Harry E.

Plopper
&
The Good Thing
That He Was Not Supposed To Forget
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 Harry E. Plopper
&
The Good Thing
That He Was Not Supposed To Forget

By:
Lisa Alvir
4
 Dedicated to all my family & friends
& especially to:

Josiah Keoni Glenn

who jumped into life with enough enthusiasm for all of us!

Edited by:
Charlene Gardner & Rachael Alvir

Copyright © 2004 by Lisa Alvir

Grand Junction, CO USA
6
 “Ask and it will be given to you;
Seek and you will find;
Knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7
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 Harry E. Plopper and
The Good Thing That He Was Not Supposed To Forget

H arry E. Plopper was a little, green, spotted bullfrog.

However, Harry was not a very happy bullfrog. He
had forgotten something important he was not supposed to
forget. He had thought and thought very hard and still he
could not remember this good thing that he was not supposed
to forget. It was now almost time for supper and he knew he
should have remembered it by now. But the memory had
slipped away as surely as the hot summer sun was slipping
slowly down behind the shimmering cattails of Pinyon
Hollow Pond.
Harry sat on his favorite floating log surrounded by tall green
reeds. He looked up at the tall green reeds and said to himself,
“Maybe this good thing that I was not supposed to
forget is tall and green.” So he imagined tall green things like
cattails, tall green reeds, and big shady trees. Still, he could not
remember this good thing that he was not supposed to forget.
“I will ask my friends for help,” Harry decided as he swam
off to find one of his very best buddies, Josiah K. Jumper.
Josiah was light green with little brown spots. He was still
quite small, but Josiah was also a very good jumper!

