Circus Dogs Roscoe and Rolly, UK English Edition

UK ENGLISH
EDITION
Circus Dogs
Roscoe and Rolly
Tuula Pere • Francesco Orazzini
W
ickWick

Circus Dogs Roscoe and Rolly
Story by Tuula Pere
Illustrations by Francesco Orazzini
Layout by Peter Stone
Translation from Finnish to English by Päivi Vuoriaro
ISBN 978-952-325-557-9 (ePub)
ISBN 978-952-325-057-4 (Print)
First edition
Copyright © 2015 Wickwick Ltd
Published 2015 by Wickwick Ltd
Helsinki, Finland
Printed in European Union
Originally published in Finland by Wickwick Ltd in 2015
Finnish “Sirkuskoirat Roope ja Rops”, ISBN 978-952-325-058-1 (Print), ISBN 978-952-325-558-6 (ePub)
UK English “Circus Dogs Roscoe and Rolly”, ISBN 978-952-325-057-4 (Print), ISBN 978-952-325-557-9 (ePub)
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UK ENGLISH
EDITION
Circus Dogs
Roscoe and Rolly
Tuula Pere • Francesco Orazzini
W
ickWick
Children’s Books from the Heart
1

Roscoe, an old circus dog, peeked through the curtain at the brightly lit stands.
The bench rows were packed with jolly crowds, eagerly waiting for the show to
start.
Roscoe was pleased to see a lot of children in the audience tonight. The old dog
especially enjoyed showing his best tricks to the little ones. Despite his age, he was
still keen on performing. What made his life even more fun was that he now had a
little apprentice, a puppy named Rolly.
2

And there was Rolly too now
, sniffing the air filled with
exciting scents, with her tiny tail
wagging back and forth.
3

4
Roscoe and Rolly made a splendid pair. Little by little, they
had exchanged tricks with one another. Rolly, who was
perky and lively, had taken over the ones that required
agility. She was now the one balancing
on high beams and jumping lightly
through burning hoops.

Old Roscoe was glad to focus on the more peaceful
tricks, particularly on the ones where he
could sit comfortably on a cushion and give out soft
barks in response to questions. Roscoe still had a good
head for numbers.
5

Roscoe and Rolly were both very much crossbreeds, without any fancy pedigrees
or awards. However, they both owned something that was far more
valuable – a heart of gold. They had an air of kindness about them and their funny
tricks really pleased the children. And that, in turn, was appreciated by the Director
of the circus, as satisfied crowds meant growing profits at the box office.
Roscoe knew that the Director was a sweet man, but admittedly quite a penny-pincher.
Each and every member of the circus had to earn his or her salary.
“No one gets paid for nothing,” the Director often used to say.
6

7

The days went by, and once more spring turned into summer and summer into
autumn. Roscoe grew greyer by the day; his coat was not as thick and his teeth
not as sharp as they used to be.
Roscoe would have managed all this but, on top of everything, he noticed
that his eyesight and memory were weakening as well. He wasn’t able
to solve counting problems as quickly as in his heyday. Saddened
by this all, Roscoe would sometimes stay backstage,
cowered down, deep in his thoughts.
8

The old dog was terrified. What on earth would he do if he were no longer fit to
perform at the circus? He belonged here with the children.
9

10
Luckily, Roscoe had the lively little puppy Rolly there to help
him. She was well on her way to becoming a wonderful sidekick
in the shows. The young Rolly, however, still needed the
support of a more experienced partner.

Rolly was a quick learner and peppy by nature. But
sometimes you could tell by the position of her ears
and tail that she was nervous to step in front of the crowd.
Whenever this happened, the help and advice of the old and
calm Roscoe came in handy.
11

Christmas was just around the corner. It was a hectic time at the circus. Night
after night, they put on a celebratory show featuring their best tricks. Roscoe
and Rolly were also part of the action.
Young Rolly was balancing on the
beams. She was excited about the action-packed
tricks. Roscoe the oldster
got to participate in block games, ball
games and abacus problems. Counting
had always been one of his strengths.
12

However, now Roscoe was overwhelmed
with worry. He had
become so old that even some of the
familiar tricks fled his mind. In moments
like these, he would remain
standing confused in the middle
of the arena, squinting his eyes
in the bright spotlights. The old
dog had grown nervous about
stepping out into the spotlight.
13

Now it was Roscoe’s turn again. He began his bravura act, mental calculation.
Usually numbers were a no-brainer to him. But then something quite sad
happened.
The dog trainer quickly slewed one sum after another
in front of Roscoe. The first couple of them
Roscoe tackled with ease. He gave the correct answers
by barking or fetching the right
numbers from the stand. The audience rewarded
him with rounds of applause. But then everything
went haywire.
14

Roscoe’s head was like a merry-go-round where questions swirled around wildly,
but right answers were nowhere to be found. Ashamed, Roscoe finally ran
from the arena, leaving Rolly to finish off the act on her own.
15

16
The show came to an end and the crowd left the
circus tent. The old Roscoe had made himself
scarce after his failed performance. Rolly started
to get worried when she couldn’t find her friend
anywhere.

