Lunch Money

That night, Greg and his folks are watching a movie together when Maura rings the doorbell. She hands Greg an envelope filled with more drawings. In her assertive manner, she insists he look at them right away.

Annoyed, Greg tears open the envelope and is immediately captivated by her new work. She has redone the unicorn title page—adding many details, including a scary-looking ogre leering out from a corner—and her story pages include large, scene-setting panels and smaller panels that show details.

He asks his parents to finish the movie without him, sends Maura downstairs to the playroom, and retrieves his drawing tools. He prints copies of the cover page as practice sheets, and begins inking in outlines of the unicorn. Meanwhile, Maura continues to draw.

She sketches a couple of false starts, then wanders back to watch Greg. She tells him she wants to do the lettering; he says it cannot be in cursive on so small a pages; she says she was really good at printing letters in third grade. He hands her lined paper and a lettering pen and warns her not to press too hard. Her first attempt is better than Greg’s own printing; he calls hers “pretty good.