The post Journey with The Angels appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Suzu is also a very sensible snake so his friends often ask him for advice. They know that whatever he says will be to try and help them.

One morning, Suzu is slithering around with his friends. They live on the coast near the sea and they like snaking their way through the sand and rocks. They create curly trails with their long, bendy bodies. The patterns look incredible, until they are washed away by the sea water.

As Suzu slithers along, he catches sight of a group of albatrosses nesting a little way away on the rocks. Among them is Aki, one of his friends. He hasn’t seen her for a year or two.

“Back again ssssso ssssssoon!” Suzu hisses over to her, jokingly.

“Hey Suzu! Yes, it’s been a while. We’ve had more chicks. So we’ll be here until they can fly on their own.”

Suzu and his friends curl their bodies into extraordinary shapes. And they flick their tongues up and down and speak to each other with a HISSSSSSSS. Aki and the other albatrosses bounce their legs and necks up and down and whistle. It looks and sounds as though they’re all at some kind of animal disco!

In the middle of a long HISSSSSSSSS, Suzu suddenly feels a very powerful vibration through his body. The earth beneath him seems to be moving. And then it happens again. Suzu and his friends freeze. They look at each other.

“Did you feel that?” Suzu hisses at one of his friends.

“Yeeessssssssssss!” they all reply in unison. “What wassssssss it?”

“It felt like the ground was moving. I think it might be the start of an earthquake. That could cause a tsunami here at sea level. We need to move to higher ground.”

“Let’ssssss go,” agree Suzu’s friends. They know Suzu is sensible. So they listen to his advice and slither their way up through the sand and rocks. They head for the wooded area on the mountainside above.

Suzu looks over towards Aki and the albatrosses on top of their nests. They’re still bouncing up and down and whistling. Albatrosses don’t feel the earth’s vibrations like snakes do. There are a lot of albatrosses and chicks. The huge waves from a tsunami could wash them and their babies right away.

“Hey!” Suzu hisses to his friends as they slither uphill, “we have to help the albatrosses. I need you to hiss with me so they can hear us!”

His friends hiss back, “Abssssssssolutely!”

Together the snakes all hiss as loudly as their voices will let them, “There’s a tsssssssssunami coming! You need to get yourself and your chicksssssss to higher ground. Fassssssssst!”

Aki and the albatrosses hear Suzu and the snakes. They stop still for a moment. And then they start to panic. They’re scared for their chicks. They make loud whining calls to each other. They flap their wings at each other with fear. Suzu can see they don’t know where to go.

“Grab your chicks and follow ussssss!” Suzu hisses over at Aki. “We’ll go right the way up the mountainside.”

Suzu and his friends slither up through the rocks and on to the mountainside. Aki and the albatrosses follow them carefully with their eyes. The snakes stop for a few seconds looking back over the sea. In the distance they can see an enormous wave forming.

It reaches high into the sky. It’s headed straight for the area where the albatrosses are nesting!

“Ssssssoar! Sssssoar into the ssssssky!” Suzu hisses at the top of his voice. “There’s no time to lossssssssse.”

Some of the albatrosses turn around to look behind them. They see the size of the wave coming towards them. They need to save their chicks! They begin to lift up their little chicks with their beaks. Some of the baby birds are so tiny they fit right inside their mums’ mouths. The mother birds then take off from their nests. They soar upwards. They use the wind coming in from the sea to give them the energy to cover the large distance up to the mountainside in just a few flaps of their wings.

One by one, Aki and the albatrosses land in amongst the trees on the mountainside. As the final few birds fly up and away from the sea, the huge wave finally arrives. It crashes over their nesting area, onto the shore and even part of the way up the mountainside. It covers everything in a surge of seawater. It is so powerful that nothing it envelops stands a chance of survival.

The albatrosses start to deposit their babies on the mountainside. Every single one of them is safe.

Suzu and his friends are relieved.

“Thank you so much!” Aki calls over to Suzu. “You’ve saved us!” The other albatrosses whistle to show their appreciation.

“I’m sssssssso happy we could help you all,” hisses Suzu. “Tssssunamis are ssssserious. Let’s all ssssstay here up here for now until it’s ssssssafe to return to the sssea,” replies Aki.

“That could be a while,” admits Aki.

“I know,” agrees Suku, as he curls his body into a big coil. He starts to flick his tongue in and out and hiss. The other snakes follow suit.

The albatrosses then start to bounce up and down and whistle in response. The animal disco suddenly starts back up.

Suzu laughs at the sight. His laugh sounds just like the way he speaks, HISSSSSSSSSSS! “We can use the time we’re up here to teach those little chickssssss of yours how to ssssing and dance!”

Questions for discussion

What causes a tsunami?

Why is it important to get away from the coastline before the waves from a tsunami hit?

Who would you help, and how, if you felt the ground move underneath you suddenly where you live?

