World Cruise by Whale E-Book

Peter van Wermeskerken

• Herausgeber: WS
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: Mike & Alex
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 156

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

"If this book is on the school's book selection list, all children will choose this book," writes one reader. "It is exciting; they learn to solve problems; they develop an understanding of animals and our world. In short, it offers them, but also adults, so much. Therefore, it's not surprising that the number of 5-star reviews increases every week.

Mike & Alex is a series of children's books for children aged 6-12. Several schools in Holland have part of the book chosen for comprehensive reading. We've accounted for the age at which children start to read, using a clear and somewhat larger font and ample line spacing. The educational aspect of the three interconnected stories is largely in the description of the animals' life behavior but also in the explanations and maps of different places in the world. The 'entertainment' factor is a key component, with engaging topics like cleaning the seas and a captivating method of description. This approach has been well-received in my first book, 'Double Spy, an autobiography', published in 2014.
In this book, the French bunny Jean-Pierre finds our main characters. Mike is a giant rabbit, and Alex is a large wild boar. They have helped animals many times when they were suffering from human behavior. In this book, for example, they help whale Wally get rid of a harpoon in his back. As a thank you, Wally offers them a world cruise with him. It is luxuriously furnished for this purpose. Once on their journey, they are called upon to do something against the whalers at the South Pole. They notice that they have made the whales angry. Then the tuna come to Puck and Evert to complain about all the people's dirt in the world's oceans. Our friends devise a solution for this, where the garbage is deposited back on people's doorsteps.

Leseprobe

Mike and Alex

Part 3

The Big Salt Water

by Peter van Wermeskerken

Author: Peter van Wermeskerken ©

Cover and illustrations: Dara Oladejo, Nigeria

Editor: Jack Turner, UK

Edition: P&M Publishers, July 2024

ISBN-13:

Email: [email protected]

Copyright:

Mike & Alex is a work of fiction. This book is for your enjoyment only. You should not copy, resell, or redistribute it in any way. This would only harm the writer-publisher who created it through much work and expense. Contact the author, and he can personalize the story for you. That way, you will have a unique book! This service has a cost, but that may be discussed.

Table of Contents

The Big Salt Water

Chapter 1

At the edge of the Great Salt Water

Chapter 2

The harpoon is removed from Wally

Chapter 3

Even Mike gets hurt

Chapter 4

A world tour inside Wally the Whale

Chapter 5

Turtle Mordegay causes a delay

Chapter 6

“Whale-Hotel” Wally

An expensive lesson for the whalers

Chapter 7

The hunt for the whalers

Chapter 8

The whalers grow pale for fear

Chapter 9

Never anger a whale...

Chapter 10

Mission accomplished; party time!

The Fish Clean Their Ocean

Chapter 11

Cleaning up the seas

Chapter 12

Mike and Bruno get camera eyes

Chapter 13

Women's talk amongst the lady octopuses

Chapter 14

The Fisch clean their ocean

The Author, Peter van Wermeskerken

More from this Publisher

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Chapter 1

At the edge of the Great Salt Water

It was a lovely walk through the dunes, among the tall grass, some bushes scattered here and there. “These are the dunes of Normandy. It’s quiet now that summer is over, but in the summer months, it’s full of people making noise,” Jean-Pierre, the guide, told Mike and Alex. Like Mike, Jean-Pierre was a rabbit but needed four hops, and Mike got by with one. For this reason, the French bunny soon grew tired.

“We know all about the noise people make. It’s awful!” said Alex. “We’ve already had the opportunity twice before to help those two-legged beasts quieten down. How we laughed, didn’t we, Mike?” “Yes, we did!” replied Mike. “You know, Jean-Pierre, the first time, we ran through the middle of a party with all the other animals: cows, wolves, rats, foxes, deer, pigs, and boars. You should have seen those two-leggers! They ran back to the farm so quickly, they almost left their shadows behind!”

“What’s a farm?” the French rabbit enquired. “A farmer lives there and cares for his animals: cows, horses, chickens, pigs, and the land...” “Oh, une ferme! Yes, we like to go to those too. You can always find something to eat there. And they often have beet and roots.”

