Copyright © 2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc., and Pixar Animation Studios. All rights reserved. Published by Disney Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney Press, 1101 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201.
ISBN 978-1-4231-8882-7
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Illustrations Based on the Film
All was quiet on Earth 65 million years ago—on a day very much like many before it—as a group of dinosaurs peacefully ate in a lush green field. A big moon cast a gentle glow from above as they lazily chewed on fern fronds, twigs, and leaves.
But in the deepest, darkest depths of outer space—way beyond the dinosaurs—things were not so calm. A giant space rock was hovering millions of miles above Earth, moving more quickly than the others in the asteroid belt. It nudged a larger rock, sending an even bigger rock on its path. The asteroid began descending toward Earth. It burned as it entered the atmosphere, gaining momentum, on track to smack right into the blue planet. It raced faster and faster, getting closer and closer and closer, until…
Whooooosh!
The raging fireball darted right past Earth—just missing it.
Down below, the dinosaurs stopped chewing for a brief moment as they watched the bright silver streak of light shoot across the night sky.
Then they went back to chomping on their leafy greens.
Millions of years later, the world had changed. Earth and the dinosaurs that roamed it had become very different. Two Apatosauruses were busy cultivating a farm alongside a river at the base of a three-point mountain range called Clawtooth Mountain. Henry and Ida worked hard tending their fields and produced enough food to get themselves through every winter. Their farm was flourishing, and soon, they’d have a family.
Early one morning, Henry was outside doing his chores, using his mouth and long neck to spray streams of water across the cornfields, when he heard Ida’s voice ring out: “Henry! It’s time!”
Ida and Henry gazed at the eggs cozily sitting together in their large nest. All three were smooth and white, but one of them was quite a bit larger than the other two. Naturally, they assumed that would be their biggest and strongest. Ida and Henry had been dreaming about the little dinosaurs growing inside those beautiful eggs for so long. It was hard to believe the waiting was about to be over. They watched with hopeful eyes as one of the smaller ones wobbled just a bit. Then it wobbled a bit more. And finally…a tiny crooked opening formed.
Crackle. Crackle. Crack!
The shell split open and, like a little ray of sunshine, a female dinosaur poked her head out of the shell. The top of the egg fell to the ground, and with some effort, the baby dinosaur reached for it. Unfortunately, she was a bit off-balance and tipped right over. Momma and Poppa chuckled at their darling daughter.
Poppa reached down to lift the shell up, but the little dinosaur was nowhere to be found! He was worried at first, but then he heard the sweetest little laugh.
From out of nowhere, she appeared on Momma’s back and let out a squeaky roar as she rode down her momma’s long neck. Momma grabbed her baby by the tail before she hit the ground.
“You little sneak,” Momma said lovingly.
The baby dinosaur laughed.
“Hello, Libby,” Momma said.
Just then, the other small egg began to wobble.
Crack!
A crack appeared at the top of its shell. It wobbled a bit more until…Pop! A foot pushed against the shell and came out!
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
One by one, three more feet pierced through, sticking straight out. The egg rolled over and its four thick legs stomped around until it bashed into a log post. The shell crumbled away and a tough little male dinosaur—built like a tank—stood and looked at Momma and Poppa. His head was big for a baby Apatosaurus and looked as if it were balancing on top of his long neck.
“Hello, Buck,” Poppa said proudly. The little dinosaur picked up a stick and started beating his father’s leg with it. “He’s got your eyes,” he told Momma.
Momma and Poppa looked at the biggest of the eggs. They waited and waited, expecting their final child to emerge, but nothing happened.
All of a sudden, Buck appeared and started smacking the giant egg with a huge stick.
Poppa immediately intervened. “Get out of there, you little prickle bush,” he said.
A crack slowly formed around the top of the egg.
Momma and Poppa leaned in. “All right, this is gonna be a big one!” Poppa said excitedly.
Crack!
The egg opened and the top popped off. Both parents gasped in anticipation, but nothing more happened. No little dinosaur emerged. They leaned forward, peering in, and curled up inside the bottom of the egg was the tiniest dinosaur either of them had ever seen!
Poppa pulled off the top half of the shell, and the tiny dinosaur timidly peeked out at them.
“Hello, Arlo,” Poppa said, trying to coax the little Apatosaurus out of the egg. But Arlo didn’t move. His arms and legs were splayed, gripping the inside of the shell tightly. He was not interested in leaving.
“Come on out,” Poppa encouraged.
Arlo nervously inched forward, quivering with fear.
“Look at you,” said Poppa, smiling adoringly.
Then Arlo tipped over and fell flat on his face with his backside sticking straight up in the air. Seeing a golden opportunity, Buck lumbered over and smacked Arlo on the butt with his stick.
“Buck!” scolded Poppa.
Buck scurried off, bouncing and romping about with Libby. Arlo watched them for a moment and then decided to join the fun. He was nervous at first, but as he picked up speed, he began to enjoy running around with his brother and sister.
Eventually, the three little dinosaurs ran all the way to the door, where the view stopped them in their tracks. Their eyes opened wide as they gazed out at the big, bright world outside. There was a large mountain range and fields that seemed to go on for miles.
