Introduction[]
The Reads sit at the dinner table. Mr. Read serves cake.
Arthur: Wow! Double decker carrot cake? My favorite!
Mrs. Read: Well, everyone, it's time for another weekend trip.
Arthur: Oh no.
Mrs. Read: What's wrong? I thought you'd be excited about a trip.
Arthur: It's D.W.’s turn to choose. That probably means… Ponyland.
Mr. Read: How bad could Ponyland be?
Arthur: Um…
In his imagination, preschoolers and ponies sing and dance around his chair.
Kids+Ponies: (sing:) “Lalalalala…”
Arthur: Ah! Augh!! My brain is melting!
The fantasy ends. Arthur pushes his plate away.
Arthur: Suddenly I'm not hungry.
Mrs. Read: We'll all have fun. I promise.
Mr. Read: It's your choice, D.W.
D.W.: Hm. Where do I want us all to go? I'll have to think about it.
Arthur: Come on, D.W. We know where you want to go.
D.W. starts pacing the room.
D.W.: Whatever place I name is where we’re all going to go. Mommy, Daddy, Kate and Arthur.
Arthur: Say it! Go ahead and say it!
D.W.: I choose that we all go...
Arthur stares open-mouthed at her.
Title Card: D.W. Catches Frog[]
The scene continues.
Arthur: Say it! Go ahead and say it!
D.W.: I choose that we all go... camping!
Arthur: I knew it!! I... What did you say?
D.W.: Camping. Camping in the great outdoors.
Arthur: Really? Why?
D.W.: I don't know. I just want to go camping.
Mr. Read: That's a good choice. I haven't been camping in years. It'll be fun.
***
Later, Mr. and Mrs. Read are doing the dishes.
Mrs. Read: I'm so proud that, even though she sees Ponyland on TV all the time, D.W. chose camping.
Mr. Read: It proves that our limiting her TV time to educational channels has helped her learn to think for herself and not just parrot what the TV says.
They walk to the living room. Arthur and D.W. are watching TV.
D.W.: Arthur, I think it's time we experienced the wonders of nature in the great outdoors.
The parents smile proudly.
Announcer (TV): It's time to experience the wonders of nature in the great outdoors here on the Great Outdoors Channel.
The parents are taken aback.
D.W.: Wow!
Announcer (TV): Go out to our great national parks and see the wild things in their habitat.
D.W.: I wanna go! Let's go now!
The parents exchange looks.
Mr. Read: Camping is still a good thing.
Mrs. Read: I’ve got to buy her more books.
***
Arthur helps his parents pack the car. D.W. and Kate sit in the back seat.
D.W.: Kate, we're gonna see bears scratching on trees and goats that smack their heads together and...
Mr. Read: Doors are locked, Pal's at Thora's. We’re all ready to go. What's wrong, Arthur?
Arthur: I'm gonna be trapped in a tent all weekend with D.W.!
Mr. Read: You make it sound like D.W.'s difficult.
The car horn blares loudly because D.W. is pushing it.
D.W.: Let's go! Nature's not getting any younger, you know!
Mr. Read: Don't worry. We'll do lots of fun stuff.
***
The Reads drive through town.
D.W.: (sings loudly:) “A hundred bunches of bears in the woods, a hundred bunches of bears. If one bunch of bears comes to live in our house, then ninety-nine bunches of bears in the woods.”
***
D.W. looks out of the car window through binoculars.
D.W.: There's a doe and a deer! Aren't those eagles beautiful? And look at that penguin go!
Arthur: D.W., there are no penguins in the woods.
D.W.: Uh-oh! It's a lost penguin. We'd better give it a sandwich and some juice. I'll see if we’ve got a spare map for it.
***
The Reads arrive at the park entrance. The ranger waves them through.
D.W.: I don't see any wild things yet.
***
The parents set up the tent. Arthur helps Kate to walk.
D.W.: I'm ready! When's something gonna happen? Look! I see a bald eagle!
She uses binoculars.
Arthur: That's an airplane.