Talking happily like this, they progressed through the dunes. Mike and Alex smelled a fresh, unfamiliar wind. It was not unpleasant. “We are almost at the sea now,” the French dune rabbit told them. “The water of the sea is not very nice. It’s salty.” Mike and Alex glanced confused, but Jean-Pierre continued to chatter. “That’s why we’ll walk to the dune lake first. You can drink as much as you want there. It’s the best water in the world. But we must hurry because we have to get to the sea in time.”

“Why?” asked Alex

“Sometimes the water of the sea is high. That’s what the two leggers call ‘flood.’ Sometime later, the water is low. They call that ‘ebb’. We have to be by the sea at high tide because then I can show you the dolphins playing. It’s so much fun. The dolphins are beautiful animals; you can talk to them.”

A little later, the trio arrived at the dune lake, and Mike and Alex drank from the water to their hearts’ content. It was indeed delicious! The trio went on with their walk. “Oh, Mike, I can hardly keep up with you,” Jean-Pierre complained. “Mike, pick the little one up and put him on my back. It’ll be faster, and he’ll have a better view of where we need to go,” said our not-so-wild boar, Alex.

Now that Jean-Pierre was seated up high, they were managing a quicker pace. However, the French hopper could not shut his mouth for over two seconds. His monologue about the route to follow was peppered with—for Mike and Alex —incomprehensible nonsense about the grandeur of the dunes and the dangers that lurked around them. The friends had already looked at each other and shaken their heads in puzzlement. They were not afraid of anything, as they were big and strong. Besides, they had already experienced a lot, with two-legged creatures, even bigger animals, a very dark forest, and the mountains; they had also learned about nature’s abundance and hunger.

At one point, Mike and Alex couldn’t take it anymore. Mike picked up Jean-Pierre and put him on the ground. “Now, keep your pie hole shut for two seconds! We want to pad along, enjoy nature, and also hear any dangers that might lie ahead.” “You smell danger. You don’t hear it!“ the little Frenchman chimed in. Our friends were getting fed up, so they increased their pace. Of course, Jean-Pierre struggled to match them due to his much smaller legs. The friends enjoyed the quiet at last: the scenery of the dunes and the peculiar, soft, bubbling sound they heard. The French rabbit had told them this came from the sea. Mike and Alex were curious and headed toward the sound, undisturbed by Jean-Pierre’s chatter.

They climbed another dune, reaching the top. Yes! From there, only the sea was as far as the eye could see. They saw that the water moved toward the dunes; it rolled, and at the top, it was white. Then, the water tumbled on top of itself, making the sound they had heard.

Of course, Mike and Alex were curious about the dolphins Jean-Pierre had mentioned. They watched them as they danced happily, leaping gracefully and having fun. With his vast ears, Mike could now hear a large dolphin calling him and Alex by name. He waved. The dolphin responded with a giant leap from the sea's water, and with many splashes, he plunged back into it. “We have to come to the sea’s edge, Alex,” said Mike. “That’s what that big dolphin is saying. He wants to ask us something.”

So the friends walked to the edge of the sea. The dolphins swam close to the beach. “I am Father Matt; I’m here with my family. Mr. Vos and Mr. Lau Vos told us about you, Mike and Alex. That is who you are, right?”

Mike and Alex felt one with nature and deeply connected with the dolphins. Mr. Vos, of

course was Lowie from the Big Animal Forest (see Part 1).

Mike shouted back a reply, but his voice did not rise above the roar of the waves. Alex opened his mouth. “Yes, that’s us!” he echoed across the vast sea.

“We have come to ask you to help us. Our friend Big Wally is very sick. Mr. Fox said you can make him well again.”

Mike told Alex what to call back, “We’re not sure. We’d like to, but we aren’t doctors!”

“Big Wally doesn’t want to see a two-legger, but you look like one because you only have two legs, too! Mr. Fox described you for us: two legs and huge ears. So you must be Mike!”

Mike gave a thumbs up and smiled broadly. Mr. Fox and Mr. Dol-Phin had had a good chat. He liked that; he felt he could trust Matt. “Alex, would you ask Matt who this Big Wally is because I don’t see him? And how is it that he’s sick? And where exactly in the sea is he?”

Father Matt had already understood. So had his children, who were also not stupid, so they spontaneously began to sing a response:

Wally is a Whale, a Whale

He’s so big, you can’t miss him

He’s from a two-leggers boat

He’s been very severely shot

An arrow sticks out of his back

And it sits there very firmly

It sure hurts a lot

So Daddy shouts

to pull that thing out

otherwise, he’ll be dying there,

so please help him out,

how dreadful it is on that sandbank!