“That’s Clawtooth Mountain. And this is our farm,” said Poppa contentedly. “We’re all gonna take care of it together.”
Libby and Buck already seemed excited by the farm and the possibilities that lay ahead of them. But Arlo was overwhelmed and unsettled by all of its newness and unfamiliarity. The tiny dinosaur trembled a little as he looked at the wide world that loomed in front of him.
By the time they were five years old, Buck, Libby, and Arlo were expected to help around the farm. Libby and Buck always did their chores—and they even knew how to have fun while doing them. Libby loved tricking Buck into doing her work for her.
One time, when she didn’t particularly feel like watering the crops, she hid in the high stalks of corn with a mouthful of water. When Buck was within range, she aimed and took her shot…spraying him right in the face! Libby quickly retreated into the fields, laughing hysterically at her shocked brother.
Determined to get revenge, Buck ran to the trough and filled his giant mouth with water. Libby peek
ed out from behind the corn and stuck her tongue out at him, then darted out of sight again.
In his attempt to hit her, Buck sprayed the entire field. Libby saw that each stalk had been watered, so she raced out. When Buck finally caught up to her, he hardly had any water left. He wound up only spraying her with a light drizzle.
With a big smile on her face, Libby called, “Momma! I finished my watering!” She turned to her brother. “Thanks, Buck,” she teased.
Libby grinned as she watched Buck grudgingly begin his work.
But things were very different for Arlo. He struggled to find his place. Being smaller than his siblings didn’t help matters, but Arlo’s biggest problem was his fear. He was afraid almost all the time and of almost everything. And it held him back, making it difficult for him to accomplish even the simplest of chores.
One morning, Momma helped Arlo get ready to do one of his dreaded daily chores: feeding the cluckers. He hated those birds. They made terrible noises, and he was sure they could pierce right through his foot with their sharp, hooked beaks. The way they looked at him with their cold, black eyes…it was like they were thinking up different ways to peck him to pieces. Just the thought of them sent a ripple of shivers down his spine.
“Can’t I do somethin’ else, Momma?” Arlo pleaded.
Momma smiled as she hung the basket of corn kernels around his neck and gently nudged him with her big tail.
“Get goin’,” she chuckled. Reluctantly, Arlo headed off alone.
He slowed as he approached the fenced-in coop. As much as he hated all the noises those feathered fiends made, what was even eerier was the present silence. Carefully and quietly, he peeked inside, wondering where they were.
A sudden rustling in the grass startled him and he jumped, scattering some feed onto the ground.
“Who is that?” Arlo asked, looking toward the sound. He craned his neck through the grass and saw Eustice, a fuzzy little baby tangled up in some weeds. Relieved, Arlo bent down to help her. He peeled off the weeds, one by one.
As he freed Eustice, a pair of big, old, ugly clawed feet scratched into the ground beside him.
Squawk!
It was Henrietta, Eustice’s scary momma!
Arlo screamed as Henrietta chased him away. She screeched and squawked, horrifying Arlo with each awful noise.
“Aaahhhhhhh!” Arlo screamed as he ran for cover.
In his panic, Arlo ran to the silo—where Poppa, Momma, Libby, and Buck were working. He curled himself up in Poppa’s tail and closed his eyes. It was his favorite hiding spot.
Poppa unwound his tail and looked down at Arlo. “Is there a problem?” he asked calmly.
“Oh, that?” Arlo said, trying his best to hide his fear. “That was nothing—you know Henrietta.”
Poppa chuckled. “You’re okay.”
Arlo watched as Poppa went back to work. He filled the silo with corn and closed up the opening with a boulder. Then he turned and faced the family.
“That should do it. This will keep them rotten critters from stealing our food,” he said proudly.
Momma gazed lovingly at her husband. “Put your mark on there, Henry,” she said. “You earned it.”
The kids cheered. Then they waited eagerly to see what he would do next.
Poppa pushed his foot into a thick puddle of mud, making a footprint, and stamped his foot onto a rock. He lifted the printed rock and slid it into place—at the top of the silo. “There,” he said, smiling. He turned to his wife and said, “You make your mark, Ida.”
“What for?” she asked.
“Oh nothin’, really,” Henry said sarcastically. There was a smile on his face and in his voice as he continued: “You made the cabin, the fence, and three kids.”
Momma smiled. “I am pretty impressive,” she said lightly. Then Momma made a mark, too, on the big boulder next to Poppa’s.
All three kids excitedly charged toward the silo, shouting, “Me too! I’m doin’ it! Mine’s going to be the highest!”
Arlo moved toward the mud puddle first. He wanted to put his print up on the silo right away. Libby and Buck weren’t far behind. All three of them wanted to participate in this special moment. But Poppa stopped them. “Now hold on. It’s not that easy,” Poppa explained. “You gotta earn your mark. By doin’ something big, for something bigger than yourself.”
All three kids gazed lovingly toward Poppa. It was clear they were really listening.
“Someday you’ll all make your mark. And I can’t wait to see it,” Poppa concluded.
