The images below are example page layouts for the pages in the book Trouble on Pluto by Zane Black
(note: Zane Black is the pen and stage name for Brad Morrow)
Page 1- Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 2 and 3 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 4 and 5 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 6 and 7 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 8 and 9 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 10 and 11 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 12 and 13 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 14 and 15 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 16 and 17 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 18 and 19 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 20 and 21 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 22 and 23 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 24 and 25 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 26 and 27 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 28 and 29 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Pages 30 and 31 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Page 32 - Trouble on Pluto – Example Page Layout
Trouble on Pluto Field Guide / Journal
Hi Friends,
Trouble on Pluto is meant to be shared with a group. A great way to do this is to have a book club type study with each person in the group using the associated “Field Guide/Journal.” This powerful tool is like having a secret map to unlock the story's hidden treasures! The journal will help all dive deep into the story and discover how it connects to their own lives.
The manuscript for the journal is below. The actual journal will have lots of blank spaces for participants to fill in their answers and journal their thoughts. There are two versions of the journal; one secular and one faith based. That means whether one is in a public school or at a faith-based gathering, you can join in on the adventure!
You will see the faith-based questions embedded at the end of each of the five sections of the journal.
So, buckle up and get ready for an unforgettable ride as you dive into the incredible world of the Trouble on Pluto Journal!
Trouble on Pluto is meant to be shared with a group. A great way to do this is to have a book club type study with each person in the group using the associated “Field Guide/Journal.” This powerful tool is like having a secret map to unlock the story's hidden treasures! The journal will help all dive deep into the story and discover how it connects to their own lives.
The manuscript for the journal is below. The actual journal will have lots of blank spaces for participants to fill in their answers and journal their thoughts. There are two versions of the journal; one secular and one faith based. That means whether one is in a public school or at a faith-based gathering, you can join in on the adventure!
You will see the faith-based questions embedded at the end of each of the five sections of the journal.
So, buckle up and get ready for an unforgettable ride as you dive into the incredible world of the Trouble on Pluto Journal!
Manuscript for The Trouble on Pluto Field Guide / Journal
Intro
Welcome to the Field Guide and Journal for Trouble on Pluto!
Get ready for an awesome adventure with your friends as we explore the depths of the story Trouble on Pluto. Each of you will have your very own guide to help you on this journey.
Before we meet up with our friends, let's do some fun activities on our own using our guides. We'll think about the story and do some cool stuff to get ready.
When we all get together, we'll share what we've learned and talk about our favorite parts of the story. Then, we'll do a fun activity together to see what cool ideas we can come up with as a group. It's going to be a blast!
The Guide has five sections:
Each group should decide how often they want to meet. However, once a week is the fastest a group will want to meet to give people time to answer the questions and do the individual activities for a given section before they gather as a group.
When the group gathers, they should start with a quick re-read of Trouble on Pluto or have a quick reminder of the story and how it applies to the topic of the week.
Next, those who want to share should talk about their answers to the questions in the section for that week.
Then those who want to share what they did for the “Express Your Heart with Your Mind” part should do so. If it is a work of art, they should explain it. If it’s a poem, song, story, movie, etc., they can offer any extra meaning needed.
Next, the group should plan out how and when they will do the group activity.
Each participant should feel free to mark up their guide as much or as little as they want. They should feel free to fill in every available space with journal entries, comments, drawings, or ideas.
As you dive deeper into unraveling the mysteries of Trouble on Pluto, let your imagination soar as you actively brainstorm ways to bring the story to life right here on Earth! Get ready for an exhilarating journey filled with endless possibilities!
Welcome to the Field Guide and Journal for Trouble on Pluto!
Get ready for an awesome adventure with your friends as we explore the depths of the story Trouble on Pluto. Each of you will have your very own guide to help you on this journey.
Before we meet up with our friends, let's do some fun activities on our own using our guides. We'll think about the story and do some cool stuff to get ready.
When we all get together, we'll share what we've learned and talk about our favorite parts of the story. Then, we'll do a fun activity together to see what cool ideas we can come up with as a group. It's going to be a blast!
