Every summer, Keiko's family vacationed together, a sort of family reunion. Keiko's Mom and Dad, her grandparents, her Aunt Holly and Uncle Ken, and of course, all her cousins would come. One year they rented a houseboat on Lake Mead. The grown-ups and the toddlers sat in the cool water, at the shallow edge of the lake. The grown-ups read books, while the toddlers played in the water. Keiko and her older cousins would slide down a huge yellow water slide, in between taking turns flying about the lake on jet skis.  

 

When they thought Keiko couldn’t hear, Keiko’s grandparents would ask , in very quiet voices, “How is Keiko doing in school?”

 

Keiko’s mother would answer. “I worry about my Keiko. School  should be a wonderful place, but ....”

 

“She’s falling behind her friends,” said Keiko’s father. "She’s a smart kid, but she freezes up when trying to become a reader. She just can’t grasp learning to read.”

 

Ever so often, Keiko did overhear. Some of her happiness would disappear and her insides would knot up. She would lose her smile, put on a brave face, and go about playing just as hard as she played before she heard the hurtful words., about how she wasn’t measuring up in school.

 

The Giant Dragonfly stopped a second to check if everyone was still asleep in Dreamland. His eyes crinkled showing how pleased he was that all boys and girls were fast asleep, and listening to his story.

 

"Here's where I left off," said the Dragonfly."

 

After school on school days, Keiko went to her Japanese grandparent’s house. where love abounded from her grandfather Hiro, her grandmother Sachi, and her grandfather’s mother, Narika. They all worked a farmers, worked as farmers growing flowers for sale and vegetables to eat.  There was an avocado tree and a fish pond and sour stuff stored in pots in the garage. It was all very Japanese, even though they had lived in America many generations, long before Keiko’s mother’s side of the family came to America.

 

Keiko’s Japanese great-grandmother couldn’t speak English, but Keiko knew a few Japanese words, and she would often sit on her great-grandmother’s lap where words weren’t important..

 

At her grandparent’s farm Keiko could forget about school.  It was there she often helped her grandfather wrap his cut flowers.  It was there Keiko played soccer with her cousins.  Her oldest cousin, Chris, was the biggest. He was big and strong and gentle. Keiko’s cousin Jesse, a couple years older than Keiko, was bigger than Keiko. Glory and Keiko were the same size. Touma was the youngest, just a toddler, too small to play soccer. Keiko’s cousins loved having Keiko on their team, because, even though she was a girl, and even though she wasn’t the biggest girl, Keiko had lots of determination and lots of courage.

 

Keiko’s grandparent’s yard was large and dusty, and watching all around were cats.  Ghost Cats, Keiko called them, as they were ghostly-grey with stare-glaring eyes.  They did not smile.  The cats had a job to do.  Their job was to catch all the critters popping out of the ground ready to eat the vegetables and some of the flowers in the garden.  The cats would stop looking for the nibbling critters to watch Keiko and her cousins play soccer.

 

One day, Keiko and her cousins played soccer with a giant rubber ball, almost as big as Keiko.  The ball whizzed toward Keiko, and she hit the ball with her body. The ball spun where Keiko wanted the ball to go, but it picked up Keiko on the way.  Keiko rode on top of that ball, until she jumped off the other side.  Her cousins, the ghost cats and everyone watching, never forgot how Keiko tackled that giant ball.

 

“You are one determined girl," laughed Keiko’s grandfather.  “You are one great soccer player.  By the way, how are things in school?”

 

“Just the same,” answered Keiko.  And off Keiko went, ducking her grandfather’s question.  And, once again Keiko lost more of her happiness.  Not even playing soccer with her cousins could take the hurt away.  Her cousins did great in school. Keiko was a child the world overlooked -- a child who gets left behind.

 

"Then one day," said the Dragonfly with a twinkle in his eye, "A miracle happened."

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FIRST STORY BOOK TWO

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The Invisible Babu Mischief

Poem

In a cavern deep and dark where tails go to play

Babu Mischief stays hidden far-far away.