The post Suzu Helps Survive a Tsunami appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Bogdan has a friend. Her name is Pavla and she’s a Przewalski’s horse. (It’s easier to pronounce if you break it down like this, Prez-wal-ski, when you say it!) That’s a very rare breed of wild horse. There aren’t many of them left in the world. Przewalski’s horses are really good at dragging and carrying things. Bogdan’s family lives near to Pavla’s family and they take care of each other. Much of the forest where they live was very badly damaged many years ago. They had to move away for a while, so they stuck together to survive.

Over time, some of the forest regained its previous, healthy state, so the bison and horses could return.

One very snowy winter’s day, Bogdan is trying to find some grass to eat. He pushes his muzzle down into the snow until he feels some blades tickle his nose. As Bogdan starts to eat, he becomes aware of another pair of hooves alongside him. He looks up, blows a big pile of snow from off of his face, and sees the hooves belong to Pavla.

“Hey, Bogdan,” she says, laughing. “You found some food then?”

“Yes, under all this white stuff,” Bogdan replies, shaking his head to get rid of the remaining snowflakes on it.

“It’s well buried this time of year,” says Pavla, “which is a good thing. My dad says that the snow might help to protect the forest from being damaged again.”

“Again?” says Bogdan.

“Dad says humans are starting up another big nuclear power plant, but further away from the forest this time.

“Really?” asks Bogdan, surprised. “Is that safe?”

“Not really,” responds Pavla. “But Dad says they call clean nuclear power ‘clean energy’ because it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. And clean energy is what everyone wants these days!”

“But if it’s so clean, why did the plant harm all of the nature around here?” Bogdan enquires.

“It didn’t,” Pavla explains. “Nuclear power produces a different kind of waste from gases. It’s called radioactive waste. That’s what leaked into the forest. Clever humans, called scientists, are trying to make nuclear power better. Then it won’t produce radioactive waste at all in the future. For now, they’re putting the waste into big metal containers and burying it in huge holes in the ground.”

“But what if it leaks out of the containers?” asks Bogdan.

Pavla frowns. “Then the same thing will happen. The forest will die out again.”

Bogdan doesn’t want this to happen, and he knows his family won’t want it either. So he really wants to help.

“Pavla, we have to stop them. Give me some time to think,” says Bogdan. And he sticks his nose back down into the cold snow. The snow around his head has become more compact and harder because Bogdan’s heavy weight has trodden it down. It now has a slippery, icy surface. Bogdan pictures in his head the fun he has with his friends when the forest slopes get icy. They slide all the way down the mountainside. Imagining this slowly causes an idea to slip its way into Bogdan’s brain.

“Pavla,” Bogdan says, excitedly, looking back up at his friend. “I know what we can do to keep the forest safe!”

Bogdan explains his plan to Pavla and she neighs with approval.

“Let’s go and tell our families,” Bogdan suggests. And the two friends head straight home to do just that.

A couple of days later, the bison and the horses are eating grass through dug out patches of snow. They hear the sound of a vehicle. They watch and wait as a very large truck reverses over to the side of the huge hole at the edge of the forest. Four humans, wearing suits that make them look a bit like astronauts, get out. They undo the chains attaching a huge box to the back of the lorry’s cabin. Afterwards, they climb back into the truck. The back of the truck then magically lowers down to ground level.

“Now!” whispers Bogdan.

Bogdan and Pavla and some of their relatives move over to beside the big box. The bison line up behind it and the horses grab the chains in their mouths.

“OK, heave!” instructs Bogdan. The bison lean with all their heavy weight against the box, and slowly it begins to move. The horses use the chains to steer the box towards the slope of the mountainside.

Owing to its weight, as soon as it reaches the top of the slope, the box picks up speed. The horses drop the chains and the bison give the box one final push. It careers off down the mountainside.

When the humans get back out of their truck, they are amazed to find that the box has disappeared. They scratch their heads, then look around, seeing the animals. Feeling very frightened by the size of the horses and bisons behind them, the humans jump back into the truck and drive off, away from the forest. The animals look at each other and laugh.

“Thanks so much Bogdan. We’ll all be much safer with that box miles away at the bottom of the mountain. Hopefully, humans will think twice before bringing any more here,” says Pavla.

Bogdan is very happy that he’s helped to protect their home from nuclear waste and radiation.

“I’d say wild horses could definitely keep them away,” he says, winking at Pavla.

Questions for discussion

Why is nuclear energy called ‘clean energy’?

Can you find out how nuclear power works, using fission?

How is nuclear (radioactive) waste dangerous for animals and nature?

The post Bogdan Helps Avert Nuclear Waste appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Tara is also a very tender tarsier too. When she occasionally meets other animals, they take to her straight away because she’s so gentle and kind.

Tara lives in a forest by a big lake. She is as happy spending time in the treetops as she is in the low scrub vegetation on the lakeside.

One evening, Tara is asleep in the middle of a bush, when a rustling sound a few metres away wakes her up. She turns her head right around, a special trick tarsiers can do, to see what is making the noise. Through the branches of the bush, she can make out a crocodile. It looks distressed. It is shaking its big, long jaws backwards and forwards because something seems to be stuck in them.

