Chapter 29

"What's it like having children?" Daniel asked Albert one day as they watched the much-improved chickens peck at the gravel and feed in the dust at the bottom of their cage.

"It's a terrifying time until they get their Book," Albert said. "There's no telling what they might do. I came home one day to find that Joseph had painted an entire wall with pictures of animals."

"So he likes animals. That's good, isn't it?"

"He got the Book for numbers or something. It has to do with adding things in columns. Joseph says it will be very helpful for the business. I was so relieved when he got his Book and I could predict what he would do. Before that, the Book said not to see what the children do, but it is hard not to worry."