He always stays invisible taking forms that come and go,

What does he really look like? Keiko wants to know.

When Keiko is in danger or so sad she cries blue tears,

Babu uses magic and instantly appears.

He always stays invisible taking forms that come and go,

What does he really look like? Keiko wants to know.

 

Letter Sounds: Ss Hh er ing es

 

Riding Bright Star through the dark night sky, Keiko felt safe surrounded by her rainbow friends. “How far is it to the Land of Dragons?” she asked.

 

“We should arrive just before the morning light,” answered Rubén.

 

Babu Mischief, the invisible trickster of Rainbowland, spotted a dark shadow swirling in the heavens. He feared the jealous Wild Wild Wind had returned looking for Keiko.

 

“I’ll be right back, Keiko. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.” And the invisible trickster of Rainbowland left to seek out the Wild Wild Wind.

 

If Keiko could have seen the Wild Wild Wind, she would have seen his eyes turn black and bitter and cold. If Keiko could have heard the Wild Wild Wind, she would have heard his angry words.

 

“I WILL find you Keiko! You can’t hide from me! I can see everywhere and everything. I WILL stop you from learning any more reading sounds! I WILL stop you from learning to read!”

 

But Keiko couldn’t see or hear the Wild Wild Wind. Riding Bright Star high in the heavens, Keiko was starting to miss her Mom and Dad. Her sadness disappeared when suddenly Sir Rubén Rainbow’s pony flew down from the heavens to land on the Rainbow below. Like shooting stars, Bright Star and his pony friends followed.

 

Another adventure, thought Keiko. And her excitement shone in her eyes.

 

The morning Sun rose to greet the travelers. She spread her golden rays and everything in Rainbowland awoke from the darkness of the night. Keiko started to worry about meeting a dragon. But no dragons did she see.

 

Flower garden after flower garden filled the horizon. “You must be Keiko,” said a sun-kissed flower with a happy face. The tiny flower greeted Keiko by waving her petaled head from side-to-side. A flower with silver petals winked at Keiko, grinning like a mischievous little boy.

“You know who I am?” asked Keiko. She asked quietly, as she had never met talking flowers before.

 

“Maleeka told us you were coming. She’s waiting for you.”

 

Keiko found Maleeka near a flower garden where flowers changed color, as fast as snowflakes fall from the sky.

 

“Is this the Land of Dragons?” asked Keiko. “The gardens are so splendid, it seems impossible to believe dragons are lurking about.”

 

“This is my home,” answered Maleeka. “Rubén asked to stop here. He’s waiting for Babu Mischief. He doesn’t want to go to the Land of Dragons without him.”

 

“Neither do I,” agreed Keiko. “Babu makes me feel safe.”

 

Keiko watched squirrels scamper across tree branches, catching the bird food drifting down from hundreds of birdfeeders tucked away in this wonderland of color.

 

“It sure is beautiful here, Maleeka. You live in a paradise.”

 

“It’s my paradise, Keiko. I’m glad you like it. But remember. Everyone’s paradise is different.”

 

The tiny birds flying to and from Maleeka’s birdfeeders reminded Keiko of her birdfeeder at home. “I think my home is my paradise,” said Keiko. And with Maleeka’s blessing and a forewarning about some not so nice flowers, Keiko took off exploring.

 

At the very same time, far-far away in the heavens, the invisible Babu Mischief faced the Wild Wild Wind.

 

“Looking for Keiko? You have to get through me first!” And taking the form of a terrifying mask, Babu frightened the Wild Wild Wind so much that for a split-second, the Wild Wild Wind stopped blowing. And in that split-second, Babu trapped the Wild Wild Wind in a net of tangled stardust.

 

From high in the heavens to the bottom of the Jellybean Sea went Babu. Giant octopuses awaited his arrival. They tied up the Wild Wild Wind in ropes of seaweed--so strong--the Wild Wild Wind’s power could not help him break loose.

