Mary Vigliante Szydlowski

Published by Greene Bark Press in December 1995

   Edward Beachum takes good care of his teeth. He brushes and flosses everyday to keep them sparkling white. He's never had a problem with his mouth until he wakes up one morning and finds a family of Farbles living there.

  Workmen fixing the old bandstand in the park across the street have dug up the pebble path where the Farbles lived, destroying their home. They've taken up residence in James' mouth and intend to stay there until the pebble paths are repaired and they can go home again. James is horrified. He wants them to leave. Though he tries everything he can think of to evict them, they refuse to go.

  When the city decides to replace the pebble paths with cement sidewalks, leaving the Farbles permanently homeless, James must come up with a plan to save their home and rid himself of the Farbles once and for all.

PAPA-BURT FARBLE

Excerpt from I Can't Talk I've Got Farbles In My Mouth:

  James felt a tickle on his tongue, like something was crawling on it. He jumped out of bed and ran to the mirror to see what it was.

   He opened his mouth and looked inside. "Eeek!" he screamed. Fuzzy green things were stuck between his teeth and on his tongue. They looked like bits of spinach. He brushed his teeth, flossed, rinsed and brushed some more, but couldn't get rid of them. When he brushed the left side, the green stuff moved to the right. When he did the right, they went left.

  "What is going on in there?" he yelled.

  James was shocked when a voice squeeked "Hello!"

  James looked around to see who'd said it, but he was alone. Where was the voice coming from? "Is there someone here?" he asked nervously.

  "It's just us," a chorus of voices responded.

  "Us?" repeated James, looking bewildered. The voices were coming from inside his mouth.

  James ran to get a magnifying glass. When he got back, he opened his mouth and peered inside. He couldn't believe his eyes. Little green creatures with pointy ears and big eyes were waving at him. They looked like carpet fuzz with chubby arms and legs, pug noses, and stubby tails.

  "Who are you?" James demanded, "And what are you doing in my mouth?"

  "We're Farbles," the fattest one said. "I'm Burt, and this is my wife Gert and the girls: Sal, Tish, Jane, Barb, May, Dee, Fay and Lee, and the boys: Roy, Ray, Jay, Ed, Fred, Sam, Jed and Ben. And over there is Grandpa Stan and Grannie Em and Gert's folks Grandpa Zac and Grandma Sue and Uncle Zeke and Auntie Lou and of course the baby, little Irwin.