Best Selling Books by Greta Burroughs

Christmas is a special time for kids of all ages and in “Christmas with Patchy and Calico”, the lovable dog and cat discover the true spirit of the holiday season. Through their many adventures, the two friends learn that giving and sharing are just as much fun as receiving presents.
In one story, making a snowman should be a fairly simple job, but not for these two. Patchy decides to show off and accidentally becomes the world's first walking snowdog.
Then when all the Christmas presents mysteriously disappear, Patchy and Calico become detectives. They track down the gift snatcher and come face to face with the bully who stole all the gifts from underneath their Christmas tree.
In other adventures, the two friends find a wealth of chestnuts and are given lots of treats. What Patchy and Calico do with all the chestnuts and treats will teach children how simple gifts can make both the giver and receiver very happy.
Preschoolers up to elementary-aged children (and adults too) love the adventures and misadventures of the two title characters. The humorous stories, illustrations, and simple questions at the end of each story will entertain kids while teaching them valuable lessons on sharing, caring and giving while spreading Christmas cheer.
Other books in this series include “Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat” and “Patchy and Calico's Summer Vacation.”

Excerpt
The next day, the two friends went for their usual walk, but this time the dog carried a bag with him.
“What are you going to do with the bag, Patchy?” asked Calico.
“I'm going to do some Christmas shopping. Daddy likes chestnuts, right?”
“Oh yes, he really likes chestnuts,” answered the cat. “Daddy likes to roast them in the fireplace.”
“I know where there's a chestnut tree and I'm going to get some nuts for his Christmas present.”
“That's a very smart idea, Patchy,” said the smiling cat.
When they got to the tree, the dog found a lot of chestnuts and filled his bag, full up to the top.
On their way back home, Calico heard a strange noise coming from high up in a tree. She stopped and listened.
“Patchy, it sounds like someone is crying. Can you hear it?”
“Yeah, I wonder what's wrong.” The dog looked up and saw a squirrel, a very sad squirrel. “Why are you crying?” he asked her.
The squirrel looked down at the two friends and said between sobs, “All of the nuts I stored in this tree have disappeared. Somebody took them. Now I don't have anything to feed my family this winter.”
Patchy looked at his bag and then looked at the sad squirrel. “I'll share some of my chestnuts with you. I don't want your family to go hungry this winter.”
“Oh, thank you!” squealed the squirrel, running down the trunk of the tree. She gathered a bunch of nuts out of Patchy's bag and took them back up to her hiding place.
She poked her head out of the hole and said, “My name is Sandy and I have a big family. May I have a few more chestnuts?”
“Of course, Sandy,” Patchy replied.
The hungry squirrel gathered up what she thought would be enough to last the rest of the winter. It did not leave many nuts in the dog's bag.
“Thank you for sharing with me,” said the squirrel who was now very happy.
“Merry Christmas,” Patchy said as he waved goodbye to Sandy.
The cat had been quietly watching her friend. “Patchy, I'm very proud of you for sharing your chestnuts.”
“Calico, you were right when you said that giving presents is as much fun as receiving them. That's what Christmas is all about: sharing, giving and helping others,” replied Patchy. “I'm going to go back and pick up some more chestnuts. There are still a lot of them on the ground. Maybe we can find some other animals to share them with.”
So that is what Patchy and Calico did for the rest of the day. They gave Christmas presents to all of the squirrels, raccoons, possums and deer they could find.
It took a lot of trips back to the chestnut tree to refill Patchy's bag, but the two friends did not mind. They were pleased. Sharin

Patchwork Dog has a knack for getting into trouble and his best friend, Calico Cat usually winds up right in the middle of the mess with him. Calico would rather spend her days sleeping in her nice comfortable bed, staying safe and worry free. She knows better than to follow Patchy when he is out looking for a new adventure, but she tags along anyway just in case. On the other hand, Patchy is very curious and is always investigating new sights, sounds and smells. He follows his nose wherever it goes. Sometimes that leads to trouble but other times it gives Calico a chance to play a trick on her not so smart friend. Children will laugh out loud when the two lovable creatures go to the beach where Patchy comes nose to claw with a fiddler crab, or when they take a walk through the woods and meet a not too friendly bear who can not decide whether to help the two lost campers or eat them. In the other stories, children will enjoy reading about how Patchy and Calico accidentally join the circus, take an unplanned boat ride and get caught sneaking into a school classroom. Patchy and Calico's Summer Vacation has illustrations at the beginning of each chapter that hint at what the new adventure will be about. Other pictures are included at the end of each story along with some questions for the child to answer. Older children can read the stories themselves or it would make a wonderful bedtime story book for younger kids. The five tales will entertain children of all ages with the antics of the title characters and hopefully teach youngsters some valuable lessons about working together and staying out of trouble. Excerpt "Patchy, I think we're going the wrong way. There are no more footprints and your wonderful nose doesn't seem to be working. The dog carried on walking and sniffing. Calico Cat started to cry. "We're lost! I knew it was a mistake to go off by ourselves. Oh no, what was that noise? Was it a bear? I'm scared, Patchy." "Calico, there are not any bears around here and..." Before Patchwork Dog could say any more, he heard a noise too, followed by a deep growl. A big, black bear stuck his head out from behind the bushes. He looked at the two strangers and growled again. Patchy and Calico were so scared that they could not move. The bear walked closer and closer. The two friends closed their eyes, afraid to see what the bear was going to do next. Sniff... sniff... snort! The bear's big nose checked out the strange new smells. Patchy felt one of his floppy ears lifted up. The bear's hot breath tickled the inside of his ear and the little dog giggled. "Hmm, who are you and what are you doing in MY woods," asked the bear in a very gruff voice. The two friends introduced themselves, and Calico explained what had happened to them, ending with, "Please don't eat us!" "Um, well, I'm Bobby Bear and this is MY home. I don't like strangers. You're lucky, because right now I'm not all that hungry, so I won't eat you; that is, if you leave RIGHT NOW!"