The Story

Tommy Pickles was in paradise. Before him were lush green forests, thundering waterfalls, mountain peaks, and the winding Amazon River. Exotic birds chirped in the trees, colorful frogs hopped through the leaves, and monkeys swung through the branches.

Tommy, with his bushy red mustache, spoke into a camera that filmed his every move.

"Come along, faithful viewers, on our journey through the drain forest, as we search for that rare and unusable creature -- the three-toed sloth!" Tommy pushed aside the thick brush, and his eyes lit up at what he saw: a sleeping sloth, clutching a banana in its paws. "Ah, there he is -- teething with life!" Tommy said in a loud whisper. He began to tiptoe toward the strange- looking animal. "Let's get a closer look, shall we?" "Closer?" exclaimed Chuckie Finster -- Tommy's best friend and backyard- famous documentary film director. "Oh, no, you don't." He raised his megaphone and shouted, "Cut! Cut!"

Tommy's friends had gathered to watch. Twin playmates Phil and Lil were operating the camera. Kimi, Chuckie's younger sister, waited in a nearby Jeep. "Don't worry, Chuckie," Tommy assured him. "I'm Nigel Strawberry, wild aminal eggspert -- "

Suddenly a tiger sprang from the bushes and roared, baring its sharp teeth.

"And 'cause I'm an eggspert," Tommy continued, "I say-everybody, into the truck!"

The young nature crew ran toward their Jeep. Chuckie leaped into a seat next to Kimi. Phil and Lil quickly piled into the backseat. Chuckie reached over and slammed the gas pedal.

The Jeep roared off as Tommy raced behind them with the ferocious tiger at his heels.

Lil pointed the camera at him. "Say something, Nigel."

Tommy gasped for breath as he ran. "Uh, uh, I can hear the tiger's running feets ..." -- he glanced over his shoulder -- "and see his sharp teeth -- " The tiger snapped at Tommy's behind. Its sharp teeth snagged his pants and pulled them down. " -- and, um, feel a cool breeze!" Tommy concluded. He yanked up his pants just as Phil pulled him into the backseat of the Jeep. The Jeep hit a bump, flew into the air ...

And landed with a splash! in the murky river.

The Jeep wouldn't budge. It was stuck! Then the motor shut off. Kimi gulped. "Uh-oh." Frantically she tried to restart the Jeep.

A huge scary shape slithered toward them.

"Crockydile!" Kimi shouted.

"Crockagator!" Chuckie screamed. "Look out!" He climbed into the backseat, struggling to get away. Then he clutched Tommy's safari shirt. "What do we do now, Tommy? I mean, Nigel?"

The fearsome crocodile stopped to scratch the side of his head with his back leg.

"Not to worry, guys!" Tommy shouted fearlessly. He reached into his pocket, searching for something with which to fight off the croc, and pulled
out a dog chew toy.

Tommy reared back and threw it with all his might. It bounced off the head of the crocodile -- squeak! -- then splashed into the water. Instantly the crocodile dived for the toy. Chuckie shook his sister's shoulder. "Okay, let's go now, Kimi, afore that crockagator comes back!"

Kimi tried again to start the engine. But it wouldn't go.

"Oh, no! Our truck's broked!"

Now even Tommy looked nervous. "But that was my onliest chew toy!"

"Then feed him Phil!" Chuckie shouted.

Phil scowled. "I heard that."

Tommy scrambled out of the Jeep and began to slosh through the river. The water was waist high. His friends were right behind him. Lil held the camera up over her head.

In the distance Tommy spotted something. It looked like -- a camp!

"That way!" he shouted, and he led them through the swamp. But soon something strange began to happen. The babies began to sink!

"Whoa! What kind of mud is this?" Phil exclaimed. "I'll ask the wild stuff eggspert," said Lil. She yanked on Tommy's sleeve. "Nigel, why are we sinking?"

"Quitsand!" Tommy cried out. "I shoulda knowed!"

"But you know what to do now ... right?" Chuckie asked nervously.

Tommy looked around. Then he spotted a long thick vine!

Tommy lunged toward the hanging vine and grabbed on to the end. "Guys! Hang on to me!"

The babies trudged through the quicksand till they reached their leader.

Then Tommy pulled and pulled.

But it was no use. He couldn't pull them free. They were still stuck.

Suddenly the crocodile started to slink toward them.

Tommy and his friends screamed!

The crocodile's huge jaws yawned open. SNAP! Its teeth chomped down ... on the end of the vine. Then the short crocodile walked off along the shore, dragging the babies out of the quicksand.

The babies cheered at their good fortune -- until they heard a growl on the riverbank.

The babies screamed again.

A Siberian tiger stood on the edge of the quicksand, pawing the ground.

Excerpted from the forthcoming book Rugrats Go Wild. Copyright © 2003 by Viacom International Inc. Published by Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. All rights reserved.