Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas Read online

  got bigger.

  But that’s not the clue.

  Each year Mrs. Fang

  got bossier.

  She sent stronger messages

  for Fang to eat bones.

  That’s a clue.”

  “So where is this year’s

  message?” Annie asked.

  “I, Nate the Great, say

  that Fang has it.”

  “Fang?”

  “Yes. He found the envelope

  on the ground

  next to the mailbox.”

  Annie looked at Fang.

  “I knew you were

  a very smart dog,” she said.

  “But I didn’t know that

  you knew how to read.”

  “He doesn’t,” I said.

  “But he knows how to sniff

  and to hide things.

  Tell me, does he have

  a favorite hiding place?”

  “Yes. Somewhere in

  the backyard,” Annie said.

  “Follow me,” I said.

  Annie, Fang, and Sludge

  followed me to the backyard.

  It was covered with snow.

  There was no trail.

  “Look for a hump

  or bump

  in the snow,” I said.

  “It might be covering a hump

  or bump of dirt

  where Fang dug.”

  “I see one over there,” Annie said.

  “We must dig there,” I said.

  Annie and I started to dig.

  Fang and Sludge watched.

  “Why are we digging?” Annie asked.

  “Isn’t that what dogs do?”

  I stared at Annie.

  “Dig,” I said.

  Annie and I dug up a ball.

  A shoe.

  And a big, thick, soggy envelope.

  “Hey, it has Fang’s name on it!”

  Annie said.

  She handed it to Fang.

  Fang tore open the envelope.

  There was a bone inside.

  With a card tied to it.

  It said “Merry Christmas from

  Mother Fang. Eat!”

  “I, Nate the Great,

  say that every year

  Mrs. Fang told

  Fang to eat bones.

  Her message got stronger.

  At last she sent Fang…

  a real bone!

  It must have come on a day

  when Fang greeted the mailman.

  The mail fell to the ground.

  Fang sniffed the envelope.

  He knew what was inside.

  He ran off with it

  and buried it in the dirt.

  Then the snow covered it.

  We uncovered it.

  Now Fang will have

  a crunchy Christmas.

  Case solved.”

  Annie looked at Fang.

  “You naughty elf.

  You made us look

  for the card

  and you were hiding it

  all this time.”

  Annie looked at me.

  “Maybe this is what

  elves do at Christmas time.”

  “No,” I said. “This is

  what dogs do all the time.”

  “How did you figure

  that out?” Annie asked.

  “I, Nate the Great, had to

  think like a … detective,”

  I said.

  I turned to leave.

  This was the last time

  I would take a case

  for a gigantic elf.

  An elf who did not need me

  in the first place.

  An elf who already knew

  what it took me

  three and one half hours

  to find out.

  Suddenly the elf

  dropped his bone.

  Maybe he knew that

  Christmas was not

  until next week.

  He rushed up to me.

  He started to lick me.

  He jingled while he licked.

  “He’s saying ‘Happy Holidays,’ ”

  Annie said.

  “He’s saying ‘I’m hungry,’ ” I said.

  “Give this hardworking elf

  an extra bone

  so he can save his mother’s

  for Christmas.”

  Sludge and I started to walk away.

  “Fang will love you forever,” Annie said.

  Sludge and I walked faster.

  We headed home.

  Snow was still falling.

  Three and one half hours of it.

  To shovel.

  Maybe it would melt if I waited.

  A month.

  Sludge and I went up our walk.

  Candles were shining in the window.

  It was time for one more card…

  Nate’s Notes: Snowfall

  Nate’s Notes: Types of Snow

  Nate’s Notes: Christmas Catalogs

  Six Fun Things to Do on a Snowy Day

  How to Make Potato Pancakes

  How to Make Applesauce

  How to Make Greeting Cards

  How to Make Dog Biscuits

  Making a snowman is nice. Sledding is fun. Nate poked around. He uncovered a few more things to do in the cold and snow:

  1. Snow paintings: Fill a squirt bottle with water and a few drops of food coloring. Use the squirt to create words and drawings on fresh, clean snow. If you have several bottles, you can use different colors to make more complicated designs.

  2. Snow turtle: Fill a mixing bowl with clean snow. Pack well. Dump out. Use a sand shovel or spoon to carve out a head, feet, and a tail. Spray with green water (see #1). Other shapes to try: a castle, a pyramid, and a spaceship.

  3. Scout for tracks: Visit the library or go online to learn about animal tracks.* Now practice your detective skills. Carefully search your backyard or a nearby park for tracks. Can you identify any? Make sketches of your findings. Keep them in a notebook.

  * Try this book: Big Tracks, Little Tracks:

  Following Animal Tracks, by Millicent E. Selsam.