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 With his strong little legs he could jump higher and farther
than any frog in the pond. Harry found the little frog practicing
high jumps over the tall green reeds. The baby frog jumped up
out of the water and flew over Harry’s head. Harry looked up
and called out to him.
“Jo-si-ahhh, can you-help-meee?”
“I would love to help you,” Josiah answered as he splashed
down into the pond sending a wave of water into Harry’s up-
turned face.
“Ack...ack!” Harry sputtered. “Would you help
me..ack...ack... remember this good thing that I was not sup-
posed to forget? “
“I can ask Daddy Bullfrog. He is very smart.”
“That is a good idea,” Harry sighed.
 Josiah patted Harry on the back. “Don’t worry, Harry. To-
gether we will find out this good thing that you were not sup-
posed to forget.”
Harry smiled at the little baby bullfrog who hopped off to
find his dad.
“Thank you, Josiah. You are a very...ack...good
friend...ack...ack,” he coughed.
“I need to ask someone older and wiser than I am,” Harry
thought. “Wise Old Professor Puddles knows many things. I will
go visit him!” Harry jumped into the cool blue waters of the
pond with a loud plop. (Harry was the best “plopper” in Pinyon
Hollow and he was very proud of it.) The big splash sent a spray
of water out in all directions leaving little drops of water drip-
ping from the tall reeds as Harry kicked off and swam away to
look for the Wise Old bullfrog.
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 Harry glided slowly through the cattails. At the edge of
the pond he stopped to peek through the thick leaves. Up
against the muddy bank was the “Stone of Wisdom”. Wise
Old Professor Puddles perched regally atop the large smooth
stone like a king on his throne. Harry gulped and took a deep
breath. The Professor was a very wise, very old and very big
bullfrog. He always looked as if he was sleeping, his eyelids
drooping half closed over his shrewd old eyes. Harry knew
that he was not sleeping, however. The old bullfrog’s eyes had
seen many things and surely he could see Harry now trembling
timidly behind the cattails.
 The big bullfrog blinked unexpectedly. Startled, Harry
jumped and fell, plop, right out into the crystal clear water!
“Pardon me, your Oldness...umm, I mean, your Wiseness,
sir,” croaked Harry in a small voice.
“Why Harry,” laughed the old frog, “Why Harry, it is so
nice of you to plop by. Please, just call me Professor.”
“Oh! Thank you, Professor, sir! I did not mean to disturb
you... sir.”
“Of course not...of course not… always a pleasure...always.
A lovely afternoon...lovely...yes?”
“Yes, sir, a lovely afternoon,” Harry answered. “Umm,
lovely…” Harry paused nervously.
“Why Harry, speak up, speak up!”
“I...I was wondering if you could help me?”
“Of course...of course...love to help...love to,” encouraged
the professor.
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 “I can’t seem to remember this good thing that I was not
supposed to forget.”
“Ahhh,” The old frog. sighed wisely. “I see. I see.”
Harry plunged on. “I’ve tried so hard and now it is getting
late and I’m afraid I won’t ever remember this good thing that I
was not supposed to forget. Can you help me sir? Please, sir?”
Harry waited anxiously.
“Maybe this good thing you were not supposed to forget is
to grow up to be wise. It is a good thing to learn many things
when you are young so you will be wise when you are old.”
“Thank you sir,” Harry answered respectfully. “That is a
very good thing. I will try and learn many good things so that I
will be wise when I am old.”
 Harry waved goodbye and hopped up into the tall green
reeds. He thought about breakfast, and thought about lunch, and
then he thought very hard about everything he had done that day.
He closed his eyes and thought very, very hard! In fact, he was
concentrating so hard, he did not watch where he was going and
hopped right up onto the back of Mr. Grumpy Bumpy Toad.
“PLOP!” went Harry E. Plopper.
“OOFF!” went Mr. Grumpy Bumpy Toad. Kicking angrily
the toad bucked Harry off into the cold wet grass.
“Plop!” went Harry.
“Mr. Plopper!” scolded the offended toad. “You must watch
where you are going if you are going to go plopping about!”
Grumpy Bumpy Toad croaked, rubbing a sore lump on his
side. The toad’s brown back was covered with a very interesting
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assortment of lumps and bumps. Harry hoped fervently that he
hadn’t squished any of them.
“Begging your pardon, sir,” Harry apologized. “You are
quite right, Mr. Grump...I mean Mr. Bumpy, sir! Please, excuse
me. I was somewhat distracted.”
“And what would a little green frog such as yourself have to
be distracted about? You should be more thankful. You should
be thankful that you are little and green and not brown and
bumpy! Now bumps can be very distracting.”
“Yes, sir,” answered Harry. “It is a good thing to be thank-
ful, but I seem to have forgotten this good thing that I was not
supposed to forget. Do...do you think that you could help me?”
“Harrumph,” went the old toad. “Maybe this good thing you
were not supposed to forget is to always mind your manners and
say excuse me when you have disturbed someone.”
 “Yes sir,” answered the disciplined little frog. “That is a
good thing to remember. I will think about that.”
“Harrumph!” went Grumpy Bumpy Toad.
“Plop!” went Harry back into the water. It was a good thing
to mind your manners and say excuse me, but it was still not the
good thing he was not supposed to forget.
As Harry came up to the top of the water for a breath of air
he saw pretty Miss Green. She was sitting in the late afternoon
sun on a warm cozy log. The little bullfrog thought she was the
most beautiful frog he had ever seen. Would she help him?
Would a beautiful frog like Miss Green notice such little frog
like him?
“Good afternoon, Harry E. Plopper,” she called. Her
friendly voice rang out over the water like a tinkling bell.
“Good...good afternoon, Miss Green.” Harry hopped up on
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on the sunny log and looked down at his little webbed toes.
“You are very beautiful today,” he said timidly.
“Why you are a gentleman to say so, Mr. Plopper,” she an-
swered sweetly patting her pretty pink bow. “Thank you very
much.”
“You are...are very welcome, Miss Green,” Harry stuttered.
“Is there something I can help you with?” The pretty frog
smiled encouragingly at him.
Harry blushed, “Miss Green, can you tell me the good thing
that I was not supposed to forget?”
Miss Green straightened her pretty pink bow. “I think that
maybe,” she paused. “Maybe this good thing is to be friendly
and kind to all other frogs no matter what kind of frog they are.
It is a good thing to care about others more than yourself.”
 “You are right. That is a very good thing. I will think about
that. Thank you very much.”
“You are very welcome, Harry.”
Harry said goodbye and hopped happily from one log to the
other until suddenly he realized that he still did not know what
he had forgotten!
“I will never remember!” He huffed and went plop into the
water with a very loud “PLOP!” that sent a ring of ripples out
into the pond. He was getting very tired and hungry. Harry
swam back into the cattails, plopped through the mud, and then
sat down in a cool dark place to sulk.

