The Adventures of Mark Johnson

By Harlan D D Hayman

The Adventures of Mark Johnson was written for parents and young children. It places focus on our society and how to deal with social issues. This book is about a child who grows up in a good environment with loving parents and a caring teacher who tries to impact their values of what is important and good.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781641389860

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The Adventures of Mark Johnson

Harlan D Hayman

Copyright © 2018 Harlan D Hayman

All rights reserved

First Edition

Page Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64138-985-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64138-986-0 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to my grandchildren.

A sower went out to sow, and as he sowed some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and chocked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew: 13:3–8)

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to my parents for passing along their talents to me. I would like to thank my brothers and sister for traveling with me through life’s journey. I would like to thank my uncle, who has done so much for me that I cannot begin to list all of what he’s done. I would like to thank my family for being behind me and giving me the support that I needed. I would like to thank the University of Delaware for having the facilities and resources available to their employees.

An Autumn School Night

An Autumn School Night

(Volume I)

Autumn School Night (Volume I) was written for my children, focusing on a very important issue that plagues every young child, racism. I thought that I could make my children understand the need to erase racism, prejudice, and discrimination if I were to explain it to them in a story. In the new millennium, racism, prejudice, and discrimination have come a long way with many improvements, but it shouldn’t stop there. My children are young, and they feel the pressures of racism, prejudice, and discrimination in society, and I just want to show them that no one today should be accountable for the color that they are. And also, that many of our problems today stem from the ignorance of the past.

The Johnson family does not represent any one color or race, but they represent the cornerstone of a broad spectrum of colors or races. Mark (the Johnsons’ son) is a typical youngster who has many questions. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson attempt to answer Marks’s questions due in part to their concern for their child. Mr. Johnson illustrates to Mark that children of today should not be accountable due to their color or race, and that the problems of racism started many, many, many years ago in the past.

I feel the same as Mr. Johnson. We need to start somewhere in understanding our children’s concern, because if we do not, we will go nowhere. Peace!

An Autumn School Night

(Volume I)

Racism

On an autumn school night, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson told their son Mark to put his game away and that it was time for him to go to bed. Mark then quickly put his game away and rushed over to his parents (Mr. and Mrs. Johnson) to ask them a question.

Mommy and Daddy, said Mark, there are a lot of kids in my class who look different.

What do you mean, son, different? asked Mrs. Johnson.

Mark then rubbed his arm and said, Mommy, we don’t look the same.

Do you mean your color? asked Mr. Johnson.

Yes, Daddy, answered Mark.

Mr. Johnson then asked Mark, Is that all that you see that is different, son?

Mark shook his head no and said that their hair was different. Mr. Johnson then asked Mark if he had friends that looked like him.

Mark said, Yes.

Then Mr. Johnson asked Mark if he had friends that looked different than him.

Mark said, Yes.

Mr. Johnson then asked Mark, How do you feel knowing that there are children that looks like you and there are children that looks different than you?

Mark said, I don’t know.

Mr. Johnson asked Mark, Does it make you sad?

Mark answered, No.

Does it make you angry, asked Mr. Johnson.

Mark answered, No.

Does it make you afraid? asked Mr. Johnson.

Mark answered, No.

Does it make you hate? asked Mr. Johnson.

Mark said, Daddy, I don’t hate anyone. Mark then told his father that there was a girl in his class that he loved and that she looked different than him.

Mr. Johnson asked Mark, How do you feel about loving someone that looks different than you?

Mark said, Daddy, I’m happy with Kim, and she looks different.

As Mr. Johnson sat down on a chair, he picked Mark up and sat him on his lap and proceeded to tell Mark the difference between things. Mr. Johnson told Mark about the difference between animals. Mr. Johnson asked Mark, did he know the difference between cats? Mark said that cats all look the same to him and that the only difference he saw was the color of their fur.

Mr. Johnson said to Mark, Yes, that’s good, Mark, and the only difference is their color. Mr. Johnson then asked Mark, did he know the difference between dogs?

Mark said, Dad, all dogs look the same to me, and that the only difference I see is the color of their hair.

Mr. Johnson said to Mark, Yes, you’re right again, Mark, and the only difference is their color.

Mr. Johnson began to tell Mark the difference between insects. Mr. Johnson asked Mark, did he know the difference between butterflies? Mark said that butterflies look different because of their color. Mark told his father that he had never seen a butterfly that looked the same and that they all looked different to him. Mr. Johnson said to Mark, Yes, you’re right again, Mark. Butterflies look like butterflies, and the only difference is their color.

Mr. Johnson then told Mark that people all look the same and that the only big difference was their colors. Mr. Johnson said to Mark, Son, you see, GOD created many creatures that look the same but have different colors, even people.

Mark asked his father why GOD would do that.

Mr. Johnson said, Well, son, man was on one accord with GOD. Then later, a lot of men tried to build a great big tower to get into heaven with GOD.

Wow, said Mark, men tried to build a tower to heaven?

Yes, son, said Mr. Johnson, to the heavens. Now there was no way that men could build a tower that high. He then told Mark that GOD didn’t want man to hurt himself, so he destroyed the tower. Mr. Johnson continued to tell Mark that when GOD destroyed the tower, GOD made man talk differently. So when they started talking differently, no one could understand one another. Since man couldn’t understand one another, they eventually went their own separate ways. Mr. Johnson told Mark that some men went to places where it was hot. Some went to places where it was cold. Some even went to places where it was hot and cold. Many people who lived in hot places have darker skin, and people who lived in cold places have lighter-colored skin. People who lived in hot and cold places have many different-colored skin.

Mr. Johnson said, So you see, Mark, people are all the same, and the difference is the color of their skin.

Mrs. Johnson came into the room where Mark and his father were discussing color and said, Okay, Mark, it’s time for you to go to bed now and get your rest. Because tomorrow starts another day, and you must get your rest.

Mr. Johnson said, Good night, Mark.

Mark said, Good night.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson gave Mark a big fat kiss, turned out the light, and shut the door. Mrs. Johnson told Mr. Johnson that she thought that he did an excellent job with Mark.

An Autumn School Night

(Volume II)

An Autumn School Night (Volume II) was written for my children, focusing on a very important issue that plagues every young child, KIDNAPPING. I thought that I could make my children aware of kidnapping by explaining it to them in a very short story. Kidnapping is a very serious issue, and when defined it means, to carry off or lead away (a person) illegally and in secret or by force.

Young children have