D.W.: That's an airplane.
***
Mr. Read takes the canoe off the car roof.
Mr. Read: (grunts) Are you ready for some fishing?
Arthur: Am I ever!
Mr. Read: Don't forget the bait.
They carry the canoe to the lake.
D.W.: When am I gonna see something wild? Nothing's happening!
***
Arthur and his dad sit in the canoe and hold the fishing lines into the water. Time passes.
Arthur: So... this is fishing, huh?
Mr. Read: Yup.
***
Mrs. Read and D.W. take a walk through the woods. Mrs. Read carries Kate on her back.
Mrs. Read: Remember, we shouldn't get too close to strange animals or try to touch them.
D.W.: I know! I'm not a baby!
She sees a spider in a web and uses her binoculars.
D.W.: Look! Something wild! It's just like the old spiders we have at home.
***
Arthur and his dad are still fishing. Arthur pulls up his worm on a hook and looks into the lake, where several fish swim about.
Arthur: Maybe we have the wrong bait, Dad. Dad?
Mr. Read is dozing. Arthur shakes him.
Mr. Read: Hm, huh? What? I got one! Get the net!
***
Later, the fish lies on the camping table and Mr. Read gets the grill ready. Mrs. Read and the girls return from their hike.
Arthur: We caught a fish! Well, Dad caught it, but I landed him in the net!
Mrs. Read: Congratulations!
Mr. Read: How was your hike?
D.W.: We didn't see one wild thing! The forest is a big dirty rip-off!
Arthur: Take a look at that fish, Mom!
D.W.: (gasps)
Mrs. Read: What?
D.W.: Poor little fish! (sniffs)
She pats the dead fish.
Mr.+Mrs. Read: Uh-oh!
***
A while later, the Reads stand around a small grave. D.W. holds a bunch of flowers.
Mr. Read: We are all gathered here today to honor the fish...
D.W.: Buckie.
Mr. Read: Buckie has gone to a better place than that tiny lake where he can swim and... swim. Happy, happy Buckie.
D.W. puts down the flowers.
D.W.: You're the only wild thing I met. You were dead, so you never met me. You would have liked me.
Arthur: What are we gonna eat now?
Mrs. Read: Don't worry. I brought food.
***
That night, the Reads lie in their tent.
D.W.: What if I never meet any wild animals that Arthur and Daddy haven't already killed?
Mr. Read: D.W., please go to sleep.
***
The next morning, the Reads are still asleep.
Mr. Read: (snores)
The shadow of a deer falls on the tent.
D.W.: Something wild!
She looks out of the tent and sees a deer eating leaves.
D.W.: Hi!
The deer runs away. D.W. looks sad.
***
The Reads sit at the breakfast table.
D.W.: Why did it run away? I was extremely friendly.
Mrs. Read: Deer are easily frightened. You have to keep very still or you scare them.
D.W.: Ohh...
***
Later, D.W. walks towards the woods while Arthur gets paddles from the car.
Arthur: Want to come for a canoe ride, D.W.? No fishing.
D.W.: No. I'm gonna sit here very still until my deer comes back, so it can see that I'm friendly.
She sits down in the grass.
***
Later, there is washing on a line behind her and Mrs. Read helps Kate walk.
***
Even later, Arthur and his dad return with the canoe.
***
That evening, D.W. lies on the grass while Arthur and his mom play with a baseball.
***
Later, Arthur and the parents play badminton. Mr. Read falls down.
Mr. Read: Ah...
Arthur+Mr.+Mrs. Read: (laugh)
***
Later, Arthur stirs a pot on a camping stove. His parents stand at the grill while D.W. still waits for the deer.
Arthur: Boy, if I knew it would make D.W. be quiet all day, I would have told her there were deer at our house a long time ago.
Mrs. Read: Arthur, be nice.
Arthur: What could she be thinking about, sitting there all day?
In D.W.’s imagination, she and the deer walk through the woods together.
D.W.: My brother Arthur isn't fun like you, Walter.
