King of t he For es t Wr it t en and Il l us t r at ed by Ryder WHipper man
Dedicat ed t o Mackenzie Bunce
?And the winner for the 10th grade president is? ,? the school principal started. The principal was standing in the middle of a hill and was a wolf that had a deep voice. ?Mackenzie!? Shouted the principal in a deeper voice than usual. Mackenzie slowly and shyly walked up to the hill. Now everybody would know him as the wolf that is the grade president, he thought. He didn?t want to be known to everybody like that, he wanted to be known as the kindest wolf ever. He continued walking and, to make it easier the entire crowd moved away revealing a beautiful green field that Mackenzie had been unable to see due to the quantity of animals that had been standing there. When he looked up he saw a huge green hill covered with flowers. The only part of the hill that was not covered was a small path lined with small bricks neatly packed together. As he walked slowly up the hill his friends cheered and stomped for him. At the top of the hill the path led to a ring of white bricks filled with beautiful white pebbles. The principal was so tall that Mackenzie could only see up to the top of his legs. ?Now Mackenzie will give a speech? The principal said as he pushed Mackenzie forward. ?Um? ,? he stuttered. ?Hello, everybody. Thank you for supporting me and for voting me to be the 10th grade president. Now that I have won I will do all that I have promised. I promised to help make the school a more comfortable and friendly environment by assigning clean up jobs for those who don't mind cleaning up all of the trash that gets blown here everyday. Another promise that I made was to try to welcome all of the new animals that come here by finding people that I think would go along well with them,? he said in the boldest strongest voice he could muster. His voice echoed all around the field and nobody missed what he was saying. Everybody stood still. Their faces were still leaning forward waiting for Mackenzie to continue. They stayed that way for a few more seconds, and then, one by one, they started to move their feet up and down until everyone in a miles range could hear the stomping (animals stomp instead of clapping). The stomping went on for a minute until everybody was done stomping. ?Thank you Mackenzie,? the principal said in a higher voice than usual. Everyone sprinted out of the stadium, there were elephants, mice, lions, wolves and almost all of the animals that were able to live in the forest. Everybody cleared out until Mackenzie was left alone. Suddenly, when he was ready to go back home he heard some soft footsteps coming from the grass behind him.
?Hey, Mackenzie,? a voice squeaked from behind him. Mackenzie quickly spun around like a dog trying to catch its tail. He couldn?t see anyone. ?Down here!? The voice squeaked again. Then he recognized the voice. It was his little gray mouse friend named Robert. ?Oh, it?s you Robert,? Mackenzie said in a way less enthusiastic voice than when he had given the speech. ?You did great out there today,? Robert told him in an enthusiastic and squeaky voice. ?Oh, and by the way you can call me Bob.? ?OK, and thanks but I don?t think I did too well out there,? he said, sighing. ?You were amazing!? Bob squeaked, ?I wouldn?t be surprised if you ran for king and won,? he added and just after that Mackenzie started to swiftly walk away. ?Wait up, I can?t walk as fast as you!? Bob screamed as he tried to keep up. ?Bob, I wouldn?t be able to win the election for king if my life depended on it. I?m not confident enough,? Mackenzie sighed as he sprinted through the forest, his feet dragging in the undergrowth.
?Wait, these plants are practically pulling me back!? Bob yelled after him. ?Can you give me a ride to my hole?? ?Sure, I can,? Mackenzie said in a soft nice voice (just a little bit softer than the voice that Mackenzie normally used) which made Bob wonder whether Mackenzie would have done it anyways. ?Thanks? Bob said. ?This is just another reason you should run for king, you have all the traits needed to be a good leader ? Bob continued. Mackenzie quickly picked Bob up in his mouth and threw him softly onto his back, he started with a slow trot and kept getting faster.
