Jesus D. Lelis, Jr.

4 How to Have Fun with this Book ADVENTURE KIDS is a unique children’s book that promotes a fun and engaging reading experience where both you and your child have the opportunity to share the magical role of storytelling. Each chapter begins with a colorful tableau painting by Australian artist, Claudia. The exotic places and delightful characters are the perfect places to start exploring and imagining together. By initially asking your child to point out what they see in the illustration, you can then enjoy fun conversations where knowledge is expanded and new interests are sparked. literally! Also, invite your child to ask questions throughout the story since each chapter is full of places, peoples, creatures, and concepts meant to jumpstart curiosity, increase perception, and encourage imagination. Finally, each story is centered around a meaningful life lesson, providing a precious opportunity to impart to your child knowledge, wisdom, and a sense of moral responsibility. Storytime is a magical time, and with Adventure Kids you’re sure to enjoy hours of special bonding, learning, and fun! Happy Adventuring! Next, put your child in the driver’s seat by inviting them to make up a story about what they think is going on in the painting. If they need a little prompting, you can ask questions like: What is this creature doing? Does it have a name or a special job? Not only is this a great way to stimulate your child’s imagination and establish their confidence in their creative abilities, but it also gives you special insight into their thoughts, feelings, and understanding of the world around them. Throughout this activity, keep in mind any names or observations your child makes. Then later, you can add to or replace the author’s words with their own—bringing the story to life in an exciting and personal way. When it’s time to read the story, have your child search the illustrated pages for the special characters and objects mentioned in the chapter. You can even refer back to the tableau painting to emphasize a particular image and to see its place in the big picture of things, 6 7 Contents 10 King & Queen of the Arctic - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Take responsibility for your actions.” The Rain of Togetherness- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “The strength of many can do great things.” Into the Deep- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Sharing is caring.” India: The Festival of Elephants- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Speak the truth, no matter what.” Exploring the Cosmos: A Visit to Agape- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “All you need is love.” - - The joy of magical travel … it all begins in Australia where Claudia and Craig have their first adventure … 8 Story 8 King & Queen of the Arctic “Take responsibility for your actions.” With a flash of brilliant light, the Bubble appeared in a frozen land of ice and snow. Glad to be wearing magic snow suits, Craig and Claudia stepped out to explore. “Wait for me!” called the Travel Bug. It scurried up Craig’s arm and had just buried itself in his warm hood when a small animal with white fur and a long body bounded up to them. It was a mink! On Claudia’s wrist, the Yak-Yak glowed and translated its squeaky words. “Hello! Are you the ones we’ve been waiting for?” Before the kids could answer, several other animals, including a spotted reindeer and a white fox, came running across the snow to their side. “Is it true?” asked the reindeer. “Is it really you?” Wondering what was going on, Claudia and Craig decided to check the Magic Travel Book. They found a picture of a beautiful palace made of ice and read the words beneath it. The frozen Arctic is a land of many amazing people and animals who were once ruled by a magical Queen who lived in an Ice Palace. But one day she vanished and left behind this message: “The Ice Palace is empty now, Yet two shall come to rule, Who will care for those around them, And be responsible for what they do.” 10 “Have you come to live in the Ice Palace and take care of us?” asked the reindeer. The kids, who often pretended to be a King and Queen when they played, were excited to be rulers of a real Kingdom and happily agreed. They even went to their treasure chest in the Bubble and found two jeweled crowns to wear. All the animals were very pleased and led them across the crunchy snow to where the empty palace sat. King Craig and Queen Claudia began climbing up the winding stairs when the mink said, “Just one thing, Your Majesties. Some of the Snow Queen’s magical objects were left behind and could be dangerous. Please don’t touch any unless you know what they are and