 

Of all this Keiko was unaware. In Maleeka’s paradise, Keiko felt invincible. She was learning letter sounds! Soon, she would know how to read. Her excitement filled her heart with so much happiness, her black patent-leather shoes sprouted wings! Keiko flew high, high, high, above the Jellybean cover of the Rainbow.

 

“Wow!” shouted Keiko, “I’d like my Mom and Dad to see this.” Remembering once again how far away from home she was brought Keiko’s flying to an end. Her black patent-leather shoes lost their wings. Keiko floated down, down, down, into the middle of some strange looking flowers.

 

The flowers were twice as tall as Keiko and she felt small next to them. They were kind of scary and they didn’t act like friendly flowers at all. They waved their hands of tangled leaves. “Pick me! Pick me!”

 

“I’ll have to ask Maleeka first,” answered Keiko.

 

The flowers insisted on being picked right then and there. They TWISTED their long green stems! They BLOCKED Keiko’s way with their large-petaled heads! They tried to GRAB Keiko’s yellow dress!

 

Keiko PUSHED against the scary stems! She SHOVED away the petaled heads! She SMASHED through the tangled leaves!

 

The smiling Sun didn’t smile anymore. “Climb up the stairs in my Sunbeam, Keiko. I will take you to a safe place.” The Sun spread her rays of sunshine, and whisked Keiko away, away, away, and out of sight. Into a cave went Keiko.

 

Sparkles of light began to twinkle.

 

“Little Sparkle, is that you?” asked Keiko.

 

“It’s me. And I’m not alone. My brothers and sisters are with me. We were told you needed help.”

 

Something moved! A gray letter pressed himself against the gray cave wall. Keiko thought she had met this letter before. But she wasn’t sure. The gray letter vanished into the cave wall with only his eyes peeking out. The letter DID NOT make a sound.

 

A voice echoed through the cave. It was Mousey.

 

“Mousey!” shouted Keiko. “Where are you?”

 

“Follow me,” directed Little Sparkle.

 

And into a cavern bigger than a whole house, bigger than a hundred houses put together, went Keiko. Rock-like forms, dark and scary, hung from the ceiling and others stood like statues scattered across the cavern floor.

A shadowy cloud circled high above Keiko’s head. The dark cloud burst apart. BATS! The cavern came alive with hundreds and hundreds of bats!

 

“Keiko, Keiko, over here,” echoed lots of voices mixed with Mousey’s. “Don’t worry about the bats, they’re our friends. Come and play hide-and-seek with us.” Mousey’s hide-and-seek friends wore tails--red tails, green tails, long bushy tails, short fluffy tails--all of his friends wore tails.

 

“Nice to meet you Keiko,” said a cute little girl with a red fluffy tail. Blue and red letters were embroidered on her pink dress. “My name is Ernesta and my tail sound is er.”

 

“I know your tail sound, Ernesta,” replied Keiko. “Mousey taught me.”

 

“Did Mousey teach you I am a changer of words?”

 

“If you say fast, I say fast-er

If you say slow, I say slow-er

High-er, low-er, slow-er, fast-er

Little ers are tail-sound masters.”

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“Hello Keiko,” greeted the tail letter, Ping. “I ring, I sing, I’m lucky Ping. By learning my tail sound, learning to read will become easier and easier.”

 

“If you say push, I’ll say push-ing

If you say point, I’ll say point-ing

Read-ing, writ-ing, point-ing, push-ing

Kiss-ing, wish-ing, blush-ing, munch-ing

We be king s, if Keiko sing s, to little ing s.”

 

A feisty letter without any tail pushed aside the little ings. “My name is SSSerendipity. I can make hard and soft sounds. And I change one thing into many things.”

 

“And I can change one thing into many things too.” said a boy with a blue bushy tail. “I can change box into boxes. I can change fox into foxes.”

 

“It takes two of you to do what I can do all by myself,” challenged SSSerendipity. “Listen Keiko. Listen to me.”

 

“I am proud, so proud, of what I can do.

I can do more than you…and you…and even you.

My soft sound, sizzling and sweet

Insures a treat becomes treat-s.

My zzzz sound hard as nail-s

Allow-s boy to be boy-s without any tail-s.

