(describer) Imagination Storybooks presents, "Dogfish, Just Be YOU!" Written by Rita Reed. Narrated by Erin Rieman. Audio description narrated by Tristan Snyder, and written by Miriam Snyder from illustrations by Craig Cartwright.

[soft music]

On the cover, a big polar bear sits with a small polar bear in its lap on an ice sheet. They look up at stars. The colorful northern lights dance in the sky. Snow-capped mountains stand along the edge of the ocean. An orange animal with the head of a dog, long floppy ears, big blue eyes, and long black whiskers swims. It lies on its back. It rests front flippers instead of paws in the water. A long flowing sparkling tail drifts behind it.

(narrator) A booming band of whales sang as Dogfish jumped out of bed with dreams of the northern lights still floating through his head.

(describer) Blue spots decorate the orange animal Dogfish's back. A thought balloon of the northern light floats above him. He swims out of a cave. In the cave, a large clamshell lies open with a pillow on it. An alarm clock sits on a rock acting as a nightstand. Seaweed grows out of a pot in a window in the cave.

(narrator) His ears wiggled and twitched as he happily traveled along, following the humpback whales as they sang their whaley songs.

(describer) Notes and treble clefts drift on a current. Six big gray whales with round backs swim over the notes. Their mouths hang open. Instead of teeth long flexible bristles called baleen fill their mouths and filter food.

(narrator) The pod gleefully welcomed him and extended an invitation. "Dogfish, will you join us on our northern migration?" Dogfish happily accepted and politely requested, "Will we see the Aurora Borealis? "Since I was a pup, it's been a dream of mine to see the colorful lights dancing in the sky." The humpbacks winked and said, "Possibly."

(describer) The Aurora Borealis, or northern lights, swirls around three of the humpback whales. They look at Dogfish.

(narrator) Happy and carefree, the whales breached. Twisting and leaping out of the sea, landing with a crash and a huge splash!

(describer) A humpback whale dives into the water in front of snow-covered mountains. A smiling starfish clings to rocks.

(narrator) Dogfish was amazed that they were so graceful with their enormous size and gigantic tails.

(describer) A humpback whale emerges from the water and dives backward. Water splashes around it.

(narrator) Dogfish wished he was a humpback whale.

(describer) A crab skidders on a rock by some seaweed. Pine trees stand on a snow-covered mountain. On a gray humpback whale's body, Dogfish's face smiles. He dives into the water. A green fish stares at him, mouth open in an O shape.

(narrator) A little voice inside his head swirled, "Never doubt yourself and keep moving forward. You have so much to offer the world."

(describer) The northern lights shimmer over outlines of pine trees.

(narrator) Then out of the dark, flashes of black and white dashed and circled, giving them all a fright.

(describer) Three orcas breach the surface. The black and white whales swim through purple and blue water. Big white spots decorate their black backs, and their white bellies give them camouflage in the ice. One smiles.

(narrator) The orcas played ball as they all headed north, tossing it effortlessly back and forth. Dogfish was astonished at how they threw the ball. They were so athletic. He didn't play sports at all.

(describer) Two orcas bounce a soccer ball on their noses between them.

(narrator) Dogfish wished he was an orca.

(describer) On a black and white orca body, Dogfish's face smiles. A school of tiny green fish swims around him. Their mouths open in tiny O shapes and their eyes wide.

(narrator) Again, the voice inside his head swirled, "Never doubt yourself and keep moving forward. "You have so much to offer the world."

(describer) The northern lights shimmer over the outline of pine trees.

(narrator) They swam past Alaska and the Bering sea. The waters were cold and very icy. As they entered the Arctic, they heard lovely sounds. A band of belugas with heads big and round. Their singing was exquisite. Such a beautiful sound. Dogfish couldn't sing. He just barked and howled.

(describer) Three white toothed whales with bulbus heads smile. Pink hearts float in thought balloons above their heads.

(narrator) Dogfish wished he was a beluga.