how to use them.” The royal friends promised and went into the palace. It was incredible! Everything, including the furniture, was made out of ice! They even found an ice throne which had two interesting objects on its seat: a silver horn and a crystal wand. Looking at the beautiful wand, Claudia forgot her promise and picked it up. Immediately, snowflakes fell on their heads. “Hey, I can make it snow!” she exclaimed. She went out to the balcony and waved the wand at the sky. Gray clouds instantly covered the sun and the wind began to howl as a storm of swirling snow covered the land. It was a fierce blizzard but Claudia easily stopped it by putting the wand down. “WOW!” said Craig. “Now, let’s try this!” 12 Not thinking of his promise, Craig picked up the silver horn and blew it. A very loud, low sound filled the palace and was quickly answered by a similar sound from outside! Rushing to the window, the kids were surprised to find many different kinds of whales swimming in a canal beside the palace. “What is your emergency, Your Majesties?” asked a humpback whale. “Oh, sorry,” said Craig. “We didn’t know what this horn was for and just wanted to try it out. We don’t have an emergency.” The whales were not very happy about being called for no reason and asked them to not use the horn unless they really needed to. As Queen Claudia and King Craig watched the whales swim away, two huge polar bears suddenly burst into the room. “Your Majesties,” they said, “Can you help us? We were traveling with our cub when a snow storm came out of nowhere and separated us. Now she’s lost!” “Oh no!” said Claudia. “I made the storm with the wand. I didn’t know that would happen.” Just then, the Travel Bug popped out from under Craig’s hood. “Sorry,” it said, “I must have fallen sleep. What did I miss?” The kids quickly explained all that had happened. “It’s my fault the cub is lost,” added Claudia. “I should not have played with the crystal wand.” 13 “But we’re going to do everything we can to make it right,” declared Craig, and they climbed onto the backs of the waiting polar bears. The search began and after a while the group came to the igloo home of an Eskimo family. Craig asked if they’d seen the missing cub. “Oh, yes,” replied the rosy-cheeked mother. “She ran by, headed toward the ocean. You’d better hurry—the ice has been melting fast and a piece she is on could easily break off and float away!” The polar bears raced to the edge of the ocean, where Craig and Claudia got down and looked. “There!” Claudia shouted and pointed across the cold sea. “She’s floating away on a chunk of ice!” Without hesitating, the powerful bears jumped into the water and swam after her. It was a long and tiring swim and when they finally reached their cub the bears realized that they would not be able to swim back. They were all going to float away! King Craig saw the danger and had an idea. He still had the silver horn! After a long blast, the whales came and Craig asked them to line up head to tail to make a bridge with their bodies so the polar bears could walk all the way back to land. Once the bears were safe and had thanked everyone for their help, Queen Claudia and King Craig said to them, “We can see that being King and Queen is not about fun and games but about keeping promises, taking responsibility for wrong choices, and fixing mistakes. Ruling is a lot harder than we thought, but your ability to be responsible for your cub has shown us that you would be good at it. Will you take these crowns and be the King and Queen of the Arctic?” The polar bears accepted and promised to rule with responsibility, fairness, and kindness. “You’ve made a wise choice,” said the Travel Bug. “And that means we are also free to travel to our next destination. I can promise you it’s going to be a warm one!” The kids called for the Bubble, ready to explore and learn about another exciting place. 14 15 Story 9 The Rain of Togetherness “The strength of many can do great things.” High above a vast African plain, the adventuring travelers were gazing at the miles of stunning land around them when, out of nowhere, a bolt of orange lightning flashed to the ground. Immediately, a small fire sprang up and several animals rushed to stamp it out, but a majestic lion chased them away, roaring, “I can put out the fire by myself!” He took a deep breath and blew on the little flames, but instead of going out, they flared up into a raging wildfire that began burning uncontrollably. “Help!” cried the lion. He was trapped in the fiery blaze! The Bubble floated down to him against the scorching heat and Craig and Claudia shouted, “Quick, jump in here with us!” After leaping into the Bubble, the lion said, “Thank you! My name is Aminu. I’ve always been able to blow out grass fires by myself, but this different. I don’t know what to do!” “I know who can help!” exclaimed the Travel Bug. It directed the Bubble through the smoke-filled sky to a cluster of thick trees, and they landed next to a wavy, purple tent. Immediately, a beautiful woman wearing a brightly-colored dress, matching head-wrap, and a stunning beaded necklace with a mystical gem came out and greeted, “Jambo! Welcome Friends! What do you seek from the Wise Woman Azadeh?” Aminu stepped forward and told of the dangerous fire raging across the plain. 