they said.

Lets rustle him! So they lured the dad away with some sugar cubes
and lassoed him!
The kids heard a loud whinny, but by the time they made it outside, their dad was gone.
We gotta find him! said the kids. Luckily, the dad had thrown a shoe during the scuffle. The kids were smart: they would follow his trail of hoofprints. The trail headed west
to a rodeo! The rustlers had entered the dad in the rodeo and were trying to cheat their way into first place. Right out of the gate, the dad wowed the crowd of cowboys.

Then he spotted two little cowpokes sitting on the fence.
Buck, Daddy, buck! they shouted. The dad winked at his kids. Then he reared back, nickered, and kicked his haunches high. He bucked the rustlers right out of the arena.
The dad sidled up to the fence, and the kids climbed onto his back.

The cowboy crowd hooted and hollered. The dad was the star bronco!
But then the crowd started booing. The rustlers were back! Giddy-up, Daddy! said the kids. Theyre after us! The dad galloped away, leaving the bandits in his dust.
The kids steered him toward a large stripey tent in the distance. We can hide in there, they said.

The dad hoofed it over to the tent and snuck in through a back flap. It was dark inside. And quiet. Then

A spotlight shone on the dad and his two riders. They were in the middle of a circus! On a tightrope! A thousand feet in the air!
But the dad didnt spook. He carefully cantered along the high wire while the kids struck daring poses on his back.

The band played a drumroll as the audience below held its breath. Suddenly, two mean-looking acrobats swung into view, reaching out to grab the dad. Its the rustlers! shouted the kids. Lets get outta here, Daddy! HYAW!
The dad dodged the rustlers and hightailed it across the tightrope.
Then he dove down a slide,