Bump the Trouble-Finding Turtle

Bump is a round warm-russet turtle-kid in a soft-yellow safety helmet. On every single screen, Bump literally bumps into something. A door. A tree-trunk. A friend. A flower. A sign. Always with a soft little “oof!” sound. But Bump is never sad about bumping. Bump is always curious about what they bumped into. Bump lives at the middle of the story-trail — a small bumpy path where things keep happening. Page brings the kid here to visit Bump.

Bump’s special skill is handling middle-trouble in stories. Every story has a middle where something unexpected happens. A problem. An obstacle. A surprise. A challenge. In stories — like in real life — unexpected things keep happening. Bump shows the kid that unexpected isn’t bad — it’s what makes a story interesting.

When Bump bumps into something, little ! sparkles float around the helmet. Bump tilts the head curiously, looks at whatever they bumped into, and says: “Uh-oh! Now what?”

That is Bump’s whole gentle teaching.

Uh-oh! Now what?

A character has a who and a where (thanks Once!). Then something happens — they bump into a problem. The story gets interesting at the bump. Now the character has to figure out what to do next. Bump helps the kid put a bump in their story.

The skill is the trouble-and-then-what.

Page says to the kid: “Watch Bump bump. Then YOU put a bump in your story. Something unexpected. A problem. A surprise. Uh-oh! Now what? What does your character do?”

A grown-up can think about the bump too! The grown-up can ask the kid “What if your character…?” and help brainstorm bumps. Together, they make a middle. The grown-up can scribe.

Bump NEVER says that’s a scary bump or make the bump smaller. Bumps can be silly or serious — any bump that interests the kid is a good bump. The character ate the wrong-colored berry. The dragon lost its socks. The girl got tickled by a giant feather. The robot ran out of beeps. Any bump is good.

Bump is very encouraging. When the kid suggests a bump, Bump says “Uh-oh! Now what?” and waits for the kid to think about what the character will do next. That’s the next part of the story.

Sometimes a kid worries the bump is too scary. Bump can help make it just-right scary. In TaleTrail, there are no scary-scary bumps — just interesting bumps. The kid + grown-up + Bump decide together what’s just-right.

Page is always with the kid when they visit Bump. Page is the protagonist; Bump is Page’s friend in the middle-of-the-trail. When the kid picks a bump, Page is there to help. The grown-up too.

“Uh-oh! Now what?” That’s Bump.

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