By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Chapter One
The Whale Needs Help!
A boy and girl
went out to play
beside the sea
one sunny day.
A castle built,
with yellow sand;
fit for a prince,
it was so grand!
As Poppy and
her brother played,
young Odi laughed
at what they’d made.
“It needs a moat,”
he said. Then ran
down to the sea
to fill his pan.
Not far away
beneath the sea
a mermaid watched
and smiled with glee.
She called the whale,
the dolphin, too,
and then she said,
“We’ve things to do.”
“Our friend, the whale,
came up to me,
and in his mouth--
(he let me see)
a broken tooth--
Now, there’s no doubt
it gives him pain
and wants it out!”
“Two children on
the beach today--
a boy and girl
who’ve come to play.
I’ll ask them if
they’ll help our friend
and then perhaps
his pain will end.”
The dolphin frowned,
the shark looked grim.
They asked her if
the kids could swim!
‘’Of course, they swim!’
The mermaid said.
“I’ve watched them from
the ocean bed.”
“But underneath
the sea, they’ll drown!”
The dolphin said,
and gave a frown.
The shark agreed.
“But there must be
a way to breathe
beneath the sea.”
The mermaid thought—
she searched her brain.
Then suddenly
she smiled again!
“We’ll ask the queen!”
she told the pair.
“She’ll know how we
can take them there.”
Then off she swam
to find the queen,
far deeper than
she’d ever been.
The light was dim,
the sea was black,
but on she swam,
no turning back.
Continued….
Interesting facts about toothed whales:
Not all whales have teeth. Those that do, possess a varying number depending on the individual species. Some kinds of whales only have one or two teeth, while others might have 240 teeth or even more. Dental patterns can vary. Some toothed whales have teeth in both their upper and lower jaws. Orca whales, beaked whales and sperm whales are just three of the many whales that have teeth.
| Author Notes |
Another children's story written with Robert Zimmerman's cube 16 format.
I'm writing this poem/colouring book for two grandchildren of a dear friend of mine, Alexis Leach. Some of you might remember her as she is a member on here but hasn't posted for years. Poppy and Odi will have to go and help a whale who has a broken tooth. He wants them to take it out! But they have to be able to go under the water to help him. There will be a few challenges for them for overcome. I hope you enjoy reading it. I'll be writing this one as I edit Betrayal! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Story so far. A mermaid's friend has a toothache, and it's so bad he needs to have it pulled. None of the sea creatures know how to do it, so the mermaid wants two children to come and help. First, she has to ask the Queen if there is a way the children can breathe under water. Then she must ask the children if they will come and help her. The thing is, her friend is a killer whale!
Chapter Two
Poppy and Odi Meet the Mermaid
The queen was sat
upon her throne,
with no one near--
she was alone.
The mermaid told
her of their plight.
“How can they breathe,
and be alright?”
The thoughtful queen
said, “There might be
one way to breathe
beneath the sea.
“All plants hold air--
make bubbles, too!”
The mermaid laughed,
“That’s right, they do!”
The mermaid queen
then said, “Beware;
the bubbles must
be held with care.
“But once they’re placed
upon each head
the bubbles will
turn hard,” she said.
*****
When Odi went
to fill his pail,
he thought he saw
a mermaid’s tail!
He called out loud,
“Hey, look out there!”
And Poppy came,
to stand and stare.
The mermaid swam
and stopped close by.
She told them both
the reason why
she’d come to them
and stopped their play.
“You see, my friend
needs help today!”
She sighed, and then
once more she spoke.
“The problem is
the whale’s tooth broke.
“We’ve asked some fish,
sea bass and trout,
but none knew how
to pull it out!”
Then Poppy walked
close to the shore.
This mermaid she
could not ignore!
“What can we do?
Our hands are small;
I’m sure we’ll be
no help at all!”
“Please, come and try
to pull his tooth.
He’d be so pleased--
and that’s the truth!
"He’s such a sweet,
and gentle whale.
Don't be afraid
that you might fail.”
Then Odi’s eyes
grew big and wide.
“Does that mean we
must climb inside?”
He didn’t want
to be a snack.
Once in its mouth--
could they get back!?
Continued….
| Author Notes |
Another children's story written with Robert Zimmerman's cube 16 format.
I'm writing this poem/colouring book for two grandchildren of a dear friend of mine, Alexis Leech. I hope you enjoyed reading this part. The illustrations come from Pixabay.com Once you join, (free) you can use the illustrations, photos, etc, free for whatever reason. Commercially or just for your own private use. It's a great site for us writers. I've even used some for my book covers because you can make any changes you want. Try them! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Story so far.
Part 1) A mermaid's friend has a toothache, and it's so bad he needs to have it pulled. None of the sea creatures know how to do it, so the mermaid wants two children to come and help. First, she has to ask the Queen if there is a way the children can breathe under water. Then she must ask the children if they will come and help her. The thing is, her friend is a killer whale!
Part 2) The mermaid went to see the mermaid queen and was happy with what she learned. The queen told them to take two bubbles and place them over Poppy and Odi’s head and they would be safe. Now they have to persuade them, but Odi is a bit worried about going inside a whale's mouth!
Chapter Three
The mermaid laughed
at Odi’s fear.
“Oh no, he won’t
eat you, my dear!”
Then Poppy said,
“I’ve thought about
his pain so, yes,
we’ll pull it out.”
