Little Eva #11 (1953)

When Jo’s ball bounces into Mrs. Sanders’ yard—where her husband is a policeman—she and her friend Susie try to retrieve it using a fishing rod, leading to a series of mishaps involving a stuck dog, a dropped rod, and a mistaken arrest. As Jo is taken to the officer’s house, her mother is called, only to learn the whole thing was just a case of a bouncing ball and a misadventure gone sideways.

Jo and a new neighbor strike up a conversation, with Jo pointing out the town’s notorious gossip. The newcomer tries to place a want ad, only to be warned that spreading news is far easier—and free—than paying for it.

Jo and Cindy run a makeshift shooting gallery at a school fair, where a pea-shooter hits the bullseye for just one cent. When business stalls and no one’s willing to try, Jo declares she’ll fix it—only to be startled when the Truant Officer suddenly appears, suggesting the game’s popularity has taken an unexpected turn.

In "Counter-Spying," Jo and Nipper take it upon themselves to investigate a suspicious man they spot near a cigar store, convinced he’s a spy. As they follow him, they misinterpret ordinary actions—like writing a note and waving to a cop—as secret spy moves, leading to a series of comically mistaken conclusions.

In "Rain or Shine," Little Eva sets out to find the Weather Man to confirm if her picnic will be sunny or rainy, only to discover he’s not in his office but on a rooftop rocket ship with a young helper. After a whimsical journey through space and a chance encounter with the grumpy Weather Control Man—whose mood is ruined by a series of mishaps—Eva comes up with a clever, sparkly solution to cheer him up.

When a mouse sneaks into her garden, Jo is determined to catch it—only to discover the little creature has outsmarted her trap with surprising cleverness, leaving her both baffled and oddly impressed. With a mix of humor and heart, the story follows Jo’s playful struggle to outwit a mouse who seems to have a mind of its own.

When Eva’s father insists she get rid of the stray dogs in her yard, she tries to trick them into leaving by pretending to lead them on a treasure hunt—only to end up accidentally crashing a junk-filled wagon through a city dump, a swimming pool, and even a penthouse hotel. Along the way, the dogs seem to enjoy the chaos, and Eva begins to wonder if they might be better off staying than being sent away.