In the second tale in a heartwarming new chapter-book series, aspiring veterinarian Jasmine Green hatches a plan to save a clutch of duck eggs. Jasmine Green’s mom is a veterinarian and her dad is a farmer. She has spent her life surrounded by animals. So when she sees animals that need rescuing, she knows just what to do. While walking in the woods, Jasmine and her best friend, Tom, find a nest of orphaned duck eggs. The eggs need lots of care. Hatching them is hard work. Can Jasmine keep the eggs warm and safe? With a little love and luck, the Green family farm will have a fluffy duckling friend for life. Author Helen Peters and illustrator Ellie Snowdon return for a charming springtime visit to Oak Tree Farm. Reminiscent of James Herriot and Dick King-Smith’s classic stories, yet thoroughly modern, this second book in the Jasmine Green series is perfect for animal-loving readers. Helen Peters is the author of numerous books for young readers that feature heroic girls on farms saving the day. She grew up on an old-fashioned farm in England, surrounded by family, animals, and mud. Helen Peters lives in London. Ellie Snowdon is a children’s author-illustrator from a tiny village in South Wales. She has a master’s in children’s book illustration from Cambridge School of Art. Ellie Snowdon lives in Cambridge, England. 1 Put That Down! “Good girl, Truffle,” said Jasmine, bending down to scratch her pig behind the ears. “Good girl.” Jasmine and her best friend, Tom, were walking Truffle around the edge of the biggest field on Oak Tree Farm, checking Jasmine’s dad’s flock of Southdown sheep. It was a lovely warm March morning. The sky was a beautiful pale blue, with high, fluffy clouds. The sheep were due to lamb next month, and they had to be checked twice a day to make sure they were all right. Jasmine always took Truffle with her on these walks. She had rescued the pig from another farm, as a tiny newborn runt, and nursed her back to health. Now four months old, Truffle lived happily in the orchard next to the farmhouse, but she loved to go for walks with Jasmine. “That sheep’s stuck,” said Tom, pointing toward the bottom of the field. A ewe lay upside down, arching her back and kicking her legs in the air, trying to get onto her feet. The children walked quickly toward the sheep, Truffle trotting beside them. “She must have rolled over to rub an itchy patch,” said Jasmine. “She’s too heavy in lamb to get up again, poor thing.” When they reached the stuck sheep, Jasmine said, “Sit, Truffle.” Truffle sat obediently while Jasmine and Tom crouched beside the ewe. “Let’s get you back on your feet,” Jasmine said. “We don’t want a fox or a badger attacking you, do we?” They placed their hands under the ewe’s side and heaved her up. She scrambled to her feet and trotted off without a backward glance. Jasmine watched her happily. But Tom was frowning. “There’s a dog over there. Down by the river.” The far side of the meadow bordered the river. Trees and bushes grew along the banks. Some sheep had been grazing peacefully there, but now they started running across the field, baaing in panic. Jasmine saw a flash of brown among the bushes. “Off the leash, in a field full of sheep,” she said. “It must be a stray. You run and get my dad. I’ll stay here to chase it away if it tries to attack the ewes.” “Ugh,” said Tom. “Look. I bet it’s hers.” A girl in purple boots and a black coat with a fur-trimmed hood was walking along the public footpath that ran across the fields by the river. Somebody Jasmine and Tom knew all too well: Bella Bradley, the most annoying girl in their class. Fury surged through Jasmine. She grabbed Truffle’s leash and marched over to the girl. “Bella Bradley! Is that your dog?” Bella barely glanced at Jasmine. “Duh,” she said. “Who else’s dog would it be? I don’t see anyone else around here.” “Well, you need to put it on a leash.” “Why should I?” “Because these sheep are all in lamb. If your dog chases them, they could lose their lambs.” “My dog doesn’t chase sheep. And you can’t tell me what to do.” She strode off across the field. Jasmine, boiling with rage, was about to retort when a tremendous squawking and beating of wings came from the direction of the river. She turned to see what was going on. Bella’s terrier shot out from the bushes. In its mouth was a duck, flapping its wings and quacking frantically. “Hey!” shouted Jasmine. “Put that down!” She and Tom raced across the field after the dog, the duck clamped in its jaws. Tom picked up a clod of earth and hurled it at the terrier, but it missed. When it reached the hedge, the dog dropped the duck and squeezed into the hedgerow. Jasmine and Tom fell to their knees beside the duck. It was a female mallard. Jasmine placed her hands on the soft, warm underbody. There was no movement beneath her feathers. No heartbeat. “She’s dead,” said Jasmine. “That dog killed her.”   2 What If She Was N