“Out, out, out!” she hears the crocodile say.

Tara ventures out of the bush, warily. She turns her head right around (a special trick tarsiers can do) and spots Clara, a crocodile she’s met quite a few times before. She feels much safer now.

“Hey, Clara, are you OK?” she calls out, keeping her distance.

The crocodile stops moving and looks over towards her.

“Tara, is that you? Thank goodness you’re here. It’s bad enough I can barely see because my eyes are so itchy. Now, I’ve got a problem with my mouth too!” Clara replies.

Tara leaps over. She can see that Clara’s eyes look really red and sore. They’re watering too, but not because Clara is crying. Just because her eyes are trying to clean themselves. Clara also has a couple of empty plastic containers jammed in her mouth.

“How did this happen?” she asks, concerned.

“The eyes or the mouth?” Clara asks.

“Both!” says Tara, as she jumps on to Clara’s snout and starts to tug at what is between her teeth.

“Well, day-trippers and the lake tide leave behind plastic containers. Sometimes they float into my mouth when I’m having a drink of water. Then they get stuck.”

“How awful!” Tara comments, heaving at a plastic container.

Suddenly, it comes free. Tara rolls backwards off of Clara’s snout. She falls onto the ground.

“Thanks!” says Clara, smiling.

“No problem.” Tara replies. “And what about your eyes?”

“Well that’s because of the gas produced by that geothermal power plant just over there. It damages our eyes.”

Tara looks over towards the big building Clara’s snout is pointing at.

“It makes gas to hurt your eyes?” Tara can’t believe what she’s hearing.

“Oh no!” explains Clara. “My dad says the toxic gas is a side effect. The plant is designed to produce electricity using heat from underground water or steam. And there’s a lot of that around here. Dad says it’s mostly a good way of producing electric power. But the harmful gas gets given off in the process.”

Tara has particularly big eyes and knows how painful it is when they get irritated. Thinking about it, she realises that her own eyes have been getting a bit red and itchy recently. She wonders if the gas is affecting them as well. Tara doesn’t like to think of any animals having sore eyes. So she starts thinking about things that she might be able to do to help. As she does, she jumps back on to Clara’s snout to remove the other plastic container. She pulls hard and yanks it out, falling to the ground on her back once again. The container falls on to her face, covering her eyes. But because it’s transparent, Tara can still see through it. This instantly gives her an idea!

“Clara,” she says, excitedly, “I think I know a way we can stop your eyes from hurting.” She explains her idea and Tara loves it. She smiles a big toothy grin.

“Let’s try!” she agrees.

So, the tiny tarsier and the much bigger crocodile look at the litter around them. They try to spot more transparent containers and some pieces of string. There are quite a few of both these things in the waste at the side of the lake. Before long, they have found enough to start creating.

Clara begins by using her sharp teeth to make holes on either side of the containers. Then Tara uses her nimble little fingers to weave the bits of string through them. Clara then sits still whilst Tara attaches the first pair of goggles to her face. Tara ties the string in a bow around the spikes just behind Clara’s head, at the top of her back. “There, that should keep them in place!” She then positions the second pair of goggles over her own eyes.

“How does that feel?” Tara asks as she jumps down to the ground.

“It’s brilliant,” replies Clara enthusiastically. “Thank you so much. I’ll be able to wear them underwater and everything!”

Tara feels triumphant, in her own timid way. The gas from the geothermal plant won’t be able to get near Clara’s eyes now, or her own. So the redness and irritation will soon be gone. She’s helped recycle litter whilst also preventing Clara’s crocodile tears!

Questions for discussion

What does a geothermal power plant use to make electricity?

Can you think of other things that are used to produce electricity at a power plant?

Aside from plastic containers, what other items can be re-used? Why is this a good thing?

The post Tara Helps Tolerate Geothermal Energy appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Gabor has a friend called Amber. Amber is an antelope. Amber lives in a herd much bigger than Gabor’s. The herd likes to spend time grazing on the grasslands. Amber has some babies and together the herd help to look after and protect the babies from danger.

One early morning in summer, the air is already very warm, and Gabor is pulling some leaves from an acacia tree to eat. Acacia trees have very long roots to reach deep underground for water. That’s why they can survive in very dry, hot weather.

As Gabor chews, he looks around. Giraffes have such long necks and high-up heads that they can see for miles.

Gabor notices, just as he has before, that the plains are starting to look a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, with different pieces all fitted together. His parents say it hasn’t always been like this. They say that the grasslands used to be all that was visible as far as the eye could see.

“Hi Gabor!” a voice suddenly says.

Gabor leans all the way down under the acacia tree and sees Amber. She is surrounded by her herd. They are all laid down. Between her and another, larger antelope, Gabor can see a couple of her tiny babies.

“Hey, how are you?” Gabor asks. “Oh, those little calves are just so cute!” he smiles.

