Every morning, Arthur and Doris and Tom walked to school together.
When they came to the wide river, they looked for Monty.
Monty was always asleep, snoring.
Kids: Wake up, Monty! This is a school day!
Monty: Huh? Again?
Doris: Yes. And we need a ride so our books won’t get wet.
Monty: (yawning) Oooh..O.k. All aboard!
They climbed on Monty’s back, and he swam across the river.
Doris: Straight ahead, Monty!
Tom: Don’t wobble so much, Monty!
Arthur: Let’s see some speed, Monty!
When they got to the far side, Doris and Arthur and Tom went to school. Monty went back to sleep.
Every afternoon, he gave them a ride back.
Doris: Hurry up! We want to get home!
Arthur: More to the right!
Tom: Don’t get our books wet!
One morning…
Arthur: Monty? Monty!
Doris: Monty! Monty!
Tom: Oh, Monty!
…but Monty did not come.
Tom: I don’t hear him snoring.
Doris: We’re going to be late for school.
Then Monty floated by.
Arthur: Monty! Where have you been?
Monty: I am on vacation.
Tom: This is not vacation time!
Monty: It is for me. This is alligator vacation.
Doris: Alligator vacation?? What’s that?
Monty: It’s when nobody tells alligators what to do.
Arthur: How long does it last?
Monty: Years and years, sometimes.
…then Monty was gone.
Doris: Well, what are we supposed to do now?
Tom: It beats me.
Arthur: Everybody start thinking.
(They start thinking)
Tom: What are you thinking, Doris?
Doris: I’m thinking we need a new alligator.
Arthur: That’s not thinking. That’s just wishing.
Doris: Well, I can’t think with all this thinking going on around me…
Arthur: Then go think someplace else.
Doris: That’s just what I’ll do.
(Doris came to a tree)
Doris: Nice and quiet here…
(She sits under the tree)
Doris: …a perfect place to think.
(Four turtles arrive)
Turtles: Hi, Doris! Hi, Doris!
Turtle 1: What are you doing?
Doris: I’m thinking.
Turtle 1: Wow-let’s watch!
Turtle 2: Look at her thinking!
Turtles: Think, think, think—
Doris: QUIET!
Turtle 2: Pardon us for living…
Turtle 1: Who wants to watch a duck think, anyway?
(The turtles leave)
Doris: That’s all I need—four turtles…
(After a moment…)
Doris: …all I need?
(She proceeds to run after the turtles)
Doris: Hey, turtles! Wait!
Arthur and Tom were still thinking, when…
Doris: I got it!
Tom: What do we do, Doris?
Doris: First you step on turtle number one, then you step on turtle number two, then three and four—and you’re across!
(They began to step on the turtles, but when Doris got to number three, she saw that the fourth turtle was not there)
Doris: Turtle number four, where are you?
(Tom and Arthur didn’t notice that Doris had stopped and bumped into her causing them to fall in the water)
Turtle 4: Are you looking for me?
Doris: Not any more.
They went back to shore, and put their books in the sun to dry. Tom and Doris sat down.
Arthur: Hey…I found a board!
Doris: It’s too little to float on.
Tom: Too short for a bridge.
Arthur: I know. I have a better idea.
Arthur: Here’s my plan: You sit on the board, Tom…and I’ll jump out of the tree onto the other end of the board, and you’ll go flying right across the river!
(Arthur climbs up and perches on a branch of a tree while Tom sits on the board)
Tom: Oh, boy!
(Arthur jumps out of the tree on the other end of the board catapulting Tom, but Tom landed on top of Arthur because he was too heavy)
They decided to try it with Doris because she was the lightest. Doris stood on the board.
Arthur: Ready, Doris?
Doris: I suppose so.
(Arthur jumps and lands on the board catapulting Doris. She had gone a lot farther than Tom’s distance but was only halfway across the river when she dropped in the water with a SPLASH)
Tom: Better, but not perfect.
It was clear that they would have to swim across.
Doris: Hang on, Tom.
Arthur: Keep the books dry. Steady…here we go.
(Arthur wades into the water and starts to swim with Doris on top of him and Tom on top of Doris)
Tom: More to the right, Arthur. Slow down.
Doris: Go faster.
Tom: Straight ahead, Arthur. Don’t wobble, Arthur.
Doris: Sit still, Tom.
Arthur: Be quiet.
Tom: Stop telling me what to do!
Doris: Stop telling me what to do!
Arthur: Stop telling me what to do!
Tom: How can Monty stand this?
Doris: And twice a day.
Arthur: Poor Monty.
Tom: Hey, I’m slipping!
(Tom falls off of Doris causing all three to fall in the water before surfacing)
Doris: We need Monty!
Arthur: —And quick.
Tom: I’m sinking!
Suddenly, they felt something under them.
(They feel themselves rising when they saw…)
Doris: Hey, it’s Monty!
Arthur: Thanks, Monty! Saved!
Kids: Hooray!
Doris: You’re a pal, Monty!
Monty: No problem!
Doris: Notice how Monty goes just the right speed?
Tom: I love the way Monty swims.
Arthur: And he steers perfectly, too!
Kids: We thought you were on vacation…
Monty: I am, but sometimes when I am on vacation I take a day off.
Tom: Thanks for the ride, Monty!
Doris: Is there any chance you’ll be here this afternoon, Monty?
Arthur: Monty?
