(bright upbeat music) - Hey guys, I'm Aidan Eslinger.

And today, I'm going to be reading "The King of Pangea" written by myself and illustrated by Anastassiya Selezneva.

Millions of years ago, there was a supercontinent called Pangea.

Pangea was the most beautiful place on earth.

There was no crime, poverty, violence, unfairness or hardship on the island.

There were fascinating buildings created and revolutionary technologies discovered every day.

Everyone was experiencing the splendor of Pangea.

King Harry was the current ruler of this magnificent island.

He led the country to its current state.

He was admired by the entire population for the work he had done for his people.

But soon, everything was guaranteed to change.

Every 30 years a new king or queen would be crowned.

It was tradition to hand the position over to the current king's eldest son.

Prince Harold was King's Harry's only heir to the throne.

Prince Harold was not the kind of child you would describe as being responsible.

He loved to have fun and party with his friends.

When it came to handling business, Prince Harold balked at responsibility.

It was rumored that no Pangean had faith or confidence in his ability to rule their beloved island.

Prince Harold, his father King Harry and his mother Queen Olivia lived in the Royal Palace.

Every night they were served a one of a kind exquisite dinner prepared by the best chefs on the island.

This was Prince Harold's least favorite part of the day.

"So son, you know what's coming up soon," the King asked.

"I guess," the Prince responded while poking his broccoli.

"Well, a few things will change around here for the better," the Queen interrupted.

The King agreed.

"Son, my time as king is coming to an end.

And now, it's your turn to be king, to be the leader of the people of Pangea."

"King?

Sounds boring if you ask me," the Prince proclaimed throwing a piece of steak in his mouth.

"Boring?"

the King asked.

"Son, don't you love how beautiful Pangea is?

Don't you love the overwhelming kindness?"

"Boring?"

the King asked.

"Son, don't you like how beautiful Pangea is?

Don't you love the overwhelming kindness people show to one another?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it's your job to maintain and sustain that.

Make Pangea the best country it can be."

"I'll pass," Prince Harold said dejectedly.

"I'm afraid, there are not any passes," concluded Queen Olivia.

"The crowning ceremony is only a few days away."

In the days leading up to the crowning ceremony, Pangeans all over the country were in constant fear.

Not fear of their normal concerns, like what to wear or how to style their hair but fear of what was in store for their beloved country.

Throughout the streets, towns and cities, signs and billboards promoted the King's crowning.

The crowning ceremony was a monumental day for the people of Pangea.

It was always the biggest event of the triennium.

Billions of people would fill the seats of the Pangean stadium to witness the noteworthy occasion.

And so, the days passed.

No one was quite prepared for the change the island was destined to endure.

But everyone knew what had to be done.

It was the day of the crowning ceremony, and although everyone was nervous, the prince was most nervous of them all.

He had dreaded this day since he was five years old.

The uncertainty of the day was too much for the 16 year old to handle.

The prince became sick to his stomach.

"Son, are you ready?"

asked the King as he stepped into the Prince's room.

"No," the Prince said.

At that moment, the King could sense the amount of fear in his son's heart.

He could see how much his son did not want to take the mantle of king.

However, rules were rules.

The king had no choice, but to follow tradition and crown his son as king.

Only a few minutes later, the Royal family stepped onto the stage of the Pangean stadium.

Billions of Pangeans cheered and roared as they honored the King and Queen.

Once the crowd settled down, Secretary Benjamin Thomas stepped onto the stage.

He held a pen and a large piece of paper in his hand.

After he made it to the center of the stage, he rested them both on the podium.

He glanced over the paper, cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Here ye, hear ye, citizens of Pangea.

Welcome to the 98th crowning ceremony.

As you all may know, every three decades the country of Pangea crowns a new king.

And today, we'll do just that.

Our new king, the son of our beloved king, Harry Batten has been very fortunate to watch the growth and development of our spectacular island since he was born.

And now the time has come that he can truly call Pangea his own.

Prince Harold Batten, please step up to the platform."

The Prince stepped into the platform.

The King followed.

The stadium was silent.

The Prince looked around at the billions of people and felt paralyzed.

He couldn't think, he couldn't feel.

He just stood emotionless and stared.

"And now without further ado.

Ladies and gentlemen of Pangea, I present to you King Harold Batten, the new king of Pangea."

The room remained silent.

And in that silence, the people slowly began to leave the stadium praying for the unknown future of Pangea.

The former Queen looked at her son, kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "Do well, my son.

Do well."

That night, the new king laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He continued to be in complete shock at the fact that he was now king.

Throughout all of his years in Pangea, he'd never considered what it meant to be king.

The more he thought, the more he felt he needed a better understanding.

So, he strolled from his new king suite down to his parents' room to talk to them about what was on his mind.

What exactly does it mean to be," King Harold paused.

"King?"

His father and mother looked at each other.

And the new king could see that his parents knew exactly what to say.

Soon after his dad began to explain.

"Oh son, being king means you are responsible for everyone, to help grow the wonderful island we call Pangea.

To create, implement and execute changes that will expand our country."

"What kind of changes?"

the King asked.

"Anything you want," said the Queen.

"Anything I want?"

"Yes, anything you want."

And then, at that moment it clicked.

Harold finally realized that being king might not be such a bad thing after all.

- [Narrator] Be sure to join us later this morning for the conclusion of "The King of Pangea".