Read an Excerpt
Spin the Globe: The Incredible Adventures of Frederick von Wigglebottom
Turtles of the Reef
By Edward Moldenhauer, Kenn Yapsangco Trafford Publishing
Copyright © 2015 Edward Moldenhauer
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-5308-9
CHAPTER 1
Gud Mawnin to Belize
Each time Frederick awoke from a spin, he knew it would be a totally new and incredible adventure. This time he awoke on a sandy beach with the air warm and the ocean a brilliant shade of turquoise blue. As waves rippled toward the shore, he was surrounded by little turtles scurrying toward the surf.
"Oh, I have landed somewhere on a tropical island, but I have no idea where!" he exclaimed, watching the cute creatures hurry away from him.
He reached for his satchel, and when he opened his journal, he saw a map of Belize, home of Mayan ruins, lush rainforests, and the second-largest coral reef in the world. Frederick knew that this was going to be a fantastic adventure.
As always, Frederick knew he needed to find a new friend to help him figure out exactly where in Belize he had landed. After soaking up in some of the sunshine and enjoying seeing the turtles enter the sea, he noticed a young man relaxing under a palm tree.
"Excuse me, can you please help me?" Frederick inquired of the boy.
"Gud mawnin, my name is K'ayab. How can I help you?" the young man replied.
"Hello, K'ayab, my name is Frederick. I know that I am on a beach somewhere in Belize, but I am not sure exactly where," Frederick answered. He was always just a little embarrassed having to admit he was not exactly sure where he was.
"You are on the beach of St. George's Caye Resort on the island of St. George's Caye, which we pronounce like key. We are just a short boat ride from our largest city of Belize City," K'ayab answered. "What brings you to our tropical paradise of Belize?"
"I am an adventurer and explorer," Frederick explained. "I travel all over the globe, meeting new friends like you and learning about their home. Are you from here?"
"I am from Belize, but I was not born here on St. George's Caye. I was born in our capital city of Belmopan, which lies in the center of our country in the rainforests. My family came here to St. George's Caye to study endangered sea turtles," K'ayab replied.
"That sounds like it could get hot there in the summer. Has your family always been from Belize?" asked Frederick.
"Yes, my family is Mayan and has been in Belize for as long as anyone can remember. The Mayan people have lived in this area of Central America for thousands of years," K'ayab replied proudly.
"Gosh, that is really interesting. What does K'ayab mean?" Frederick inquired.
"Well, my parents are really—and I mean really—into sea turtles. I was born on June twentieth. In the Mayan calendar, that is the month of the turtle, or k'ayab. My parents thought that it was fate and that because they love turtles so much, they named me the Mayan word for turtle," K'ayab explained. "I don't mind it. It is actually pretty unique, and most of my friends just simply call me K-man or Turtle."
"Can you tell me more about Belize and St. George's Caye. This place is really cool," Frederick asked.
"Sure thing, Belize was a British colony until 1981. The country was called British Honduras until 1973 when the name was changed to Belize. My Mayan ancestors have been here forever, but pirates and settlers started coming here in the seventeen hundreds," K'ayab continued.
"Wow, Mayans and pirates all in the same place!" Frederick exclaimed.
"The Mayans built fantastic cities all across Belize and especially in the jungles near my home in Belmopan. The original Europeans came to the islands of Belize as shipwrecked buccaneers or pirates. They called themselves Baymen because they lived along the Bay of Honduras. Eventually they learned that Belize was rich in natural treasures," K'ayab explained.
"What kind of natural treasures, like gold, silver, and jewels?" Frederick asked, knowing that many of the original settlers were looking to get rich.
"Not those kind of treasures, although my Mayan ancestors probably did have some gold and jade. The Baymen learned that the jungles of Belize held the treasure of wood!" K'ayab described.
"Wood is a treasure?" Frederick was a little confused. "I thought trees grow just about everywhere."
"But not the beautiful wood of the mahogany tree or the dyes that come from logwood or the beans from the cacao tree that are used to make chocolate or the chicle tree's sap that is used to make gum," K'ayab boasted. "Did you know that Belize is the birthplace of chewing gum?"
"Well, I do love chocolate and gum," replied Frederick, his mouth watering for a sweet piece of chocolate. "My grandparents also have a beautiful mahogany table in their house too. I can't wait to see and learn some more. These are pretty cool facts about your country," Frederick said with anticipation in his voice.