  And check out the Animal Track Identification Guide

  at this Web site: www.studyworksonline.com/creating_dinos/AT1.pdf

  4. Blow bubbles: Mix together 2 tablespoons dish soap, 3 cups warm water, and 2 tablespoons glycerin.* Go outside and blow bubbles. (If you don’t have a bubble wand, try using straws, a small funnel, or cookie cutters.) On a cold day, warm bubbles fly up into the sky. Extremely cold air will freeze bubbles solid. Frozen bubbles will land on the ground without breaking. They may last several minutes before popping.

  * Look for glycerin at the drugstore.

  5. Make snow ice cream: On the same day as a big snowfall, collect some clean snow. Mix together 3 cups snow, 2 tablespoons milk, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Eat it up!

  6. Target practice: Make a bunch of snowballs. Prop a plastic “saucer” sled up in the snow. Use masking tape to make several circles, target-style, on the saucer. Award five points for hitting the saucer, five points for an outer ring, and twenty-five points for a bull’s-eye.

  Potato pancakes are good for Chanukah. Potato pancakes are just plain good. Try them. You’ll see. Even better: potato pancakes with applesauce. (Applesauce recipe starts on this page.)

  Ask an adult to help with this recipe.

  Makes four servings.

  GET TOGETHER:

  • large mixing bowl

  • a spoon

  • 4 cups of frozen shredded potatoes or hash brown mix

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • a dash of black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons flour or matzo meal

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • vegetable oil for frying

  • a frying pan

  • a spatula

  • paper towels

  • app
lesauce

  • sour cream

  MAKE YOUR POTATO PANCAKES:

  1. Use the spoon to mix the potatoes, eggs, salt, pepper, flour or matzo meal, and baking powder together in the bowl. The mixture should be gloppy.

  2. Coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Heat on medium-high heat until bubbling.

  3. Carefully spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into the oil. Flatten with the spoon.

  4. Cook for about 4 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

  5. Use the spatula to flip the pancakes. Be careful not to splatter oil.

  6. Cook 4 more minutes.

  7. Remove from the pan. Place on paper towels to absorb extra oil.

  8. Continue to fry pancakes until the batter is gone. Add more oil to the pan when you need it.

  9. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

  Applesauce goes well with potato pancakes. You can also eat it plain.

  Ask an adult to help with this recipe.

  Makes six servings.

  GET TOGETHER:

  • six apples

  • ½ cup water

  • ¼ cup sugar

  • a peeler

  • a sharp knife

  • a spoon

  • a saucepan with a lid

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  MAKE YOUR APPLESAUCE:

  1. Peel the apples. Cut away the seeds and the core.

  2. Cut into chunks.

  3. Put the apples, water, and sugar into a saucepan.

  4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover.

  5. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the apples are soft.

  6. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cinnamon. Let cool.

  7. Eat!

  Cold from playing outside? Come inside and make some cards. You can send them to friends for Christmas or Chanukah.

  SUPPLIES:

  • colored construction paper

  • a ruler

  • scissors

  • markers, crayons, or colored pencils

  • a glue stick

  • artwork*

  • a heavy book (like the phone book)

  • envelopes

  * Ask your parents first. Make sure they don’t want to keep your paintings and drawings.

  MAKE YOUR CARDS:

  1. Using the ruler, trace a 12¾-by-6-inch rectangle onto your paper.

  2. Cut it out.

  3. Use the ruler to divide the paper into thirds. Each third will measure 4¼ inches by 6 inches.

  4. Fold the paper into thirds like this: Fold one end piece over the middle. Flip the card over, and fold the other end piece over the middle. The card should open like an accordion.

  5. From the top third, cut out a window that will fit your artwork. Leave about a ½-inch border around the edges.

  6. Slip the artwork behind the window. Glue the back of the artwork to the frame. Glue the frame to the middle piece of paper. You should still have a flap that opens like a greeting card.

  7. Place the card under the heavy book for about an hour.

  8. After the glue is dry, use the pencils or markers to write a holiday greeting inside.

  9. Put the card in the envelope and mail.

  Sludge and Fang like biscuits that look like bones. If you have a dog, he or she probably likes them too. Why not make some?

  Ask an adult to help you with this recipe. Makes about two dozen dog biscuits (depending on the size of your cookie cutter).

  GET TOGETHER:

  • ⅓ cup margarine

  • ¾ cup hot water

  • a large bowl

  • ½ cup powdered milk

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 3 cups whole wheat flour

  • a bone-shape cookie cutter

  • a cookie sheet

  MAKE YOUR DOG BISCUITS:

  1. Put the margarine in the bowl.

  2. Pour the hot water over the margarine.

  3. Stir in the powdered milk, salt, and egg.

  4. Add the flour, ½ cup at a time.

  5. On a table or counter, knead the dough for a few minutes, until it’s stiff.

  6. Pat the dough out on the counter until it is ½ inch thick.

  7. Cut into bone shapes.

  8. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes.

  9. Cool. The biscuits will get quite hard and look like the ones you buy at the supermarket.

  Feed to your dog. (It’s okay to taste them too—if you’re curious.)

