Little Blue Boat and the Secret of the Broads , livre ebook

Troubador Publishing Ltd - Phil Johnson

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56 pages

English

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The Little Blue Boat and the Secret of the Broads takes readers on an exciting journey in a race against time, through one of Britain's most magical waterways. A boat owner makes a final voyage from Essex to the Broads to give his small yacht to his grandchildren, but he's taken ill and the boat is left adrift at sea with just a small bear on board. The bear and boat have to make their way through the Norfolk waterways to find the children before they're seized by the authorities, or worse, stolen by the infamous Pincher Pete. Helped by the mysterious Marsh Man and numerous local birds and animals, the story unfolds and reveals the hidden secret of the Broads. This reassuring, life-affirming adventure offers the reader an understanding of our waterways, and some of the wildlife that lives on, above, beside and beneath our rivers and lakes. It will inspire children and parents to do their own exploring and also learn about water safety and our fragile environment.The book includes a map showing where the action takes place so that readers can visit many of the locations. The beautiful illustrations show some of the birds and animals that readers may see on a visit to the Broads and other British wetlands. The tale, which has echoes ofSwallows and AmazonsandThe Wind in the Willows, will appeal to children aged 6-11 years who enjoy adventure stories. It is a book that parents, grandparents and teachers, who want children to enjoy and learn about the great outdoors and understand the environment, have been waiting for.

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Children's

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Publié par	Troubador Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	01 février 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781783069743
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

AND THE SECRET OF THE BROADS
PHIL JOHNSON
ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL JACKSON
Copyright 2013 Phil Johnson
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious.
Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental
Matador 9 Priory Business Park, Wistow Road, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire. LE8 0RX Tel: ( 44) 116 279 2299 Fax: ( 44) 116 279 2277 Email: books@troubador.co.uk Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador
ISBN 9781783069743

Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
This book is dedicated to my children, Nicola, Alex Tim; and my best friend, my fantastic, talented, beautiful wife Fi.
I d like to thank Paul Jackson, artist, sculptor and storyteller; for his brilliant and inspirational illustrations.
Special thanks to Clare Weller, Steve Birtles and Nick Sanderson at the Broads Authority, who, along with their colleagues and supporters, protect and care for one of the the world s most precious places.
Grateful thanks also to Nick Crane, Jo Roger Fredenburgh, Marilyn Brocklehurst, Paul Nettleton, the Friday Nighters , Hol and Naomi Crane, Martin Kirby and Andy Bloy for advice and support.
The Broads - A breathing space for the cure of souls. Ted Ellis, 1909 - 1986
Illustrations by Paul Jackson, Artist, Sculptor and Storyteller.
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Animal and Bird Biographies
Coming Soon
Map showing where some of the events in the story take place.
Key:
1 The North Sea - Where The Little Blue Boat is rescued by the lifeboat.
2 Gt Yarmouth Yacht Station - Where Pincher Pete first tries to steal The Little Blue Boat .
3 The River Bure - The night in the reeds with the swan.
4 Thurne Mill - The moorhen.
5 Hickling Broad - The lodge and the princess.
6 Waxham New Cut - The old mill, the cranes and the Konik horses.
7 West Somerton Broad - The pike and the little dog.
8 West Somerton - where The Little Blue Boat was stolen by Pincher Pete.
9 Potter Heigham - Bridge where Pincher Pete nearly rammed a poor cruiser.
10 Womack Water - The geese attack Pincher Pete
11 River Thurne - Able Sea Bear, Teddy finds the swallowtail butterfly larvae.
12 Ranworth - where bears can fly
13 Belaugh - where The Little Blue Boat rescues the baby grebes.
14 Coltishall - where the otters begin their journey home.
15 St Benet s Abbey - dropping off the bishop.
16 The River Ant - The ancient burrows.
17 Dilham - Where Pincher Pete steals The Little Blue Boat again
18 Wayford Bridge - Where Pincher Pete is arrested (yippee ).
19 Gay s Staithe - Where The Little Blue Boat and the Children are reunited.
20 Barton Turf - The boatyard.
But where is The Secret Broad? - it s somewhere on the River Ant, between 16 and 19 but don t tell it s a secret
The water is waiting for you. Explore, enjoy, have fun. Respect the creatures that live there, and remember - always wear a lifejacket
CHAPTER ONE
Escape
Got any more Marmite sandwiches? asked the gull.
No, sorry, you and your gull-friend ate them all last night said Able Sea Bear, Teddy, keep quiet though, otherwise they ll hear us
It s alright, said the gull s, gull-friend, the lifeboat men won t hear or understand us, they re humans, and people don t usually speak bird or animal.
Or fish, they don t speak fish either, added the gull nodding. Like most gulls he was a large, white bird with black markings on his wings. Gulls live near the sea and eat small fish, crabs and all sorts of leftovers; in this case, he and his gull-friend liked Marmite sandwiches. They liked them very much.