The beautiful singing of the two young and adventurous dolphins thrilled Mike and Alex. Even little Jean-Pierre, the youngest of the group, was clapping his front paws in excitement. However, their mother, Mama Dol-Phin, seemed upset. She had always led their choir, but now, with the presence of the land animals, she felt excluded. Their father, noticing her sadness, whispered, “Our children are growing up, my dear, becoming more independent.”

Without warning, Mike dashed up the sandy beach, narrowly avoiding a wave threatening to soak his legs. Alex, being slower than Mike, had soaked his paws. “Hurry, the tide is rising! The sea will soon flood the beach. Are you coming with us? It’s time for you to decide,” Father Dol-Phin called out.

For a moment, Mike and Alex looked at each other. “Yes,” Mike nodded. Alex’s voice echoed over the sea again, “Yes, we’ll go with you, but how do we get there?”

“The boys are coming to get you. They’ll swim up to the beach. When they get stuck on the sand, help them turn toward the sea. Then climb on their backs, and the boys will swim with you back to us when the sea brings more water to the beach. Then the girls will help you transfer to me and Mommy for the big swim to Wally. Okay?”

Mike and Alex sprang into action. They managed to turn Luigi and then Marco towards the sea. Mike helped his less agile friend onto Luigi’s back and smoothly hopped onto Marco. “What unique names you have! Where did they come from?” Alex asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Luigi, you are the older of the two of us, you tell them,” said Marco. “Yes, brother,” replied Luigi. “Well, dearest back-sitters, it’s like this: When Papa and Mama have children, then, of course, they have to give them a name. Well, they choose a name from the country where we happen to be at birth. We were born when they were near Italy.”

“What is that, Italy?” asked Mike.

Marco: “It’s a piece of land that lies past the tip of Africa and Europe where the sea is always nice and warm, but there are many two-leggers there. We are now between France and England; if you go further, you will reach the vast open sea; you can swim nicely and very fast, and we try to jump from one high wave top to another. It’s so much fun!”

Meanwhile, they had reached the other family members. ”Hey! You’re a handsome guy!” one of the girls, who turned out to be named Love, called out to Alex. “Fellows,” Luigi said to his guests, “that girl is always teasing; like her sister, she is a year younger than us, and they were born when we were in Ivory Coast. That’s on this side of Africa, where the two-leggers are black, and it’s even hotter than in Italy. It’s too hot for us, but there’s lots of food.”

Papa Dol-Phin explained how the switch from the boys’ backs to his and Mama’s was supposed to go. “First, Mike will switch from Marco to Mama. Michelle, you will lie between Mama and your brother very rigidly. And Love, you will keep watch! In case of emergency, you will be the rescuer!” “What about you, Dad?” cried the cheeky daughter. “Young lady, you’re too cheeky! You know I’m the captain. Be quiet, and do as I say!”

Mike jumped onto Mama Dol-Phin’s back with ease. Cautiously, Mike the Rabbit jumped onto the girl dolphin’s back and, from there, quickly jumped onto her mother’s enormous back. Michelle tumbled because she was exhaling when Mike landed on her, so she didn’t have enough air to stay afloat. Her dad burst out laughing at her immaturity. Michelle had learned her lesson!

Alex’s daring transition from Luigi’s back via Michelle’s and on to Papa’s was thrilling! Alex nearly rolled off Luigi’s back. The boar did not go head-under in the sea thanks to Marco’s lightning-fast reaction to dive up between Luigi and Michelle. Marco even managed to get Alex on Michelle's back. The two brothers shared a knowing look as the wild boar sat there recovering, somewhat bewildered. Both understood that they had proven their bravery.

“Say, clumsy boar on our sister’s back, listen carefully. We will jump from the side onto Michelle’s back. She will sink a little into the water, so you’ll get wet paws and maybe a wet belly. But that’s okay. Please pay attention: with our two snouts, we’ll throw you up so you’ll end up on our father’s back. Once you’re on there, you get to sing for us!”