“Thanks,” says Amber. “They’re still only a few days old.”

“Why are you all here?” Gabor enquires. He knows the herd mostly likes to graze on the surrounding grassland at night. They rest in the shade of boulders during the incredibly hot, sunny days.

“There’s not really much grass left here for us to graze on. But our habitat has been fragmented, so there are large gaps between here and other areas of grassland.”

Gabor looks around at the ground a little. Amber is right. It’s very bare looking.

“What do you mean gaps?” he asks.

“Well, some areas of grassland are being destroyed by fires, and humans using land for different types of agriculture, and even building roads.”

Gabor looks shocked.

“I know the fires start because it’s so hot here. But don’t humans know that we need the grassland for you to graze on and for me to eat trees?” he asks, in a worried sounding voice.

“Yes, they do,” replies Amber sadly. “But it seems humans have more important priorities.”

Gabor can’t believe this. It seems really selfish.

“Are there other areas of grassland that you can go and graze on?” he wonders.

“Yes,” nods Amber. Some of the other antelopes around her moo in agreement. MOO! MOO! MOO!

“But it’s hard to know which direction to go in,” Amber continues. “The gaps between the grasslands are big. If there are lions or any other predators in them, we adult antelopes can detect them early and escape. Or we can protect ourselves with our horns. But they try to catch our babies because they’re so vulnerable.”

Gabor can’t believe this. He hates to think about the risk the antelopes will take crossing the gaps between the grasslands with their young.

Gabor is incredibly kind-hearted and wants to help his friend. He stretches his neck up, back above the acacia tree, as he wonders what he can do. As he looks around, he sees the jigsaw-puzzle layout of the plain. He now understands it looks like this because of habitat fragmentation. He looks down at the area of land between the grassland where he is stood and the next piece of grassland. He sees a Cape buffalo slowly ambling along. This immediately gives him an idea!

He bends his neck back down again quickly, so his head is level with the herd of antelope.

“Amber, I can see for miles around. I’ll tell you which direction you should go in to get to new grasslands and I can make sure the gaps you cross are safe of predators.”

Amber and the other antelopes look at each other then back at Gabor. They bleat with happiness.

“Yes!” says Amber, excitedly. “That would be perfect!”

So, as darkness falls that night, Gabor looks out over the plains and spots an area of grassland not too many miles away. There are no predators roaming the eroded area between where the animals are and the other piece of grassland.

He points the antelope in the right direction, and they quietly bound off to the new piece of grassland to graze, safe from predators. They agree that the antelope will return again in a few months so that Gabor can direct them safely to another piece of grassland. They will be able to graze the areas of grasslands on the plains safely for a long time to come!

As they leave, Amber turns around and moos back at him, “See you soon, Gabor! Thanks. You have a big heart!”

“Actually,” says Gabor to himself, quietly, “I have three!”

And he smiles as he watches his friend, and the other antelopes, disappear safely into the distance.

Questions for discussion

What are the causes of habitat fragmentation?

Why is habitat fragmentation bad for animals’ habitats?

What kinds of things can we do to stop fragmenting the habitat of wildlife?

The post Gabor Helps Foil Habitat Fragmentation appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Badir lives on a plain which is very dry (not far from the Arabian sea). It is covered in sand, stones and the odd plant or bit of long grass. Badir’s home is in the crevice of a rock.

Badir is not scared of anything. For example, she’s not scared to approach animals which are much bigger than her, like wolves or leopards.

Just like a skunk, Badir also keeps a special liquid in her tail which is really stinky. This is to frighten away predators (that’s animals who might chase her!)  When she releases the liquid, it makes a really bad smell. Because of this and her fearlessness, sometimes Badir finds it a bit hard to make friends.

Nevertheless, Badir has one best friend. His name is Omar. Omar is an Arabian oryx. An oryx is a kind of antelope. Omar isn’t scared of much either. That’s why he and Badir get along so well. Omar lives in a cave right beside Badir’s home.

One hot night, as Badir goes out to look for food, she meets Omar.

“Hi Omar. What are you doing?” asks Badir.

“I’m looking for plants to get a drink from,” replies Omar. “I can manage a long time without water. But it’s been a few days and I’m really thirsty now.”

“Do you mind if I come along?” asks Badir. “I’m looking for plant roots because I’m hungry.”

“Not at all,” says Omar.

So they start to forage the ground together. Badir paws at the earth. She digs up roots and the odd insect to eat. Omar pulls small plants out of the earth. He eats them and the water they contain quenches his thirst.

The night breeze around them feels really warm. Soon, however, it starts to feel more like a wind. Bits of sand and tiny stones blow along in it. Before long, gusts of wind whip up heavy swirls of sand which surround Badir and Omar.

“Wow!” says Omar. “What’s happening?”

“I think it’s a sandstorm,” replies Badir. “There must be a cyclone close by. They’re the worst kind of storm we get here. And they come really quickly. We have to get home.”

Within moments, the speed of the wind increases and Badir is glad her clawed paws are buried in the earth. Otherwise she would blow away. She hangs on tight.