Girl-s and squirrel-s, as you can see

All become more because of me.”

 

“To make her hard sound,” whispered Ernesta, “SSSerendipity uses a lonely letter’s sound.”

 

A lonely letter, thought Keiko, but before she could ask what letters were lonely letters, the tail letters started quarreling as to who was the most important. Tails chased tails. The tail sound ing, chased the tail sound er, who chased the tail sound es, who chased the sizzling SSSerendipity.

 

“KNOCK IT OFF YOU GUYS!”

 

Black smoke covered all of Mousey’s tail-friends. An invisible presence tapped the top of Keiko’s head.

 

“Is that you, Babu?” Babu didn’t answer. “Show yourself Babu!” insisted Keiko. “Or are you afraid to let me know what you REALLY look like?” The invisible Babu Mischief became visible.

 

Keiko scrunched up her nose; she was so, so, so disappointed. Babu Mischief turned out to be a raggedy, smelly, blurry-eyed donkey. He galloped up to Keiko. He opened his big donkey mouth, showing off his big donkey tongue and his enormous donkey teeth.

 

“Ha-HA, Hee-HEE.”

 

Hot donkey breath splashed all over Keiko’s face.

“That’s disgusting!” Keiko hit her head against the cave wall trying to get way. She managed to say, “Babu Mischief. You sorry old donkey.”

 

“Ha-HA, Hee-HEE. A donkey is me? We’ll see. We’ll see.” Donkey hooves turned into hands. Babu’s donkey mane turned into a black cape. Babu’s donkey face disappeared and the mischievous face of the greatest trickster in Rainbowland, gave Keiko a big grin.

 

A small letter sitting on Babu’s shoulder opened his tiny mouth. “Ha-HA, hee-HEE.” Hot donkey breath sailed out from the small letter, just as it had sailed out of Babu’s big donkey mouth.

 

“You’re disgusting, too!” Keiko said, disgustingly.

 

Babu laughed at his mischievous friend whose name was little huh. Little huh winked at Keiko.

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“Mischief is my middle name,

Magic is my favorite game.

When mischief abounds

And letters change sounds,

You can bet you’ll find little huh around.

Shown, Phone, Cheater, Cheese,

I love to tease, but please believe

My letter sound most frequently

Is used much more seriously.

h-eartbreak, h-ospital, h-urt and h-ome,

h-orse, h-awk, h-ippopotamus poem.”

 

SSSerendipity gave little huh a big sugary kiss. Smooch! “It’s true,” she swooned, “if it wasn’t for little huh I wouldn’t be able to make the words short, shudder, Shushes, and shine.”

 

I liked your poem, little huh.” And with a big smile Keiko blew air on her hand, making little huh’s h-appy, horsy sound.

 

“Great job!” said little huh.

 

And while everyone taught Keiko reading sounds in the Cave of Tails, the Wild Wild Wind fought the seaweed ropes that bound him tight in his underwater prison. “I WILL get out of here! And I WILL find Keiko!” His threat sent shivers through the giant octopuses standing guard.

 

Babu felt the Wild Wind’s anger from far-far away. He put on his serious, serious face. “Little huh and I have something important to do, but I want you to know, Keiko, we will never leave you. When you reach the Land of Dragons, we will be there.”

 

To the bottom of the Jellybean Sea went Babu and little huh. And when the Wild Wild Wind saw Babu and little huh, his face filled with thunder. He roared a MIGHTY roar. “I’ll get you Babu, if it’s the last thing I do.”

 

“And if it’s the last thing I do,” answered Babu, “I will make sure you stay here in the bottom of the Jellybean Sea until Keiko is safely home.”

The giant octopuses wore frightened faces. “We know you two are determined to keep Keiko safe from the Wild Wild Wind, but he’s one bad, mad, piece of work. I don’t know how long we can hold him. He grows angrier and angrier, and stronger and stronger. He grows more powerful every minute.”

 

“Little huh and I will stay as long as we can,” answered Babu, “but soon, we must hurry back to Keiko.”

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