“The third graders in Jennifer Gandarias’ class at South Whidbey Intermediate School are absorbed in the adventures of Simon and Barklee, being read by author David Scherer.Joan Soltys/staff photoWhere to find the bookThe Adventures of Simon and Barklee in France is available for $17.95 at The BookBay in Freeland, the CyberCafe bookstore in Clinton and Moonraker Books in Langley. For information call Simon and Barklee, Inc. at 730-2360 or visit the Web site: www.simonandbarklee.com.New series by Langley man follows the adventures of a bird and a dog around the worldSimon T. McTwill and Barklee are best friends. They are also globetrotters, setting off on adventures to countries far-flung and foreign.To tell their stories, however, they need some human help. You see, Simon is a canary, an operatic one, whose passion is to sing in all the major capitals of the world, explained writer David J. Scherer. Barklee, a fearless flop-eared terrier, is his pal.Scherer, who moved to Whidbey Shores about a year ago, has begun telling the stories of the two friends in a series of books called Another Country Calling: The Adventures of Simon and Barklee. And while the tales for elementary school-aged children are filled with the fun and excitement that appeal to kids, the books are also treasure troves of information about the countries visited by Simon and Barklee: geography, history, culture, language and more. The adventurers (and those reading about them) also learn to understand differences and respect them. They find that we’re not all the same, but that we’re all people, and that’s the same, Scherer said. As they travel country by country, Simon and Barklee are befriended by indigenous animal characters that serve as their guides and cultural informants. In France, the first country they visit, that guide is a rat named Ratatouille, but everybody calls him Ratsy, Scherer said. Ratsy, wearing the classic French beret and munching on eggplant (his favorite food) takes the pair to the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. They cruise the river Seine past Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. They visit Normandy and Avignon, and sample baguettes, escargot and crepes. They also meet a pig named Jules LePorc hunting for truffles. Simon learns to sing Frere Jacques. The trip is not always without peril, however.In Paris, Ratsy takes Simon and Barklee to the old Paris Opera House, which he tells them ‘might’ be haunted, Scherer said. As Simon prepares to sing, he’s jumped by a cat. And he’s saved by the person who haunts the opera house — the Phantom of the Opera, of course.The three adventurers also take a trip to Mont-Saint Michel. The tide is out, so Ratsy drives up to the ancient fortress. Unfortunately, no one had read the sign warning that the road is covered by the sea when the tide is in.Ratsy’s little car is seen floating out to sea, Scherer said. But a monk from the abbey reassures them that it will return with the tide. It’s another little lesson hidden in the story, which has many such incidents that offer the young readers information in an exciting way. Scattered throughout the book there also appear attractive boxes in which the author defines some of the French words again and shows how they are pronounced.The Adventures of Simon and Barklee is lavishly illustrated in full color by muralist Kara Richardson, based on photographs taken by Scherer in his travels.My wife Karen was writing a book on international business, he said. I was along schlepping the bags. All told, they visited 11 countries on four continents.That’s when Simon and Barklee were born, Scherer said. Now they’ve taken on a life of their own.A former journalist with the Denver Rocky Mountain News and an aviation writer, Scherer consulted educators about reading levels and confirmed the historical and cultural accuracy and regional detail through intensive research.And along with the book itself, a teacher’s manual has been developed, with all materials field-tested in actual classroom settings.Scherer is hoping for success with the books, planning to start a Simon and Barklee Foundation.It would give money to schools so they can develop a means to communicate with classrooms in places like Kuala Lampur, or Africa, in real time. They’ll be able to appreciate the lives of citizens their own age.Scherer stresses the concept of what he calls global citizenship. Today’s children, when they take their places in the world, have to understand what life is like two continents from their home, not just two blocks, Scherer said. The stories will be published at the rate of three per year. Simon and Barklee travel next to in England and Germany, then going to Latin America Africa and Asia.The pair are named after my own pets, Scherer said. We still have Barklee. But Simon fell off the twig some time ago. “