The Adventures of

the Clownfish: Acting Cool

By Stephanie GuzmanIllustrated by TD

Copyright © 2008 Not So Plain Jane PublishingAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except a reviewer who may quote brief passages.

Published by: Not So Plain Jane PublishingISBN: 978-1-59664-002-3

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Deep in the salty ocean, there lived a clownfish named Oliver. Today, Oliver was excited. New neighbors were moving in on Whale Watch Lane. He called his friend Paul the puffer, “Hi, would you like to meet our new neighbors?”“Sure, I hear they are dolphins. I have never met a dolphin before,” replied Paul.“That makes two of us!” said Oliver.

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Later that day, Oliver and Paul swam over to meet the new neighbors. A dolphin, whose body was covered in neon shapes, came to the door.“Hello,” said the Dolphin.“Hi, my name is Oliver, and this is Paul. We’re your neighbors. It is great to meet you!” said Oliver.“My name is Dolly,” she replied.

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“When does school start at Fish Tale Elementary?” asked Dolly.“In two weeks. What grade are you in?” Oliver asked.“I‘m going into third grade,” replied Dolly. “Wow! The three of us will be in the same class!” Oliver said with delight.

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Oliver heard his mom outside calling him.“We have to go, Dolly,” Oliver said, “but I’m sure we’ll see you soon.”“Bye,” said Paul.“Thanks for coming over!” Dolly said, waving happily as they swam away. As Oliver and Paul left, they thought about how different Dolly looked.

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For the last two weeks of summer, Oliver, Paul, and Dolly played together almost every day. They enjoyed playing catch the seashell, ring around the starfish, and many other fun games.

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On the first day of school, Oliver and Paul swam with their friend Sally the seahorse.“Hey, did you hear a dolphin is going to be in our class? I heard she looks funny.“She has neon-colored shapes all over her body. She even has yellow hair!“Who would want to be friends with someone who looked like that?” questioned Sally.“I don’t know. Not me,” Paul answered, pretending he did not know Dolly.“How about you, Oliver, would you be friends with someone who looked so weird?” Sally asked, glaring at him.Oliver said in a very soft voice, “Well, I guess not.”

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Going into the classroom, Oliver turned away when he saw Dolly sitting in the back of the room. He didn’t want her to see him, but she did.Dolly came up to Oliver and Paul. “Hi, I’m so glad to see you two,” she said.“Yeah, whatever,” Paul said. Sally and Paul began laughing.Dolly looked at Oliver, confused and upset. Oliver really wanted to be nice to her, but he knew his friends would make fun of him. Oliver was not sure what to do, so he looked down and ignored Dolly.

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Dolly swam away sadly. She didn’t understand why Oliver and Paul were being so mean to her.“They played with me last week,” she thought.Dolly had hoped that things would be different from her old school. They didn’t like her there either.

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Dolly prayed that night, “Please help me be proud of who I am on the inside and not worry about what I look like on the outside. “I really want to be friends with Oliver and Paul. They were so nice to me before school started.”At the same time, Oliver thought about what had happened in school. He prayed about how he could make things right with Dolly.

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The next day at school, Mr. Tang, the teacher, gave them a project to do. “Your job as a team of four will be to collect many shells and compare them. You will share your project with the class next week. Please get into groups,” Mr. Tang instructed.

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Oliver, Paul, and Sally looked around to find another fish for their team. It appeared as if everyone was already matched up, everyone except Dolly. Sally looked at Oliver. “This is awful. The only fish left is the new weird dolphin! We’re not going to be cool if she joins our group!” Sally said angrily.

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Mr. Tang told Dolly to join Oliver’s group. The four members sat there without saying a word. Dolly was the first to speak up. “I know you don’t want me to be in your group, but we have to work together. I think we should get started.” Sally retorted, pretending like Dolly wasn’t even there, “I am not working with her. She probably doesn’t even know anything about shells. How can she help us?”“I’m not working with her either,” said Paul.

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Finally, Oliver had enough, “Wait !” he yelled. “This is not right! Sally, you don’t even know Dolly. “Paul, you had fun playing with Dolly over the summer. “I just don’t understand why everyone cares so much about being cool, especially if it means hurting others.”

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Oliver turned to Dolly. “I am sorry for hurting you. You never did anything to make me not want to be your friend, but I can understand if you don’t want to be friends with me.”“Oliver, thanks for your apology. I really do want to be friends with you, all three of you. I can’t help it that my colors are so big and bold or that I have yellow hair,” said Dolly.

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Sally and Paul decided that Oliver was right. They began working on the project. After completing the project as a team, they all received A’s. Sally started to see Dolly for who she really was, a kind dolphin looking to make new friends. Oliver, Paul, and Sally learned that acting cool isn’t always cool. Making friends is more important.

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About the Author

Stephanie Guzman is very excited to share her second book in The Adventures of Oliver the Clownfish series. Through this book, she hopes that children

will be able to make better choices in how they choose their friends.

Stephanie lives with her husband, Derick, and her dog, China, in Belcamp, MD. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood

Education from the University of Delaware and her Master’s degree in reading from Towson University. She continues to work for Harford County

Public Schools as a second grade teacher. Stephanie hopes to inspire children through the five books in The Adventures of Oliver the Clownfish series.

Make sure to pick up book one, titled The Adventures of Oliver the Clownfish: Invitation Slip-Up. Stay tuned for book three!

For more information, please visit her website at www.olivertheclownfish.com.