Eventually the entire circus quietened down and the artists retired to their wagons.
Behind a large trunk at the back of the arena hunched Roscoe. His mind
was as black as the empty circus tent.
Little Rolly wouldn’t give up. With a torch in her mouth, she paced around the
circus area until she found the old circus dog in his hiding place.
17

Rolly managed to persuade her friend to come rest in the kennel. There in the
torchlight they stayed up long into the night, trying to figure out how to solve
Roscoe’s problem.
“I can’t learn new tricks anymore and can’t even seem to remember the old
ones either,” Roscoe sighed, resigned.
18

“One must never give up,” Rolly tried to encourage him. “That’s
what you’ve taught me yourself.”
“I know, I know. But what can you do when old age gets to you
and your poor head gets too tired to work properly,” the old dog
said downheartedly.
A solution was nowhere in sight, and eventually sleep caught
up with the two friends, interrupting their ponderings. An even
snoring sound came from the kennel, which was dimly lit by the
torch. The door opened silently. The Director peeked in, stroking
his pointed beard pensively.
19

The circus crew was celebrating Christmas. In the middle of the
yard, they had put up a huge Christmas tree decorated with long
and colourful light chains. There was singing, ring games and delicious
Christmas foods. The animal members of the crew were also
served a tastier meal than usual.
Roscoe had no appetite whatsoever. He had just learnt that a new
number was going to be introduced in the celebratory season finale.
Rolly would debut in a leading role in the dog number. Roscoe
would only have a minor role as assistant.
20

It was not that Roscoe wasn’t happy for his friend. He knew how
much this opportunity meant to his young partner. But what
made the old circus dog sad was the fact that his days as children’s
favourite were about to come to an end.
21

The celebration show of the circus was more magnificent than ever
before. Cries of joy filled the air. The children cheered and clapped
in excitement. Even the grown-ups felt young again when admiring the
incredible stunts of the performers.
Rolly, the new star, was basking in the spotlight. The young puppy enjoyed
every moment. Content, old Roscoe watched the performance of his apprentice.
She simply danced through it. Rolly had clearly found her calling.
As the show was coming to an end, something unexpected happened. An
alarmed woman ran out to the arena, asking to speak to the Director.
22

23

The audience fell silent. The Director cleared his
throat and grabbed the microphone.
“Dear friends. We need everybody’s help now,” he said seriously. “The daughter of
this lady here has gone missing. We had all better go and look for her.”
The tent was filled with chatter and fuss. The audience spilt out to look for the
missing child. They paced back and forth, here and there, inside and out. They
all did their best, but there was no sight of the child.
The anxious mother crisscrossed the yard and ran around the tent many times
over. Finally, she burst into tears and pressed her cheek against her baby’s soft bunny.
24

25

26
Old Roscoe approached the crying woman
quietly. Cautiously he laid his head
on the knee of the sorrow-stricken mother
and didn’t budge for minutes. The woman
quietly stroked Roscoe’s back.

Roscoe watched the soft, worn-out toy. Clearly, it was
the child’s favourite toy. The fur was all shabby and
one eye was missing. It gave out the scent of the little run-away,
catching Roscoe’s sensitive nostrils.
Determined, Roscoe made his way through the dashing crowd. He
knew very well which direction to take. With his nose near the ground, he
sniffed on. On and off, he felt the child’s scent stronger and then hardly at all
among the other scents of the circus.
27

He left the tent and the fussing crowd behind him. Roscoe
pushed on, finally arriving at the gates of the circus. The
neon sign flickered slowly in the darkening night. The box office was
empty and there was no one around. Yet Roscoe was certain that the child
was somewhere near. There was no mistaking the scent.
Again and again, the dog went round the box office.
The door was closed. Finally, Roscoe raised
himself against it, pressing the doorknob down.
In the back corner of the office on a worn bench
slept a small child.
28

The little one
awoke to the
opening of the door.
At first, she was startled
by the dog. The child had
secretly sneaked out and got lost.
Enticed by the flashing neon light,
she had ended up at the box office and
had accidentally locked herself inside.
29

The ever so kind Roscoe managed to calm the child down. The dog spotted an
overcoat left by the ticket seller in the coat-rack and gently laid it on the little
run-away. Then he stepped out and started to bark loudly. He wouldn’t stop until
the search parties noticed him.
The mother and the
Director were the first
ones to arrive at the gate.
Joy and relief were overwhelming
when the mother got her little
girl into her arms. Roscoe was
pleased, watching them from aside.
30

“Thank you, you loyal dog,” the woman sighed
and patted Roscoe. “You are a true hero. This
circus can sure be proud of you.”
“That’s right,” the Director replied, pleased. “I can assure you
Roscoe, our hero dog, will always have a place in this circus. The
children need him.”
31

Roscoe was happy and so was his friend Rolly. They sat side by side at the circus
gate and watched the departing crowd.
The companions were overjoyed at being able to continue to work together at the
circus. Roscoe would surely be of use in lots of tasks there. With such a highly
developed sense of smell, he could solve all sorts of fun problems and amaze the
crowds.
32

Old age had weakened Roscoe’s
eyesight, but his sense of smell
was every bit as sensitive as before.
The smell of a child, in particular, was
something he would never forget. No
matter how old he got.
33

Roscoe, a seasoned circus dog, is growing old. Tricks he once played with
ease are getting difficult – even mental calculation, which has always been
his strong suit. Luckily the new puppy, Rolly, is a quick learner. She helps out
her old friend who is scared of being thrown out of the circus.
In the final show of the season, it is Rolly’s turn to shine as the star. An
unexpected incident interrupts the show, and old Roscoe is needed again.
His golden heart and incredibly sensitive nose come in handy. “I may forget
everything else, but I will never forget the smell of a child,” the old dog sighs,
content.
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