New Beginnings: A Bahamas Tails Chapter Book

By Michelle Ihrig

Join Buckie the Buccaneer, a stray dog living in The Bahamas, as she explores Nassau, overcomes her insecurities, and learns the power of friendship.

Written in the first person to highlight her own frailties, the story begins with Buckie, a self-described queen, overlooking her kingdom. She is happy, she is content, and she is free. Then, she meets Simon “the Sensei” Seagull, and instantly, life as she knows it could change forever.

Buckie must decide if she wants to continue living by herself or if she is willing to open her heart, and her home, to her new friends. Fellow dogs Excitable Evie, Helpful Hubert, Adventurous Adam, Creative Caleb, Daring Diezel, and Virtuous Virginia lack the safety and freedom that Buckie enjoys, but they have something else, each other.New Beginnings, the first book in the Bahamas Tails series, follows Buckie as she meets new friends and visits Fort Charlotte, Western Esplanade, Junkanoo Beach, Festival Place, Fish Fry, and Downtown Nassau.

The book is an excellent resource for families interested in visiting Nassau, The Bahamas because all the places in New Beginnings are real and most can be visited by tourists. The chapters are intentionally short, include illustrations, and each chapter ends with a four-lined, reflective poem. In eBook versions, challenging words are in italics and definitions are located in the glossary at the end of the eBook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michelle Ihrig
• Release date: Jul 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781946568014

Michelle Ihrig

Michelle spent 16 years in education before deciding to pursue her dream as an author. ​ Her writing interests are reflections of her experiences and interests: Biblical Devotionals Growth Mindset Inclusive Education at International Schools The Bahamas

Book preview

Map of The Bahamas

The Bahamas

Illustrator: Anastasia Moshkarina

Map of Downtown Nassau

Map of Downtown Nassau

Cartographer: Maria Gandolfo aka renflowergrapx

One

The One and Only

Whoever said a queen's life was boring never lived in The Bahamas! I’ve seen gigantic ships filled with people sailing vast oceans. I’ve looked pirates dead in the eye and survived. When challenges come, I face them head on. I eat like a queen but take no prisoners. I decide what I do. I know the power I possess in me – it’s the power to change the world.

OK, I confess – even though I have seen giant ships, faced pirates, and eaten like a queen – I’m not who you think I am. Well, I’m a dog and a beautiful dog I might add. From a distance you’d think I was a pure-bred Labrador Retriever of the golden variety, but up close, well, I have this one spot. It’s around my left eye – yep that’s it – a patch of black fur. I’m a mutt, but in the isles of the Bahamas, we are known as potcakes.

Potcakes have no owners, but don’t worry, many of us live a great life. First and foremost, we like to sleep, anytime, anywhere. We can curl up under a sea grape tree, on a sidewalk, or smack dab in the middle of the beach. When our eyes start getting heavy, no matter what time of day, to a potcake it is nap time.

Next, we like to eat, and I mean eat. We live on the streets and off the streets. Most of our food comes from the leftovers that people leave behind near garbage cans. Some potcakes have distant relationships with people who will leave food out for them. That’s where we got our name from… a long time ago, some very kind people would give us the leftover rice that forms a cake on the bottom of their cooking pots, their pot-cakes.

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Buckie eating a potcake of rice

Buckie eating a rice potcake

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Eventually, the term potcake was given to all stray dogs in The Bahamas. I am one of those lucky ones who has a few people I can go to for food. But as a rule, most of our food comes from what is thrown away. For that reason, it is very rare to find a fat potcake.

Finally, and most importantly: we potcakes like to keep to ourselves. Because we rarely interact with humans, we are often afraid or scared when we are approached by people. Most people simply ignore us, some people talk to us and give us food, and occasionally, someone may be having a bad day and yell at us. Because we never know what to expect, we are unsure about what to do when we see or smell a person for the first time. So please, if you ever see one of us, you can look, you can talk, and you can throw us food, but never try to touch us or to pet us.

Humans. They consistently surprise and confuse me. I mean, just look at them, they sit in boxes all day going back and forth on this one road… and look at me! I am free. Free to live as I please, do as I please, act as I please. If I want to chase seagulls, I can. If I want to eat out of a garbage can, I can. If I want to bark at a cat or go swimming in the ocean, I can – all because I’m free.

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Someday they’ll see

I’m not who they thought I would be

I’ll be the world’s best version of –

Well, me

Two

My Kingdom

Aaahh, The Bahamas – not a bad place to live I suppose. Well, at least that’s what all the tourists say.

I learn a lot from humans. Sometimes I go over to the beach and listen to them talk and talk and talk, or sometimes I watch humans from faraway places on big screens by the restaurants. I love learning about things, and I love my home.

It is a beautiful place – 700 islands and cays, can you imagine? All surrounded by the clearest water you ever did see. The temperatures are fantastic. They even call it "The Isles of Perpetual June," though during the scorching August sun, you are wishing it were June! And I get to live here, freer than the salted air we breathe, not a bad life at all.

Now as I have already told you, I am, well, a dog. I have no owner, no master, just my happy go-lucky self. Granted, when the rain comes and the winds blow, I want a warm room to run to, but when the sun is shining and the breeze is sweet, there is no other way I’d rather live than free.

My place of town is the perfect place to be. I live by the fort, Fort Charlotte. There are views of the sea and plenty of fine delicacy. Plus, I’m only a short wag from downtown. We’re talking primo real estate. If I were human, I’d have to spend big bucks to live here. Well, let’s just say, most times I am quite happy to be a potcake, and being able to live in this beautiful place rent-free is one of those times.

Potcakes really do have the good life in The Bahamas. We roam the streets, go to the best parties, see the sites, meet new people, and simply live free. Who could ever complain?

My favorite sleeping spot is under any tree, especially what Bahamians call rubber trees. Those trees can stand up to the biggest of storms with their luscious branches and massive trunks. Picture a rubber band ball – 20 feet tall and 10 feet around – big, massive, and shady… aaaahhh, there really is no place like home.

Right off the path leading to the fort is a small overlook, and well, to me it is my throne. I mean, I can see my entire kingdom from this spot, talk about living like a queen. I call the houses to the left that have the coral trim the coral village; some of those humans have the best food to share… like rice and beans, curry chicken, tuna and grits, plantains, pig’s feet, and macaroni and cheese. Talk about a feast! All I need to do is walk around that area of my kingdom and I’ll always have a full belly; never will I hear a harsh word spoken