The children in Ms. Shelly Desrosiers 's class from Henry Janzen School in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada wrote:

Chompy the beaver sat on the ground all alone.  He had no family at

all, or at least none that loved him enough to raise him.  Chompy had

woken up that morning to find himself deserted.  Parents gone, luggage

packed and their Saskatchewan River dam was flooded.  There was no

thing left but Chompy.  Their next door neighbours, the Gophers, had been nice enough

to offer him a place to stay, but due to Chompy's size, he didn't fit in

their hole. The Gopher family said that they would build a beaver sized

hole so Chompy could fit too, but it wouldn't be finished for a day or so.

So he sat there all day, letting the hours fly by.

 

Finally, the hole was finished and Chompy had somewhere to live!!!

As happy as he was he still wanted to find his parents.  Later that

day, Chompy went out to play with Gainer, the Gopher family's son.  They

were playing hide-and-go-seek and it was Chompy's turn to hide.  He set off

looking for a good hiding spot when he came to a pond. Chompy

thought that it would be a very good hiding spot so he jumped in and swam to the

bottom. At the bottom was a frog... with a magician's hat on!  Full of

excitement and curiosity, Chompy picked him up, and swam back up to surface.

 

" Ribbit! Ribbit!  What are you doing to me?  Ribbit Ribbit?" croaked the

frog.  

 

" I am Tort, the magical frog, and no one dares to make me mad!"

 

"Sorry Tort," said Chompy.  "I was just wondering... why do you have

a magicians hat on?  I didn't mean to make you mad, I just have a lot

on my mind at the moment!  My family deserted me, and - and I just wish I

someone could tell me where they are!"

 

"Well, as I said before, I am TORT!!!  I can tell you where they

are, but you’ll have to take me back down to the bottom, first."

 

They swam back down to the bottom, and Chompy set Tort back down on

his magical lily pad.

 

"Stare hard into my eyes and I'll tell you what you seek."  

Chompy did as he was told and Tort answered mysteriously

by saying  "They're on top of the Rocky Mountains and the only way to

rescue them is if you climb to the top by hand and foot. And one last thing:

everything adds up and it may seem like the obvious answer, but it's not what you

think it is, it's much more complicated than it seems."  

 

Chompy went home that night and thought about what Tort said.  It

didn't make sense to him so he decided to tell Gainer what had

happened. But Chompy also told Gainer that he had to swear not to tell anyone,

especially his parents.  So Gainer promised that he wouldn't tell his parents,

but he was worried that Chompy would get hurt by another animal. But

Chompy still told him the whole story.  

 

At midnight that night Chompy set off on his journey.  He was very

scared in the dark.  He was hearing some very weird sounds.  Chompy

decided that this journey would be VERY hard to accomplish alone, so he went

back to the Gopher's hole and asked Gainer to join him.  Gainer agreed, but

insisted that if he went, Tort should come too. They went to the pond, swam

to the bottom, and grabbed Tort by the leg.  Tort was very annoyed that they

had come in the middle of the night, but he came anyway.  So once again,

Chompy set off on his journey to find his parents, only this time, he was accompanied by his friends. Five minutes into the journey, they discovered a BIG problem.

 

"Umm," mumbled Chompy.  

 

"There's just  one little, eensy, weensy problem!"

 

"And what might that problem be?" replied his friends together.

 

 "Umm, does anyone know where the Rockies are???"  

 

Although no one was completely positive, Tort had an idea of where

they might be. So, as they had no other choice, they listened to Tort, and set off to the West.  

 

The children in Ms. Marie Wells 's class from Sifundzani School in Swaziland wrote:  

 

Chompy, Tort and Gainer set off to the west to find the Rockies. On their way they saw a bird looking for food. Chompy stepped up to the bird and asked, “Excuse me, do you happen to know which way the Rockies are? ” The bird answered, “Yes I do. Would you like a ride on my back? ”

 Chompy replied excitedly,“ Of course, we would love to have a ride on your back. ” Chompy and his friends jumped on the bird’s back and they flew up into the sky. They flew over many countries. All was going well until there was a big hurricane.  

 The hurricane was strong. It swept over Chompy, Tort and Gainer. “We won’t be able to find the Rockies. This hurricane is too strong,” choked the bird. Tort nodded, although nobody could see him. “Too, too strong”, he whispered. Gainer covered his eyes.