Omar is much taller and his hooves can’t cling to the floor. In one swift movement, the wind sweeps Omar off his feet and lifts him up into the air. The sand carried by the wind has become as thick as a curtain. Badir can’t see where Omar has gone.

After a few seconds, Badir hears Omar’s voice shout out to her: “Badir!”

“I’m here!” Badir shouts back.

“I can’t see you!”

Badir still can’t see Omar either. But she knows they are not far from home. She is low down on the ground, so she digs her paws further into the earth. She uses them to slowly start crawling her way back home. She has to fight very hard against the cyclone wind to be able to move at all.

Bits of tree branch and larger rocks fly over her head. She knows she needs to help Omar before these things hurt him, or the wind carries him far, far away.

Suddenly, Badir has an idea. She remembers the stinky liquid she stores in the base of her tail to warn away predators. Of course!

“Use your nose Omar!” Badir shouts out. “You can’t see me. With this wind soon you won’t be able to hear me. So you’ll have to smell me!” And with that, she releases some of her stinky liquid.

Within seconds, she hears a faint voice carry across the howling of the storm.

“Yuk! That smells so bad!” Badir knows Omar can smell her. So she releases a bit more of her special, foul scent.

Badir finally reaches her rock crevice home and hauls herself into it. She can’t see anything because the sand swirling in the cyclone storm is so thick. She hopes Omar is OK. She knows the storm could have blown him a long way away by now. The only sound she can hear is the whistling, screeching and roaring of the cyclone. It has become deafening.

After what feels like hours, but might just be a few minutes, Badir sees a shadow appear through the swirling sand. It gets darker and darker, until…GRUNT, GRUNT, GRUNT! A different noise accompanies that of the storm. It’s Omar! He’s safe!

Although he’s big and strong, Omar is having to heave his huge body with all his might against the storm winds. He looks exhausted.

He takes a final few steps and collapses into the entrance of his cave. As he sits down to shelter against the wall, he looks over towards Badir. He is grinning. Badir is so relieved to see him.

As they look out from the safety of their homes, the wind seems to drop just a little. The cyclone is calming. The noise also seems to die down.

“Bet you thought I’d got lost!” Omar shouts at the top of his lungs.

“Not for a second!” Badir shouts back. “I was just wondering what was taking you so long!”

Omar chuckles at this.

“Badir, I’m so grateful we’re best friends and nothing scares us.”

Badir is brimming with happiness that she’s been able to help save her friend from the cyclone sandstorm. Being fearless and smelly can sometimes be the ideal combination!

Questions for discussion

Why is a cyclone dangerous?

How could you help shelter someone from a bad storm where you live?

What things could you do to help a friend who is blind or deaf and can’t see or hear you?

The post Badir Helps Conquer a Cyclone appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Carrie lives in a big group of crabs called a cast. They live in the coastal waters at the edge of a very large ocean. Carrie loves floating in the salty sea, letting her legs spread far and wide. As she has so many legs, she’s pretty good at sports. She can swim really fast. And she loves having running races with her friends and family over the rocks on the seashore.

One summer’s day, Carrie is floating on her back in the water beside the beach. The water feels warmer than usual. And Carrie realises that she can’t see the sun through the ocean surface anymore. There’s a lot of blue green algae all over the top of the water. In fact, the same blue green algae is stuck to the seagrass swaying on the seabed. As Carrie wonders where this has come from, she sees her cousin, Charlie, swimming towards her.

“Hey Charlie!” says Carrie.

“Hi Carrie! What are you up to?” asks Charlie.

“I’m just wondering what all of this blueish-green stuff is,” Carrie explains. “It wasn’t here before.”

“Oh, that’s algal bloom,” replies Charlie. “My dad told me about it. It’s like a really big mass of algae, and it gets much worse in the summer heat. Dad says we have to be careful not to eat it as it can poison us.”

“But we always eat algae,” Carrie points out.

“I know,” agrees Charlie. “But this kind has toxins in which really hurts crabs.”

“Where is it coming from?” asks Carrie, who is now very concerned.

“My Dad says it’s started to grow because of the fertilizers they’re using in the fields nearby, to help crops grow better. The nutrients in them, especially nitrogen and phosphorous, get down into the soil. Some of them leach down into the water under the ground. Eventually, that water flows down into the sea. Just like in the fields, these extra nutrients support the growth of lots of algae.”

“That’s awful!” states Carries.

“I know, agrees Charlie. “And the more of the toxic algae there is, the more it blocks out sunlight and reduces oxygen in the water too. That can mean fish and other organisms can’t breathe.”

Carrie thinks about all her aquatic friends in the sea. She doesn’t want the algae to harm them.

“We need to get rid of it,” she says.

“I know,” says Charlie. “But if we can’t eat it, then how are we going to do that?”

Carrie treads water for a second so she can have a think. She moves her big pincer claws from side to side keep her afloat. As she looks at them, a thought pops into her head. Of course!

