Hopping Eli was a little explorer with bright yellow boots. He loved to hop. Hop over rocks. Hop over bubbles. Hop, hop, hop!
One warm morning, Eli came to Atlantis, the city under the blue sea. Tall pearl towers went up, up, up. Tiny fish swam round bright windows. Sea grass waved hello.
“Hello, Atlantis!” said Eli.
A sailor named Sailor floated by in a round little boat. Yes, a boat under the sea! It had a blue sail and a bell that went ding-ding.
“Welcome, Eli,” said Sailor. Sailor wore a striped hat and had a kind smile. “Would you like to explore with me?”
“Yes, please!” said Eli. Hop, hop, hop!
Then they heard a sad sound.
“Sniff. Sniff.”
Near a coral garden sat a small pink starfish. One of its arms pointed toward a dark tunnel.
“My shiny shell is gone,” said the starfish. “It is my favorite shell. It sings a tiny song. La-la-la.”
“We will find it,” said Eli.
Sailor rang the bell. Ding-ding! “Climb in, Explorer!”
Eli climbed into the little boat. Sailor pushed the blue sail. Whoosh! The boat zoomed past sleepy turtles. It went around a purple rock. It bumped through a cloud of silly bubbles.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
At the dark tunnel stood Professor. Professor had a big round mask, a long white beard, and a bag full of funny machines. One machine had six spoons. Another had a tiny umbrella.
“I found a shiny shell,” said Professor. “It makes a song. I need it for my Loud-Sound Machine!”
He pulled a lever.
BEEP! BOOP! PLOP!
The machine made a very small sneeze.
“Achoo-bloop!”
Eli giggled. Sailor giggled. Even Professor giggled a little.
“That shell belongs to the little starfish,” Eli said kindly. “It is sad.”
Professor looked down. He was not trying to be mean. He only wanted his machine to sing.
“But my machine has no song,” he said.
Eli had an idea. He was small, but he was clever. “We can make a new song together!”
Sailor tapped the boat bell. Ding-ding!
Eli hopped on a smooth rock. Tap-tap!
A crab clicked its claws. Click-click!
A whale far away went, “Ooooh!”
Professor pressed a green button. Bleep-bloop!
Soon the tunnel was full of music. Ding-ding! Tap-tap! Click-click! Ooooh! Bleep-bloop!
Professor’s eyes grew wide. “My machine sings!” he cheered. “And the shell can go home.”
He gave the shiny shell to Eli.
Eli held it gently. Hop, hop, hop! Back they went through Atlantis. The pearl towers sparkled. The fish swished. The sea grass danced.
The little pink starfish saw the shell.
“My shell!” it cried.
The shell sang, “La-la-la!”
The starfish gave Eli a treasure box made of gold coral. Inside were three moon-pearl buttons, a tiny silver compass, and a new pair of hopping boots with red stars.
“For brave Explorer Eli,” said the starfish.
Eli put on the boots. Hop! Hop! Hop!
The red stars flashed in the blue water.
Sailor rang the bell. Professor played his happy machine. Everyone in Atlantis danced.
And Eli smiled. He had found a treasure. He had helped a friend. And he had learned that a kind idea can make a sad day sing.
Hop, hop, hop! Explorer Eli was ready for the next adventure.