The Guide has five sections:
- Differences Bring Joy
- Concurring Fear
- Awesome Art
- Cool Science
- Be the Change
Each group should decide how often they want to meet. However, once a week is the fastest a group will want to meet to give people time to answer the questions and do the individual activities for a given section before they gather as a group.
When the group gathers, they should start with a quick re-read of Trouble on Pluto or have a quick reminder of the story and how it applies to the topic of the week.
Next, those who want to share should talk about their answers to the questions in the section for that week.
Then those who want to share what they did for the “Express Your Heart with Your Mind” part should do so. If it is a work of art, they should explain it. If it’s a poem, song, story, movie, etc., they can offer any extra meaning needed.
Next, the group should plan out how and when they will do the group activity.
Each participant should feel free to mark up their guide as much or as little as they want. They should feel free to fill in every available space with journal entries, comments, drawings, or ideas.
As you dive deeper into unraveling the mysteries of Trouble on Pluto, let your imagination soar as you actively brainstorm ways to bring the story to life right here on Earth! Get ready for an exhilarating journey filled with endless possibilities!
Session One – Differences Bring Joy
Recall how the Blue people on Pluto were afraid of the Red and Yellow people. And the Red people were afraid of the Blue and Yellow. And the Yellow people were afraid of the Blue and Red.
Why do you think they were afraid?
What made them uncomfortable around people who appeared different than themselves?
Were the people of different colors in the story truly different from each other (other than their color)?
On Earth, there are people of many different colors. How comfortable are you around people who look different than you?
What about other differences? Some people speak differently than you, worship differently than you, or think differently than you. There are many differences we can see and many differences we cannot see.
List some differences people have from you that you can see?
List some differences people have from you that you cannot see with your eyes?
How comfortable are you around people who have these differences?
How can you become more comfortable?
Can being around people who are different from you make you a better person? Why?
Should you seek out people who are different from you to get to know them better? Why?
Recall in the story how Pluto was limited to three colors until the wizards came together and Pluto burst forth into millions of beautiful colors.
How can this story apply to the way we live on Earth? What do you think could happen if people would embrace and rejoice in all the many differences in this world?
How can you be part of making your world a place that encourages and accepts differences?
Individual Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
In the blank pages that follow do one of the following to express the most important thought you had as you answered the questions
Group Activity
Make and enjoy an international cuisine potluck meal. How to do it:
You can do this with a full meal (deciding who will bring appetizers, main dish, and desserts). Or just do it with part of a meal. For example, have all appetizers, or all desserts from many different countries.
This can also be done over multiple weeks. The first week can be appetizers and the next deserts. And over the weeks change the countries so people can have the joy of tasting many different flavors from around the world.
For Faith-Based Versions of the Journal
Read John 3:16 and Romans 5:8, then answer the following questions.
Did Jesus love people who looked different than he did?
Did Jesus love people who worshiped differently than He did?
If Jesus loved in this way, what do you think he would like us to do?
If Jesus wants all people to come to know Him, how do we love people of different faiths while at the same time hoping they come to faith in Jesus?
What are some practical ways we can love as Jesus loved?
What are some practical ways we can lead people to faith in Jesus?
Recall how the Blue people on Pluto were afraid of the Red and Yellow people. And the Red people were afraid of the Blue and Yellow. And the Yellow people were afraid of the Blue and Red.
Why do you think they were afraid?
What made them uncomfortable around people who appeared different than themselves?
Were the people of different colors in the story truly different from each other (other than their color)?
On Earth, there are people of many different colors. How comfortable are you around people who look different than you?
What about other differences? Some people speak differently than you, worship differently than you, or think differently than you. There are many differences we can see and many differences we cannot see.
List some differences people have from you that you can see?
List some differences people have from you that you cannot see with your eyes?
How comfortable are you around people who have these differences?
How can you become more comfortable?
Can being around people who are different from you make you a better person? Why?
Should you seek out people who are different from you to get to know them better? Why?
Recall in the story how Pluto was limited to three colors until the wizards came together and Pluto burst forth into millions of beautiful colors.
How can this story apply to the way we live on Earth? What do you think could happen if people would embrace and rejoice in all the many differences in this world?
How can you be part of making your world a place that encourages and accepts differences?
