Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee Read online

  Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee

  by

  Chris Van Dusen

  To my sons, Ethan and Tuckcer WV

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Begin Reading

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Down to the Sea with Mr. McGee

  Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee

  Loved spending time in their boat on the sea.

  So early one morning at 6:32

  They made a decision: that’s just what they’d do.

  Right after breakfast Magee packed a lunch:

  Sandwiches, carrots, a thermos of punc

  A big box of raisins, some sweet pickled beets,

  Chocolate chip cookies and crunchy dog treats.

  With plans for the day and enough lunch for three,

  They hopped in the car and drove down to the sea.

  The pair left the dock at seven o clock

  And motored their way around Eagle Egg Rock.

  They passed by the lighthouse and by the old wreck

  With Magee at the wheel and Dee on the deck.

  They suddenly spied off the bow to the east

  A big pod of whales (there were fifty at least!)

  Splashing about in the bright morning sun,

  Feasting on shrimp and sardines by the ton.

  But one little whale who had eaten his fill—Munching on minnows and plankton and krill—

  Was bored with his breakfast and since he was through, He swam off in search of something to do.

  Now Dee and Magee in their boat on the bay

  Didn’t notice the whale that was heading their way.

  They were watching the other whales put on a show

  And soon that young whale was directly below!

  From under the sea the little whale spied

  Magee and Dee’s boat—but not them inside.

  He longed for adventure. He wanted to play.

  So he bumped at the boat in a most friendly way.

  Then the whale placed his blowhole directly below

  And ever so gently he started to blow.

  Magee saw the bubbles. He felt the boat sway.

  Then up went the boat on a fountain of spray!

  Higher and higher the little boat flew

  As harder and harder that little whale blew.

  Then the whale blew a blast as hard as he could

  (Much harder, in fact, than a little whale should)

  And that final blast blew the boat up in the sky

  First thirty, then forty, then fifty feet high!

  The boat kept on rising, but it didn't stop there

  Wind hit it hard and it flew through the air.

  Dee and Magee sailed over the sea

  When all of a sudden…

  They got stuck in a tree.

  So there they were, stranded, Magee and his pup,

  In the top of a spruce, sixty-something feet up.

  From their perch in the sky the two watched in dismay

  As the whale far below swam swiftly away.

  Magee was downhearted. Just what could he do?

  They seemed hopelessly stuck, but little Dee knew.

  The secret to get the boat safely unpinned

  Was to rock back and forth and wait for the wind.

  So they rocked and they rocked for an hour or so,

  But the boat didn’t budge ‘cause the wind didn’t blow.

  Just when they thought they’d be stuck there all night

  They spotted, far off, a spectacular sight.

  Away in the distance, across the blue bay

  The whales—all fifty—were heading their way!

  They swam through the water in one long, straight row

  And gathered around the small island below.

  Magee looked down at the circle of whales

  Surrounding the island and raising their tails.

  He felt a bit nervous, a little bit tense

  When all of a sudden, it made perfect sense!

  “They’re trying to save us!” he shouted with glee.

  “Hold on, Dee! Hold on! As tight as can be!”

  Their tails slapped down with a thunderous crash

  Which in turn created a super-high splash

  That covered the island and raced up the tree

  And dislodged the boat—and set them both free!

  Dee was so happy she let out a yelp.

  Magee tipped his hat to the whales for their help.

  “Thank you, my friends, for saving the day.”

  Then they all waved goodbye and the whales swam away.

  On the way home, little Dee had a thought:

  What about all of the food they had brought?

  In all the excitement, they ate not a bite…

  So they saved it and had it for dinner that night.

  About the Author

  Chris Van Dusen always wanted to paint a picture of a boat in the top of a tree. When he wrote a story around that idea, Mr. Magee and Dee were born. Chris lives down by the sea in Maine with his wife, two sons and, naturally, a dog (named Hannah). This is his first children’s book.

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2000 by Chris W. Van Dusen.

  All rights reserved.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Van Dusen, Chris.

  Down to the sea with Mr. Magee / by Chris Van Dusen.

  Summary: While spending the day in their boat on the sea, Mr. Magee and his dog get caught up in wacky adventures with a playful pod of whales.

  eISBN: 987-0-8118-2499-3

  [1. Seashore—Fiction. 2. Whales—Fiction. 3. Stories in rhyme.] I. Title.

  PZ8.3.V335 Do 2000

  [E]—dc21

  99-006879

  Chronicle Books

  680 Second Street,

  San Francisco, California 94105

  www.chroniclebooks.com

 

 

  Chris Van Dusen, Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee

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