DISCLAIMER: I don't own Horton Hears a Who!.


It was a bright Friday morning in the town of Whoville, and the promise of the weekend enthralled everyone in the McDodd household. Though for Ned McDodd, the Mayor of Whoville, it was just another day. He had been busy all week organizing and attending events in town. He still had to authorize and present a new budget to the Council. He had to attend the formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly remodeled Eiffelberg Tower. He'd even promised to read to the second-grade children at Whoville Day School.

Ned wasn't at all discouraged by his busy schedule. A busy mayor is a happy mayor; he thought, but he still really wanted to spend some time with his wife, Sally O'Malley, and ninety-seven kids.

Further down the hall, Ned heard a bedroom door swing open.

"Daddy! Daddy!" cried a little Who girl.

She and many other young Who girls scurried out of their room and thronged around their father, pressing against him like clouds against the sunshine. Ned didn't even flinch as several arms flung at him, curving around his legs and waist.

"Good morning, you all," Ned said, struggling to return all the hugs. "Aren't you glad that it's Friday?"

They all started speaking at once:

"Daddy will you play whosketball with me when you get home?" Hannie asked.

"Ooh, me too!" Hadley squealed. "I want to play too."

"Be on my team, Daddy," Honey cried.

Heddy had to fight the hardest for Ned's attention. Being the youngest in the family and having such a limited vocabulary, she had to settle for patting Ned's hip, which soon turned to tugging his arm.

Ned chuckled. "Girls, we will speak with each other at breakfast. Okay?"

"Okay," they all said.

"Let's go!" ordered Heather.

The girls giggled and charged down the hall, Heddy trying to keep up, into the kitchen.

Ned felt so grateful as he watched them. He loved being reminded by his children that he was a great father.

Suddenly, he heard faint footsteps coming toward him in the hall. Ned swiveled his head around but saw that no one was there.

"Down here," instructed an annoyed sounding voice.

"Oh! Good morning, JoJo!" Ned said. His face lit up when he saw his only son. "Thank Seuss it's Friday, right?"

JoJo shrugged. "I guess."

"Any weekend plans?" Ned tried.

"No," JoJo replied shortly.

"Well don't worry, son. You'll have plenty to do when you become mayor," Ned promised, giving JoJo a gentle pat on the head.

JoJo didn't say anything back right then. He just stood there, blinking up at his dad.

Ned smiled, figuring that the early morning still had a hold of JoJo. He was glad that his son was speaking to him again after two years of a heavy silence. For the longest time, Ned wondered why JoJo never made a peep. In fact, he still wondered.

During the daily twelve-second chatting sessions at breakfast and dinner; during Ned's motivational mayor talks—JoJo didn't speak a word.

Sally, on the other hand, seemed to be getting along with JoJo just fine, despite the prosaic silence.

At the time, Ned was pretty convinced that JoJo simply just didn't like him for some reason. Still, he never gave up on his son.

Deep in his thoughts, Ned barely notice that JoJo was trying to get his attention.

"Did you sign my permission slip? I left it on your desk in your study." JoJo said.

Ned hesitated for a moment. He had no idea what JoJo was talking about. He'd been so caught up in his work; he was forgetting everything.

"What was the permission slip for?" Ned asked.

JoJo groaned impatiently. "My permission slip to go to the Whostory Museum today with my class." He enunciated his words as if he were talking to Heddy.

Ned thought for a minute. He remembered he'd used a slip of paper the night before to sketch his personal comic, The Misadventures of Mighty Mayor. Right as he got to the inking process, his pet humming fish, Finwick had accidentally splashed water on Ned's work. Ned ended up shredding the paper-but he wasn't going to tell JoJo that. He didn't want JoJo to be mad at him.

"Oh yeah, that!" Ned heaved out a nervous laugh. "Don't worry JoJo, I have it buried in my drawer somewhere. I'll bring it to you signed at school."

"Fine, whatever," JoJo said, pulling his backpack over one shoulder. "Just leave it in the front office or something. I need it before 9:30. That's when we load the bus."

Ned nestled a hand in JoJo's shiny black hair. "Can-do!"


JoJo stood on the very tip of his toes; his arms stretched over his head. He curved his index finger like a hook and tried to rake out the Whostory textbook that sat on the top shelf of his locker.