?I still don?t want to,? Mackenzie said, starting to consider running for king even though he was still leaning towards a big N-O. Luckily Bob?s hole in the hillside was close to Mackenzie?s den so they continued to walk together through the undergrowth until the came to a gravel path where someone had cut out the undergrowth so that it would be easier to walk. ?I can get off now if you want,? Bob squeaked. ?No, its OK I will carry you to your hole,? Mackenzie answered. As they walked in silence the trees started to get bigger as if the trees had decided to start growing more as they got deeper in. Eventually the trees started to get smaller and smaller as they got closer to Bob?s hole. Then, all of a sudden the path led into an open field and they could see a small hole in the center of it. It was Bob?s hole home. ?That?s it, right?? Mackenzie asked politely. ?That?s it,? Bob answered as he jumped off Mackenzie?s back and shouted ?Think about running for king.? Then he disappeared into his hole. ?I will,? Mackenzie whispered answering Bob?s question. Mackenzie continued to walk on the green field until the trees started to grow again and the path continued on the other side. On this side the undergrowth hadn?t been cut all the way so, every once in awhile he stubbed his paw. Maybe I will run for king, Mackenzie thought as he slowly worked his way home. He was beginning to warm up to the idea, but he still wasn?t fully there yet. On the way home he kept considering the thought of being king.
He continued until he finally came to his den at the end of the path. He walked in, but nobody was there. He must have been the first one home. Mackenzie slowly walked to the back of the cave to wait for the rest of his family to come home. Suddenly, just as he was sitting down he heard some talking from outside. ?I?m going to run for the king of the forest this year,? he heard his dad?s voice say proudly. Talk about an unexpected twist to the day! ?Well then... I hope you win, you would be a good king,? he heard his mom say as she came into Mackenzie view, his dad right behind her. ?Dad, you?re running for king?? Mackenzie called out, surprised. ?Yep, I am,? his dad answered as he slowly walked into the cave. ?My friend Bob says I should run for king too, what do you think?? Mackenzie asked his father. ?Mackenzie, I don?t think you should, it?s a lot of work and responsibility,? his dad replied as he took a step closer. ?So is being 10th grade president,? Mackenzie told him, trying to hint that he won the election. ?What do you mean?? his dad asked in his usual booming voice. ?I mean that I got elected to be 10th grade president,? Mackenzie finally told him in a proud voice. His father ?s response surprised him. ?That?s just another reason not to run for king, you are already 10th grade president, you don?t need any more responsibility,? his father said as he exited the cave, ?I?ll go get the food for dinner tonight,? he said as he walked into the labyrinth of thick forest trees. While Mackenzie was walking to school the next morning he passed Bob?s house. He waited in the middle of the field like he did
every day. Bob had been his best (and only) friend since he had started to go to school. They did everything together. Every time their teacher announced that they were going to work in groups Bob and Mackenzie ran to each other and started talking about what they were going to do. He could hear nothing but silence coming from Bob?s home, but when he tried to listen harder he could hear that there were a few voices whispering down in the hole. He couldn?t quite make out what they were saying, but he knew one thing for certain, they were talking about HIM. He guessed that they were talking about him being king as Bob had wanted him to be king for a while now, so that didn?t really bother him. Suddenly, as if the voices couldn?t stand whispering anymore the talking was louder than a whisper, ?Honey, we know that Mackenzie would be a great king just as much as you do. He just needs more confidence in himself.? That must have been Bob?s mom talking,? thought Mackenzie as he stared at the little hole in the ground. ?Just a minute, I?ll be right out,? Bob said. I must have stepped on a couple of leaves, thought Mackenzie, not knowing how Bob could have possibly known that he was outside waiting for him. ?It?s OK,? Mackenzie replied as he started to walk around in circles to help pass time. After about a minute Bob came running out of his hole, clearly excited to go to school that day. No matter how hard he tried, Mackenzie couldn?t think of why Bob was so excited to go to school. ?You know what day it is, right?? Bob asked as soon as he came out of his hole. CRASH! Suddenly, before Mackenzie could answer, a bird came zooming down at full speed trying to pull up but, it couldn?t.The next moment the bird was on the ground in the middle of the field.
