Brock and Becca: On Manitoulin Island

By Lois W. Marlatt

Brock and Becca are happy. Instead of being in school, they are vacationing on Manitoulin Island. They find out about the lives of beavers, and some history of the island including a little about the early settlers. They enjoy their picnic lunches with Mom and Dad in many of the different island areas. There is always something to see when Dad treats them to one of his special surprises. Highlights of the trip include the visiting Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, and a cave with its own skeleton. Your children will learn about Canada while being entertained with interesting and exciting stories in the Brock and Becca series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books for Pleasure
• Release date: Oct 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781553491033

Book preview

BROCK AND BECCA

ON

MANITOULIN

ISLAND

Written by Lois W. Marlatt

Illustrated by Joan Howatson

Copyright Lois W. Marlatt 2001

All rights reserved

ISBN # 978-1-55349-103-3

Published by Books for Pleasure at Smashwords

CHAPTER 1

Dad was excited when he came home. It was Tuesday, and a week before I had to return to school. Mom was busy getting supper when Dad almost danced into the kitchen. He hugged her.

Guess what? he asked, twirling her around. Before she had a chance to guess, he smiled and said, We can finally get away on a week's vacation. Isn't that the best news you have heard all day?

When? Mom asked, brushing back a lock of blond hair from her forehead.

I could tell she was hot and tired, and not in the best of moods. When Mom is like that I try to stay out of her way, but she had caught me teasing my little sister Becca. So here I was, seated at the kitchen table where Mom had told me to stay. It wasn't my fault I was in trouble. Boys are supposed to tease their sisters, and it doesn't take much to get Becca upset. But then, she's only six years old, and I am almost nine.

I was glad I was in the kitchen and able to hear what was going on. Most times when Mom and Dad are having a 'talk', I get sent out of the room, but not today.

By the end of the week I should finish up the project I have been working on for the past month. Then we can leave, Dad said.

Aren't you forgetting something? Mom asked, and boy did she sound cross.

I looked at Dad, but he wasn't scared.

Oh, you mean about the kids having to go back to school next Tuesday. No problem. They can go the following Monday.

What are you saying? Mom asked. Of course they have to go back to school on Tuesday. They have been off all summer, and that is when we should have gone away, not the first week in the new school year.

Why not? Dad asked. Travelling is educational, and they can work on their reading and math in the evenings. You know for a fact the first month of school is a review of what the kids learned in the grade before. Our kids are smart enough. They don't need four weeks of review when three will do. It's not my fault the project dragged on, and I need a week's holiday and so do you. He paused. We could leave the kids at home, he suggested, if we can find someone to look after them.

Mom, with her hands on her hips, replied. There is no way I would leave my kids with a stranger while I go away on holiday.

That's when Dad smiled, and looking at me said, Well, son, I guess we're going on vacation.

Whoopee! I added, and was going to ask where we were going when Mom told me to go out to play. I guess she had things to talk to Dad about. I wanted to find Becca to tell her the good news.

Becca surprised me by saying she wanted to go back to school. Girls are so dumb. Maybe Dad and I will go on holiday, and we will leave Mom and Becca at home.

Things worked out, and we got to go on holiday, but first we had to go to school on the Tuesday morning after Labour Day. Mom said it was only right we should meet our teacher for the year, and say hello to all our friends. Mom talked to both our teachers. I was given sheets of math questions to do, and both Becca and I were supposed to do some reading. She likes to do that anyway with Mom. Just because I'm almost nine, I got the hard stuff to do.

I don't think Dad minded waiting until Tuesday to leave. He ended up working until ten o'clock on the Saturday night, and he was tired on Sunday. Then Monday was Labour Day, and we had a family picnic, and lots of fun. Turned out they weren't ready to leave until one-thirty Tuesday afternoon.

When Becca and I came home at noon, the Yukon, or 'the big green machine' as Dad calls it, was packed.

Lunch was ready, but Mom told us not to gulp our food. There were still some last minute things she had to do.

After I finished eating, I went out and peeked into the Yukon. The back of it seemed to be full. I don't know what all they had in there, but there sure was a lot