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 Now all this time, Josiah Jumper was also trying to find out
the good thing that Harry was not supposed to forget. He
jumped off through the tall green reeds to find Daddy Bullfrog.
The little frog saw him sitting very still in the wet grass. Daddy
Bullfrog was hunting, waiting silently for a big juicy bug that he
could catch with his long sticky tongue.
“Buzz, buzz.”
“What’s that sound?” Josiah looked up expectantly.
“Buzz, buzz.” Suddenly a black fly zoomed over the top of
Josiah’s head.
“Jump, Daddy, Jump,” Josiah whispered.
However the big bullfrog just sat there, very still. The little
bullfrog frowned.
“Buzz, buzz.”
 “Get it, Dad,” he whispered again. “Why doesn’t he jump up
and get it? I would jump very high and grab it right out of the
sky!” the little frog bragged to himself.
“Buzz, buzz.” The fly circled overhead. Quietly, Daddy
Bullfrog sat very still, then...
“Bam!” out came Dad’s long sticky tongue and “whoosh” in
went the fly.
“Wow!” said Josiah to the big bullfrog. “You are a very good
hunter!”
“Thank you, Josiah. You will be a good bug hunter one day
too if you keep practicing all the things that I have taught you. Is
there something I can help you with?”
“Harry has a problem,” Josiah replied. “He cannot remem-
ber this good thing that he was not supposed to forget. Can you
help us?”
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 “Maybe this good thing is to obey your Mom and Dad and
remember all the good things we have taught you.”
“That is a good thing. I will tell Harry.”
Waving goodbye, Josiah hopped off through the wet grass.
“Maybe Mama Bullfrog can help me too.” Josiah looked
around and saw her sitting on a nice wet log.
“Hello, baby bullfrog,” Mama said as she gave him a big
hug. “Would you like to sit on this nice wet log with me?”
Josiah plopped down beside her. “I would like to sit with
you, but Harry has a problem. He cannot remember this good
thing that he was not supposed to forget. Can you help us?”
“Maybe this good thing is to be thankful for all the good
things God has given us like this nice wet log and having each
other to snuggle up to,” Mama answered, giving him another
big squeeze.
“That is a good thing.” The little frog wiggled out of his
mother’s arms and jumped off the log. “I will tell Harry!”
 The baby bullfrog found his forgetful friend hiding in the
cattails. Josiah tried to cheer him up by telling him about all the
good things he had learned.
“Don’t give up, Harry. I will try again,” Josiah promised.
He said goodbye, hopped through the cattails and jumped
up on a slimy log.
“Wheee!” cried the baby frog as he slid all the way down
the slimy log. At the bottom he bumped right into Grandpa
Bullfrog.
“Hello, Baby Bullfrog.” Grandpa Bullfrog patted Josiah on
his little green head. “Where are you going in such a big
hurry?”
“Excuse me, Grandpa,” Josiah paused to catch his breath.
“But Harry has a problem. He has forgotten this good thing that
he was not supposed to forget. He asked Wise Old
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Bullfrog for help because he is wise; I asked Daddy Bullfrog be-
cause he is smart and Mama Bullfrog because she is kind. We
have learned many good things, but not that good thing Harry
was not supposed to forget. Can you help us?”
Grandpa bullfrog looked at the little green frog. “It is a good
thing to help your friends.”
“That is a good thing, but I am not doing a very good job of
it. Harry still cannot remember and I am running out of frogs to
ask. I am doing a very bad job of helping my friend.”
Grandpa laughed at the little frog.
Josiah sulked, “Why are you laughing at me when I am
doing a very bad job?”
“You are doing your best, Josiah. When you do your best
you are doing a very good job! Maybe you have forgotten some-
thing yourself.”
“I have forgotten something too?” Josiah blinked and stared
at Grandpa Bullfrog. “Harry is the forgetful one. What have I for-
gotten?”
“Maybe you have forgotten to ask the wisest and smartest per-
son of all to help you.”
“But who is wiser and smarter than Dad or Mom or you?”
“Someone who knows everything,” answered the wise old
frog.
Josiah giggled, “Oh! I know what I have forgotten. I will ask
the wisest and smartest of all to help Harry remember this good
thing that he was not supposed to forget.”
Grandpa patted the little frog again. “Now that is a very good
thing, Baby Bullfrog. I will ask him too.”
So Josiah and Grandpa Bullfrog folded their webbed toes,
bowed their green heads and asked the One Who Knows Every-
thing to help Harry remember the good thing that he was not sup-
posed to forget.
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 Over in the cattails, however, Harry E. Plopper was still
sulking. “Maybe I should just take a nap,” whined the little frog.
“Just like that big, old, lazy, spotted bullfrog over there, sleeping
in the cool dark shade under that long skinny twig.” Harry
looked at the big, old, lazy, spotted bullfrog sleeping in the cool
dark shade under a long skinny twig and thought, “He looks very
much like something I have seen before.”
Suddenly, Harry felt like hopping up and down for joy! But,
he did not hop up and down because the sleeping bullfrog was
snoring very loudly. Harry, being a polite little frog, knew that he
should be very quiet and not disturb the big, old, lazy, spotted
bullfrog sleeping in the cool dark shade under the long skinny
twig even though Harry had just remembered the good thing that
he was not supposed to forget!
 Instead, Harry waded silently past the big, old, brown
bullfrog, hopped quietly across the slippery logs, and swam
past the Stone of Wisdom. Wise Old Bullfrog smiled as he
watched the little frog swim by so fast and so quietly. Harry
tiptoed very carefully across his favorite floating log and
slipped into the tall green reeds without a sound. There, just
exactly as he remembered, was the good thing that he was not
supposed to forget.