CHAPTER 2
Turtle Time
K'ayab continued by describing a little more about St. George's Caye.
"In the 1700s, this tiny island served as the original capital of the country that eventually became Belize. The island is located about ten miles off the mainland coast of Belize City, which is where most people live and commute from to work on the caye. But settlers arrived here almost three hundred and fifty years ago," K'ayab explained. "In September of 1798, the Baymen that lived here defeated some Spanish who came from Mexico to drive them out of the area. Belize celebrates this victory as a national holiday we call St. George's Caye Day every September tenth. It is a really big celebration."
"This is an incredible adventure, now I even have battles and celebrations. I don't think this adventure could get any better!" Frederick laughed.
"On the island, there are no cars or electricity, and there are no restaurants or even a grocery store. Life is simple but very relaxing. That is why so many people come here to vacation at St. George's Caye or scuba dive the barrier reef, which is only about a mile from here. The turtle conservation research station is known as ECOMAR, and that is where my parents work. There is not much else here on the caye, except to relax and enjoy the sun and surf." K'ayab was eager to tell his new friend more about the turtles his parents studied.
"Those little turtles that I saw earlier were pretty cute. Is that what your parents study?" Frederick was just as eager to learn about the turtles.
K'ayab went on the tell Frederick that his parents not only scuba dive to watch and learn about turtles in the water, but their main focus is on turtle nesting. He went on by telling Frederick that momma turtles return to the same beach where they were hatched to lay their eggs.
"Somehow, momma turtles remember the beach where they hatched and return to the very same beach to lay their eggs," K'ayab said. "Late in the night, the big momma turtles crawl out of the surf and haul themselves across the sand. Then she will dig a nest in the sand using her back flippers and, depending on the type of turtles, lay between fifty and two hundred little round eggs."
K'ayab continued to explain that his parents watch the momma turtle lay her eggs and they mark the nest site. The nest is watched for the two months it takes the eggs to hatch. Usually late one night, the hatchlings break their shells apart and dig up through the sand.
"My parents take shifts throughout the night when the time gets close. Once the baby turtles are free, they head toward the sea. They are there along with other researchers to help keep seagulls from eating the babies," K'ayab went on. "Once the babies make it to the surf, they are on their own. Maybe in a couple of decades, one of the little girl turtles will return to this very spot to lay her eggs. It is fascinating to think they swim around the Caribbean Sea and return to this very beach. My parents help give them a chance to make it." K'ayab sounded very proud of the work his parents do.
"That sounds like a bunch of waiting around, but it is great that they are helping the sea turtle survive," Frederick answered.
"My parents also help run a rescue station where sick and injured turtles are brought to get healthy. They actually found two turtles here at the resort that finished recuperating at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. We named them Emma and Ethan. Now that they are better, they will be released back into the ocean. Would you like to visit the station and see the turtles up close?" K'ayab asked.
"Would I ever!" Frederick did not believe he would get the chance to see a sea turtle up close.
As they walked the short distance to the research and rescue center, Frederick was enjoying the warm sun and breeze off the sea. "This seems like a great place to grow up," Frederick stated.
"It sure is. I really like Belize because even though there are not that many of us, we have many different cultures," K'ayab replied.
He went on to tell Frederick that there were native Mayans like himself, people of mixed races like mestizo, Creole, and Garinagu. Mestizo people are of mixed European and native Mayan backgrounds, Creoles have mixed European and African slave ancestors, and Garinagu are descended from African slaves and native Carib Indians.
K'ayab also explained that this mixture of peoples make Belizeans very accepting of others. "Actually, in Belize we have a large community of German Mennonite farmers in the north and west, and many people come here from all over the world for the beautiful weather and nice people. Some never leave, we call them expats!
"It is nice to live in a place where a person's skin color means nothing and where we all get along so nicely," K'ayab finished.
"Belize has everything—great weather, nice people, cool animals, pirates, and ruins. I cannot wait to experience it all!" Frederick added.
"Hey, here we are at ECOMAR. There is my friend Hayá over there by the dock. Let me introduce you to her," K'ayab said as he waved to a smiling girl near the dock.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Spin the Globe: The Incredible Adventures of Frederick von Wigglebottom by Edward Moldenhauer, Kenn Yapsangco. Copyright © 2015 Edward Moldenhauer. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.