“Tort, use your magic stop the hurricane,” said Chompy, tears streaming down his eyes. “We need to find my parents.” The hurricane collected more dust, “Tort, use your powers. Now!” shouted Chompy. Somehow, Tort’s magic couldn’t work against the hurricane. “Hopeless magic,” said Tort. “We’re going to be swept to the end of the world.” Chompy began to cry. “Your stupid magic. Stupid, stupid magic,” he wailed.

“Oh for goodness sake old chum, is crying your hobby?” asked Tort sarcastically.

 

Nyoni the bird smiled. “Go away hurricane, you’re driving us insane,” he shouted. “Hamba wena. Suka.”(which in Siswati means go, you) The dust settled. Gainer uncovered his eyes. “Chompy, look. There’s no hurricane,” he shouted. But they found themselves in a very foreign country. Nyoni went to find shelter while Chompy, Gainer and Tort looked for food. Nyoni found a traditional Swazi village and soon returned to tell the others. But, little did they know, the village Nyoni had found was filled with bird-eaters. Khosi the witch doctor’s son had spotted Nyoni, and followed him to where they were. “I found a village, a village!” Nyoni shouted excitedly. Its berries are sweet. Its water is fresh. Oh! how I long for a drink” Gainer stopped gathering food.

 “What kind of village?” asked Tort. “A rather strange village “ Nyoni shouted back. Chompy began to cry. “You know they wouldn’t give food to a bird, a beaver and a frog, he sniffed. “I’ll starve if I don’t get fish.” Tort jumped up and down. “Oh for goodness sake, old chum. Is crying your hobby?” he asked. Tort tried to use his magic once more to get them all food, but nothing much happened except Tort’s stomach groaned more. Nyoni stared at him “Your magic does not seem to be working,” he said.

 “It does, Ill prove it to you,” said Tort. “What would you like, Chompy?” Chompy wiped a tear. “Id like some tasty fish, a comfortable place to sleep and, and my parents, please,” he whispered.

 “Oh, sorry, Chompy. I know how it feels. My parents left me to see the Statute of Liberty, I don’t know where it is,” said Nyoni. “Gone forever.” Tort tried to use his magic again but it was all in vain.

 When they realized that Tort’s magic was not working, the four decided to try for food themselves. Nyoni flew Chompy, Tort and Gainer to the Swazi village. As soon as Nyoni was seen, the villagers aimed their bows and arrows at him, but he was too fast. They soon stopped because they did not want to waste arrows. When Nyoni landed Tort, Chompy and Gainer jumped off and thanked the bird for the ride. “Now to find some good food.” But from where?” asked Gainer.

“Let us try the nearby river,” said Chompy.

Tort and Gainer shared two fish. Nyoni had berries from the tree and Gainer found some stray nuts.

After a good meal Gainer, asked, “For how long have we been on this quest?”

“Ten days at least,” answered Tort.

“Wow! We’ve been away for ten days? Are you pulling my tail?” said Chompy.

“What do you mean pulling your tail?” I never lie said Tort surprised. They were disturbed by a movement in the forest. Nyoni turned around. Khosi the witch-doctor’s son jumped out of the bushes from where he had been hiding. “We’ll be having a feast!” he shouted.

Chompy made a jump onto Khosi while Tort jumped up and down saying, “Go away or I’ll zap you with my evil powers.” Khosi pushed Chompy off him and grabbed Nyoni by the neck. “Ha! I am much stronger than a mere frog,” he shouted. The son of the witch-doctor has spoken. “He raised his left hand and pointed it at Tort, uttering some strange words.

At that moment, Tort began to shake. “What’s happening, Tort, what’s going on?” asked Chompy feeling very scared.

“ He’s turning Tort into a fish,” choked Nyoni. But of course that’s not what he said, for he was still in the firm grasp of Khosi. This is what came out lleshtunninort untoarish.

“What did you say Nyoni?” asked Chompy.                          

“Vish,” choked Nyoni.

“I’m still hungry,” said Chompy, to no one in particular. He reached for Tort the fish. Khosi was gone and so was Nyoni.

“Must resist,” he said. He put Tort closer to his mouth but there was some look in Tort’s eyes that stopped him. He just couldn’t. Tort had come all this way to help him out and besides; he could never find his parents on his own. “Come Tort,” he said. “Let’s go and rescue Nyoni.” To be continued…

Chompy, Tort and Gainer went to the village to find Nyoni.  They recognized Khoshi’s hut from all the herbal medicines hanging out to dry.  They went in very quietly and noticed Nyoni was tied up in twine.  