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 A big, old, (but not very wise), lazy, spotted bug was
sleeping in the cool dark shade under a long skinny twig.
Harry E. Plopper stuck out his long, sticky tongue and
promptly ate the big, old, (but not very wise) lazy, spotted bug
sleeping in the cool dark shade under the long skinny twig.
 Harry licked his lips and smiled. Then he remembered it
was a good thing to be thankful. So Harry folded his hands,
bowed his head, and gave thanks for all the good things that he
had learned that day, for being little and green and for the big,
old, (but not very wise), lazy, spotted bug sleeping in the cool
dark shade under the long skinny twig which he had promptly
eaten with his long sticky tongue.
Over on the slimy log, Grandpa and Josiah heard a loud
“Plop!” .
“That must be Harry,” croaked Grandpa.
It was Harry, who hopped up out of the tall green reeds
and smiled at his friends.

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 “I remembered!” he cried, as he jumped up on the slippery
log. “I remembered a big, old, lazy bug sleeping under a long
skinny twig that I was not supposed to forget to have for supper!”
Grandpa laughed and Josiah giggled, “Good job, Harry!”
“Thank you for helping me, Josiah. You are a good friend.”
“You are very welcome, Harry,” the baby bullfrog replied
with a big smile. “Now let’s play!” Josiah jumped into the water
and Harry plopped in after him.
As they swam off to play, Josiah remembered that it was
also a good thing to be thankful.
“Thank you God for helping my friend,” Josiah quietly told
the Someone Who Knows Everything. “You are the very best
friend of all.”
 Harry was now a very happy, little, green, spotted bullfrog
for he had remembered the very good thing that he was not
supposed to forget, and all the frogs in Pinyon Hollow Pond
were very thankful, very thankful indeed.

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