“Charlie, can you get the rest of the cast together?” she asks. “I think I know how we can remove the algal bloom.”

“Sure!” replies Charlie, and he swims off to find their family and friends.

Within a few minutes, he returns with a huge group of crabs, from tiny baby ones to large grandparent ones. They gather around Carrie.

“If we all use our pincer claws,” she starts to explain, “we can pull bits of the algal bloom out of the water, on to land. If we take it far enough up the beach then the tide won’t wash it back down here again.

The eyes of the other crabs all open wide on the end of their stalks. They’re surprised at just how simple Carrie’s solution is. Within a few moments, they all make their way up to the surface of the ocean. They each grab a little bit of the toxic algae in their pincer claws and swim to the shore. Then they scuttle sideways up the sand, dragging the algae with them. Once it is safely above the tide line, they turn around and repeat the process. Before long, the only blue-ish green colour that can be seen is that of the ocean water.

The crabs all gather together at the edge of the water. They admire the sparkle of the sea, as the sun reflects off it once again. One crab starts to clap his pincer claws together. And then another. And before long there is a huge round of applause. CLAP-CLAP-CLAP! They are all so happy that they have been able to help remove the toxic algae.

“Thanks Carrie!” shouts over Charlie. “Now we know how we can help curb nutrient pollution in the future.”

“No problem,” Carrie calls back. “What about a swimming race now that the water’s clear?”

“Great,” Charlie says, enthusiastically. “What stroke?”

“Front claw?” suggests Carrie, with a cheeky grin.

Questions for discussion

What other things, apart from fertilizers, cause nutrient pollution?

Which kinds of wildlife does nutrient pollution affect?

Can you find out other ways that we can help to reduce nutrient pollution?

The post Carrie Helps Curb Nutrient Pollution appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Freya has a friend. His name is Bertie. Bertie is a bat. Bertie likes flying too, and he can perform his own special trick. He uses his large ears to listen for echoes that tell him where his food might be. This is called echolocation.

Freya and Bertie live in a very beautiful, hilly area beside the sea. It’s often very windy there. Because of this, there are a lot of wind turbines along the coastline. These are devices that turn wind into electricity when the wind turns their big blades.

One summer’s night, as the wind blows across the hills, Freya is out practising her flying tricks. As she flies straight down to the ground, she notices Bertie at the entrance to a small cave in the hillside. He is looking a bit worried.

“Hey Bertie!” says Freya, landing on a rock beside her friend. “Is everything OK?”

“Not really,” replies Bertie, shaking his head.

“What’s happened?” asks Freya, concerned.

“Well, my family and I have a bit of a problem,” explains Bertie.

“We do most of our flying at night. We head to the coastline to drink seawater and forage for food. When it’s dark they light up the wind turbines with red lights. That stops planes from flying into them. Unfortunately, it makes things a bit dangerous for us.”

“Really?” says Freya, sounding surprised. “Why’s that?”

“Bats fly away from white and yellow lights. But we’re attracted to red lights. So we sometimes don’t realise we’re heading straight for the blades on a wind turbine.”

“Oh no!” “That’s terrible!”

“I know,” agrees Bertie. “And my mum is afraid for the baby bats and the elderly bats. She doesn’t want them to get hurt. She says we can’t go flying at all anymore. So it will be hard to have fun, or find food!”

Freya is surprised to hear this. She thought wind power was a really good thing for the environment. She had no idea of the danger it poses.

Freya’s nerves make her zip around even faster in the air as she wonders if there is some way she can help. All the zipping makes her feels a little dizzy. So she stops moving to clear her head. As she hovers in the air, she looks down at her body and notices her light shining in the darkness. It’s yellow. This gives Freya an idea.

“Bertie,” she says, excitedly, “I think I can help. Give me a few minutes.” And she flies off faster than Bertie has ever seen her fly before!

In barely any time at all, Freya reappears, with lots of her firefly friends. They all zip around in the air, their tummy lights sparking in the night sky. It looks just like they are putting on a firework display!

“Bertie, our bodies all glow with yellow light in the dark. When you want to go flying, how about we hover in front of wind turbines so you know to stay away from them?”

“Oh Freya,” says Bertie, with a big grin on his face. “That would be fantastic. But what about the planes?”

“We’ve thought about that,” replies Freya. “As soon as we see a plane, we’ll let you know. We can all fly back to your cave for a while. The planes will see the red lights and be safe.”

“And when they’ve gone…?” asks Bertie.

“…then we’ll just hover in front of the wind turbines again.”

Bertie’s ears are so pleased to hear this news, that they twitch backwards and forwards, which makes Freya laugh.

“I’m going to go and tell mum!” says Bertie, flapping his wings. “She’s going to be so grateful.” And he flies off towards his cave home.

Freya and her friends practise hovering in front of the wind turbines. When they do, the red lights can’t be seen at all.

After a short while, Bertie returns with his mum and lots of his bat family. They all swoop and squeak and squawk, to show their thanks.

