I wrote this a long time ago when my daughter was little and I had been given a Dalmatian puppy for Mother’s Day, just after we bought our home on Silver Maple so I believe it was in 1996. It’s a children’s book needing illustration but at the time I didn’t know how to pursue and so my idea was put aside. Please let me know what you think…BTW, I recently read it to my seven year old friend, Olivia, and she was rapt!
The Adventures of Val the Dalmatian
Once upon a time at 32 Dog Court, there lived a Dalmatian puppy named Val. She was just like other Dalmatians. She liked to play, to run, and just to have fun.
But unlike other Dalmatians, Val did not have any spots.
She was born without spots. “That’s okay,” said her mother, “because all Dalmatians are born without spots.”
But while Val’s sisters and brothers started getting their spots, Val was still white.
This made Val’s mother very sad. All Dalmatians had to have spots.
Without spots they just wouldn’t be Dalmatians.
Every day Val would wake up and run to the mirror.
Surely today she would have spots. She had to have spots today.
But the mirror wouldn’t lie. She still didn’t have spots. She was spotless.
This happened every day for a week. Still Val had no spots.
Val’s mother tried to reassure Val. “Someday you will have spots,” said her mother.
But Val couldn’t wait for someday.
She didn’t want to wait for someday.
She wanted spots today. She wanted spots right now!
Val decided she would help nature along. She went to the store and bought a black marker.
If she couldn’t have spots like other dogs, she would draw them on.
Val used the marker and made big black spots are over her.
She put them on her legs. She put them on her back.
She put them on her tail. She put them on her head.
She put them everywhere. She now had spots.
Val was so proud of herself. She told everyone she now had spots.
She told the boy riding his bicycle, “I have spots.”
She told the mailman she had spots.
She even told the policeman she had spots!
She was going to go home to show her mother her new spots.
But it started raining. It rained and rained and rained.
Val’s new spots started running down her legs.
They ran down her back. They ran down her tail. They even ran down her face!
Val was not white.
Val was not spotted. Val was black and this would just not do.
Dalmatians are not black. They are white with black spots.
Val was so sad. She ran faster and faster, big black tears fell from her eyes. What would she do? What would her mommy say? Val didn’t want to be black, she wanted to be white with big black spots just like the other Dalmatians.
The faster Val ran, the harder it seemed to rain and bigger her tears became
When she couldn’t run anymore and there were no tears left, Val found herself in front of her home. She felt sad and alone as she sat on the front step.
Val didn’t see her mommy open the door and she didn’t see the big smile on her mommy’s face!
“Vallee!” called her mother.. Could this be? How could her mommy like this black dog that Val had become?
Val’s mommy reached out and put her front paw under Val’s chin. “Vallee, honey, you have your spots!”
It was true. As the rain washed away the black ink from Val’s pretty white coat, her new spots began to show. Val the Dal had her spots and everyone in the Dalmatian family at 32 Dog Court was happy.
Copyright I.L. Foster 2008
