Harriet Hound

Nice to Meet You!
My name is Harriet Hound.
Here are some important facts about me:
I'm eight years old.
I'm autistic.
I live in Australia
I live in a town called Labrador.
I'm vegan.
My favorite number is eight,
favorite color is brown,
favorite letter is H.
I have short, curly hair.
And here is even more IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
When my grandparents moved to Labrador, they built the most ENORMOUS, AMAZING, DOG-FRIENDLY house ever! One day, my grandparents found a stray dog and her puppies. The Hound family LOVES animals, so they took the dog home, helped raise the puppies, and then found them all families.
What heroes!
When the final puppy was handed over to its new owner, it made my grandparents so happy and full of love that they decided to start a rescue shelter—Hound’s Rescue—right next to their house. They even built and named the road they lived on—Hound Lane!
Now that my grandparents are off having adventures around the world, I live here with my mum, dad, and older brother, Hugo. And together we run Hound’s Rescue!
And here’s the last important fact about me . . .
It’s ENORMOUS.
It’s GIGANTIC.
It’s COLOSSAL!
It began on my eighth birthday.
I went to bed brimming with happiness and cake and discovered a dusty old box on the floor by my bed. On top was a note that said:
For Harriet.
Filled with love.
Nana. xx
It was ODD, WEIRD, PECULIAR, because my nana and grandpa were off traveling the world. Had she sent this to me from another country?
When I lifted the lid off the box, I peered inside. It was empty.
STRANGE,
UNUSUAL,
BIZARRE.
Before I could check to see if I’d missed something, a magnificent rainbow bubble appeared and surrounded me, and out of the box, a tiny book floated up into the bubble and right into my hand.
I opened it and read the first page:
Harriet,
You are about to become a superhero, exactly like me.
Here’s what you must do:
Twirl around, close your eyes, think of the rescue dogs, and bark three times.
One large-dog bark,
one medium-dog bark,
and one small-dog bark.
Then the magic will happen.
I was a little bit scared but also very excited. What was going to happen? Only one way to find out. So, I . . .
twirled around once,
closed my eyes,
thought of all the dogs from Hound’s Rescue.
And then I stimmed! I flapped my hands out to the side and clicked my fingers out in front of me over and over again.
It’s okay. There’s no need to be worried. Stimming is something I do ALL THE TIME.
I do it when I’m worried and when I’m angry. Sometimes I can’t stop my hands from doing it, but I also do it when I’m excited or when I’m happy. I stim to calm myself down.
Then I barked.
“WOOF!
RUFF!
YAP!”
Out of the box and into the rainbow bubble floated a pair of pajamas and a pair of slippers, and suddenly I was wearing them.
WOW!
I read the next page in the tiny book.
These are your magical superhero pajamas. The pockets are always full of healthy dog treats. The pajamas are covered in pictures of all the dogs at Hound’s Rescue. Touch any picture and you will be able to call on the exact dog you need to save the day, and they will understand everything you ask them to do.
The pajamas were soft and silky and smooth and comfortable. My favorite type of clothes! I love ALL things soft and silky and smooth and comfortable.
The final page of the tiny book read:
Your love for the rescue dogs is your super-power!
People won’t be able to see you or notice you’re missing when you’re a superhero, all because of the magical rainbow bubble made of pure love that surrounds you. No one will recognize that the dogs come from the rescue shelter either, not even your mum, dad, or brother. Because
IT’S MAGIC!
Choose carefully, and good luck!

My nana is a superhero, and now I’m a SUPERHERO, too!
Yes, an actual, real-life, powerful, magical superhero.
Since becoming a superhero, I’ve saved the day fourteen times.
WOW!
Altogether, with my magic and the dogs’ skills, we have rescued
nineteen humans,
ten animals,
five insects,
two bicycles,
and one toilet!
Adventure always awaits me.
OFF WE GO!