17 A moment later, an animal with a ringed tail and large eyes began crooning in a nearby jungle tree. A lemur! Claudia asked if it would share the Strength of its singing to help make Pamoja Rain. The lemur nodded and sang wholeheartedly as the dazzling light from the necklace sprung forth again to transform and collect the beautiful song. Suddenly, thick smoke filled the air as wicked orange flames devoured the grass behind them. “Hurry, go south!” Craig shouted and used the compass to direct the Bubble to a giant river filled with hippos and flamingos where they jumped out. Heading toward the water, they passed two lizards who were deeply in love and, after asking permission, gathered the Strength of their love into the magic necklace. “Now for the hippo’s yawn,” said Aminu, looking at a large branch hanging above a hippo in the river. After the kids climbed up to the branch, Claudia noticed a leopard resting on a limb above them. “Hello,” she called to the leopard. “We are gathering Strengths of the animals together to stop the Evil Fire, which will soon burn its way here!” Flicking her tail, the leopard said, “My name is Salle and I love my spots, my Strength, but the fire must be put out or it will destroy us all. Please take whatever you need.” As the necklace light shone out, Craig, who hadn’t been paying attention, was taken by surprise and slipped on the branch! Reaching for him, Claudia lost her balance, too, and they both hung by their fingertips above a churning river of wild hippos! 18 19 Finally finding a large herd, Aminu spoke to the elephants who agreed to stomp and wave their trunks so that the Strength of their dance could be joined together with the Strengths already given. “Hold on, we’ll save you!” shouted several monkeys as they swung over and rescued the kids. “Thanks!” said Claudia and Craig. “If you weren’t here, we might have fallen into the river and been swept away!” “It was close!” replied a monkey. “But when monkeys are around there’s always a good chance of getting out of danger.” “Oh, ‘monkey’s chance!” exclaimed Craig and he quickly told about the raging fire and Pamoja Rain. Beneath the branch, a listening hippo asked if he also could give something to help. Then the group zoomed west, back to where the Baya Fire raged, destroying everything in its path. Aminu quickly jumped down and roared with all his might. Blinding white light flared from the necklace, gathered the roar, then shot straight up into the sky and flashed like lighting. Instantly, a cool wind rose up and sheets of heavy rain poured onto the consuming fire, quenching its flames and stopping its destruction. “The Rain of Togetherness!” shouted the kids. “By everyone giving their special Strength, we were all able to stop the evil and change the fate of the land—Together!” As Claudia, Craig, and the Travel Bug were celebrating with the animals below, a sudden gust of wind from the rainstorm slammed into the Bubble, spinning it away to the coastline. Then, in a moment of horror, they were struck by lightning and fell uncontrollably from the sky into the dark depths of the sea. “Yes!” Claudia said. “A yawn.” As the hippo opened its huge mouth and gave its biggest yawn, the magic light came to life once again and collected the shared Strengths of monkey and hippo. “Two more!” called the Travel Bug as the group got back into the Bubble. Craig checked the compass and directed them eastward. Flying through the air, they could feel the searing heat from the hot flames and frantically searched for an elephant. 20 21 Story 10 Into the Deep “Sharing is caring.” Beneath glistening, sun-kissed waves, the three traveling friends were trapped on the ocean floor. The lightning-struck Bubble would not move, and they couldn’t hold their breath long enough to swim to the surface. “Don’t worry,” the Travel Bug announced. “It should work again if we just say—” “Wait,” Craig suddenly blurted out. “Look over there!” He pointed to a lone angelfish swimming very slowly through the deep blue water. “That’s strange,” said Claudia. “Angelfish are supposed to be quick swimmers.” The group also noticed that the fish’s bright, colorful scales had turned gray and droopy. As it swam over a gray coral bed which was lifeless and crumbling away, the kids instantly saw what was wrong. The fish and coral were sick! They were wondering how to help them when, without warning, a long-haired man riding a giant colorful fish whooshed by. He gave a friendly wink, then looped a slippery seaweed rope around the Bubble and took off through the water at a very fast speed! 