They come to a clearing and meet some other deer. One has a glowing red nose.
D.W.: (gasps)
She hugs the red-nosed deer.
Then they fly up in the air.
D.W.: Yahoo! Wheee! (giggles)
D.W. rides the deer and sees a beautiful sunset over a river.
D.W.: Wow!
***
The dream ends. D.W. wakes in the tent the next morning.
Mr. Read: (snores)
D.W. leaves the tent and sneaks to a bush. She sees the deer nearby.
Mr. Read comes out of the tent and sees D.W. getting a box of cereal.
Mr. Read: Hold it! Where are you taking the cereal?
D.W.: Walter is hungry.
Mr. Read: Slam in your breaks. Walter who?
D.W.: Walter Deer!
Mr. Read: Walter Deer? Whoa. D.W., our food isn't good for deer to eat.
D.W.: I won't let him eat it. I'm just gonna get him to come close to me.
Mr. Read: D.W., that's not safe and it's not allowed. You can look at the deer.
He takes the cereal.
D.W.: But if all I can do is look, then I might as well be at home watching TV!
Mr. Read: This is the deer's home. You wouldn't like it if someone fed you strange food in your home.
D.W.: I would if it was a deer.
D.W. imagines driving out of the park with Walter the deer in the car.
Walter sleeps in a bed in D.W.’s room.
Walter: (snores)
D.W. and Walter watch Mary Moo Cow on TV.
D.W.+Walter: (laugh)
The Tibbles ride their bikes. D.W. rides past them on Walter.
D.W.: Coming through!
D.W. and the deer take a bath tub. Walter wears goggles and a snorkel.
D.W.+Walter: (laugh)
D.W. and some other girls do a ballet performance on stage. D.W. lifts Walter, now wearing a tutu.
D.W.: (groans)
Grandma Thora serves a cake in her house. D.W. and Walter sit at the table. Walter eats messily, but Thora smiles.
D.W.: (laughs)
The fantasy ends.
***
The Reads gather at the table.
D.W.: If we bring Walter home with us, then I won't be bothering him in his home, because his home and my home would be the same home.
Mrs. Read: D.W., we can't bring a wild deer home.
D.W.: He could sleep in my room.
Mr. Read: No, D.W. Have some breakfast.
D.W.: You-you don't want me to have any friends who are wild animals!
She runs into the tent.
D.W. lies in the tent. Mrs. Read comes in.
D.W.: (sobs loudly)
Mrs. Read: You okay, honey?
D.W.: No!
Mrs. Read: Walter wouldn't be happy with us. He has a family out there in the woods. Would you like it if someone came and took you away from your family?
D.W.: Just Arthur, or everybody?
Mrs. Read: Everybody.
In D.W.’s fantasy, she and Walter sit in her room.
Walter: (cries)
D.W.: Walter, what's wrong?
Walter: I miss my mom and dad, and my sisters Lizzie and Cathy and Sheilarae and Mary Alice, and my brothers Dennis, Petey and Paul, and my cousins Pat and Kenny and...
D.W.: I didn't know you had a big family.
Walter: You never asked! I'm all alone! I'm the only wild deer in town! I'm so sad!
The fantasy ends.
D.W.: I guess I understand, but is it okay if I'm sad?
Mrs. Read: Of course.
They hug. Mr. Read looks in.
***
Later, the reads have packed the car and finish fastening the canoe.
Mr. Read: All ready.
Arthur: Except for D.W.
D.W. is looking at the deer. She takes a step closer. The deer looks at her and scratches with its hoof.
***
Later, the Reads ride home.
D.W.: And he looked right at me and he wasn't afraid or anything!
Mrs. Read: That's because you kept your distance and showed respect for his home.
D.W.: Yeah!
The car drives past Walter and his father.
Walter: She watched me all weekend from the bushes! I wish I could have brought her to live with us.
Walter's father: Now you know those animals never stay very long. And they live in those metal rolling things. She'd never’ve been happy out here.
Walter: Yeah, I guess you're right.
They walk into the woods.