But Monty had already started to snore.
When they came to the wide river, they looked for Monty.
Monty was always asleep, snoring.
Kids: Wake up, Monty! This is a school day!
Monty: Huh? Again?
Doris: Yes. And we need a ride so our books won’t get wet.
Monty: (yawning) Oooh..O.k. All aboard!
They climbed on Monty’s back, and he swam across the river.
Doris: Straight ahead, Monty!
Tom: Don’t wobble so much, Monty!
Arthur: Let’s see some speed, Monty!
When they got to the far side, Doris and Arthur and Tom went to school. Monty went back to sleep.
Every afternoon, he gave them a ride back.
Doris: Hurry up! We want to get home!
Arthur: More to the right!
Tom: Don’t get our books wet!
One morning…
Arthur: Monty? Monty!
Doris: Monty! Monty!
Tom: Oh, Monty!
…but Monty did not come.
Tom: I don’t hear him snoring.
Doris: We’re going to be late for school.
Then Monty floated by.
Arthur: Monty! Where have you been?
Monty: I am on vacation.
Tom: This is not vacation time!
Monty: It is for me. This is alligator vacation.
Doris: Alligator vacation?? What’s that?
Monty: It’s when nobody tells alligators what to do.
Arthur: How long does it last?
Monty: Years and years, sometimes.
…then Monty was gone.
Doris: Well, what are we supposed to do now?
Tom: It beats me.
Arthur: Everybody start thinking.
(They start thinking)
Tom: What are you thinking, Doris?
Doris: I’m thinking we need a new alligator.
Arthur: That’s not thinking. That’s just wishing.
Doris: Well, I can’t think with all this thinking going on around me…
Arthur: Then go think someplace else.
Doris: That’s just what I’ll do.
(Doris came to a tree)
Doris: Nice and quiet here…
(She sits under the tree)
Doris: …a perfect place to think.
(Four turtles arrive)
Turtles: Hi, Doris! Hi, Doris!
Turtle 1: What are you doing?
Doris: I’m thinking.
Turtle 1: Wow-let’s watch!
Turtle 2: Look at her thinking!
Turtles: Think, think, think—
Doris: QUIET!
Turtle 2: Pardon us for living…
Turtle 1: Who wants to watch a duck think, anyway?
(The turtles leave)
Doris: That’s all I need—four turtles…
(After a moment…)
Doris: …all I need?
(She proceeds to run after the turtles)
Doris: Hey, turtles! Wait!
Arthur and Tom were still thinking, when…
Doris: I got it!
Tom: What do we do, Doris?
Doris: First you step on turtle number one, then you step on turtle number two, then three and four—and you’re across!
(They began to step on the turtles, but when Doris got to number three, she saw that the fourth turtle was not there)
Doris: Turtle number four, where are you?
(Tom and Arthur didn’t notice that Doris had stopped and bumped into her causing them to fall in the water)
Turtle 4: Are you looking for me?
Doris: Not any more.
They went back to shore, and put their books in the sun to dry. Tom and Doris sat down.
Arthur: Hey…I found a board!
Doris: It’s too little to float on.
Tom: Too short for a bridge.
Arthur: I know. I have a better idea.
Arthur: Here’s my plan: You sit on the board, Tom…and I’ll jump out of the tree onto the other end of the board, and you’ll go flying right across the river!
(Arthur climbs up and perches on a branch of a tree while Tom sits on the board)
Tom: Oh, boy!
(Arthur jumps out of the tree on the other end of the board catapulting Tom, but Tom landed on top of Arthur because he was too heavy)
They decided to try it with Doris because she was the lightest. Doris stood on the board.
Arthur: Ready, Doris?
Doris: I suppose so.
(Arthur jumps and lands on the board catapulting Doris. She had gone a lot farther than Tom’s distance but was only halfway across the river when she dropped in the water with a SPLASH)
Tom: Better, but not perfect.
It was clear that they would have to swim across.
Doris: Hang on, Tom.
Arthur: Keep the books dry. Steady…here we go.
(Arthur wades into the water and starts to swim with Doris on top of him and Tom on top of Doris)
Tom: More to the right, Arthur. Slow down.
Doris: Go faster.
Tom: Straight ahead, Arthur. Don’t wobble, Arthur.
Doris: Sit still, Tom.
Arthur: Be quiet.
Tom: Stop telling me what to do!
Doris: Stop telling me what to do!
Arthur: Stop telling me what to do!
Tom: How can Monty stand this?
Doris: And twice a day.
Arthur: Poor Monty.
Tom: Hey, I’m slipping!
(Tom falls off of Doris causing all three to fall in the water before surfacing)
Doris: We need Monty!
Arthur: —And quick.
Tom: I’m sinking!
Suddenly, they felt something under them.
(They feel themselves rising when they saw…)
Doris: Hey, it’s Monty!
Arthur: Thanks, Monty! Saved!
Kids: Hooray!
Doris: You’re a pal, Monty!
Monty: No problem!
Doris: Notice how Monty goes just the right speed?
Tom: I love the way Monty swims.
Arthur: And he steers perfectly, too!
Kids: We thought you were on vacation…
Monty: I am, but sometimes when I am on vacation I take a day off.
Tom: Thanks for the ride, Monty!
Doris: Is there any chance you’ll be here this afternoon, Monty?
Arthur: Monty?
But Monty had already started to snore.