22 It was a wild ride and in no time, he had pulled them right into the heart of a glorious underwater city filled with mermaids, sea creatures, and, surprisingly, lots of amazing treasure chests! “Welcome to MerSea!” said the man. “The most compassionate city in the world. I’m Wilson, and this is my fish-pal, Pierce. Here, eat these PlinkPods and you’ll be able to breathe underwater like me!” He grabbed three lime-colored seeds from a pouch around his neck and tossed them into the Bubble. The travelers ate the crunchy gift and hesitantly stepped out into the wet world. Much to their amazement, the water was warm and light, making it fun and easy to swim. After a little playing around, they followed Wilson into a tall, spiraled tower. Surprisingly, it was full of sick sea creatures, just like the coral and angelfish they saw before. Dozens of mermaids were swimming around, trying to take care of them all, but there were too many needing help. A graceful mermaid with flowing hair and a sparkling green tail named Mira welcomed the visitors. “The City of MerSea is a very special place,” she explained, “where anything sick or hurt can come and be taken care of. But a new horrible sickness caused by pollution of garbage and grime is sweeping across the ocean. It drains color, crumbles coral, and destroys scales. Too many have been affected, and we are overwhelmed.” Craig and Claudia felt a strong desire to help and asked what they could do. 24 “Well,” said Mira. “There is a legend about a Healing Pearl which cures whatever it touches. Long ago, a great war was fought over who would control this remarkable power, but in the end, the pearl was lost so no one was able to use it. We’ve been searching the ocean and even checking sunken treasure chests but haven’t found it.” The three adventurers quickly asked Mira to look in their treasure chest, too. While she and Claudia dug through the gold coins and jeweled objects, Craig, Wilson, and the Travel Bug opened the Magic Travel Book and found a passage about the lost pearl. It said: The Healing Pearl rests in the Ocean’s Deepest Place, and is guarded by a fierce and terrible Sea Monster. “What are we waiting for?” Wilson exclaimed. “I can handle any old sea monster!” Mira smiled at her brave friend but sadly stated that they didn’t know how to find the deepest place. “But we know!” shouted Claudia and Craig, holding up the Yak-Yak. “We can share our depth finder with you! It will tell us where the deepest part is!” Excitedly, Wilson jumped onto Pierce and pulled Claudia, Craig, and the Travel Bug up behind him. The entire group made their way to the edge of the sand, where the ocean bottom dropped away into deep darkness. To light the way, Mira handed everyone a glowing crystal, then led them down into the watery world of midnight. 25 Quick as a wink, Mira and Claudia were at their sides, and the four of them swam up as fast as they could. But the Sea Monster rushed forward and was about to snatch them when Wilson and Pierce zoomed in. Everyone grabbed onto the fish and were rocketed away, leaving the danger far behind. The Yak-Yak steadily beeped as they descended. The farther they went, the colder it got, and the stranger things became! There were tiny jellyfish flashing in rainbow colors and terrifying fish with large needle-like teeth. At one point, Craig spied a gigantic, scary tentacle slide past them, but no one else saw it. When they finally reached the muddy sea floor, the Yak-Yak’s beeps sped up, signaling their arrival to the Deepest Place in the Ocean. All was silent in the cold, still water until a pair of glaring red eyes appeared out of the darkness. The Sea Monster! With the body of an enormous serpent and hundreds of snapping clawed limbs, the terrible creature lunged at the group. Claudia and Craig, who were frozen with fear, tumbled off Pierce as several claws stretched toward them. “Hurry!” Wilson yelled. “Everyone look for the pearl while I distract the monster!” He raced upward and the dangerous creature followed, its powerful jaws opened wide. As the Travel Bug scurried out of the way of the monstrous tail, it tripped on something sticking out of the mud. It was the pearl! It dug it out and tossed it to Craig, who shouted, “Let’s get out of here!” When