The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob: A Journey Begins is the first of a series of early chapter books that introduces children to the principles of achievement and attaining your desired goals. Author Brooks Olbrys delves into a step by step achievement process taken from the teachings of personal coach Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale, Napoleon Hill, Wallace D. Wattles, and others.
Sounds like a mouthful? By now you may be wondering that this kind of information may be too heavy for kids to handle. Not really! Author Brooks Olbrys imparts these important teachings of success in simple poetic form with every two lines a rhyme and rich illustrations which lends to the eloquence of the book.
The story begins with a young boy Bob who desires to be more fulfilled. He was bored with his idyllic life on the Island of Roses and longed to be more useful; but didn’t know how or where to begin. In asking questions of the sea animals, he sought the guidance of a wise old turtle called Doc, Earl the clam, Wallace the walrus, and Mary the marine biologist. They helped steered Bob in the right direction, each assisting him to attain a principle until his goal was met; and though Blue Ocean Bob faced several obstacles along the way, Olbrys shows the reader how to achieve success despite hindrances and feelings of inadequacy.
Olbys had the skeleton of his story, which was the principles of achievement, but he successfully added meat to his plot giving the story depth and substance through character development. How did he do this? Let’s take a look:
• Olbrys added personality to his characters by highlighting their strong and weak points; this gives depth to the story. Even though the principles of achievement are the essence of the story, the real beauty of it shines forth in the true nature of the characters, for example Xena the hummingbird who has a very timid and pessimistic view of life brings a bit of angst to the story.
• Olbrys brought out the feelings of his main character. Blue Ocean Bob doesn’t just exist on the page, but through his feelings we can identify and empathize with him and therefore he becomes realistic. Therefore, the character Bob can easily exist outside the pages of the book and in the reader’s mind because his attitudes and feelings of frustrations are all familiar emotions we experience when trying to achieve our dreams.
Olbrys teaches that one needs to have Purpose, Vision, Goals, the Right Attitude, and Persistence to achieve success and these words are put into action in the story thereby showing (not just telling) kids how each principle work. Even though kids may not know the meaning of words like Vision or Persistence, the storyline leads to an overall understanding of the word as each word is broken down into a series of tasks and undertakings, and it becomes three-dimensional and palpable therefore teaching the meaning behind it.
Blue Ocean Bob had a vision and a goal to accomplish, and as the plot progresses the reader is drawn into the story as Bob’s feelings of inadequacy evokes empathy and you’ll find yourself willing and cheering him on to succeed. This is significant because not only do children get a clear understanding of the process of achieving, they are also learning how to identify or pin-point a single point of interest and zero-in on achieving it. These big teachings, broken down into bite size simplicity are life lessons that kids and adults can apply to any situation in life. This is a book that parents should keep on their shelves and read to their kids from time to time as it helps to prepare kids for adulthood.
“With your purpose now set and your vision all clear, you can act on your goals and watch wonders appear!”
To learn more about The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob: A Journey Begins, the gifts and the apps available, please visit the author’s website. Also available, picture book Blue Ocean Bob Discovers His Purpose.
Happy Reading!
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