(describer) On a white beluga whale body, Dogfish's face smiles. Two red crabs stand on a rock and wave their claws at him. Dogfish thinks, "Awoo," near his floppy white ears.

(narrator) Reminding himself again, "Never doubt yourself and keep moving forward. You have so much to offer the world."

(describer) The northern lights shimmer over the outline of pine trees.

(narrator) Smiley, silly narwhals swam into sight. Happy and hilarious, they played with delight. Dogfish admired their shiny ivory horns, mystical and magical. The ocean's unicorns!

(describer) Water sparkles near chunks of ice. Two narwhals catch red hoops on long horns that grow from the front of their heads. Dark gray spots decorate their gray backs, and their light gray bellies keep them camouflaged in the icy water. A purple octopus smiles while it rides on a third narwhal's back. The third narwhal smiles at the two playing with the hoops.

(narrator) Dogfish wished he was a narwhal.

(describer) A long horn grows from Dogfish's face on a narwhal's body. The purple octopus covers its mouth and looks up at him.

(narrator) Whaley songs grew louder in the icy cold sea. The crowd swam faster, picking up their speed.

(describer) A pod of humpback, orca, narwhal, and beluga whales swims through the ocean. A red crab watches from a rock.

(narrator) Dogfish was tired and feeling a little blue, thinking of all the things that he just couldn't do. "I can try to be like a humpback or the unicorns of the sea. "I could be like a beluga, but why? I am the best me I can be!"

(describer) In three thought bubbles, Dogfish pictures humpback whale Dogfish, narwhal Dogfish, and beluga Dogfish.

(narrator) Suddenly. his big fluffy ears wiggled and rotated. With his supersonic hearing, distress signals were located.

(describer) Above the water, Dogfish's ears vibrate. His snout points toward the horizon.

(narrator) Dogfish rushed to the commotion. Baby polar bear was alone in the ocean. "I was playing when the ice broke; "now I'm floating out to sea." Help me, please!"

(describer) A crying polar bear cub sits on a tiny chunk of ice in the middle of the ocean. It screams:

(narrator) "I want my momma!" Then without any doubt...

(describer) Dogfish pushes the ice with his flippers. The cub lies on its back and smiles.

(narrator) Dogfish kept moving forward.

(describer) Dogfish pushes the ice with his tail. The cub holds onto the front.

(narrator) He pushed that huge iceberg.

(describer) Dogfish pushes the ice while lying on his back and squirting water through his mouth like a fountain. The cub claps.

(narrator) All the way back to shore.

(describer) Dogfish pushes the ice to a snowy shore. An adult polar bear holds out her arms.

(narrator) A dream came true for that pup as he looked up.

(describer) The mama polar bear hugs the cub and kisses his head. Hearts surround them. Dogfish smiles. A family of puffins, black and white birds with bright orange beaks watches. Hearts fly around them.

(narrator) Shining bright, dancing in the sky, glowing and glistening, the northern lights!

(describer) The pod of whales swims in a circle with their heads out of the water. The polar bears and puffins watch from the shore. Dogfish swims near the shore. They all look up. The northern lights in shades of blue, purple, green, pink and orange dance and shimmer in the sky. Stars twinkle in the northern lights. They shine behind outlines of pine trees. They form a heart behind the words...

(narrator) "Never doubt yourself and keep moving forward. You have so much to offer the world."

(describer) On a map of the United States of America and Canada, a red X marks where Dogfish started in Santa Monica Bay in the North Pacific Ocean. A red line marks his path where he swam. He swam up the west coast of the United States and Canada around Alaska, part of the United States, through the Bering sea and into the Arctic Ocean. There he was, north of Alaska. This has been "Dogfish, Just Be YOU!" Written by Rita Reed. Narrated by Erin Rieman. Audio description narrated by Tristan Snyder and written by Miriam Snyder from illustrations by Craig Cartwright. This has been a production of Imagination Storybooks at imaginationstorybooks.org.