She turned around
when Odi laughed.
“You know our friends
will say we’re daft!”
The mermaid splashed
around with joy.
“You are a kind
young girl and boy!”
The mermaid brought
out for the pair,
the bubbles that
were full of air.
“Now you will find
that just like me,
you both can breathe
beneath the sea.”
So they could swim
down to the whale
but unlike her--
without a tail!
Then Odi squealed,
“A shark! Watch out!”
And Poppy turned
and gave a shout!
The shark came close
and stopped beside
the mermaid who
tried hard to hide
her laughter at
the kids surprise;
they just could not
believe their eyes!
“Please don’t be scared
of my mad friend.
When he acts tough,
it’s all pretend!”
Both kids were spooked;
this shark was VAST!--
a submarine
just floating past!
“Isn’t he cute!”
Odi declared.
(He’d show them all--
he wasn’t scared!)
That made them laugh!
“Come on, let’s go.
I see our whale’s
waiting below.”
The mermaid’s friend,
the dolphin, saw
them swim down to
the ocean floor.
He told the whale,
“It won’t be long.
Your painful tooth
Will soon be gone.”
The mermaid went
and told the whale
she’d brought him help--
They would not fail.
The children then
went in to see
the tooth giving
him agony!
Continued …..
| Author Notes |
Thank you so much for reading part 3 using the Cube 16 format which was invented by our own Robert Zimmerman. To write a cube 16, you have four syllables across with four lines down which gives you the 16 syllables per cube altogether. I find it the perfect format for my children's books. You should try it if you have already done so. :))
Some of these pictures will be changed in the book because they are borrowed. Most are from Pixabay.com which are totally free to use. I hope you enjoyed this part. Sorry it was late. I had a bad week with my own broken tooth and had to have it pulled. I think I should have got Poppy and Odi to do it, they might have been a lot more gentler than my dentist!! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Chapter 4
When Poppy said,
“Please, open wide,
so we can see
your tooth inside.”
The whale was good,
he dropped his jaw,
and Poppy gasped
at what she saw!
“That tooth is bad,
without a doubt!
But we’ll need help
to pull it out!”
Then Poppy took
a closer view,
she knew it would
be hard to do.
“We need some string
to tie around
the tooth,” she said
as Odi frowned.
“I know just what
will do the trick!”
The mermaid smiled,
“I’ll get it quick!”
The whale cried out,
“Please, don’t take long!
This pain I have
is now quite strong!”
Then Poppy swam
up to his face,
and gave the whale
a warm embrace.
“Try to be brave,”
young Odi said.
“When she comes back
we’ll go ahead.”
She wasn’t long,
as back she came
with something odd
they couldn’t name.
“What’s that you’ve got?”
The kids looked dazed,
as what they saw
left them amazed!
The mermaid then
released her grip,
and told them, “This
is called Sea Whip.”
“An animal--
but at a glance,
most people think
they could be plants.
“I asked for help;
they all said yes,
and hoped they’d bring
about success.”
As Poppy stared,
she thought the thing,
looked rather like
a piece of string.
“It just might work--
Let’s try a strand,"
said Poppy, and
reached out her hand.
“Yes! This is fine.”
She grabbed the end,
and Odi said
he too would lend
his strength to pull
the tooth away.
But that bad tooth
was there to stay!
They tugged and yanked,
they pulled and heaved,
‘twas harder than
they first believed!
When Poppy cried,
“We need more help,”
she tripped and made
the poor whale yelp!
Just then some sharks
and whales appeared.
And Poppy yelled,
as Odi cheered!
The whales and sharks
heard Poppy shout.
“Please could you come
and help us out?”
They came and asked
her to explain,
and Poppy told
them of the pain
the poor whale had,
and how they’d tried
to pull the tooth
still stuck inside.
Of course, they would!
They all agreed,
to help their friend
who was in need!
“Give us the whip,
we’ll hold it tight
and pull and tug
with all our might!”
An octopus
came up to say,
“I’ll lend my hands,
if that's okay?”
“Great! Join the line,”
young Odi cried!
“We’ll watch the tooth
while we’re inside!”
They all pulled hard,
to help their friend,
as each one hoped
his pain would end.
Then, suddenly
they heard a shout--
“Well done, you lot,
the tooth’s come out!!
The mermaid gave
the kids a kiss
and said they’d all
remember this.
They’d be their friends
for ever more,
and come to see
them on the shore.
The end.
| Author Notes |
Sea Whip looks like a plant, but actually it's an animal, a type of soft coral. These marine animals exist as a colony, consisting of a wire-like skeleton and several branches. Who'd have guessed??
I hope you enjoyed the final part of my little story about the poor whale's toothache. Thank you all so much for all your wonderful comments you've given me over the last three chapters. I will be publishing this in the same format as the first book Scout and Her Magical Unicorn, complete with pictures for the children to colour in. I'd like to thank Robert Zimmerman for coming up with this wonderful Cube 16 format. It is perfect for children's poetry and I've enjoyed using it. For those who don't know what the Cube 16 is, here is a little explanation... There are four lines to a stanza, with each line having exactly four syllables. Which makes it the shape of a cube with 16 syllables altogether. So easy to use. The pictures come from Pixabay.com, but unfortunately I couldn't quite find what I was really after. I can't understand why artists haven't thought of mammals having a toothache! Thank you all again! :) xx |
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