Alex’s initial fear was quickly replaced by excitement as he watched the two young dolphins swim far away. They turned around, and there they came, swimming so speedily! Suddenly, Alex felt the thrill of wet paws, and the next moment, he was soaring through the air. Boing! There, he landed on Papa’s back. For a moment, it seemed like the air was squeezed out of Papa’s lungs by the thump of the massive boar on his back. “Let’s go!” shouted Marco, and together with Luigi, they went swimming ahead to break the waves a little for their parents. With Mike and Alex’s weight on their backs, they couldn't swim as fast as before. The girls swam at the back of the group, watching on, ready to give help if necessary. It was all exactly as agreed upon beforehand, and it was indeed a thrilling adventure.

Alex found it a little tricky on the dolphin’s back. His stomach felt terrible, and his face was splashed with salt water. That was not so fun. He couldn’t see where he was because he had closed his eyes because of the splashing seawater. On the other hand, Mike did not have the same problems. Mama Dol-Phin swam softly, ensuring only a few drops of water splashed upon him. Occasionally, her back slipped under the water, so his lower body got wet, but he held on tight to Mama’s dorsal fin.

Suddenly, one of the boys called out, “There’s Wally! I’ll go quickly to him.” Luigi darted off to Wally. How happy Wally was to see the young dolphin! With the severe pain in his back, Wally had reached the sandbank with the help of Father Dol-Phin. The sandbank lay in a tranquil spot in Cardigan Bay.

When Father Matt came across the seriously injured Wally, he accompanied him to the sandbank at Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales. It is a tranquil place, where the difference between high tide (flood) and low tide (ebb) is about 6 meters. “This way, you’ll be washed with enough water twice a day to stay fresh,” Matt had said. Matt also said he had heard about two land animals who always managed to solve problems for other animals. That’s why he swam to Normandy, France, with his family. He had asked the dune rabbit Jean-Paul to look for the land animals there. Matt, his wife, and children were overjoyed that their teamwork and efforts had paid off in finding Mike and Alex, a testament to the power of unity and cooperation.

“Hello Luigi, are your father and mother coming too? And are the land animals there?

“Yes, Wally, everyone is coming. Now, we are going to make you all better.

Fifteen minutes later, the family arrived at Wally’s sandbank with the strange cargo on Papa and Mama’s backs. The whale wanted to sing to them, but it hurt so much with the harpoon in his back that after a few seconds, he couldn't continue.

Alex watched as Mama Dol-Phin swam very close to the sandbar on which Wally lay. Part of the whale's belly was in the water. When Mama lay almost still, he saw how his friend stood up. Indeed, the giant rabbit leaped! Right on the sand, but oh no! Mike almost slipped into the water. Sassy Michelle reacted quickly to push the rabbit with her snout and ploof! There he was, next to Wally. Alex could hardly contain his laughter. Was Mike a big, strong rabbit? He looked like a little toy next to that whale's huge belly.

“Now we have to get you on that sandbank, big strong boar!” shouted Father Matt Dol-Phin. “You have to get off my back on the left side so that you can reach the sand. Then take a good gulp of air because you'll probably fall into the water. The girls will give you a push to get back on the sand.

Alex didn't like the thought of falling into the foul-tasting salt water. But the girls were there, ready to help him. “Go!” roared Father Dol-Phin. Alex hesitated and hesitated again. When Papa swam again past the landing site, Alex hopped. But he missed Father Dol-Phin completely and landed straight in the water! Alex was startled, coughing, his mouth full of seawater, when he suddenly felt himself being lifted. He opened his eyes momentarily as he felt the wind rushing past his face. “Now I'll get ground under my feet again!” Alex thought. But, splash, he fell straight back into the water, then was tossed up into the air, back into the water, and into the air again. “What on earth was going on?” he wondered before realizing that he had become a toy for the girls, and the boys were also joining in. The girls threw Alex into the air with their snouts towards the boys, who dropped him in the water and lifted him onto their noses to toss him at the girls.

But that was not what they had come here for! Alex was not a toy; he and Mike had to get that harpoon out of Wally's back! Angry Papa Dol-Phin yelled, “Children, kindly deposit Alex onto the sand; he is not your toy!” Hearing their father’s words, Michelle and her sister swam to the sandbar with Alex on their snout.

Then the young lady dolphins flung their heads forward momentarily, and Alex rolled through the water and onto the sand!

Protesting, he got to his feet. His little ears shook from the laughter of Big Wally. The next moment, he felt his friend put a paw around his shoulder. “I'm glad you're back with me safe and sound,” said Mike. That was a lovely, reassuring thing to hear.

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