Individual Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
In the blank pages that follow do one of the following to express the most important thought you had as you answered the questions
- Draw a picture
- Write a poem
- Write a short story
- Compose a song and put the words and music here
- Write a journal entry
- Write a play or movie script (and then film the movie)
- Anything else you want to do that is not listed above
Group Activity
Make and enjoy an international cuisine potluck meal. How to do it:
- Ask everyone in the group to find out which country their ancestors are from. Then have everyone bring a dish for the meal from the country of their ancestors.
- Or have everyone pick a different country from around the world and offer to bring a dish from that country. Try to make sure there is food represented from all seven continents.
You can do this with a full meal (deciding who will bring appetizers, main dish, and desserts). Or just do it with part of a meal. For example, have all appetizers, or all desserts from many different countries.
This can also be done over multiple weeks. The first week can be appetizers and the next deserts. And over the weeks change the countries so people can have the joy of tasting many different flavors from around the world.
For Faith-Based Versions of the Journal
Read John 3:16 and Romans 5:8, then answer the following questions.
Did Jesus love people who looked different than he did?
Did Jesus love people who worshiped differently than He did?
If Jesus loved in this way, what do you think he would like us to do?
If Jesus wants all people to come to know Him, how do we love people of different faiths while at the same time hoping they come to faith in Jesus?
What are some practical ways we can love as Jesus loved?
What are some practical ways we can lead people to faith in Jesus?
Session Two – Concurring Fear
Recall how the Blue people on Pluto were afraid of the Red and Yellow people. And the Red people were afraid of the Blue and Yellow. And the Yellow people were afraid of the Blue and Red.
What was it about the people of other colors that made them afraid?
Think about this acronym for the word fear. Fear is:
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
Were the fears the people on Pluto had based on something real or false evidence that they thought might be real? Why?
How did the people on Pluto put an end to these fears?
Think about common things people here on Earth are afraid of; things like the dark, fear of speaking in front of people, or fear of spiders. Do you think these fears are based on some real need to be afraid or is it false evidence appearing real that causes the fear?
Make a list of some other common things people are afraid of.
Is there ever a time fear can be good? Are there times when a proper amount of fear can protect us from harm?
If so, how do we decide when our fears are good and when they are simply false evidence appearing real?
What are you afraid of?
Are your fears the kind of thing that will protect you or are they false evidence appearing real?
If your fears are more false evidence, what can you do to accept what is real about your fear rather than what is false?
What action can you take to confront your “false evidence” fears so that you can overcome them?
For example: if you are afraid to speak in front of people, take the opportunity to speak to your group about what you wrote in the “Express your heart with your mind” section.
When will you take the action you just wrote above?
How can you help other people overcome their fears?
Individual Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
In the blank pages that follow do one or more of the following to express the most important thought you had as you were answering the questions
Group Activity
Have the group perform a group activity to help them face their fears. Examples
For Faith-Based Version
What does God say about fear in the following verses? Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 43:1, Matthew 6:25-27
When we are afraid how can we reach out to God about our fears? Read Psalms 34:4 and Philippians 4:6-7
In your answer above about what action you will take to overcome fear, do you want to add anything to your plan of action based on the verses you just read? List what actions you want to add here.
Recall how the Blue people on Pluto were afraid of the Red and Yellow people. And the Red people were afraid of the Blue and Yellow. And the Yellow people were afraid of the Blue and Red.
What was it about the people of other colors that made them afraid?
Think about this acronym for the word fear. Fear is:
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
Were the fears the people on Pluto had based on something real or false evidence that they thought might be real? Why?
How did the people on Pluto put an end to these fears?
Think about common things people here on Earth are afraid of; things like the dark, fear of speaking in front of people, or fear of spiders. Do you think these fears are based on some real need to be afraid or is it false evidence appearing real that causes the fear?
Make a list of some other common things people are afraid of.
Is there ever a time fear can be good? Are there times when a proper amount of fear can protect us from harm?
If so, how do we decide when our fears are good and when they are simply false evidence appearing real?
What are you afraid of?
Are your fears the kind of thing that will protect you or are they false evidence appearing real?
If your fears are more false evidence, what can you do to accept what is real about your fear rather than what is false?
What action can you take to confront your “false evidence” fears so that you can overcome them?
