Janice Beaty

Jarod and the Mystery of the Utah Arches Janice Beaty

Arches National Park is the destination for ten-year-old Jarod, the indigo boy with psychic abilities, along with his friend Omega, and older brother Darrell, the story narrator, as they explore the redrock arches above Moab, Utah. There they learn that an ancient message awaits anyone who stands under a special arch. Just what they need to complete their mission of helping Mother Earth calm down before a big shift occurs. But with 1,100 arches in the park, what a daunting prospect! Not for this trio. They learn that arches are doorways to other dimensions, and yes, they'll need to try out as many park arches as they can scramble under. So off they go up the trail from their Devil's Garden Campground. Altogether thirteen different arches grab their attention, and send them off to search for red pictographs, rainbows, and prehistoric animals. Meanwhile, nefarious "baddies" are hot on their trail, trying to steal Omega's talking Zuni necklace and moldavite stone. By accident they also run into the famous "Moab mastodon" petroglyph. But it is modern day mastodons, the stone Parade of Elephants in the park that finally brings their adventure to a close. * * * * * Janice Beaty, Professor Emerita from Elmira College is best known for her college textbooks in the field of Early Childhood Education. The books "Skills for Preschool Teachers, Observing Development of the Young Child," and "Early Literacy in Preschool and Kindergarten" (with Linda Pratt) have educated students around the world. Beaty is a world traveler herself, but closest to her heart are her travels to the national parks of the American Southwest. From her former home in Taos, New Mexico she journeyed many times to these parks, especially pursuing her hobby of finding and interpreting petroglyphs. This is the third in her National Park Adventure Series books. "Jarod and the Mystery of the Joshua Trees" and "Jarod and the Mystery of the Petroglyphs" are also from Sunstone Press. Includes Glossary, Bibliography, and Readers Guide.