The inspiration for the book happened when my parents went on a cruise through the Galapagos Islands. They saw a cruise ship dumping sewage and garbage into the ocean. This upset my mom.
My mom was a professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth in the elementary education department who taught students to be teachers. She was also a former elementary teacher. She thought the best way to do something about ocean pollution was to write a children’s book about the situation. Unfortunately, she died before she could write the story. During the months that my mom lay dying, we had many heartfelt talks. She didn’t have many regrets in life, being a positive person. However, she did reveal to me that she was disappointed that she never wrote the children’s story about the time that she and my dad went on a cruise through the Galapagos Islands and witnessed ships polluting the beautiful ocean. Years after my mom died, I was cleaning out a closet and I came across some of her files that we had kept. One file was labeled blue-footed booby. However, there wasn’t a plot or a story, just a sheet of paper with the idea that the blue-footed booby should be the main character of the story. I had almost forgotten about the book my mom and I had discussed. I decided at that moment that I would write the story for my mom.
I hope this story sparks children’s interest and curiosity to learn how to save our environment for future generations. Furthermore, I hope to encourage children to learn that by working together and helping each other, they can achieve positive results. In addition, this book is a tribute to my mom and a legacy for my children Anja Saksa and Anders Saksa.

Tammy Fadum Saksa