The Princess and The Valley Man
by Dorota Kluza and Evan Williams
by Dorota Kluza and Evan Williams
Summary:
The Princess and the Valley Man is an enthralling, educational tale of adventure, fantastic creatures, and dashing acts of bravery!
Join Solis and Princess Luna, on an amazing journey through the Earth’s most unusual place: Death Valley. Luna, a princess from a kingdom in a far-away star, is curious to see the sights in Death Valley. And Solis, smitten by Luna’s beauty, is only too happy to indulge her.
They travel through landscapes - from the exhilarating Sea of Sand to the majestic Canyon of Marble to the eerily frightening Mysterious Cave - forming new friendships and gaining a deep understanding of each other.
Meet fantastic creatures - from moving rock formations, to Kiko the talking bird, even mysterious inhabitants of a ghost town - and be with Solis and Princess Luna as they dodge challenges, solve puzzles, craft clever solutions and find a way out of hairy situations.
More important, discover how to love with all your heart, the most seemingly unlovable place on Earth.
Information about the Book
Title: The Princess and The Valley Man; Luna and Solis’s Adventures in Death Valley
Authors: Dorota Kluza and Evan Williams
Illustrator: Malgorzata Barcikowska-Nazarczuk
Release Date: 30th January 2020
Genre: MG
Page Count: 100
Publisher: Clink Street Publishing
Excerpt
There
was a place on Earth that was considered most unusual: Death Valley, which was
in California in the United States. Now you might be asking yourself: what
make’s Death Valley so unusual? Well, it was a land of extremes. While it had
towering mountains, it also had below-sea-level salt flats and even sand dunes.
All strewn across the landscape were rock formations of many colors, some of
which held mystery. Sometimes, when the rain comes at the right time, the
landscape would bloom with an explosion of flowers. These mostly grow from the
many seeds that had been waiting in the dirt; sometimes they wait many years
for the rain to come. Mostly, though, it is the heat that makes this place
famous. You see, Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth!
One
day, because of Death Valley’s unique terrain and features that focused the
sun’s energy upon itself, it reached a temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit
(56,6 Celsius
degrees)
- the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. Something very special also
happened on that day: a child was born in this place of extremes. This child,
some say, got something even more special from the sun on that day, an
inexplicable kind of energy that would be with him wherever he went which kept
him safe and protected him from harm. His parents called him Solis. He was an
extraordinary boy who grew up in this most interesting and unusual place. He
was not afraid of anything and he made lots of friends, including local animals
that he used to play with. A born explorer who never gets sick, decided one day
to take it upon himself to protect and preserve Death Valley, which he loved
with all his heart.
As a
young man, Solis travelled to many places far and wide and has seen many
kingdoms. In fact, as a former soldier in his kingdom’s army, he had fought in
many battles. His exploits were famous throughout the lands, especially among
schoolchildren who were studying history. Living in Death Valley, he worked by
helping those who came to seek adventure and see the amazing sights.
One
day, on his way back home after a deeply exhausting day at work, he came upon a
group of travelers who had become trapped in their big coach within a massive
sand cloud. He sped up his wagon to reach them quickly and to help them get out
of it. He knew it was not a typical sand cloud caused by the wind, but a
monstrous attack of a deadly sand creature living in this area that could not
stand any noise. Luckily for the travellers, Solis was not afraid of it!
“Do
not leave your coach!” Solis screamed. “Close the windows and your doors, and
be as quiet as possible!”
But
the travellers were overwhelmed with fear and panic. “Help us and get us out of
here!” They screamed. “Get us out of here, please!”
Solis
jumped off his wagon as quickly as he could. He looked like a cowboy wearing an
old Western-looking bandana on his face and a special pair of shoes designed to
not sink on any surface. He ran to them, then tied a big thick cotton rope from
his wagon to their coach. But at this moment, the scary sand creature came out
of the sand cloud and started to shake the noisy coach violently from one side
to the other.
The
travellers were screaming loudly from fear, but Solis was not afraid of the
creature at all. He stayed calm, carefully connecting the rope. He made a few
quick steps, like he was floating on the sand on his wide flat shoes, and was
back in his wagon in a second, pulling the tourists and their coach away from
this dangerous sand monster.
Once
they all were on safe ground, Solis emerged from his wagon covered in sand.