"Dude, let me help you."

JoJo turned to see his best friends, Iggy Whosfelt, Beanie Sigel, and Coby Nesbitt.

Coby picked the cramped Whostory book from out of the locker and handed it to JoJo. It was no big. He spent his evenings volunteering and assisting people at the library over the summer.

"Thanks." JoJo sighed. His feet sat flat on the floor again. It was just one of many struggles (and embarrassments) of being "the smallest Who of all."

As they started walking to class, Iggy shot out in front of them. "I'm ready to see the Giant Meatball."

"Did you hear? They're going to let us sit on top of it," Beanie said. He was always the first to know everything.

"Really? No way!" Iggy turned to JoJo. "Your dad is so lucky he gets to ride on it in the Edible Parade each year," he said. Iggy always craved excitement. Sometimes it cost him trips to detention.

JoJo rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me. My dad still hasn't shown up with my permission slip yet. He is so annoying."

"He'd better hurry," Coby warned. "We board the bus in fifteen minutes."

JoJo and his friends poured into their second-hour class and took their seats. JoJo sat in the front row of the class. He had to stack several textbooks in his chair just to reach his desk. It weighed the metal legs a bit, and the teachers often worried that any extra weight would weaken the screws.

"Hey, JoJo think fast," Trevedale yelled out. He then threw a paper airplane at JoJo's head. It crashed into his cheek and fell to the floor.

The other two members of The Ain'ts, Stevel, and Derk, exploded in laughter as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

JoJo ignored their sharp, loogie-filled tee-hees and ha-has. He kept his eyes on the clock above the chalkboard, anticipating a phone call or some kind of notification that his dad had kept his word.

9:22.

"Class, I need you all to listen carefully," said Mr. Carp, the Whostory teacher.

JoJo sighed.

Suddenly the door burst open. Mr. Carp about jumped a mile.

Ned came bustling in and stood, hunched over in front of the entire class. He had a hand slapped over his chest in a failed attempt to control his heavy breathing.

"Mr. Mayor? What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Carp asked.

"I'm here to give...to give JoJo permission to...to attend the field trip to the Whostory...Whostory...I-I need to sit down."

Ned flounced over to where JoJo was sitting and plopped on top of his desk.

Springs shot out of the chair's legs like bullets. Ned slammed into the floor with the desk beneath him in half. JoJo just sat in shock, looking at his dad on the floor.

The class erupted, sick with laughter as Ned sprung up, swiftly rubbing his sore bottom.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"How am I going to do my work, dad?" JoJo asked.

"I'm so sorry." Ned avoided JoJo's glare and looked down at the damage he'd done. "I was just trying to—"

"It's okay. We'll just have to get JoJo a new desk," Mr. Carp said in a quick, dismissive tone. He wasn't about to argue with the Mayor.

Mr. Carp turned to face the class, raising his voice over their laughter. "I was about to tell you all that the field trip to the Whoville Museum of Natural Whostory has been cancelled."

Giggles turned to groans.

Mr. Carp continued. "Our chaperone has food poisoning and Principal Gristmel will only allow us to go on the trip if there are two chaperones."

Ned was still staring at the mess on the floor.

"Wait," he interrupted. "I'll chaperone."

"Dad, what are you doing now?' JoJo hissed.

"I know a lot about Whostory. It was my favorite subject in school," Ned said.

"Are you sure you're up for it, Mr. Mayor?" Mr. Carp asked. "I'd hate to ask so much of you. I'm sure you're already bogged down with work."

"A busy mayor is a happy mayor!" Ned beamed. He curled an arm around JoJo and smiled at him.

JoJo glanced at his classmates. Trevedale, Stevel, and Derk were still trying to settle down their laughter.

"Dad, you don't have to do this," JoJo said.

"Why not?" Ned said. "I promise I can handle it. And besides, it would give us an opportunity to spend some time together."

"Then it's settled," Mr. Carp announced. "The field trip will be rescheduled to next Friday thanks to your very generous mayor."

The entire class cheered and high-foured each other. JoJo's body went cold even though he was in the warmth of his dad's arm.

JoJo took one last look at his desk on the floor and rolled his eyes. He wished he'd been crushed from that fall.