they returned safe and sound to MerSea, Craig gave the Healing Pearl to Mira. “Thank you so much for caring,” said Mira. “And for your willingness to share the healing power of this magic pearl. It’s wonderful that we can help those who are sick from pollution, but it would be even better if polluting the ocean would stop altogether.” “We just have to keep trying,” the travelers answered. “Change can happen. Until then, we’re always happy to give what we can because sharing is caring!” “And I wish we could share in another exciting adventure,” said Claudia, stepping into the broken Bubble. “That’s easy to fix,” said the Travel Bug. “Just say, ‘Zuhma Zoom!’” At the sound of the magic words, the Bubble immediately came to life and rose toward the surface with only Claudia and the treasure chest inside it! “Where’s it going?” panicked Craig. “I think I know,” said the Travel Bug. “Wilson, can you give us a speedy ride to the coast of India?” “Why is it going to India?” Craig asked. The Travel Bug replied, “For the elephants, of course.” 26 27 Story 11 India: The Festival of Elephants “Speak the truth, no matter what.” A blazing hot sun shone down on Claudia as she stood by the silvery lake, waiting for her friends to appear. All of a sudden, a giant yellowfish popped up from the water with three passengers on its back—Craig, the Travel Bug, and Wilson, their friend from the underwater city of MerSea. “Thanks for the ride to India, Wilson,” said Craig as he and the Travel Bug hopped from the fish onto shore. “Are you sure you can’t go exploring with us?” Wilson looked around. The travelers were standing on an emerald-green island in the middle of a deep, clear lake. Behind them was a magnificent palace made of dazzling white marble. “This is a beautiful and exotic place,” he said, “but I have to get back home. Farewell, Friends.” With a final wave, Wilson and his fish dived under the water and zipped away. A moment later, a large door of the palace boomed open. Four guards rushed out and said, “The Grand Maharaja saw you come out of the lake and wishes to know who you are. Please follow us.” Curiously, the three travelers went with the guards through the palace gates and past a courtyard filled with sparkling fountains and prancing peacocks. At last they came to a large hall decorated in cream and crimson silks. In the middle of the floor was a long table covered in golden dishes and deliciouslooking food. 28 “Namaste,” greeted a young man who was seated on an enormous pillow at the head of the table. “I am the Maharaja, Prince of this land. Who are you?” “We’re the Adventure Kids,” said Claudia, “And this is our Travel Bug. We are exploring the world to learn about new places and cultures.” The Maharaja invited them to sit down and asked if they liked magic. Craig and Claudia said they did, so the Indian Prince clapped his hands and a thin man wearing an oversized turban entered the room. “This is my Royal Advisor, Achu,” said the Prince, “He has a magic turban and can do incredible things. Show us a trick, Achu!” Achu rolled up his sleeves, waved his hands over an empty plate on the table, and said, “Shan-Khar-Shu, fill this plate with food!” Instantly, a pile of fresh figs appeared on the plate, and Craig and Claudia clapped their hands in delight. “Now, Friends,” said the Maharaja. “What magic do you know?” “We can’t do magic like that,” said Craig. “But we have a Yak-Yak that can do all kinds of things.” He held up his wrist to show the Prince a woven spider’s silk wristband with a large round face on it. “It is a translator, compass, watch, depth finder, star identifier, and it can measure distances,” explained Claudia. 30 Interested, the Prince asked for a closer look when a messenger came in and announced it was time for his majesty to get ready for the Festival of Elephants and his wedding celebration afterward. “Ah, yes!” said the Maharaja. “You’ve come on a very important day!” He explained that the Festival of Elephants was celebrated every year, but this year was the most important. He was finally going to marry the beautiful Bride that had been chosen for him since his birth. “She will be my Queen, my Best Friend, and my Advisor,” beamed the Maharaja. “I must get ready, but perhaps Achu can take you to see the royal gardens!” Achu agreed and brought Claudia, Craig, and the Travel Bug to another part of the palace overflowing with exotic jungle trees, trickling streams, and lots and lots of flowers. Immediately, the Travel Bug spied a banana tree and scurried away to sample the fresh fruit. Craig and Claudia were walking past a wooden bridge when they heard a shrill sound. It was coming from a lovely pink frog! The Yak-Yak automatically translated. “Please help me!” said the frog. “I’m the Bride who is supposed to marry the Maharaja today! Last night, that evil Achu captured me from my village and turned me into a frog. He’s afraid that after we’re married, the Maharaja won’t need him as Advisor anymore.” 