  Have you helped solve all

  Nate the Great’s mysteries?

  Nate the Great: Meet Nate, the great detective, and join him as he uses incredible sleuthing skills to solve his first big case.

  Nate the Great Goes Undercover: Who—or what—is raiding Oliver’s trash every night? Nate bravely hides out in his friend’s garbage can to catch the smelly crook.

  Nate the Great and the Lost List: Nate loves pancakes, but who ever heard of cats eating them? Is a strange recipe at the heart of this mystery?

  Nate the Great and the Phony Clue: Against ferocious cats, hostile adversaries, and a sly phony clue, Nate struggles to prove that he’s still the greatest detective.

  Nate the Great and the Sticky Case: Nate is stuck with his stickiest case yet as he hunts for his friend Claude’s valuable stegosaurus stamp.

  Nate the Great and the Missing Key: Nate isn’t afraid to look anywhere—even under the nose of his friend’s ferocious dog, Fang—to solve the case of the missing key.

  Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail: Nate has his work cut out for him when his friend Rosamond loses the birthday present she was going to give him. How can he find the present when Rosamond won’t even tell him what it is?

  Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize: The trophy for the Smartest Pet Contest has disappeared! Will Sludge, Nate’s clue-sniffing dog, help solve the case and prove he’s worthy of the prize?

  Nate the Great Stalks Stupidweed: When his friend Oliver loses his special plant, Nate searches high and low. Who knew a little weed could be so tricky?

  Nate the Great and the Boring Beach Bag: It’s no relaxing day at the beach for Nate and his trusty dog, Sludge, as they search through sand and surf for signs of a missing beach bag.

  Nate the Great Goes Down in the Dumps: Nate discovers that the only way to clean up this case is to visit the town dump. Detective work can sure get dirty!

  Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt: It’s Halloween, but Nate isn’t trick-or-treating for candy. Can any of the witches, pirates, and robots he meets help him find a missing cat?

  Nate the Great and the Musical Note: Nate is used to looking for clues, not listening for them! When he gets caught in the middle of a musical riddle, can he hear his way out?

  Nate the Great and the Stolen Base: It’s not easy to track down a stolen base, and Nate’s hunt leads him to some strange places before he finds himself at bat once more.

  Nate the Great and the Pillowcase: When a pillowcase goes missing, Nate must venture into the dead of night to search for clues. Everyone sleeps easier knowing Nate the Great is on the case!

  Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine: Nate hates mushy stuff. But when someone leaves a big heart taped to Sludge’s doghouse, Nate must help his favorite pooch discover his secret admirer.

  Nate the Great and the Tardy Tortoise: Where did the mysterious green tortoise in Nate’s yard come from? Nate needs all his patience to follow this slow … slow … clue.

  Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas: It’s Christmas, and Fang, Annie’s scary dog, is not feeling jolly. Can Nate find Fang’s crunchy Christmas mail before Fang crunches on him?

  Nate the Great Saves the King of Sweden: Can Nate solve his first-ever international case without leaving his own neighborhood?

  Nate the Great and Me: The Case of the Fleeing Fang: A surprise Happy Detective Day party is great fun for Nate until his friend’s dog disappears! Help Nate track down the missing pooch, and learn all the tricks of the trade in a special
fun section for aspiring detectives.

  Nate the Great and the Monster Mess: Nate loves his mother’s deliciously spooky Monster Cookies, but the recipe has vanished! This is one case Nate and his growling stomach can’t afford to lose.

  Nate the Great, San Francisco Detective: Nate visits his cousin Olivia Sharp in the big city, but it’s no vacation. Can he find a lost joke book in time to save the world?

  Nate the Great and the Big Sniff: Nate depends on his dog, Sludge, to help him solve all his cases. But Nate is on his own this time, because Sludge has disappeared! Can Nate solve the case and recover his canine buddy?

  Nate the Great on the Owl Express: Nate boards a train to guard Hoot, his cousin Olivia Sharp’s pet owl. Then Hoot vanishes! Can Nate find out whooo took the feathered creature?

  Nate the Great Talks Turkey: There’s a turkey on the loose, with Nate, his cousin Olivia Sharp, Sludge, and Claude in hot pursuit. Who will find the runaway bird first?

  Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club: Rosamond has started a book club. Nate and his dog, Sludge, attend a meeting as undercover detectives. The case: find out what “monster” has an appetite for ripping book pages and making others go missing.

  MARJORIE WEINMAN SHARMAT was born and grew up in Portland, Maine. She has been writing since age eight and is the author of more than 130 books, which have been translated into nineteen languages. She is probably best known as the creator of the series about the world-famous sleuth Nate the Great.

  CRAIG SHARMAT is a Los Angeles–based author, composer, and guitarist. His extensive credits include national television programs, feature films, and jingles. He is the coauthor of several Nate the Great books.