“Then you will know the truth. And the truth will make you free.” John 8:32
It’s True! © 2013 by Mercer Mayer All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Tommy Nelson. Tommy Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Little Critter, Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter and Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter and Logo are trademarks of Orchard House Licensing Company. All rights reserved. Tommy Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com. Scripture quotations are taken from The International Children’s Bible ®. © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mayer, Mercer, 1943- author, illustrator. It’s true! : then you will know the truth and the truth will make you free, John 8:32 / by Mercer Mayer. pages cm Summary: Little Critter learns quickly that lying has consequences and that telling the truth, no matter how hard, is always the right thing to do. ISBN 978-1-4003-2247-3 [1. Honesty--Fiction. 2. Christian life--Fiction.] I. Title. II. Title: It is true! PZ7.M462Iv 2013 [E]--dc23 2013934372 Printed in China 13 14 15 16 17 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
“Little Critter,” Mom said, “if you did your homework, you may have a cupcake.” “I did,” I said. “You did not!” yelled Little Sister. “That’s not true.” “Is so,” I said. I just hadn’t finished all of it yet.
The next day I walked Little Sister and Bunny to school. “Is it true that big kids like you get to stay up really late and watch TV?” asked Bunny. “That is way cool!” I nodded my head yes, feeling very cool.
“That’s not true,” said Little Sister. “Is so,” I said. “I get to stay up later than you. So it’s kinda true.”
“Did you feed the dog?” Mom asked. “Yes,” I said. “Oh no, that’s not true,” said Little Sister. “It is so true,” I said. “I gave the dog extra food yesterday, so he doesn’t need any more today.”
“Did you brush your teeth?” Mom asked at bedtime. I nodded yes. “Then why is your toothbrush dry?” she asked. I said, “I used my finger.” But even I didn’t believe that.
Little Sister said I lost her doll. That wasn’t true. I didn’t even play with it. The dog did.
Mom made me help her find it anyway.