31 “We’ve got to tell the Prince right away!” exclaimed Claudia and Craig. “Not so fast!” came a sneering voice right behind them. It was Achu! “You better not tell anyone what you heard,” he threatened. “Or I will use my magic turban to change you into weasels and throw you to the cobras!” Craig and Claudia were frightened by what Achu said. They wanted to tell the truth, but they didn’t want to be turned into weasels. As they wondered about what they should do, a parade of richly decorated elephants lumbered past. Music began to play and performers began to dance. The festival was starting! Dressed in royal robes and sparkling jewels, the Maharaja smiled and waved to the kids as he rode by on a humungous elephant. Claudia remembered how excited the Prince was for his wedding, and she suddenly knew what to do. “It doesn’t matter if we were told to keep quiet,” she said to Craig. “We need to speak the truth, no matter what!” Quickly snatching up the pink frog, she and Craig ran toward the Maharaja’s elephant, shouting for him to stop. “Oh no you don’t!” yelled Achu, who began to wave his hands at them. “Tik-Tav-Teasels But before he could finish the spell, the Travel Bug leaped from a banana tree, grabbed the magic turban off Achu’s head, and threw it into a blast of flames shooting from the mouth of a nearby fire-breather! The turban and all its spells were instantly destroyed, allowing the frog in Claudia’s hand to transform back into a radiant Bride. “What’s going on?” asked the shocked Prince. Claudia and Craig quickly explained all that the wicked Advisor had done. Angrily, the Prince banished Achu from the Kingdom. As a gesture of their lasting love, the Bride and Groom grasped hands. They thanked the honest travelers for their help and wanted to give them a reward. “Actually,” Claudia said, “we’d like to give you something—a wedding present!” She and Craig shouted “Zuhma Zoom!” and when the Bubble appeared they pulled two glittering gold and ruby goblets from their treasure chest. The royal couple gratefully accepted the gift, then the Bride asked, “Is that a Magic Travel Bubble? I heard stories about them from elders in my village. Long ago, there was a mystical place filled with Travel Bubbles and many other magical things.” “Let’s go to the past and see them!” said Craig, eagerly hopping into the Bubble. Claudia and their Travel Bug followed and waved goodbye as red sparks began spinning around them. Magically, they were transported into the past. Turn them into—” 32 33 Story 14 Exploring the Cosmos: A Visit to Agape “All you need is love.” Shooting through the starry cosmos in their Travel-Bubble-turned-Spaceship, the exploring friends were staring out the windows in astonishment at the vast universe around them. Using the star identifier on the Yak-Yak, Claudia, Craig, and the Travel Bug were having fun calling out names of the planets and stars they passed when something strange happened. At the same time, all three adventurers heard a gentle voice—not through their ears, but in their minds. It said, “To everyone in the universe who feels lost, alone, tired, sick, or afraid: You are invited to the paradise planet of Agape where you will find peace, safety, and healing from all your troubles.” Curious to know if such a wonderful place really existed, the group wasted no time in using the Yak-Yak’s star identifier to guide the spaceship to the fascinating planet. When they arrived at Agape, they could not believe their eyes. In all their adventuring, Craig and Claudia had never seen any place as beautiful as this. Shimmering rainbows made from colors they could not even describe arched across valleys of ever-blooming flowers. Humongous multi-colored vegetables, which happened to be the best tasting food in all the universe, grew in abundance throughout the land. And the warm, sweet air filled the travelers with energy and joy, causing them to glow with golden light. But above all, the most amazing feature of the planet was the enormous mixture of the cosmic beings who lived here. Some had fur, some had scales. Some were as big as a tree, some were as small as a thumb. Some had many arms, some had wings! Even though they were very different from each other, they were all remarkably able to live together in peace and harmony! 