The Make a Splash Story
Several years ago, Mark and I began bouncing ideas around for a series of children’s books that would help teach and reinforce positive values to children. We wanted this series to complement the book that Mark wrote for adults called “Give a Damn: The Ticket to Cultural Change.” We decided that our main character for this series should be an unusual creature, not often found in children’s literature, and one that would inspire curiosity. For this reason, we decided to go with a Flamboyant Cuttlefish. Although the stories are fictional, readers learn facts in each book about the different sea creatures that Camilla encounters and helps.There are many different species of cuttlefish. They are known for their intelligence and ability to camouflage in a wide variety of environments.
Unlike their squid cousins, many cuttlefish are graceful, slim creatures that swim quickly through the water. The Flamboyant Cuttlefish, however, is a tiny cuttlefish that crawls around on rocks and coral. It has bumpy skin and stubby arms, and while it may not be as conventionally beautiful as other species of cuttlefish, it possesses a unique charm. The Flamboyant Cuttlefish uses carefully orchestrated patterns of bioluminescent light to mesmerize its prey and predators, showcasing its captivating beauty and abilities that are often underestimated.
Our character, Camilla, is a young Flamboyant Cuttlefish. She is just like many children, struggling with insecurities about her appearance. Her journey of self-acceptance and belief in her unique characteristics and abilities is one that many children will identify with. As they compare themselves with peers and popular images on social media, they might also wonder if they fall short. We hope that through Camilla’s story, children will learn to appreciate their own unique qualities and abilities.
I have long been inspired by James W. Foley’s poem “Drop a Pebble in the Water.” In this poem, Foley compares words (both kind and unkind) to pebbles, which, when tossed into water, create ripples that often reach far and wide. This poem inspired our series’s overarching “Make a Splash” theme. We hope that children will be inspired to help others as they create their own positive ripples and waves in the world.
Elizabeth Connell Lewis, Ph.D.
Drop a Pebble
Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash, and it is gone;
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.
Drop a pebble in the water: in a minute you forget,
But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet,
And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;
You’ve disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone.
Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute it is gone;
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on.
They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go,
And there is no way to stop them, once you’ve started them to flow.
Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute you forget,
But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet,
And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you’ve stirred,
And disturbed a life was happy ere you dropped that unkind word.
Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone;
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave
Till you wouldn’t believe the volume of the one kind word you gave.
Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you forget;
But there’s gladness still a-swelling, and there’s joy a-circling yet,
And you’ve rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word.
― James W. Foley