Mackenzie swiftly walked over to the bird, picked it up in his mouth, and threw it onto his back. He recognized the bird: his name was Joe and he often crashed while trying to pull up to land, so Mackenzie was used to having to be late to school in order to take him to the hospital. ?Was I close that time?? Joe asked tiredly. ?Closer than last time,? Mackenzie responded as he remembered about Bob. Bob had been sitting there watching with his eyes full of admiration. ?No, I don?t know what day it is,? Mackenzie told Bob as he remembered what Bob had said. ?It?s the last day you can choose to run for king,? Bob said enthusiastically as he came back to his senses, ?And I won?t stop until I convince you to run,? Bob said as they started to walk to school. ?And helping Joe again just made me even more convinced that you should run for king,? Bob told Mackenzie. ?Bob, I told you, you?re going to have a hard time convincing me to run for king, but you can try,? Mackenzie said, ?And can you tell Mrs. Magpie that I had to take Joe to the hospital,? Mackenzie added as he took a side path that led to the hospital. ?Sure,? Bob answered as he started running on the path that took him to school. On the edges of the path there were trimmed bushes shaped like all of the previous kings. Finally, after following the path for a few more minutes, he saw the cave that was the hospital. Joe had slept the whole way there and was still asleep when Mackenzie dropped him off at the hospital, ?Joe again,? he told the brown bird doctor that stood inside that was looking at Mackenzie. That doctor was the same doctor that was there everyday, whenever he took Joe or anyone else to the hospital, that doctor was always waiting inside the cave.
School that day was the same as always, and it seemed to pass really quickly. After school, Bob decided to walk with Mackenzie until they reached Mackenzie?s house, instead of going straight to his house. As soon as they arrived at Mackenzie?s house they saw Mackenzie?s mom standing in the doorway, apparently waiting for them.
never came. ?He must have gone early,? thought Mackenzie. So Mackenzie walked through the forest path and, for the first time in years, without any special reason, walked to school alone. I wonder what I?ll do if I become king of the forest, Mackenzie thought, and Mackenzie was right to consider this, or maybe people would think he?s unorganised.
?Bob, would you like to come over for dinner, I already asked your mom and she said it was OK,? Mackenzie?s mom said as soon as she saw them walk inside. ?OK, I?ll stay for a little,? Bob replied as he walked through the door into Mackenzie?s cave. ?What would you guys like for dinner?? Mackenzie?s mom asked as she looked at what Mackenzie?s father had hunted for earlier that day. ?I would like swiss cheese,? Bob said as he sat climbed up onto one of the stones that they had found for seats so that they could sit by the table (a boulder with a flat top). Mackenzie had barely paid attention to what his mom had said because he was too busy considering what Bob had said. Maybe I will run, but no... my dad will win. This internal fight had been going on for a while now ,but Mackenzie hadn?t paid attention to it until Bob had pointed out how many leadership traits he had and how nice he was. No, I must at least try to win, but my dad wouldn?t like that, Mackenzie thought as he looked outside. ?Mackenzie,? his mom called. ?You want gazelle meat, right?? his mom asked as she took a small piece of swiss cheese from the pile of food that Mackenzie?s father had brought home the night before. ?Yep, I want gazelle meat, and Bob I decided to run for king, I considered it for a long time,? Mackenzie answered. In the morning. Mackenzie waited for Bob, but he
Soon he arrived at school and saw nobody else there. I wonder where everyone is, he thought. Suddenly, Mackenzie heard something, it sounded faint and distant but he was sure that he had heard it. ?Surprise!? Mackenzie heard someone call out and just as suddenly as the voice had appeared, all of the people in his grade jumped out from hiding places and they all yelled ?Congratulations Mackenzie, you?ve got our vote.? It took a while for Mackenzie to figure out what they meant, but eventually Mackenzie figured out that they meant that they were going to vote for him to be king. ?Mackenzie, I knew I could convince you to do it,? he heard Bob?s voice call out from somewhere. ?Bob, where are you?? Asked Mackenzie as he looked around for Bob. ?Down here!? Bob?s voice yelled from behind Mackenzie, so loudly that Mackenzie jumped. ?Oh, there you are Bob, and thanks for getting them to support me,? Mackenzie replied as he turned around.
