GALLIVANTING IN THE GALAPAGOS

"Gallivanting in the Galapagos" is the seventh book in the "Chuck Chuck Chicky and Chums Travel and Adventure Series", a rhyming series for kids.This is a light-hearted travel and adventure story that highlights the diversity of animals living on the Galapagos Islands and in the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean that surround the islands. The Galapagos Islands are a volcanic archipelago near the equator, and so are quite sunny and warm. It is a wonderful place on our planet where our four chums have fun with the various birds, reptiles, marine mammals and fish, and come to appreciate the balance of nature that exists on these unique islands. The adventure begins with the four chums stepping off the plane onto a barren, volcanic environment. They soon come to realize that the Galapagos Islands are in fact beautiful, and full of wonderful wildlife with which they interact. They first sail to an island where fascinating Frigatebirds live, and where Chuck Chuck Chicky tries to pretend he's a baby Frigatebird. He ends up being pelted with smelly worms and things by the mama bird who catches on to his ploy. His friends come to the rescue and soon they encounter iguanas living in a "playground full of sand". This time Ring-a-Right gets a little too exuberant and jumps into the throng of iguanas who quickly begin spraying him with salt water from their nostrils. Ring begins to swerve and duck, but then lurches into a tide pool where he lands on top of a giant tortoise. The turtle tries to extricate himself from the mud, which has created great suction, and in doing so launches Ring into the sea. He is saved by his friends who are in a boat and they travel to another island to observe more of the giant turtles. Bear wants to ride on top of one of these turtles, but finds them to be quite slow moving, mostly enjoying chewing on grass in the shade. Chuck Chuck Chicky moves the chums along so that they can see more birds along the cliffs. Here they see Blue Footed Boobies and Red Footed Boobies, and penguins smaller than those in Bear's dream of the cold north country. Bear, feeling energetic, spots a seal in the water and "plopped in with belly flop". He startles schools of fish and soon spots a gleaming white reef shark. Although harmless the shark scares Bear and he begins to flail in the water. Then, happily for Bear, another large tortoise comes to his rescue. As the chums plan to leave the Galapagos islands, pelicans dive like arrows into the water creating froth all around them. The four chums bid farewell to the islands, thinking about the animals they encountered and hoping the these special islands will never change.