Captain Ellie's Flying Ship

Read-aloud note

Use gentle animal voices, but keep them quiet enough for bedtime.

Story

Captain Ellie was a brave elephant with a shiny blue hat, and she had the most wonderful ship in the whole wide world. It was called The Cloudy Coconut, and here was the most wonderful thing about it: it could sail on the sea AND fly in the sky! Every morning Captain Ellie stood at the front of the ship took a big deep breath, and trumpeted, "Welcome aboard!" And every morning, all her friends knew the adventure was about to begin.

The crew was always busy. Milo the monkey climbed the tall mast and looked for fluffy clouds up ahead. Tara the tiger rang the big golden bell — clang, clang, clang! Benny the bear cooked warm banana pancakes in the little kitchen, and the whole ship smelled delicious. Polly the parrot sang happy songs so everyone could hum along. And Finn the fox spread out the big crinkly map and said, "This way, Captain! This way!" One bright morning, Captain Ellie said, "Today, friends, we sail to Rainbow Island!" Everyone cheered. Swish, swash, swish went the sea beneath them.

Then Captain Ellie reached for the big red lever. She looked at her crew. Her crew looked back at her. "Ready?" she said. "Ready!" they all shouted. She pulled the lever — WHOOSH — and up went The Cloudy Coconut, lifting into the sky like the biggest, happiest bird you ever saw. They flew over fluffy clouds, over tall purple mountains, over tiny green trees that looked like little broccoli from so high up. And then, floating beside a soft white cloud, they heard a small voice crying. It was a little yellow duck, and her beautiful red kite was stuck right in the middle of the cloud! "Oh no," said the little duck. "Oh no, oh no." Captain Ellie smiled a kind, steady smile. "Don't you worry," she said. "That's what a good crew is for."

Milo climbed up as high as he could. Polly fluttered all around the cloud, fanning it gently with her wings. And Captain Ellie stretched out her long, long trunk — longer, longer, just a little longer — and caught the kite's string. Out it popped, bright red and perfect. "Thank you!" quacked the little duck, hugging her kite tight. The Cloudy Coconut sailed on, softer now, straight toward Rainbow Island. They landed with a gentle bump on the greenest grass, and Benny brought out a tall stack of warm banana pancakes for everyone to share, duck included. Captain Ellie looked at her crew and smiled her big elephant smile. "A good crew works together," she said. And every single animal shouted, "Aye aye, Captain Ellie!" And somewhere above them, a little red kite danced happily in the breeze. Tip-tap, softly we go.

Scenes

Welcome Aboard The Cloudy Coconut

Captain Ellie stood at the bow of her wonderful ship, lifted her long trunk, and trumpeted, "Welcome aboard!" The Cloudy Coconut rocked gently on the bright blue sea, and every friend on deck smiled, because the adventure was about to begin.

A Busy Happy Crew

Milo climbed the tall mast looking for fluffy clouds. Tara rang the golden bell — clang, clang, clang! Benny flipped warm banana pancakes, Polly sang a tune, and Finn unrolled the crinkly map. "This way, Captain! This way!" Swish, swash, swish went the friendly sea.

Whoosh, Into The Sky

Captain Ellie reached for the big red lever. "Ready?" she asked. "Ready!" cheered the crew. She pulled — WHOOSH — and The Cloudy Coconut lifted into the sky like the biggest, happiest bird, sailing over clouds and tiny broccoli trees far below.

The Kite In The Cloud

Beside a soft white cloud, a tiny yellow duck was crying — her bright red kite was stuck! Milo climbed high, Polly fluttered and fanned, and Captain Ellie stretched her long, long trunk… longer… longer… and gently popped the kite free.

Pancakes On Rainbow Island

The Cloudy Coconut landed with a gentle bump on the greenest grass of Rainbow Island. Benny brought out a tall stack of banana pancakes for everyone — duckling too. "A good crew works together," smiled Captain Ellie. "Aye aye, Captain!" they all cheered, while a little red kite danced in the breeze.