Blue Ocean Bob Meets Greatest Challenge in "Into the Lead" by Brooks Olbrys

Courage

Creativity

Action

Decision

Then out from the deep, there emerged a great white.
He was swimming at them with great speed
and delight...

If  you're wondering why this Shark looks so happy, I highly recommend you get the final book in The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob's Trilogy! As Bob moves "Into the Lead!"

Leadership

The Adventures of
Blue Ocean Bob:
Into the Lead

By Brooks Olbrys

Illustrated by Kevin Keele

This has been a delightful three days as I've had the opportunity to read and then share about Brooks Olbrys' Trilogy. The quality of the entire book is exceptionally well done. Care has been taken to ensure the books are worthy of your child's training to move forward in his career decisions.

On a beautiful isle in the Sea of Kerchoo,
there lived a small boy with a big job to do.
Blue Ocean Bob worked for Mary Marine.
He protected the sea life and
kept the shore clean.
But on this fine morning,
just past eight o'clock,
when Bob was out tying his boat to the dock,
a startling jold knocked him
right off of his feet,
and Xena, his guardian, let out a "tweet!"
Then, riding a wave, Al the dolphin
arrived.
"There been a big quake,
and I barely survived!
Now oil is erupting like never before!
!!!

The use of sea creatures to match Bob's love of where he lived, what he enjoyed doing--swimming, watching the animals, etc.-- and then having the choice of a marine biologist as his chosen career was ingenious in implementation. Children love to interact with animals and having the sea creatures able to talk allowed the author to spread knowledge he has gained by many different mentors and teachers, perhaps through classes he attended himself or through their books. No matter what, we the readers have received the benefit of his experience! Kudos to the author...

But the books would not have been so well received if it wasn't for the Illustrator Kevin Keele. Honestly, especially on the Kindle Fire, it looks like we are watching a movie-quality production...and those same life-like pictures, though made into cartoon images, are provided in the full-page color pages. Kudos also to Kevin Keele!

Then he saw a huge whale
through the oil and the murk.
And when he looked closer,
he recognized Tom,
who agreed to assist (he
was steadfast and calm).
!!!

In this last book, Bob continues to be handling difficult jobs and Mary got involved because of the potential danger . First there was an earthquake and it cracked the floor allowing oil to erupt!

And with such a big job, they were happy to find that Tom the great whale was right there to help!

But as soon as they got that fixed, they learned that the quake caused a wave to beach a great white! Yikes! (He's the one smiling above)...What do you think happened?

But just as they turned to
head back down the shore
Bob spied the young girl
Earl had been there before.
He waved and he yelled,
"Hi, I'm Blue Ocean Bob!
Could I interest you
in a cool ocean job?"
~~~

Next, there was an emergency on Lizard Island and Mary Marine needed to go...Bob was selected to stand in for her, but then the work load got too much for one person... Enter... Molly... And suddenly Bob was placed in the position of training just like he had gone through. Was he ready?

I think personally my favorite thing about the books was the rhyming narrative. It simply amazed me that the author was able to put together three books, all in rhyme, and fitting it to each storyline. I didn't find any place where it was difficult to follow the rhythm or that the words didn't fit. Needless to say, the author either worked extra hard or had a gift for poetic rhyme. Either way, he's done a fantastic job in doing this...

One final comment is about Xena... At first I wondered about the choice of "guardian" of Bob and how she was always so very concerned about Bob's actions? Could this have been the author's way of inserting Bob's Mom into the story? An over-
protective Mom who was somewhat afraid of letting her son move on in his life? Let me know what you think about Xena! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Better if you start with book one, but I believe each could stand on their own if absolutely necessary...The Trilogy is highly recommended and well worth the "10" I've been calling the three books' value...


GABixlerReviews

Inspired by his young son, Brooks Olbrys created The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob storybook series to share timeless achievement principles with children. A graduate of Stanford University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts, and the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, Brooks is the founder of Children’s Success Unlimited and a managing director at investment bank Ion Partners. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

Brooks Olbrys Second Adventure of Blue Ocean Bob Is Terrific Fun and Sometimes Dangerous...While Learning...

And did you ever think that Bob
would be called upon to...Seal Sit?!!!

Soooo, I'm sharing right away
That I switched to my Fire
To read this second book 
of The Adventures of Bob...
And I'm very glad to say, 
that if your child is using a reader these days
Then the color and message 
is quite fine for reading
I still like the book to hold
But do feel free to choose,
'Cause both are highly recommended
And I simply have to say
I'd share with all kids... any day!









Bob had a mentor, Miss Mary Marine,
the finest sea expert his island had seen.
But she didn't mince words, "We've a promise to keep.
We must help a young seal learn to feed in the deep."

"The deep?" answered Bob. "I've been there in my boat,
And once on a dolphin--it's pretty remote!"


"Good training," said Mary. "So now you'll jump in
To help Kody feed, you must join her and swim.
But since you're unsure about your contribution
I suggest you see Doc. He will have a solution."

Doc was a turtle and Mary's close friend.
On Doc's trusted wisdom, young Bob could depend...


The Adventures of
Blue Ocean Bob:
A Challenging Job

By Brooks Olbrys

 Illustrated by Kevin Keele

Bob is now working for Mary Marine and his first job is to baby sit...well, actually, much more than that. You see Kody's mother had become very tired and needed to rest, but still need to have her baby trained to eat. The only thing is that Kody was afraid of the deep water where the seals routinely fed. A very important need to be met...

Then Doc said, "To teach well,
you must first learn a lot. For
how can you give what you
haven't yet got? You are a fine
swimmer, Bob. That you hav3e
shown. You just need some time
in the sea on your own. So go
snorkel out and don't rush back
too soon. For the training you
need, you must leave his lagoon.
And when you return, you can
do so with pride. You'll have
learned confidence comes from
inside."
~~~

