Mara and the Little Dolphin
Kay Life
419 Southwick Rd. B-7 Westfield, MA 01085
(413)562-6418 kaylife419@comcast.net
COVER PAGE (KL COVER F)
BLANK PAGE
BLANK PAGE (Or Summary and Biography?)
KL TITLE PAGE LEFT F
KL TITLE PAGE RIGHT F
(WITH THE FOLLOWING):
- THE LAST MERMAID... IN THE TOP LEFT BUBBLE
- Mara and the Little Dolphin BELOW THE TOP LEFT BUBBLE
- By Kay Life IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT BUBBLE
DEDICATION PAGE ON LEFT
Dedication:
Love to my wonderful supportive family (Special thanks to Lar and Lu) … My dolphin friends Shaka and Fiji… Cheryl, Judy and the very talented tea party ladies… and Anne G., Pat and Barbi
ILLUSTRATION KL 01 F TO THE RIGHT OF DEDICATION PAGE
ON BOTTOM OF PAGE WITH KL 01 F: Amid the colorful coral ledges in the great blue ocean, there lived a young mermaid called Mara. She had no memory of her beginnings. Even while she was still very small, she began to notice other creatures moving silently in the water around her. They often seemed to be staring at her. A toss of her head or flip of her tail would cause them to dart quickly away. But they always returned once again to watch her with their curious eyes. ON BOTTOM LEFT PAGE KL 2-3 F: Well, thought Mara, and why not? I am not like anyone around here. Half of me is fish and half of me is not. ON BOTTOM RIGHT PAGE KL 2-3 F: I need to breathe the air above the water the same as Sirena the manatee does. But we don't look alike at all. ON BOTTOM LEFT DOUBLE PAGE KL 04 F: I would like being part of a family, she thought. There is much for me to see and do here among the ledges. ON BOTTOM RIGHT DOUBLE PAGE KL 04 F: Krill and tender seaweed are here for me to feed upon. I am comfortable. But I am also lonely. ON BOTTOM LEFT PAGE KL 5-6-7 F: One day when she was swimming beyond the ledges, Mara heard a strange noise. CREE...CREE...CREE.... The sound made Mara shiver and she was very frightened. Yet she was drawn to the cry, and she began to move toward it. Further and further, deeper and deeper she swam until she found the source. Tangled in a fisherman's net that was left to drift upon the ocean floor was a mother dolphin. Her newborn baby floated near her. ON BOTTOM RIGHT PAGE KL 5-6-7 F: The more the mother struggled to free herself, the tighter the strong netting twisted around her body. "Please, little one," the mother dolphin gasped when she saw Mara, "Take my baby Simu up to breathe. He doesn't want to leave me, but he must breathe the air above or he will die." ON BOTTOM PAGE KL 08 F: "First I will free …show more content…
Breathing air, the mermaid through her nose and Simu through his blowhole, they floated on the surface together.
Then Mara said, "Simu, I cannot leave you alone. You are much too new. Come home with me, and I will see if the mother manatee Sirena will care for you." Simu nodded, nestling happily against Mora's shoulder.
ON BOTTOM LEFT PAGE KL 12-13 F:
And so he followed Mara away to the colorful coral ledges where they found Sirena and her baby grazing on sea grasses. "Sirena, Mara said, "I have found this little one who needs someone to care for him. Can you help?" The manatee, chewing her noonday meal, raised her head slowly while looking at Mara and Simu. Simu looking hopefully at Sirena, moved close to her, lowered his head slowly and pretended to graze with her on sea grasses.
ON BOTTOM RIGHT PAGE KL 12-13 F:
"As you can see, child, I already have a baby, and he is always hungry. Gathering enough food for just the two of us every day is all I can manage now. You must find someone else to care for Simu," Sirena declared. And she turned away to continue her grazing. "Well," sighed Mara, "that is just what I will do. Follow me, Simu." And they swam out beyond the ledges once more. On and on they