🌟 Derby Adventures – Story Bible
🎭 Character Profiles

Rose
Personality: Quirky, imaginative, mischievous, and funny. Often reluctant to read but loves magical adventures. Growing up fast and starting to take responsibility.
Appearance: Messy room filled with Dumbo soft toys. Wears grey track pants, pale blue hoodie, or Dumbo PJs. Sucks her thumb (but trying to stop), forgets to flush the toilet, and leaves things lying around.
Likes: 2-minute noodles, bento bowls, dancing with family, creating plays and dance routines with Jenny, Derby Adventures, scoring goals in netball and soccer.
Habits: Frequently off school due to illness. Talks constantly with Jenny on devices. Says “My Bad,” “Skibidi Toilet,” and cheekily uses “Rizz” and “Sigma.” Recently started brushing her teeth more and will get braces in December. Turns off lights and sometimes tidies her room without being asked.

Derby (female)
Personality: Brave, loyal, comforting, and full of personality.
Appearance: A flying elephant with a classic yellow hat and red neck frill—no clothes or shoes.
Likes: Leading magical flying adventures, comforting Rose, helping her remember to clean her teeth and stop thumb-sucking.
Habits: Always appears when Rose needs excitement or comfort. Leader of the Derbies.

The Derbies
Personality: Brave, loyal, and playful.
Appearance: Over 50 Dumbo soft toys, each with unique quirks.
Likes: Flying, magical adventures, being part of Rose’s imaginative world.
Habits: Derby’s mum and grandma are especially important to Rose.

Jenny
Personality: Rose's cousin and best friend. Creative, chatty, confident, and musically talented.
Appearance: Taller and leaner than Rose, same coloring and hairstyle. Wears fitted clothes and skinny jeans.
Likes: Singing, creating dance routines and plays with Rose, poolside fun at her house in Manurewa, family trips to Mangawhai, her puppy Freda.
Habits: Constantly on devices with Rose, choreographs their performances.

Max (Only in 5% of the stories)
Personality: Adventurous and playful.
Appearance: Jenny’s older brother and Rose’s cousin.
Likes: Joining Derby and Rose on magical adventures.
Habits: Frequently visits Rose’s house and joins in the fun.

Sally
Personality: Kind, caring, and patient.
Appearance: 17 years old, sleeps in the basement room that opens to the back lawn. Stairs go up to the kitchen/dining/lounge level. She wears purple UGG boots and loves vintage clothes which she finds in Op Shops.
Likes: Spending time with family, Whittaker's creamy milk chocolate.
Habits: Often drawn into Rose’s chaos, even when reluctant. Deeply loved by Rose despite occasional teasing.

Mum
Personality: Fun-loving and warm.
Appearance: Often sleeps in, brings joy to the household. Wears purple UGG boots. Floaty dresses.
Likes: Dancing with her daughters.
Habits: Adds humor and energy to everyday life.
Bedroom is on the same floor as Rose’s and opens onto the same deck.

Nana
Personality: Encouraging, creative, and thoughtful.
Appearance: The storyteller behind Derby Adventures.
Likes: Writing magical tales to inspire Rose to read.
Habits: No longer bribes Rose to read (that didn’t work), but rewards her for tidying her room. Incorporates real-life quirks into stories.

🎨 Visual Style Description
The visual style of Derby Adventures is inspired by soft, vintage animation, evoking the charm and warmth of classic storybook illustrations:

• Character Design: Gentle, rounded features with expressive faces and whimsical proportions, reminiscent of mid-century animation.

• Color Palette: Warm, pastel tones that create a cozy and playful atmosphere, ideal for young readers and family audiences.

• Linework: Textured, hand-drawn lines that add a nostalgic, tactile feel to each scene.

• Composition: Dynamic yet tender, capturing moments of joy, chaos, and imagination—whether it’s a flying elephant at a tea party or a noodle-making mess in the kitchen.

• Environment Details: Rose’s world is lovingly depicted—slightly messy rooms, scattered soft toys, and everyday clothing that reflects her personality.

