Ready, Set, Go!

Miranda's dad is running his first big race, and Miranda is there to cheer him on. But wait . . . is it really the other way around?

Miranda's dad is going to his very first marathon. But they get there late and Dad sends Miranda to get him some water. Before she can bring it back, the starter's horn goes off and the runners are off!

Miranda takes the water bottle and dashes down the course looking for her dad. She runs up hills and down hills, and catches up with runners wearing tutus and vegetable costumes and normal clothes. She asks each one: Have you seen my dad? Some of the runners are nice, some ignore her, and some call her a pipsqueak, but none of them has seen her father.

Finally Miranda gets to the finish line, where she finds her father . . . and gets a big surprise!

ROBERT MUNSCH started telling stories when he was teaching in a daycare, to get the kids to settle down. Now he is Canada's number one author for young readers with more than 80 books in print, including such bestsellers as The Paper Bag Princess (La princesse dans un sac), We Share Everything! (On partage tout!), So Much Snow! (La tempête du siècle) and Love You Forever. Every one of his stories was first told aloud to children - and each one is dedicated to the kid who inspired the story. He is a member of the Order of Canada, has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, and is a hero to generations of young readers. Robert Munsch lives in Guelph, Ontario. Visit him online at http: //scholastic.ca/munsch/.

MICHAEL MARTCHENKO has illustrated dozens of books, and is most famous for his work with Robert Munsch, including Smelly Socks (Tes chaussettes sentent la mouffette!), Makeup Mess (Maquillage à gogo) and We Share Everything! (On partage tout!). He lives in Burlington, Ontario.