?I didn?t have to convince them, they were ready to support you ever since I told them that you were running.? Bob replied. School that day wasn?t as normal as it always was, everyone was congratulating him and suggesting what he should do if he won. It was the best day ever.
When he got home, he saw that his mom and dad were in the middle of an argument. They were shouting at each other about something clearly important. ?I think he?d be great!? He heard his mom shout at his dad, and at that moment he heard his mom stomp. His mom only stomped when she was REALLY angry (or impressed), and she barely ever got to the point where she was angry enough to stomp, in fact, he had only heard her do that once but, THAT is a different story. ?But, honey he is already 10th grade president and he doesn?t need any more responsibility,? his dad answered angrily as he growled. Mackenzie was not used to his mom and dad fighting like this, especially about him- so he was frightened by how mean they were being to each other. Their screaming and yelling didn?t seem like it was going to stop soon so Mackenzie decided to step outside for a moment until the fight calmed and they stopped being mean to each other. Outside Mackenzie smelled the flowers that were in the garden and sighed. ?I wonder what I should do, should I listen to my mom or my dad?? His thoughts wandered off after he started smelling the flowers again. He finally decided that he would run for king, no matter what his dad said, so he slowly got up and started to walk back over to the cave and, there were no yelling noises anymore, so his parents must have calmed down, finally. As soon as Mackenzie was in the room he heard that there was no talking, they must have stopped talking altogether, not just calmed down. Not sure exactly what to say at this awkward moment, he said, ?Dad, I heard you guys arguing and, I still haven't changed my mind, I will run for king,? he said as soon as they realised that he was there. ?But, Mackenzie I?ve told you before, you already have too much weight on your shoulders, being king would multiply that by a million,? his father said softly ?Dad, there?s no stopping me, I?ll run for king no matter what,? and with that Mackenzie stormed into his room more determined than ever.
All that night, Mackenzie stayed up making campaign boards, getting ready for the election, which was going to be the next day. When he woke up he found that the posters were gone, they had been on his rockside table, but now they were just gone. He slowly walked down the hallway that leads to the kitchen/entryway and he heard some loud chewing, he guessed that it was his mom and that his dad was outside putting up campaign posters, and getting ready for the election. He walked into the kitchen and found gazelle meat waiting for him on the table, ?Mackenzie, I?ve already set up the campaign posters and have your food ready for you to make sure we don?t miss the election,? his mom told him as soon as he walked in. The way the election worked was this: the animals would all meet in the place decided for the election (this decision was made by the previous king), and the animals would cast their vote with unique bark symbols with the campaign symbol of the person that they wanted to vote for on each piece of bark. Then the votes would get counted and the animal with the most votes would become the next king. He and his mother quickly ate breakfast and went down to the school at the place where he had gotten elected 10th grade president. There were already hundreds of animals ready for the election. There were animals yelling out their candidate?s names, and the vote box was already full. Mackenzie took a seat in the crowd and waited. After a minute or so the principal appeared on the top of the hill (the principal was the previous king and the person that announced the winner) ?Settle down everybody,? the principal started, ?Since we are all here and the votes have been counted, it is time to announce the winner of the king election,? his principal continued. Mackenzie was so nervous that he could barely breathe, and everyone was holding their breath, waiting for him to announce the winner. ?Both candidates were very close, the score was 501-502 and the winner is,? the principal said and he waited a few seconds for dramatic pause... before he shouted ?MACKENZIE!? Suddenly, Mackenzie was lifted up into the air by all of those who were around him.
