The Journey of the Noble Gnarble

  The JOURNEY of the

  NOBLE GNEARBLE

  DANIEL ERRICO

  illustrations by TIFFANY TURRILL

  Sky Pony Press

  New York

  I would like to give a special thank you to illustrator

  Christian Colabelli, for helping the Gnarble on his journey.

  Copyright © 2012, 2013 by Daniel Errico

  Illustrations copyright © 2012, 2013 by Tiffany Turrill

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles.

  All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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  Visit our website at www.skyponypress.com.

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

  ISBN: 978-1-62087-732-6

  Manufactured in India, February 2013

  This product conforms to CPSIA 2008

  TO THE EXPLORER

  Far below the ocean waves, a gnarble lay in bed.

  All night long his gnarble dreams kept swimming in his head.

  He dreamt a dream of swimming up to see the sky above,

  Lit up by the sun in colors he just knew he’d love.

  But gnarbles never swam that high, their fins were much too small.

  Their tails were thin and floppy, which didn’t help at all.

  This gnarble liked his fins and had no problem with his tail.

  So when he woke, he knew that he just couldn’t, wouldn’t, fail.

  “I’m swimming up above the waves to see the sky of blue.

  I’ve never seen it even once, and now it’s time I do.”

  The other gnarbles warned him that he shouldn’t swim so high,

  As did the blyfish family that always swam close by.

  “No gnarble’s ever swum that high, it simply isn’t done.

  A blyfish might just make the trip, but we know you’re not one.

  Gnarbles don’t have flappers like all us blyfish do.

  You don’t even have koggers like the swimming gungaloo.”

  But the gnarble didn’t listen, and he left his friends behind.

  No silly blyfish family could ever change his mind.

  He swam up past the boulders made of spongy gishy-gosh,

  And flew right by the herd of floating, feeding fipple-fosh.

  His fins were getting tired, but he knew he couldn’t stop.

  So he kept swimming faster, trying hard to reach the top.

  Just then a hungry warckel blocked the gnarble with his fin.

  He grabbed him by his tail and brought him right up to his chin.

  “I’ve never had a gnarble, this would be a tasty treat.

  But you’re much too thin and bony for a fish like me to eat.”

  So the gnarble just kept swimming, and didn’t dare to stop,

  Until he heard the sound of a great big bubble POP!

  He turned around to see that he was in a bit of trouble.

  The sound he heard was that of a silver subbalubble.

  The gnarble tried to hide somewhere that he could safely stay,

  But the subbalubble saw him and was headed right his way.

  “Oh Mister Subbalubble, please don’t eat me up for lunch.

  I’ll bring a yummy plant instead, for you to sit and munch.”

  “I’ve never seen a gnarble try to swim this high before.

  What is it, little fishy, that you’re up here looking for?”

  “If I could see the sky just once, I’d be a happy fish.

  To do one flip above the waves would be my only wish.”

  “Well sorry, silly gnarble, but I cannot let you go.

  It’s subbalubble dinner time—you should’ve stayed below.”

  The gnarble cowered back in fear and shook from fin to fin,

  But then he saw a school of fish called shiny glimmy glin.

  The glimmy glin swam right past the subbalubble’s face,

  And the gnarble grabbed a glimmy fin and quickly left that place.

  The gnarble swam up higher still, until he saw some light.

  He knew it had to be the sun and, Oh, was it a sight!

  Closely by, a plink was sleeping, lying on his back.

  He rubbed his giant belly as he dreamed about a snack.

  The gnarble smiled happily and set his fins a swimming.

  He didn’t see the plink wake up, for he was busy grinning.

  The gnarble almost made it to the surface of the sea,

  But the plink chomped down and swallowed him as if he were a pea.

  The gnarble sat inside the plink and started softly crying.

  He’d never make it out, so was there any point in trying?

  The gnarble knew he’d come too close to quit and give up now.

  “There must be some way out of here. There’s got to be, somehow.”

  So the gnarble swam around inside, trying very hard to think.

  And while he did, his floppy tail was tickling the plink.

  The plink was very ticklish, and he couldn’t hold it in.

  He tried to cover up his laugh with his giant plinkish fin.

  His mouth was open long enough for the gnarble to swim free.

  He swam so fast, the hungry plink did not have time to see.

  Far above the ocean floor, above the gnarbles’ homes,

  Above the blyfish families and dancing water-gnomes,

  Above the swimming gungaloo and slimy dundledun,

  A gnarble flipped above the waves and smiled at the sun!

 

 

  Daniel Errico, The Journey of the Noble Gnarble

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