Freya and her friends do a little acrobatic display in return.

From that night on, Bertie and his family are able to fly to the coast safely, for food and water. As they do, they see the beautiful sparkling lights on their firefly friends, which look a bit like low stars in the sky. They make sure to keep far away from them. The wind turbines can keep turning and cause them no harm.

As the fireflies hover in front of the wind turbines, Freya is delighted. She’s helping keep her friend safe. She’s also making sure the fireflies and bats can both continue to perform their special tricks in the sky!

Questions for discussion

Does echolocation use sound or touch to help bats find food?

Can you find out how wind power works?

What kinds of lights can you and your friends use at night to keep you all safer in the dark?

The post Freya Helps Sustain Wind Power appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Dolly has a friend. His name is Wesley. He’s an orca whale. Dolly and Wesley like spending their days swimming under the surface of the sea together. Their favourite activity is leaping out of the water and surprising the seabirds with a swish of their tails. They all screech with laughter when Dolly and Wesley suddenly appear from nowhere.

One bright, sunny day, Dolly is just about to leave home for dolphin school when she hears a huge, and very frightening, bang from high up above, near the surface of the ocean. She rushes to find her parents.

“What was that?” she asks, as her mum swims speedily over to give her a protective hug with her flipper.

“I’m not sure, dear, but stay here for now. You can go to school again tomorrow, when we know it’s safe.”

“I think I’ll go and investigate,” says Dolly’s dad, swimming up alongside them and then away from their shallow water home towards the ocean depths.

“Be careful!” shouts Dolly’s mum after him.

As Dolly and her mum peer up towards the surface of the sea, they suddenly notice it is starting to turn darker at one side. Slowly, the darkness creeps across the surface, cutting out the light from the sky above. They look at each other, feeling a little bit frightened.

In a few minutes, Dolly’s dad returns.

“I’m afraid it’s what I thought,” he says. “It’s an oil spill. A tanker carrying oil has crashed on rocks near the seashore. Some of the thick, black oil has spilled into the sea.”

“Oh no!” exclaims Dolly’s mum. “Dolly, you need to stay away until they’ve cleaned up all the mess.”

“But why?” asks Dolly.

“The oil is sticky and if it gets into our lungs, it can make it difficult for us to breath. And it can make us sick too. It can affect our brains.”

“What about my friends?” Dolly asks, worried.

“They need to keep away from the oil too,” explains her mum. “It could cause them lots of harm. If your seabird friends land in it, it will stick to their feathers and beaks so they won’t be able to fly or feed.”

On hearing this, Dolly swims around her parents, anxiously. She doesn’t want her friends to get hurt. As she swims round and round in a circle, thoughts go round and round in her head… until… she has an idea.

“Mum, dad, I’ve got to help. I’ll be back really soon.”

And with that, she speeds off through the water before her parents can answer.

As Dolly swims along under the growing patch of darkness, she meets Wesley. Wesley can see Dolly looks scared.

“What’s happening?” he asks, concerned.

“My dad says it’s an oil spill,” Dolly explains. “We need to make sure we don’t swim up through it or it can stop us breathing. We have to help the seabirds so they don’t land in it!”

“No problem!” agrees Wesley. “But we need to find them first. Come on. I can swim faster than you around the oil slick. Grab my fin!”

Dolly takes hold of Wesley’s fin with her flipper and they set off in search of their friends.

They finally poke their heads up through the ocean once they can see the sun filtering through the water again. As they do, they see their seabird friends circling overhead.

Dolly whistles loudly to attract their attention.

“Hey, over here! Quick! But don’t land on the water!”

The seabirds fly hurriedly over to Wesley and Dolly, thinking they want to play.

Dolly explains about the oil spill and that they need to keep away from it until it’s been cleaned up. She tells them to land on Wesley so he can help them reach safety.

The birds all flutter down and plant their webbed feet firmly on Wesley’s big smooth back.

“Ready?” asks Dolly.

The birds squawk to show that they are.

“Then hold on tight!” Wesley calls out to them, swimming off swiftly. He is careful to keep away from the edge of the oil slick. He skims and swerves across the water to avoid it.

The birds hang on for dear life, squealing with a mixture of fear and delight. They slip and slide across Wesley’s wet whale hide and have to try really hard not to fall off!

When they are safely beyond the oil slick, out in the open ocean, Wesley puts on his whale brakes. He stops so suddenly that some of the seabirds slip right off over his head into the water. PLOP, PLOP, PLOP! Dolly and Wesley have surprised them once again!

“Stay here until the oil has been cleaned up,” Dolly tells the birds. “You can go back to the coast once it’s safe.”

The rest of the seabirds fly down onto the water’s surface, and float there, flapping their wings furiously to show their thanks.

“You’re welcome,” replies Wesley. “Happy to help!”

And with that, Dolly and Wesley dive down under the ocean. Then they both leap up out of the water and soar into the sky with a swish of their tails. The birds all screech with surprise again.

