Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen

Down to the Sea with Mr. McGee

    Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee
    Loved spending time in their boat on the sea.
    So early one morning at 6:32
    They made a decision: that’s just what they’d do.

    Right after breakfast Magee packed a lunch:
    Sandwiches, carrots, a thermos of punc
    A big box of raisins, some sweet pickled beets,
    Chocolate chip cookies and crunchy dog treats.
    With plans for the day and enough lunch for three,
    They hopped in the car and drove down to the sea.

    The pair left the dock at seven o clock
    And motored their way around Eagle Egg Rock.
    They passed by the lighthouse and by the old wreck
    With Magee at the wheel and Dee on the deck.

    They suddenly spied off the bow to the east
    A big pod of whales (there were fifty at least!)
    Splashing about in the bright morning sun,
    Feasting on shrimp and sardines by the ton.
    But one little whale who had eaten his fill—Munching on minnows and plankton and krill—
    Was bored with his breakfast and since he was through, He swam off in search of something to do.

    Now Dee and Magee in their boat on the bay
    Didn’t notice the whale that was heading their way.
    They were watching the other whales put on a show
    And soon that young whale was directly below!

    From under the sea the little whale spied
    Magee and Dee’s boat—but not them inside.
    He longed for adventure. He wanted to play.
    So he bumped at the boat in a most friendly way.
    Then the whale placed his blowhole directly below
    And ever so gently he started to blow.

    Magee saw the bubbles. He felt the boat sway.
    Then up went the boat on a fountain of spray!
    Higher and higher the little boat flew
    As harder and harder that little whale blew.
    Then the whale blew a blast as hard as he could
    (Much harder, in fact, than a little whale should)
    And that final blast blew the boat up in the sky
    First thirty, then forty, then fifty feet high!

    The boat kept on rising, but it didn't stop there
    Wind hit it hard and it flew through the air.
    Dee and Magee sailed over the sea
    When all of a sudden…

    They got stuck in a tree.
    So there they were, stranded, Magee and his pup,
    In the top of a spruce, sixty-something feet up.

    From their perch in the sky the two watched in dismay
    As the whale far below swam swiftly away.
    Magee was downhearted. Just what could he do?
    They seemed hopelessly stuck, but little Dee knew.
    The secret to get the boat safely unpinned
    Was to rock back and forth and wait for the wind.
    So they rocked and they rocked for an hour or so,
    But the boat didn’t budge ‘cause the wind didn’t blow.
    Just when they thought they’d be stuck there all night
    They spotted, far off, a spectacular sight.

    Away in the distance, across the blue bay
    The whales—all fifty—were heading their way!
    They swam through the water in one long, straight row
    And gathered around the small island below.
    Magee looked down at the circle of whales
    Surrounding the island and raising their tails.
    He felt a bit nervous, a little bit tense
    When all of a sudden, it made perfect sense!
    “They’re trying to save us!” he shouted with glee.
    “Hold on, Dee! Hold on! As tight as can be!”

    Their tails slapped down with a thunderous crash
    Which in turn created a super-high splash
    That covered the island and raced up the tree
    And dislodged the boat—and set them both free!

    Dee was so happy she let out a yelp.
    Magee tipped his hat to the whales for their help.
    “Thank you, my friends, for saving the day.”
    Then they all waved goodbye and the whales swam away.
    On the way home, little Dee had a thought:
    What about all of the food they had brought?
    In all the excitement, they ate not a bite…

    So they saved it and had it for dinner that night.

About the Author
    Chris Van Dusen always wanted to paint a picture of a boat in the top of a tree. When he wrote a story around that idea, Mr. Magee and Dee were born. Chris lives down by the sea in Maine with his wife, two sons and,