34 While the explorers were gazing at the incredible sights, a lovely, smiling being who was part fish and part human swam through the air toward them! Surprisingly, the same warm gentle voice they had heard in space filled their minds again. “Hello, welcome to Agape, where the Golden Rule rules. My name is Yarra.” “Hello, Yarra,” Craig and Claudia happily thought back. They were thrilled at being able to use this ThoughtTalk. By being able to speak with their minds instead of their mouths, they didn’t need the Yak-Yak to translate languages anymore! “We’re the Adventure Kids and the Travel Bug from Earth. We heard your message and wanted to see this extraordinary place for ourselves. Can you tell us more about it?” “Certainly,” agreed Yarra. “I will use ThoughtTalk to share my memories with you.” Instantly in their minds, the adventurous guests saw a water-covered planet called Goblib that was filled with beings like Yarra. Incredibly, they could swim in the water and in the air! The beings had discovered a rare fish on Goblib named Loti. She had the power to make dreams come true! But many of the beings’ hearts were not filled with Love. Instead of having Loti make good dreams come true, they used her power to make terrible dreams come to life—dreams of war, greediness, and hate. Yarra was heartbroken by the evilness, so she rescued Loti and they escaped from Goblib to Agape. “There was nobody living on this beautiful planet when we arrived,” thought Yarra. “So I began to dream that it could be a perfect world full of Love.” She paused to smile at Loti who was floating beside her. “Loti used her powers to make my dream come true! Then we 36 sent a message into the cosmos, inviting everyone who needed Love to come and experience this dreamworld of Agape that is ruled only by the Golden Rule!” “What’s the Golden Rule?” Claudia asked in her mind. Yarra replied, “To show Love to everyone and everything around you at all times by treating them the way you want to be treated yourself.” “That sounds wonderful!” Craig and Claudia thought. “We want to live by the Golden Rule, too!” The Travel Bug used ThoughtTalk and reminded them of their past adventures—how they were brave, persistent, compassionate, helpful, friendly, and accepting toward everyone they met. “You already live by the Golden Rule!” it told them. “Because Love is the power behind all your actions!” The kids were excited by the Travel Bug’s words and felt eager to share more of the Love inside them with others. Yarra was pleased and suggested they meet some others who felt the same way. “Everyone is welcome to come to Agape,” she explained. “But it is not meant to be a permanent home. Once beings feel whole and are filled with so much Love they want to share it, they must go back to their own planets to spread the Love around. Let’s meet some of them.” 37 She led them toward two graceful beings with long robes and faces like frogs. “Greetings!” Craig said to them. “We are aliens from earth. Where are you from?” “We are Meep and Veep,” said the beings. “We left planet Zotrim because a terrible war broke out, destroying the land and hurting the people. But we’re ready to return and use what we’ve learned on Agape to help bring about peace and safety.” Another couple shook hands with the adventurers. They looked like humans except for their super large brains, which made them very smart. “We left Delb,” they said with ThoughtTalk. “It is a planet where everybody lies and cheats. But because of the Love inside of us, we want to go back and inspire others to be honest and fair.” “My home planet is Miro,” piped up another alien who was tall and thin with long shiny wings hanging down its sides. “The beings on Miro are supposed to be very strong, but I was not born that way. My family tried to force me to find my strength, but I could never carry the heavy loads I was supposed to. They became ashamed of me and left me alone. I ran away into the cosmos and was sad and lonely until I came to Agape. Here, I learned how to love myself for who I am, and I want to go home and spread that message to others. But, what happens if those on our home planets won’t listen to us?” Yarra replied, “You just have to remember the strength of Love that is within yourselves and keep trying. You can make a difference no matter where you go. All you need is Love!” Craig and Claudia had an idea. They raced to their spaceship and brought out the special treasure chest they had found many adventures ago. As their new friends gathered to watch, the kids began picking out large sparkling jewels and passing them around. “Loti,” Craig ThoughtTalked, “would you make mine and Claudia’s dream come true by filling these jewels with different expressions of Love? That way, whoever holds one can feel the kind of strength they need to spread Love throughout the cosmos.” Loti was happy to, and used her power to put