Dolly and Wesley swim away smiling because they are really happy. They’ve given their friends the ride of their life and helped save their life at the very same time!

Questions for discussion

Do you know what causes oil slicks?

What problems do they cause for wildlife?

How can we humans prevent oil slicks?

The post Dolly Helps Steer Clear of an Oil Slick appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.

Selma is also a sedate seahorse. So she doesn’t do anything in a hurry. She swims very slowly. And mostly, she just hangs around in the sea. Selma has lots of friends. She sees them every day. They hang out among the seagrass and coral together.

One day, Selma is with her friends comparing how supple their teeny tiny tails are. They twist them into some incredible shapes! Selma is showing her friends how she can use her tail as a scarf when she spots something out of the corner of her eye. She thinks she can see something hiding in the seagrass. Selma quickly unwinds her tail from her neck.

She pokes her little head through the long, wavy tendrils of grass. She was right. There’s a fish in there!

The fish is much bigger than Selma, and it has lots of stripes all over its body. It also has lots of spiky spines. It’s beautiful to look at, but also a bit scary. Selma moves her snout a bit closer to the fish’s face. It isn’t moving much. Then she notices little droplets in the corner of its eyes. They’re salty tears. The fish is crying.

“Hey, are you OK?” Selma asks. “Did something happen? Are you here alone?”

“Hi,” replies the fish. “Yes, I’m o-o-on my o-o-own. I’m really lo-o-onely,” he stutters, between sobs. “The other fish don’t want to be friends with me.”

“Come on out, don’t hide away,” Selma encourages the fish, ”What’s your name?”

“I’m Lenny,” the fish answers, cautiously.

“What kind of fish are you?” Selma enquires. “I’ve not seen one like you before.”

“I’m a lionfish,” says Lenny, his tears stopping. “My family and I are pretty new around here.”

“Why do you think the other fish don’t want to be friends with you?” Selma enquires. “Are you sure it’s not just your imagination?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve heard them say that they’re scared of lionfish because of overpopulation. They’re worried there are too many of us coming in to this area and our numbers keep growing. They say we we’re taking things over and ruining their home.”

“That doesn’t sound good at all. Are there a lot of you?” asks Selma.

“Yes, quite a few, come to think of it. The other fish say we eat too much as well, so there’s not enough food left for them.”

Selma doesn’t like seeing Lenny so upset and wants to help. She wraps her tail around a piece of seagrass so the current doesn’t carry her away. Then she floats up, down, forwards and backwards, whilst she has a think. As she bobs around in the water, an idea bobs right into her head!

“Lenny, where are your mum and dad? I think I can help but we’ll need their assistance.”

Lenny looks hopeful. “They’re back at home.”

“Then let’s go and find them,” says Selma. “It might take us some time.” And with that, they swim off slowly, as seahorses and lionfish do. After a little while, they locate Lenny’s parents. Selma explains the situation.

“Oh Lenny!” exclaims Lenny’s mum. “We don’t want you to be without friends. What can we do to help?”

Lenny looks at Selma and she reaches her tail up to scratch her head with it.

“Well, there are a couple of things,” Selma replies. “Do you think you could get all the lionfish to stop eating so much?” she asks.

Lenny’s dad looks down at his rather round stomach.

“We have got big appetites. I don’t think cutting down would do us any harm,” he says. “I’ll tell them straight away.”

“And could you maybe stop reproducing so much?” Selma enquires, quietly.

“You mean have fewer babies?” Lenny’s dad asks.

“Yes,” Selma blushes.

“I think you might need to talk to Lenny’s mum about that one,” Lenny’s dad laughs.

Lenny’s mum looks thoughtful, “Spawning two million eggs a year is rather a lot. The other lionfish mums and I could try to spawn less often, or produce fewer eggs.”

“Brilliant!” says Selma, smiling at Lenny. Lenny grins back. “Let’s go and tell the other fish!”

Selma and Lenny head back to where the fish are playing. Selma explains what the lionfish are going to do to overcome the effects of overpopulation. They all smile and look really relieved. A few of them swim tentatively up to Lenny.

“Sorry about before,” they say. “We were a bit scared of you. But only a really good friend would go to all this trouble to help. How about you join us for a game of fish chase?”

Lenny’s face lights up. In his excitement, he charges straight into the middle of the group of fish. They all immediately scatter around him, looking terrified.

“Hey, slowly does it!” chuckles Selma. “You’d best watch those spines Lenny! Especially if you ever want more lionfish to come along and play!”

Lenny smiles, and looks a bit embarrassed. “Sorry everyone, I forgot! I’ll be more careful in future,” he reassures them all. He doesn’t want to risk losing the friends he’s only just made!

Questions for discussion

Does overpopulation mean there are too many or too few of a particular species?

What problems can overpopulation of a certain species cause?

What things can be done to help stop a species from  overpopulation?

The post Selma Helps Overcome Overpopulation appeared first on Claire Culliford - Fiction & Educational Children's Author.