• Derby’s Visual Identity: Central to the storytelling—adorable, expressive, and instantly recognizable with her yellow hat and red neck frill.

✨ Story Purpose & Themes
Purpose:
To inspire reluctant readers—especially imaginative children aged 7–12—by turning their favorite characters and real-life experiences into magical, funny, and emotionally rich stories. These tales are crafted to make reading feel like fun, not a chore.

Core Themes:

• Family love and sibling dynamics

• Imagination and creativity

• Humor and mischief

• Magical realism and adventure

• Friendship and emotional growth

• Overcoming reluctance to read

Setting:
A quirky, old wooden three-story house perches on a hill in St Heliers (Auckland, New Zealand), down from the road, across the road from the school playground (which Rose enjoys with friends). It's full of charm—and the occasional creepy-crawly surprise.

• Top Floor: Rose and Mum’s bedrooms are up here. Both rooms have ranchsliders that open onto the top deck, perfect for catching the afternoon sun. But when bugs sneak in, Rose freaks out and Mum screams—especially if Sally spots them first!

• Middle Floor: This level is home to the kitchen and dining room. The dining area opens out onto a lower deck, which has stairs leading down to the back lawn. The front and back doors are both on this floor, at the front of the house.

• Bottom Floor: Sally’s room is downstairs on the ground level. It opens straight onto the back lawn and has internal stairs going up to the middle floor. She loves her space—until the bugs show up and send her running!

Beyond the house, more adventures unfold in Mangawhai, and poolside at Jenny’s house in Manurewa.

🌟 Derby Adventures: The Great Toothbrush Quest 🌟

Introduction:

It was a sunny Saturday morning, and Rose was lounging in her room, surrounded by her beloved Dumbo soft toys. She was supposed to be brushing her teeth, but she had gotten distracted by a new dance routine she and Jenny had been working on. Just as she was about to perfect her final move, Derby, the brave and loyal flying elephant, appeared at her window.

Story:

"Rose, we have an important mission!" Derby announced, flapping her ears excitedly.

Rose looked up, her thumb halfway to her mouth. "What kind of mission, Derby?"

Derby flew into the room and landed gracefully on Rose's bed. "We need to find the magical toothbrush that will help you remember to brush your teeth every day. It's hidden somewhere in the Enchanted Forest!"

Rose's eyes widened with excitement. "The Enchanted Forest? Let's go!"

With a wave of Derby's trunk, they were off, soaring through the sky towards the Enchanted Forest. The wind whipped through Rose's hair, and she felt a thrill of adventure as they flew over the treetops.

When they landed, the forest was alive with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves. Rose and Derby began their search, looking under bushes and behind trees. They were joined by the Derbies, each one eager to help.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, they encountered a mischievous squirrel named Nutty. "Looking for something?" Nutty asked, his eyes twinkling.

"We're looking for the magical toothbrush," Rose explained.

Nutty grinned. "I might know where it is, but you'll have to solve my riddle first."

Rose loved riddles. "Okay, Nutty, what's your riddle?"

Nutty cleared his throat. "I am not alive, but I grow; I don't have lungs, but I need air; I don't have a mouth, and I can drown. What am I?"

Rose thought hard. "Hmm… not alive but grows… needs air… can drown… Oh, I know! It's a fire!"

Nutty clapped his paws. "Correct! The magical toothbrush is hidden in the hollow of the old oak tree by the sparkling stream."

With Nutty's directions, Rose and Derby quickly found the old oak tree. Inside the hollow, they discovered the magical toothbrush, glowing with a soft, golden light.

Rose held it up triumphantly. "We did it, Derby!"

Derby smiled. "Now you'll always remember to brush your teeth, Rose."

As they flew back home, Rose felt a sense of accomplishment. She knew that with Derby and the Derbies by her side, every day could be an adventure.

Absolutely! Let’s add a splash of Dr. Seuss-style whimsy to the scene—with a twist of rain, chaos, and pool-jumping fun!