Love for People, Love for Animals, Love for the Environment, Friendship, Acceptance, and Compassion into the shining jewels. Everyone who was ready took some jewels filled with Love and, after being blessed by Yarra with a Kiss of Good Will, returned to their home planets to be a Light to all. “How about you?” Yarra asked the thoughtful travelers. “Will you be returning to Earth?” The three looked at their spaceship, then up to the moons above Agape. There was still so much of the universe to explore! Yarra smiled in understanding and wished the travelers the best as they boarded their spaceship and blasted off for more adventures in the stars. “No matter where you go,” she thought to them, “I know you will make everyone’s lives better because in the end, “All You Need Is Love.” 40 41 ADVENTURE KIDS CREATIVE TEAM Claudia is an award-winning artist and designer living in Australia. Her publications include renderings of classic fairy tales and romanticized world histories. The imaginary, the exotic, and plenty of color for color’s sake make up the foundations of her creations. Dr. Parker received his doctorate in Clinical and Child Psychology from Vanderbilt University. Following the presentation of his dissertation on the subject of child motivation, he continued his research and clinical practice during his tenure at Florida State University and The Graduate Center, The City University of New York. Ronald K. Parker, Ph.D. Editor For the U.S Office of Early Childhood Development, in Washington, D.C., he headed a task force of 60 child development experts to develop manuals for national use in infant, preschool, and after-school daycare. Dr. Parker was also a member of the original research team for Sesame Street and Big Blue Marble, and his weekly syndicate column “Your Child” was presented in over 200 newspapers. Inspired by his years of research and practice, Dr. Parker set out to create a unique interactive book in which both children and parents can take part in the storytelling and learning. His goal as editor of Adventure Kids is to serve as a catalyst for the artist, writer, creative director, and designer to produce a fun and inspirational book series which promotes active learning, moral teachings, and a spirit of adventure. An air of genuine wonder and innocent endearment radiates from each of her magical paintings, inspiring viewers to re-explore precious times past, childhood joys, and the whimsy of human imagination. Claudia Artist For over 20 years Lelis has been a creative designer operating out of the Philippines. A master of print and book design, his incredible talent and insight have been essential in creating the visually exciting format of Adventure Kids, which is sure to be enjoyed by grownups and children everywhere. Jesus Lelis, Jr. Designer Jenna is the first place prizewinner of the 2017 PaPA annual search for creative writers of children’s books contest. By assuming the roles of mother by day, writer by night, Jenna has been able to use her daily parentchild interactions to fully grasp the unique vision for the Adventure Kids series and bring it to life through the use of her fanciful imagination and love for language arts. She and her daughter live in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Yvonne grew up in a family of artists in Europe and moved to the U.S. in 1985. She studied design at the New York School of Interior Design and is an accomplished artist and designer. She has visited over 75 countries in the world as an art consultant. Yvonne S. Parker Creative Director 42 As Creative Director of the Adventure Kids series, Yvonne is responsible for coordinating and managing the creative talent of the artist, author, and designer. Having served as publisher and Creative Director of Parker and Parker Press for many years, she has published dozens of books on contemporary artists. Jenna Fowls Author 43 Adventure Kids: Stories of Travel, Magic & Sharing is an exciting children’s book series where learning abounds and the fun never stops! The paintings by Claudia represent the best in fantasy, imagination, and creativity in children’s books. Filled with enchanting illustrations, memorable characters, and impactful life lessons, each story is sure to leave a lasting, positive impression on both readers and listeners alike! Don’t miss out on a single Adventure! Book 2: The Adventures continue as Claudia, Craig, and the Travel Bug find themselves exploring fascinating new places from the freezing Arctic to exotic India, and finally going where no Adventure Kid had gone before—the galactic cosmos! Join the fun as the Adventure Kids discover the importance of working together, helping those in need, and the ultimate power of love!