Читать книгу Jake's Adventures: The Secret of the Shark Tooth Crab Claw - Melissa Perry Moraja - Страница 7

“Okay, kids. Take your duffle bag out to dad,” my mom directed.

With my leather hat and book in hand, I grabbed my duffle bag and shouted, “Last one to the car is a rotten egg!”

Then I bolted out the door and into the garage to where my dad was standing.

I was the first to reach my dad.

Josh came in second.

And Madison was last.

“I'm never first,” said Madison.

“Keep trying,” encouraged my dad.

Madison half-smiled and handed her bag to my dad. He placed it in the back of the minivan, closed the hatch, and hopped in.

“We're off!” my father said, looking through the rear view mirror.

Guess the coast was clear because my dad put the car into gear and drove off.

I put my leather hat on top of my head and pulled the front down towards my face. Once my hat was perfectly positioned, I opened my book about the ocean and began reading it.

“Dad, did you know that there are about 440 species of shark?” I stated.

My dad chuckled and said, ““I didn't, Mr. Jacques Cousteau.”

“Huh—Mr. Jacques Cousteau?” I said. “Who is he?”

“He's a famous explorer,” my mom answered, “and he loved the ocean as much as you do.”

“Really?” I said, surprised. “What did he explore?”

“He explored marine life,” responded my dad. “In fact, he spent most of his life trying to protect sharks and whales throughout the world.”

“So this guy did what I want to do?” I said.

At first, I thought my parents were pulling my leg. It just sounded weird that someone with a similar name to mine loved sharks and the ocean as much as I did.

“Why don't you check your book and see if it mentions anything about him?” suggested my mom.

“Hmm,” I mumbled.

I opened my book and began searching the index for the name Jacques Cousteau.

And I found it!

I turned to the page and started to read.

It said that he was one of the most famous undersea explorer's of the twentieth century. And he even wrote books on the subject. But that wasn't all he did. He also had his own television show called The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.

With an ear to ear grin, I turned, looked out the car window, and imagined myself sailing and studying ocean life just like Jacques Cousteau. I saw myself fighting off sea serpents and hunting down the Loch Ness Monster and capturing Moby Dick and discovering Atlantis.

“Dad, do you think we can go explore the ocean this weekend?” I asked.

“Maybe,” replied my dad.

My dad's maybe meant yes to me!

I lowered my head, eager to read all about the mysteries of the ocean.