The children in Ms. Mary Paul’s class from Eskasoni School, Eskasoni, Nova Scotia  wrote:  

Meanwhile, Khoshi was just getting out of the stream after a wash for the meal.  The three decided to trick Khoshi.  When Khoshi arrived he was very startled to see the three, he decided to use them as medicine. Chompy, Tort and Gainer then spoke and Khoshi was so amazed he decided not to use them because they were sacred (so he thought).  

Chompy, Tort and Gainer said that Nyoni was such a small bird that she would never make a good meal for him.  Khoshi asked, why.  Chompy, Tort and Gainer said they knew of a land where birds were bigger than men.  

 

Khosi immediately asked where but they asked in exchange to tell them where the Statue of Liberty was.  He told them the Statue of Liberty was in New York. They then asked how to find New York.  Khoshi said he didn’t know.  

 

After awhile Khoshi remembered and asked where the giant birds were.  They told him Africa but before they left they asked him if he knew anyone that knew the way to New York. He said he knew one person but he lived very far away.  They asked who it was very anxiously.  He said he would use his powers to transport them there tomorrow.

 

Chompy, Tort and Gainer wanted to leave now and said they would find it themselves if he told them where it was. Khoshi said, “You must travel to Nova Scotia and look for a person named Glooscap.”

 

They left right away and found Glooscap. They asked him who he was.  He told them, “I am Glooscap, Protector of the Mi’kmaq people.” They asked him where New York was.  Glooscap told them it was in the United States of America. They asked for directions but it was late at night and he told them that they should get some rest and he will tell them in the morning and they agreed.

 

When they awoke the next morning, they immediately asked for directions to New York.  Glooscap told them to go South a long way until they saw a green huge monument.  They were so happy and excited that they decided to leave right away.  

 

“Before you go I would like to present you all with a gift,” said Glooscap. “To you Tort I give you back your life as a frog, to you Chompy I give you magic to use anyway you like, to you Nyoni I give you power to fly as high as the stars with these strong wings, and to you Gainer I also give you magic to use in anyway you like.”  

 

They left for New York after a good delicious meal. Nyoni flew them with her powerful wings until Glooscap could see them no longer.  On the way to New York Nyoni’s wings grew heavy and was very tired.  

 

They flew off course and landed in Quebec but they thought it was New York.  They looked and looked for the Statue of Liberty but couldn’t find it.  They asked for directions but they couldn’t understand French.  

 

They decided to use their magic but Glooscap had a little trick up his sleeve. Whenever they tried to use their magic they would make rude noises and all the animals in the world would hear them and laugh.

 

Chompy used magic to ask for directions from a man walking his dog and the dog covered his nose and whimpered.  The man replied, “ I do not know a New York.”  The four wandered around aimlessly for the rest of the day.  

 

The next day they found a little corner store with atlases so they walked inside and bought some and fortunately under Quebec it said, “you are here.”  They left the store and immediately left for New York.  

 

They travelled for hours and it started getting chillier.  They stopped to look at the map. Chompy was in disbelief and said, “We have been travelling north not south, and we have been going in the wrong direction for almost a day.”  The four almost cried.  Then Nyoni said, “ Now what are we going to do?”

 

The children in Mr. Brendan Wright's class from Paparoa Street School in Christchurch, New Zealand wrote:

 

The four started walking using the map to find Quebec Harbor. When they
arrived they saw a boat and using Gainers powers they asked an old

