Beasley & the Big Guy in Red by Headline Books / Zoom Into Books

A dog, a tree, and Santa…a wonderful tale about Beasley and her special secret about Santa. First time author, Ellen Shubert, weaves a tale about her Bassett hound, adds some Christmas magic, and with the beautiful illustrations by award-winning illustrator, Ashley Belote, this book will quickly become not only a childhood favorite, but a family favorite! BEASLEY & THE BIG GUY IN RED

Ellen Shubert is a graduate of West Virginia University and currently employed as a teacher in Preston County, WV. She lives in Masontown, WV with her family and six crazy dogs. She is a lover of books, dogs, and everything Christmas! ELLEN SHUBERT

Award-winning author and illustrator, Ashley Belote, is a summa cum laude graduate of Alderson Broaddus College with a B.F.A in visual art with a minor in creative writing. After two semesters of graduate work at West Virginia University she continued her graduate study through the Simmons College satellite graduate program at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts. She holds a Masters in Arts Administration through the University of Kentucky and is a graduate of Don Bluth University. Ashley is also a portrait artist, muralist and art instructor. For more information visit www.AshleyBelote.com.

Ellen Shubert ILLUSTRATED BY

Ashley Belote

Ellen Shubert • ILLUSTRATED BY Ashley Belote

Beasley and the Big Guy in Red, a Christmas Story by Ellen Shubert illustrated by Ashley Belote copyright ©2020 Ellen Shubert All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents, except where noted otherwise, are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any other resemblance to actual people, places or events is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any other form or for any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage system, without written permission from Headline Books. To order additional copies of this book, or for book publishing information, or to contact the author: Headline Kids P. O. Box 52 Terra Alta, WV 26764 Email: mybook@headlinebooks.com www.headlinebooks.com Ashley Belote—Art Director Lucas Kelly—Design/Layout Published by Headline Books Headline Kids is an imprint of Headline Books ISBN-13: 9781946664914 Library of Congress Control Number on file at the Library of Congress

PR I N T E D I N T H E U N I T E D STAT E S OF A M E R IC A

Because of the relationship between a very special girl and her silly Basset Hound, Beasley, this story was born.

On the night before Christmas, everyone slept without a sound Except for Beasley the Bassett Hound.

She tried and she tried, but she just couldn’t sleep Not a moment before she got just ONE peek.

She had heard about a jolly man all dressed in red, You know, the one who rides in the sled? She heard that he brings presents to all who believe, He brings them on a special night called, Christmas Eve.

She waited...

and waited...

...and still no one came, She was starting to believe it was all just a game. She fell fast asleep and was beginning to snore When she heard a faint noise outside the front door.

and waited...

She opened one eye and perked up an ear And said to herself, “Could Santa be here?”

She ran to the window to look out and see, But instead lost her balance and toppled into the tree.

She stood, and she watched as the tree swayed to and fro, The ornaments fell one by one, crashing to floor below. She froze in a panic as the whole tree fell to the ground,

Unable to move she timidly looked around.

Broken bulbs and branches scatterd at her big feet, She knew this was NOT the night she and Santa would meet.

She ran to her room and hid under the bed, Until she was sure Santa was riding away in his sled. When she thought it was safe, she opened her eyes, Scooted out from under the bed and peered up to the sky. 17

That’s when she saw it as she shook her big head, Eight tiny reindeer pulling a man in a sled. The man they call Santa looked down below. He started to laugh a jolly Ho, Ho, Ho. 19

The house with the tree that fell to the ground The one with the ornaments scattered around. He’d picked up the tree that laid in a mound And smiled to himself at the sight of the hound.

Although Beasley had tried to stay out of sight Santa had seen her in the room that night. He saw the bed shaking and lift up off the ground And stuffed underneath was that silly Bassett hound.

Santa stifled a laugh and went back to his sled And Beasley, well, she eventually fell asleep under the bed.

Early the next morning, she woke with a start She tried to stand up and broke the bed clean apart. She ran to the room, the room with the tree “Oh, please, let there be a present for me!” She could not believe after all she had done Her present under the tree was the biggest one! 27

At that moment, she promised she would always be good At least she would try, that is if she could. When Riley woke up and gave Beasley a hug, She noticed some ornaments lying on the rug.

She knew at that moment although it could not have been easy The tree had been moved and it had to have been Beasley. Beasley let out a giggle then fell fast asleep, Thinking about the secret she would always keep.

Who would ever believe all the things she had seen. Did it all really happen or was it only a dream?

Ellen Shubert ILLUSTRATED BY

Ashley Belote