The Able Sea Bear, Teddy sat back on the old thin cushions just inside the cabin of the tiny yacht. He could just see the bright orange survival suits of the inshore lifeboat men who d taken The Little Blue Boat in tow. The lifeboat men were towing her into Great Yarmouth, a seaside town in Norfolk famous for its golden beaches and piers.
It had been the most worrying and confusing twenty four hours in the small bear s life.
Yesterday, he said to the gulls, things were going really well. Rod, he s the lovely man who owns this boat, went for a walk on Southwold Quay.
That was nice for him, said the gull.
No it wasn t, replied Teddy, you see he felt very ill and he collapsed
We know, we saw it, said the gull s, gull-friend. An ambulance took him away, she added.
Then, continued Teddy, that power boat owner, who was moored alongside us, undid his mooring ropes and started his engines, and that loosened our ropes.
That s why the tide, which was rushing out of Southwold at high speed, carried you out into the North Sea , said the gull, It s a very good job we spotted your owner s uneaten sandwiches and swooped down to help you
It s also a good job they were Marmite, added the gull s, gull-friend.
Why is it a good job they were Marmite? asked Able Sea Bear, Teddy.
We like Marmite, said the gull, but we don t like cheese,
Yuk no, not cheese, added his gull-friend quickly, we d have left cheese. See you soon, good luck With that the gull and his gull-friend took off and flew away.
The Little Blue Boat and its owner Rod, a retired teacher, and the boat s Able Sea Bear were sailing from Maldon in Essex to the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads when sickness had struck. They d stopped for a night at the pretty little town of Southwold in Suffolk when Rod, the owner, had been taken ill.
The Little Blue Boat is very small for a yacht, 4.06 metres long, or a little over 13 feet long in granddad measurements. She has a small cabin, just big enough for two grown-ups, and of course room for a teddy bear. She has a set of old sails and an ancient outboard motor, which like many old engines has a mind of its own and will only start when it wants to, despite being grumbled at, shouted at and pleaded with by its owner.
Able Sea Bear, Teddy came from a long line of sea bears. His grandbear had been ship s bear on a liner, and his great uncle was a captain s bear on a submarine.
Teddy checked to make sure the lifeboat men weren t looking, then crept forwards and poked his head out of the small front hatch to see what was going on. They d been taken under tow by the lifeboat after being reported adrift at sea by a passing fishing boat.
Peering cautiously out of the front hatch, the Able Sea Bear could see they were being taken along the river just inside the entrance to Great Yarmouth. There were some ships moored at the quayside along the way. This is where all sorts of things are loaded and unloaded from boats, and that s how lots of things are brought here and sent off to other countries. Further along the coast is the Port of Felixstowe, where massive container ships bring stuff in and out of the country; everything from toys to food and cars to computers.
Sitting on one of these ships on the side of the River Yare at Great Yarmouth was a cormorant, a large sea bird, dark and menacing. It was hunched up and smirking. Found adrift were you, cackle cackle , said the bird. If they can t find your owner, you ll be sold at auction or even broken up Seen it before, seen it before, cackle cackle it smirked.
Oh no said Teddy, that can t happen
Oh but it can, replied the cormorant, taking off and flying to the next ship along to continue the conversation. What else will they do with an abandoned boat?
But we re not abandoned, we re really, really not said teddy anxiously.
Ah, said the cormorant moving again to keep up with The Little Blue Boat which was being towed along, I ve seen it before, I ve seen it before, it s sad but true. Unless of course
Unless of course what? asked Teddy.
Unless of course, Pincher Pete gets you first
Pincher Pete? Pincher Pete? asked Teddy who was getting even more upset and anxious by the minute.
Pincher Pete will try to steal ANYTHING, especially boats, you watch out for him, said the cormorant which flapped its wide wings and took off, flying out to sea.
Half an hour later, The Little Blue Boat with teddy trying to look as small as he could, was safely under Great Yarmouth s Haven Bridge. The bridge marks the border between the inland waterways and the sea, it s what s called the Limit of Navigation and holiday boats on the Broads mustn t go under it as they might get swept out to sea.
The Little Blue Boat had been towed onto the River Bure, which joins up with the River Yare on the inland side of the Haven Bridge. The River Yare is of course where Great Yarmouth gets its name - Yare Mouth.
The Lifeboat men had handed the little yacht over to the Broads Authority Rangers at Yarmouth Yacht Station. The rangers are nice team of friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable people, whose job is to look after the Broads and to help holiday makers and other river users.
The boat was tied up by the rangers who had noted her registration number and checked the address on their computer to trace the owner. All boats that use the Broads need a special licence called a toll which helps to pay to keep the Broads clean, useable and safe. Rod, The Little Blue Boat s owner had paid the toll in advance, and The Little Blue Boat had a special sticker on her to show that he d done so.
Rod planned to give The Little Blue Boat to his grandchildren who lived near the Broads. He d decided he was a bit too old to sail on his own, and his lovely little y