pirate with a parrot on his shoulder where the boat in front of them
was going. “New….” But before he could finish, the animals high fived
and shouted “WE’RE SAVED!” Yet did they know the boat was really going
to New Zealand. As the pirate was walking away the parrot remarked “I
better warn you befor e you have a little accident -the public toilets
are right over there.” Then Tort suddenly exclaimed “ Wait, wait I am
foreseeing that we will not be able to get on to the boat as
immigration services will not allow us on board. This means one thing,
we will have to be disguised as humans.” The animals saw an old thrift
shop and headed towards it. Then they remembered that Gainer had powers
and so did Chompy. They wanted to turn them all into humans but their
powers alone would be to weak. They decided to use them together. They
tried and tried but it was no use. Even their powers together weren’t
strong enough. Gainer also remembered that animals wouldn’t be allowed
into the thrift shop. Gainer thought that he would be able to turn one
animal into a human and decided that it should be Chompy. They snuck
behind an old building and Gainer worked his magic. They were all
exc ited and watched quietly as Chompy walked casually off. Chompy had
never seen so many clothes so he had to work quickly. He reached into
his pocket and found $4 .00. He looked around and chose some very
French clothes. He chose 3 hats and jackets and some buckled shoes but
he didn’t buy anything for himself, as he was already dressed. He
handed the money to the shopkeeper and took the clothes back to where
the animals were waiting and they hurried off to the toilets to get
changed. They thought they looked rather funny but it would have to do
if they wanted to get to the so-called New York. Chompy whipped up some
passports for each of them and they headed towards the wharf to board
the boat. They bought some tickets and waited in the long queue to get
on board. There was slight suspicion when it was their turn to show
their tickets but they eventually got through.
 
Their journey was long but enjoyable and it was a new experience for
all of them. There was slight shock when they heard that they were
coming into Picton Harbour New Zealand but they figured it was just a
mistake. When they got off the boat they headed towards the immigration
checkout. Tort suddenly realized that they were still disguised as
French people so gainer quickly worked his magic to make them wear more
American clothes. After a long struggle through immigration services
they set off to find a local park hoping that someone would know
exactly were they were. At the park a man was pushing his daughter on
the swing. He looked liked a friendly man so Chompy asked him where the
Statue Of Liberty was. He replied “Hah, are you sure you’ve got the
right place?”
 “Well this is New York isn’t it?”
 “New York?” asked the man. “Don’t you mean New Zealand?” The animals
 just stood in shock. It wasn’t New York after all. All this effort for
 nothing. Finally Nyomi spoke up. “Um, um, thank-you.”
 “Have a nice day, ” said the man. The friends sat on a near by park
 bench. After a moment of silence Tort said ”We were so set on going to
 New York that we didn’t bother listening to what the pirate had to say
 and when he said “New…” we just presumed that he was going to say York
 when he was really going to say Zealand. They took off their clothes
 miserably. There was a moment of silence then Nyoni said, ”Wait, what
 about the Rockies? ”
 “Oh yeah” they all said.
 “I think we were trying to do too much at once. Why don’t we just find
 Chompy”s parents first and then with the help of them we could find New
 York?" Said Nyoni. Suddenly Tort heard rustling in the bush behind the
 bench they were sitting on. They all went to have a look. Standing
 amon gst the leaves and twigs was a small brown bird that none of them
 could identify. “Hello mates” it said. I’m Pee Wee the kiwi, who are
 you?” The animals introduced themselves and then Nyomi askedthe
 question they needed to know. “Sorry to bother you but you wouldn’t
 happen to know where the Rockies are?” “The Rockies? Oh don’t you mean
 the Remarkables, that’s a rocky mountain range round these parts.”
 “Oh yeah, that’s what I foresaw exclaimed Tort.
 “TORT!” they all shouted at once.
 “Looks like my work here is done.” Said Pee Wee.
 “Wait” Said Chompy.” How exactly do we get to the Remarkables?”}
 “Keep going south until you see a big sign saying QUEENSTOWN”
 “Does the Queen live there asked Gayner?”
 “No said Pee Wee. As I was saying, once you see the sign you will also
 see a mountain range. Head towards it and climb up it. With a bit of
 luck you will find your parents up there. They thanked him and as they
 were walking away Pee Wee suddenly asked
 “Can I come to?” Eager for a guide they happily let him come. So they
 all set off for the Remarkables. After five days of full on walking
 living off food conjured by Gainer they finally reached the peak. In
 the distance a slight way down small figures were moving about. Tort
 was first to stop these as he had hitched a ride on Pee Wee’s back
 because his feet hurt from too much climbing. Chompy excitedly ran
 towards the moving dots and to his surprise and excitement standing
 there were his parents. He sprinted towards them and greeted them with
 hugs and kisses. The others came to join them but with out the hugs and
 kisses! Chompy’s parents were so happy to see him that after he had
 introduced his friends and told them the whole story his parents took
 them to a near by pond where they caught fish for there dinner. You’ll
 be happy to know that they all got home safely and one week later the
set off to find New York but that’s another story.
 
By Brittany and Anna.