Julia wakes up to a beautiful sunrise and says, “Today is the perfect day to hike up to Pancake Peak!” The air is fresh, and Julia is ready to go on her adventure all by herself, just the way she likes it.
She zooms through the colorful wildflowers of Muffin Meadow, clicks her way through the dark Black Coffee Cave, and bravely crosses Bacon Bridge. She climbs up Hash Brown Hill super fast and stops for a quick picnic.
“It’s just a little farther until I reach Pancake Peak,” she thinks. The view at Pancake Peak is peaceful, and she enjoys it all alone.
Suddenly, a group of noisy creatures appears. They see Julia. “We’re stuck!” cries a tiny packrat. “This nice girl can help us get down!”
“What? Where is a girl?” asks the Havalina, squinting with his broken glasses.
“A stranger!” cries a scared porcupine. Julia steps back. “Oh, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I need to be home in time for dinner.”
“My name’s Fitz,” says the packrat. “This blind guy is Lew, and that lovely porcupine is Violet. We got up here fine, but when I saw how high we were, I got scared and broke my glasses,” grumbles Lew. “Now my pack is too heavy for me to carry. Can we come with you, please?”
Julia isn’t sure about this, but she helps them get safely back to the base of Pancake Peak. The happy trio cheers, “Julia, you rule!”
They stop for a sunny group picnic at Hash Brown Hill. As Fitz opens his backpack, Julia exclaims, “Whoa, a rat’s pack is where the snacks are!” After they eat some snacks, Fitz can carry his pack again. “Onward to Bacon Bridge!” he shouts, but Bacon Bridge is broken.
“We’re doomed!” cries Violet.
“Don’t worry,” says Fitz. “What kind of packrat would I be without a plan?” Everyone cheers.
“We should keep moving,” worries Violet. “Black Coffee Cave is getting darker by the minute.”
“Oh no!” Julia gasps at the cave entrance. “I’ve lost my headlamp!”
“My flashlight is gone too!” cries Fitz.
“Follow me,” grumbles Lew. “I can’t see, but I have a great nose. Do I smell wildflowers at the other end of this cave?”
“That’s Muffin Meadow!” exclaims Julia. “Come on, everyone! Lew can lead us through!”
Three cheers for Lew and his amazing nose, Julia shouts, “Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!”
“Wait, what happened to Muffin Meadow?” whispers Julia.
“Look out! It’s a trap!” cries Fitz.
“Nobody’s going to hurt my friends!” roars Violet bravely.
“If it hadn’t been for you, we’d all be in trouble!” exclaims Julia.
“Speaking of food, do you smell that?” asks Lew.
“It smells like spaghetti and pizza!” says Violet.
“And french fries and cherry pies!” exclaims Fitz.
“It’s dinner at my house!” says Julia. “And we are right on time!”
As the tagalongs sit down to dinner, Julia hears a knock at the gate.
Tonight, Julia is having a feast with all her new friends, just the way she likes it.
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Map Your Adventure: Create a map of Julia’s journey to Pancake Peak. Use colored pencils or crayons to draw Muffin Meadow, Black Coffee Cave, Bacon Bridge, Hash Brown Hill, and Pancake Peak. Label each place and draw the path Julia took. Think about what you might see, hear, or smell in each location. Share your map with a friend and explain Julia’s adventure!
Packrat’s Backpack Challenge: Imagine you are Fitz the packrat. What would you pack for an adventure like Julia’s? Find a small bag or backpack and fill it with items you think would be useful on a hike. You might include a snack, a flashlight, a map, or a water bottle. Once your backpack is ready, share with your family why you chose each item and how it would help you on your adventure.
Storytime Role Play: With your family or friends, act out the story of “The Tagalongs.” Choose who will play Julia, Fitz, Lew, and Violet. Use your imagination to recreate the scenes, like crossing Bacon Bridge or finding your way through Black Coffee Cave. Think about how each character feels at different parts of the story and try to show those feelings as you act. Afterward, talk about what you learned from the characters’ teamwork and bravery.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music]
Julia wakes up to a beautiful sunrise and beams, “Today is the perfect day to hike up to Pancake Peak!” The air is fresh, and Julia is prepared, traveling by herself just the way she likes it.
Julia buzzes through the wildflowers of Muffin Meadow, clicks as she spunks through the darkest depths of Black Coffee Cave, and balances bravely across Bacon Bridge. She crests Hash Brown Hill in record time and has a quick picnic.
“It’s just a little farther until I reach the turnaround at Pancake Peak,” she thinks. The panorama at Pancake Peak is perfectly peaceful, and she has it all to herself.
Suddenly, a band of bickering creatures disturbs the silence. They notice Julia. “We’re stranded!” cries the tiny packrat. “This nice girl can help us get down!”
“What? Where is a girl?” asks the Havalina, squinting and fiddling with his broken glasses.
“A stranger!” cries the frightened porcupine. Julia backs away. “Oh, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. You see, I need to be home in time for dinner.”
“My name’s Fitz,” interrupts the packrat. “This blind bloke is Lew, and that lovely bundle of quills is Violet. We got to the peak fine, but when I saw how high we were, I poofed, which broke my glasses,” grumbles Lew. “Now my pack is too heavy for me to carry. So what do you say? Can we tag along, please?”
This is not the way Julia likes it, but once they safely return to the base of Pancake Peak, the relieved trio squeals with glee. “Julia, you rule!”
They break for a sunny group picnic at Hash Brown Hill. As Fitz opens his backpack, Julia exclaims, “Whoa, a rat’s pack is where the snacks are!” After they gobble some of the load, Fitz can carry the pack himself. “Onward to Bacon Bridge!” he shouts, but Bacon Bridge is broken.
“We’re doomed!” cries Violet.
“Don’t worry,” says Fitz. “What kind of pack rat would I be without a plan?” Everyone cheers.
“We should keep moving,” worries Violet. “Black Coffee Cave is getting darker by the minute.”
“Oh no!” Julia gasps at the mouth of the cave. “I’ve lost my headlamp!”
“My flashlight is gone too!” cries Fitz.
“Follow me,” grumbles Lew. “I can’t see, but I have an exquisite nose. Do I smell wildflowers at the other end of this cave?”
“That’s Muffin Meadow!” exclaims Julia. “Come on, everyone! Lew can get us through this!”
Three cheers for Lew and his mighty nose, Julia shouts, “Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!”
“Wait, what happened to Muffin Meadow?” whispers Julia.
“Look out! It’s a trap!” cries Fitz.
“Nobody’s going to chomp my friends!” roars Violet in righteous defense.
“If it hadn’t been for you, we’d all be in trouble!” exclaims Julia.
“Speaking of food, do you smell that?” asks Lew.
“It smells like spaghetti and pizza!” says Violet.
“And french fries and cherry pies!” exclaims Fitz.
“It’s dinner at my house!” says Julia. “And we are right on time!”
As the tagalongs sit down to dinner, Julia hears a knock at the gate.
Tonight, Julia is feasting with all her new friends, just the way she likes it.
[Music]
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Don’t wait around; ask your guardian to download books now. You’ll be glad you did!
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