🌧️💃 The Wobble Waddle Rainy Day Parade 💦🐘

It started with giggles and socks on the floor,
Rose danced with Jenny, then Max joined for more!
Derby flew circles, her trunk in the air,
While the Derbies bounced wildly from beanbag to chair.

They wobbled and waddled, they twisted and spun,
Till Jenny cried, “Wait! I think I see sun!”
But just as they posed with a spoon microphone,
The sky gave a rumble—a deep thunder tone.

SPLASH! went the raindrops, like jelly on toast,
They screamed and they scrambled, “Run inside! Coast!”
Rose slipped on a sock, Max tripped on a shoe,
Jenny yelled, “Freda! The puddle’s not for you!”

They dashed through the hallway, they skidded on tiles,
Mum peeked from her room with her usual smiles.
“Is this a storm or a circus parade?”
She laughed as Rose zoomed past with a lemonade.

Then—BOOM!—the rain stopped. The sun gave a wink.
Rose shouted, “Outside! Before it can blink!”
They bolted back out with a Derby in tow,
And leapt in the pool with a SPLISH and a SPLASH and a WHOA!

Max did a cannonball, Jenny a twirl,
Rose rode on Derby like a pool-riding girl.
The Derbies all floated like dumplings in stew,
While Freda barked proudly, “I’m swimming now too!”

They danced in the water, they sang in the sun,
Their soggy sock show was a puddle of fun.
And just when they thought the day couldn’t get better,
Mum brought out towels—and a Whittaker’s letter!

Would you like this turned into a printable classroom poem or a read-aloud activity for your students? I can even add rhyming lines for each character to perform!

Rose had a secret.

A big one.

A secret so enormous it could squash a beanbag, flatten a fairy bread tower, and make Derby the flying elephant do a triple fart-flip in mid-air.

She actually loved her big sister Sally.

Yes. Loved her. Properly. Like, “I’d share my last 2-minute noodle” kind of love.

But showing it? Ugh. That was harder than brushing her teeth and turning off the lights and not sucking her thumb all at once.

You see, Sally was seventeen. Which meant she wore vintage clothes from mysterious Op Shops, listened to music that sounded like cats arguing, and said things like “vibe check” and “I’m emotionally unavailable right now.”

Rose, on the other hand, wore Dumbo PJs, sucked her thumb (but only sometimes), and had a room so messy it could be declared a national disaster zone.

And yet… when Sally gave Rose her last Whittaker’s creamy milk chocolate square—the good kind, not the weird fruit one—Rose felt something squishy in her chest.

Not a squishy like “Oops, I sat on a banana.”  

A squishy like “I love you even when you steal my glitter pens.”

Derby, floating nearby with her yellow hat tilted dramatically, gave Rose a look. The kind of look that said, “Don’t mess this up, Thumb-Sucker.”

Rose tiptoed down the creaky stairs to the basement, where Sally’s room opened onto the back lawn. She peeked in. Sally was lying on her bed, reading a book with a title so long it could be used as a skipping rope.

“Sal?” Rose whispered.

Sally looked up, one eyebrow raised like a suspicious caterpillar.

“I love you,” Rose said. “Even when you call me a gremlin and steal my noodles.”

Sally blinked. Then she smiled. “I love you too, Gremlin. Even when you leave the toilet unflushed.”

Suddenly, the Derbies burst into song. (They did that sometimes. Especially when emotions got mushy.)

🎵 “Sisters are squishy, sisters are sweet,  

Even when one forgets to wash her feet!” 🎵

Derby did a loop-de-loop. Rose giggled. Sally rolled her eyes but didn’t stop smiling.

And just like that, the secret wasn’t a secret anymore.

Would you like to add a magical twist next? Maybe Derby takes Rose and Sally on a flying adventure to Mangawhai to rescue Jenny from a glitter explosion? Or perhaps Nana writes a new story that turns Rose’s messy room into a portal?

Let’s keep the fun going!