Thumperino Superbunny and the Pirates of the High Seas

By Amber L. Spradlin and Ron Borresen

In this tale, Thumperino goes on vacation to a tropical island and soon finds it’s not all fun in the sun. Someone is dumping garbage in the sea and it’s up to Thumperino Superbunny to get to the bottom of the mess. But his mission may be doomed when he unexpectedly tangles with a band of pirates. Will a surprising new super-power and the skills he learned at the library help him save the day or will he have to walk the plank?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9780578153063

Book preview

Secret

Chapter 1

Vacation Nation

Ocean waves, palm trees, tropical fish, people snorkeling, and sundrenched, sandy beaches flash across the computer screen as the Red-Haired Lady clicks her way from website to website. I am curled up beside her with my yellow towel cape, watching her wander the Internet. What is she up to?

Eventually, the printer starts to hum and clack as page after page comes spewing from the paper tray. Thumperino, we’re going on vacation, she exclaims. I just finished making our reservations, and I can’t wait to hit the beach!

She gets up to go gather the papers. I tip my head and give her a quizzical look, which motivates her to come back to pet me. Don’t worry, buddy, you’re coming with us this time. No bunny-sitter for you. I nuzzle my chin in her hand to let her know that I am pleased by this news.

I’ve never been on vacation. Usually I stay home, and the neighbors come over to care for me. This could be fun. I wonder where she’s planning to take me.

She busies herself by dancing around the apartment to imaginary island music playing in her head, so I peek over at her computer and read the details on the airline ticket confirmation she has just printed.

It says St. Kitts. Hmmm, where could that be? I think to myself. Wait a minute...airline tickets. That means I’m going to have to ride under the seat in my travel carrier. I hate it when I can’t see out the window. I love to ride in the car, on the bus, even on the subway because I get to see all the daytime activity. Since my Superbunny life is a secret, I mostly get to fly around exploring at night.

When I first came to live with the Red-Haired Lady and the Singing Man, I got my one and only taste of airline travel. The Singing Man took me to work with him in Seattle, Washington where he was performing in an opera. I was just a young bunny and had not seen much of the world, so I was excited to go along.

The night before we left, I could hardly sleep. I tossed around in my kennel, trying to get some rest, but all I could do was watch the clock tick away the hours until morning. We left the apartment before the sun had even risen and raced to the airport in a taxicab. After all sorts of poking and examining from the airport’s security people, we finally boarded the plane.

I sat in my bag on the Singing Man’s lap until it was time for take-off. I caught a few glimpses out the window, and I couldn’t wait to see more. But within seconds of the pilot making the announcement to buckle all seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen, whoosh, under the seat my bag was stored in a flash. I had hoped for a great view but no, the entire time I had to smell stinky feet. I hope St. Kitts is someplace special, to make up for having to ride under the seat.

Finally, the Red-Haired Lady dances her way into the bathroom and turns on the shower. This buys me a little time to use her computer for some quick research about St. Kitts. I learn it is an island nation in the West Indies, over 1,000 miles southeast of Florida. The main export products from the island are coconuts, cotton, salt, and sugar. It has been inhabited since the Ice Age, when nomadic tribes came upon its shores and settled.

I read that the island’s official name is St. Christopher Island, after Christopher Columbus. That’s a lot of history packed into an island, I blurt out loud. I’ve got to get to the library and do some in-depth research.

On my last adventure, I met my new best friend Veronica and found her a job as a therapy pet