Mackenzie was so surprised that he was completely speechless. He had won! He had been elected king! He, the wolf that had not been known by anyone, had just become king! Everyone was chanting ?MACKENZIE, MACKENZIE,? Mackenzie felt something he had almost never felt before: confidence. The celebration continued like that for a couple more hours, and eventually he decided to go home. It took him awhile to get away from the crowds pouring out of every corner, but after a long while he managed to do it. He slowly walked along the path that he knew so well, trying to remember every moment that his dad had been helpful. There was that time when his dad had taught him to hunt, and taught him to talk, and walk, and run, and jump. He remembered all of the fun moments he had had with his dad. His dad had taught him almost everything he knew. His dad had been the one to find Bob and introduce him to Mackenzie, his dad had helped him make his best friend, and he would never forget that. All of that thinking reminded him about Bob and how he had convinced Mackenzie to run for king. Just at that moment he arrived in the open field with Bob?s mouse hole in the center of it. He decided to stop by and talk to Bob for a little bit. ?Bob!? Mackenzie called into the hole and, quite suddenly, Bob came scurrying out of his hole. ?Mackenzie, congratulations, I knew you could win the election if you tried hard enough,? Bob said as soon as he came out of the hole. ?No, thank you for convincing me to run,? Mackenzie replied and, just at that moment Bob motioned him to go to his house. ?See ya tomorrow Bob,? Mackenzie said as he started slowly walking on the path that led to his house. He continued on the path until, finally he arrived.
As soon as Mackenzie went through the entrance he saw the cave decorated with signs congratulating him on winning the election. ?Mackenzie, I?m sorry that I tried to get you not to run. My mouth wasn?t in control of what I said when I told you not to run- I suppose my heart or ego was instead. After realizing that I let my desire to win the election get in the way of what really matters: you? and then I came back to the reality and realized that I should be supporting my son. That?s why you won, I voted for you. I was that one vote difference. I knew that you would be a better king than me and voted for you. I am so proud of you son,? Mackenzie?s dad said in a voice that convinced Mackenzie that he really was sorry. ?Dad, I forgive you,? Mackenzie started, ?You have done so many good things for me that it would be hard not to forgive you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn?t forgive you,? Mackenzie smiled, ?and by the way, you had my vote too.? Mackenzie and his dad both stood on their hind legs and wrapped their arms around each other in a big hug. They stayed like this for a while, both sure that they were still friends and that they would always be.
About the HS Empathy Book Project The grade 5 Literacy Group students published and illustrated these empathy picture books as keep sake gifts for their High School buddies. The grade 5 Literacy Group students conducted several empathy interviews with their High School buddy. These interviews were designed to help the grade 5 students to understand key components of their buddy?s identity, which were captured in these picture books. Prior to the interviews and picture book project, the grade 5 students investigated ?what makes a great story? by closely reading several award-winning picture books. They learned about plot, character development, author ?s craft, and literary devices. The grade 5 Literacy Group students even inquired about a literary device of their choosing, developed a lesson plan for their High School Senior, and then taught the concept through an interactive small group mini-lesson to that senior. Those literary devices made it into these picture books as our students know that, properly employed, they enhance a great story. The grade 5 Literacy Group students should be commended for the energy and enthusiasm poured into these final products. Our hope is that our Nido High School Seniors appreciate the pieces of ?their identity?that our students crafted into their picture books.
About the Relationship Ryder met Mackenzie for the first time at an HS classroom during a project where Ryder had to write a picture book about his high school buddy. Ryder got paired with Mackenzie, and Ryder interviewed him via email, video, and face to face. During his interview Ryder got to know Mackenzie really well. For example he figured out that if Mackenzie could be any animal, he would be a wolf. Ryder also figured out that Mackenzie is a really good leader.