Arlo was inspired by Poppa’s words. He looked up at Poppa’s and Momma’s footprints, imagining his up there, right next to theirs. He was determined to make his mark.
By the time they were ten years old, Libby and Buck both had their marks on the silo. Buck was super strong and was able to lift heavy things. He made his mark when he chopped down dozens of trees, making space for a new field of crops. Libby could plow nice, straight lines and made her mark when she plowed an entire field.
Arlo had yet to make his mark, and the gaping hole where his print was supposed to be was a constant reminder. As he grew, instead of having less fear, he seemed to be weighed down by it more and more.
Everyone expected him to make his mark by successfully tackling his farm chore. But he always ended up running scared. It seemed that where Libby and Buck were able to succeed, Arlo was destined to fail. He felt terrible about it, and the knot in his stomach produced more anxiety and fear with each passing day.
Though hopeful and supportive, even Momma and Poppa started to grow a little concerned. “He’ll get there,” Poppa said.
One day, Arlo decided it was finally time for things to change. He was sick and tired of being the only family member without a mark. Arlo was determined to take on the cluckers and made a secret promise to himself that he would finish the job—by any means necessary.
I’m bigger than them, I’m bigger than them, he thought over and over, trying to fight off his fears with positive thinking. He took a deep breath and went into the coop, armed with corn kernels and ready to do something big!
Once inside, Arlo tried to intimidate the cluckers. “I hope you have strong stomachs, ’cause you’re about to get fed!”
But just as Arlo started to scatter the feed, he heard a voice in the distance.
“Arlo?” it whispered.
He followed the sound of his name and found Buck outside and in bad shape. He was lying down in the grass and looked like he’d been beaten up.
“Buck! What happened?” Arlo exclaimed.
“There were too many. Then they attacked,” Buck said. He coughed, and Arlo could feel the panic begin to flood through his veins.
“You’re gonna be okay,” Arlo said.
“Sweet brother, tell the world how amazing I was,” he whispered. With that, Buck closed his eyes and his head rolled to the side. Arlo was convinced his brother had just died—right in front of him.
“I’ll go get help!” Arlo screamed.
Then a shadow began to slowly rise behind Arlo. He turned around and saw his worst nightmare: a giant clucker! Arlo tried to run away but tripped and fell hard to the rough ground.
Then he heard something even more unsettling. Someone was laughing at him. It was Buck! He’d put a clucker costume on his tail and used it to frighten the life out of Arlo.
“Oh, you should see your face,” he howled.
Once he could breathe again, Arlo’s whole body burned with an intense anger. He furiously launched himself at Buck, attacking him. “I should’ve known! You always gotta mess me up!” Arlo screamed.
“Me?” Buck asked. Then he effortlessly threw Arlo to the ground. “You mess up your chores and everyone else’s!”
As they wrestled, Libby, Momma, and Poppa ran outside.
Arlo tried to get up again, and Buck moved as if to smack him. Arlo flinched, anticipating the hit, but Buck only chuckled. “You’re such a coward,” he said.
Mom
ma and Poppa followed the sounds of the scuffle. They made their way toward the sound of the fighting brothers. “Buck!” Poppa yelled, causing Buck to back off.
Arlo sat up. “I ain’t a coward!” he yelled, holding back tears. “And I’m gonna make my mark, just like him and you and everybody!”
“You will, darlin’. You just need a little more time,” Momma said gently.
Arlo stared at the ground, feeling low. “Forget it,” he said, walking off. “I didn’t even want that dumb mark anyway.”
Momma and Poppa shared a concerned look.
“We gotta do somethin’, Henry,” Momma said quietly.
“I got an idea,” Poppa said.
That night, while everyone was sleeping, Poppa gently woke Arlo. “Come with me,” he whispered.
Arlo rubbed his eyes and groggily followed Poppa outside, where they stood in a field surrounded by darkness.
Even though he was with Poppa, Arlo didn’t like being out there at night. He heard wild animals in the distance. And the dark, jagged edges of Clawtooth Mountain looked like they could chomp down on the whole farm at any moment. Arlo wanted to go back inside, but Poppa insisted he stay. “Okay, now take a walk out there,” he said, nodding toward the field with his long neck.
“By myself?” Arlo asked nervously.
“Go on,” Poppa encouraged.
Arlo went and stood in the middle of the big, open field. An ugly bug landed on his nose and he whimpered with fear. “Poppa!” he whispered urgently. Arlo’s stomach lurched. He was paralyzed.
Suddenly, Poppa was at Arlo’s side. He calmly and gently blew on the bug. It pulsed with light—it was a firefly! Relieved, Arlo smiled and stared at the glowing bug on his nose with wonder. Then it spread its wings and took flight, flashing into the night.
Poppa faced Arlo. “Sometimes you gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side,” he said earnestly.
Then Poppa slowly brushed his tail across the grass, sweeping it this way and that. Like magic, hundreds of fireflies slowly rose up out of the grass, flickering their beautiful yellow lights. It was incredible!
The Good Dinosaur Page 1