But Bob had never gone into the deep water either--now he was being called upon to teach somebody else to do so... What to do?

A major point for me is that the book has been written to let Bob know that it is alright to be afraid and to be fearful you can't do what has been asked of you. What do you think Doc did to help Bob meet this new challenge?

Well, he got through that ordeal, but what if you mess up? (And he sure did?) And he got someone in trouble!

It sailed past its mark
and continued to fly
'til it landed on Beck.
...It seems you've
confused me with all
the debris! Get rid of
this net, please and
let me fly free!

You see he was supposed to help clean up debris and he was given a net to throw into the sea... But when he and Zena threw the net...they didn't see who sat below! And now he was entangled and couldn't free himself!

Well, instead of immediately helping poor Beck, Bob started arguing and blaming Zena and she did just the same! But finally they stopped and started running for help and came upon Earl who instead of suggesting how to help, immediately gave some sage advice: 

"Slow down there, my friend! I would like to help. But what I remember when caught in the kelp, is to solve any problem, don't look to the past. You have to stop blaming and take action fast. Be willing to own any part you have played, and see if apologies need to be made. This challenge is face holds a lesson for living, when you're responsible, fair, and forgiving... 

But still there was a problem to solve! Do you have any suggestions? Then he saw Cathy and ran to her, asking for help... What do you think? Cathy's just a girl, right? How can she help???

The next emergency was that Ray  had got caught under the sea and couldn't free herself! Bob's work never stopped and this time he'd need help in the rescue! Who would you ask to help you go into the ocean to find a scared stingray?!

But then a really big emergency that affected everybody came! A large storm was coming and everybody needed to be told! Can Bob handle this final assignment for the day?! Bob went out to help...but could he get back to shore?!

Bob was getting depressed, considering all that he had gotten into. There had been many who had depended totally on him! Had he made a wrong choice? Should he rethink his plans...He had much to consider after today...

Ok, I've fallen in love with these wise sea creatures! And the humans are flawed just like us... So all of us has much we can learn in this second book! It's not always an adventure when someone is or could be in danger...You have to be special to be Blue Ocean Bob...

Enjoy this one! It is the most animated of the three while the other two are more about learning. Bob always goes into a task, thinking he's prepared. Sometimes he is; sometimes he isn't...But it never is wrong to ask for help... 

Highly recommended

GABixlerReviews

Inspired by his young son, Brooks Olbrys created The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob storybook series to share timeless achievement principles with children. A graduate of Stanford University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts, and the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, Brooks is the founder of Children’s Success Unlimited and a managing director at investment bank Ion Partners. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.