Herbie Goes to the Aquarium
By K.G. Carey
One day, Herbie the Penguin, Big Brother Penguin, Mommy Penguin, and Daddy Penguin all got in the van and drove all the way down the coast to the aquarium. They parked in a spot right by the aquarium, and walked down a hill to the aquarium’s entrance.
Once they arrived at the entrance, they made their way through a short line and gave their tickets to the ticket taker. Then they walked inside.
The first thing they saw was a big window showing them a view of the ocean. Herbie and Big Brother Penguin pointed at the amazing view, and while they were marveling at the sight, guess who came up to them? Chicken the Magnificent!
“Hi, Penguin Family!” said Chicken the Magnificent. He rushed to give them all big hugs. “Welcome to the aquarium! I’m so excited because I’m going to be your guide today! I can’t wait to show you around!”
Now you might be asking how Chicken the Magnificent, a long-time family friend of the Penguins, got his name. Well, he truly was a magnificent chicken! He was rather tall for a young chicken, with a big, broad chest, and a body covered with perfectly white feathers. His yellow beak stuck out from the white and red on his head, and his eyes were a warm and friendly black. His legs were long and strong, and they each finished with a four-toed foot. He was magnificent to behold, which is why everyone called him Chicken the Magnificent!
“It’s so wonderful that we get to see the aquarium with you, Chicken the Magnificent!” said Herbie.
“It is!” said Chicken the Magnificent. “Today, I’m going to show you every part of the aquarium, including the sea otters, the jellyfish, the octopuses, and the sharks and fish in the open ocean exhibit. And we’ll do all that before lunch! And then we’ll finish the day in the Splash Zone!”
“How fun! Yay!” said Herbie and Big Brother Penguin.
“Right this way!” said Chicken the Magnificent. He started by leading the Penguins to the sea otter exhibit, where they got to see a feeding and learn about the sea otter’s training. Then they took the escalator to the jellyfish exhibit, which was very interesting because jellyfish glow in the dark! After that, they took the elevator down to the octopus exhibit where they saw a Giant Pacific Octopus (who was as big as Big Brother Penguin!). They finished the morning at the open ocean exhibit where they got to see schools of fish and lone sharks circling the large tank.
Chicken the Magnificent then led them to the café, where they had sandwiches, fries, apple slices, strawberries, and peanut butter crackers for lunch, and cookies for dessert.
After they were done eating, they took another escalator up to the second floor, crossed an indoor bridge, and went over to the Splash Zone. There, Herbie and Big Brother Penguin got to touch kelp and crabs and abalone, and they also learned how tide pools worked. There was even a maze that Herbie and Big Brother Penguin got to crawl through (but Big Brother Penguin was a little too big for it!).
With the help of Chicken the Magnificent, the Penguins got to see everything in the aquarium.
At the end of their visit, Herbie and Big Brother Penguin each got a stuffy from the gift store. Herbie got a big manta ray stuffy, and Big Brother Penguin got a sea otter stuffy. Mommy Penguin and Daddy Penguin even got coffee on their way out, because they had a long drive home that afternoon.
It was a wonderful day overall.
“It was great to see you today!” said Chicken the Magnificent to the Penguins. “Let’s play together again soon once we get back home!”
“That sounds like fun,” said Mommy Penguin.
“Bye!” said Chicken the Magnificent as he waved to the Penguins.
“Bye! Thank you! Take care!” said the Penguins.
And that is the story of how Herbie went to the aquarium.