“Are you all okay? Is anyone hurt?” His voice was calm, reassuring. “This was
the sand beast living in this area. I hope she did not scare you too much. Next
time you must be more careful here and must follow some precautions. By the way,
my name is Solis.”
Just
as he introduced himself to the travellers, he saw among them the most
beautiful girl he had ever seen. He was entranced. But the travellers
interrupted his reverie, crying with happiness and saying, “You saved us! You
saved us! Thank you so much, Solis!”
“Oh
my goodness, you are all covered in sand,” one of them said, helping Solis dust
the dirt off his shirt. “We are very sorry for this trouble, but we got
confused by the intense heat of this place. Luckily, we found the coach. But
when we tried to drive out, the beast attacked us. You know the rest of the
story, Solis. You are our hero!”
Solis’s
face blushed from the attention. “Oh, I’m not a hero, guys. I am just glad I
could help and to make sure you are all fine. Travellers often get confused
from the heat here. Ordinary folks could rarely stand the kind of heat we have
in Death Valley. Just be more careful next time, wear a hat and drink lots of
water, and watch out and take precautions to avoid the sand beasts in this area.”
Solis flashed them a smile that was pure charm.
“We
would love to thank you, somehow, Solis,” said someone from the group. “Please
allow us to invite you for dinner tonight?”
“It
is really not necessary,” he replied, but then he could not take his eyes off
the beautiful girl. “But of course, I would love to have dinner with you all.”
“Hoooraay!”
they cheered in unison. “See you tonight at the Last Kind Words Saloon?”
“See
you then,” replied Solis happily.
On
the way to their accommodation, the travellers could not stop talking about how
Solis fought off the deadly sand creature, and how brave he was for saving
them. And among them, the beautiful girl that Solis liked merely smiled,
quietly anticipating to meet him again.
Author Information
Dorota Kluza was born on September 27, 1976 in Lubin. She graduated with two masters degrees
in law at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań as well as at the European University Viadrina
in Frankfurt (Oder). She is a world traveler, writer, actress, model, and translator.
She speaks Polish as her native tongue, then also English, German, Spanish and some Russian as well.
Privately, she is passionate about traveling, music, dancing, cinema as well extreme sports
and scuba diving. The magic of connecting with nature inspired her to create the tale of
The Princess and the Valley Man. She hopes the story will transport the readers to another time
and place. Her life motto is: Sky has no limits.
in law at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań as well as at the European University Viadrina
in Frankfurt (Oder). She is a world traveler, writer, actress, model, and translator.
She speaks Polish as her native tongue, then also English, German, Spanish and some Russian as well.
Privately, she is passionate about traveling, music, dancing, cinema as well extreme sports
and scuba diving. The magic of connecting with nature inspired her to create the tale of
The Princess and the Valley Man. She hopes the story will transport the readers to another time
and place. Her life motto is: Sky has no limits.
Evan Williams was born and raised in a small town called Tremonton in Northern Utah. He served in the United States Army for nearly 9 years where he had the opportunity to travel all over Europe and the Middle East. Later on he moved to Southern Utah and attended the Southern Utah University where he earned a bachelor degree in national resource management. During and after his studies he worked for the National Park Service as a Park Ranger at The Grand Canyon and Death Valley national parks. His Park Ranger experience and love for traveling, adventure, and the great outdoors gave him inspiration to write the tales of The Princess and the Valley Man.
Illustrator Information
Malgorzata Barcikowska-Nazarczuk was born in 1975 in Malbork but living in Warsaw now.
She graduated from the State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Olsztyn and then the Academy
of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. Her works are admired in Poland and abroad. She creates new projects,
and her exhibitions and artistic shows are highly appreciated. The greatest inspirations for the artist
are two daughters, nature and dreams. She loves reading, designing, cooking and traveling.
Drawing illustrations for books is one of her greatest childhood dreams.
She graduated from the State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Olsztyn and then the Academy
of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. Her works are admired in Poland and abroad. She creates new projects,
and her exhibitions and artistic shows are highly appreciated. The greatest inspirations for the artist
are two daughters, nature and dreams. She loves reading, designing, cooking and traveling.
Drawing illustrations for books is one of her greatest childhood dreams.
Tour Schedule
Monday 27th January
Tuesday 28th January
Wednesday 29th January
Thursday 30th January
Friday 31st January
Tuesday 4th February
Wednesday 5th February
Thursday 6th February
Friday 7th February
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