For example: if you are afraid to speak in front of people, take the opportunity to speak to your group about what you wrote in the “Express your heart with your mind” section.
When will you take the action you just wrote above?
How can you help other people overcome their fears?
Individual Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
In the blank pages that follow do one or more of the following to express the most important thought you had as you were answering the questions
- Draw a picture
- Write a poem
- Write a short story
- Compose a song and put the words and music here
- Write a journal entry
- Write a play or movie script (and then film the movie)
- Anything else you want to do that is not listed above
Group Activity
Have the group perform a group activity to help them face their fears. Examples
- do a ropes course together
- do a trust fall experiment
- or design different activities that address the fears listed by the group when they answered the question “what are you afraid of?”
For Faith-Based Version
What does God say about fear in the following verses? Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 43:1, Matthew 6:25-27
When we are afraid how can we reach out to God about our fears? Read Psalms 34:4 and Philippians 4:6-7
In your answer above about what action you will take to overcome fear, do you want to add anything to your plan of action based on the verses you just read? List what actions you want to add here.
Session Three – Awesome Art
Recall from the story of Trouble on Pluto, when Azul and Rose touched, the new color Purple was formed. When Blue and Red came together Purple appeared. The same thing happened for Green and Orange.
Fun fact – this is how colors work in the real world. There are three primary colors, blue, red, and yellow.
Every color in the world is a mix of the three primary colors. If you add more blue than red, the color will be purple but a hint bluer. You can make the colors lighter or darker by adding white or black.
What color do you think you would create if you mixed all three primary colors together?
Individual or Group Activity
(If you do this with a group have each person in the group do this)
Get some paint and make some color!
Place five small sections of different colored paint on a piece of cardboard or paper plate. Use blue, red, yellow, black, and white.
Next, take small portions from the colors and mix them in various combinations to see what colors you make. Try to make purple, orange, and green. Then try to make up some other colors.
Make about ten different colors. Then invent names for the colors you made.
Which of your colors do you like the best? Why?
Individual or Group Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
Paint a picture using the colors you created.
For Faith-Based Version
Read Genesis 1:1 – Here we read God created, therefore God is a creator.
Read Genesis 1:26 – In whose image were you created?
If God is a creator and you are made in the image of God, what does that make you?
What did God create you to create?
Do you feel joy when you are creating different things? What types of creative activities bring you joy?
Do you think God is an awesome God?
If God is awesome and you are created in His image, what does that make you?
What awesome thing will you create? What role will you play in God’s ongoing creation?
Recall from the story of Trouble on Pluto, when Azul and Rose touched, the new color Purple was formed. When Blue and Red came together Purple appeared. The same thing happened for Green and Orange.
Fun fact – this is how colors work in the real world. There are three primary colors, blue, red, and yellow.
- When you mix blue and red together, they make purple
- When you mix red and yellow together, they make orange
- When you mix yellow and blue together, they make green
Every color in the world is a mix of the three primary colors. If you add more blue than red, the color will be purple but a hint bluer. You can make the colors lighter or darker by adding white or black.
What color do you think you would create if you mixed all three primary colors together?
Individual or Group Activity
(If you do this with a group have each person in the group do this)
Get some paint and make some color!
Place five small sections of different colored paint on a piece of cardboard or paper plate. Use blue, red, yellow, black, and white.
Next, take small portions from the colors and mix them in various combinations to see what colors you make. Try to make purple, orange, and green. Then try to make up some other colors.
Make about ten different colors. Then invent names for the colors you made.
Which of your colors do you like the best? Why?
Individual or Group Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
Paint a picture using the colors you created.
For Faith-Based Version
Read Genesis 1:1 – Here we read God created, therefore God is a creator.
Read Genesis 1:26 – In whose image were you created?
If God is a creator and you are made in the image of God, what does that make you?
What did God create you to create?
Do you feel joy when you are creating different things? What types of creative activities bring you joy?
Do you think God is an awesome God?
If God is awesome and you are created in His image, what does that make you?
What awesome thing will you create? What role will you play in God’s ongoing creation?
Session Four – Cool Science
What do you think the picture above is?
Believe it or not, it is a real picture of Pluto. This is a photograph taken from the New Horizons NASA mission spacecraft as it flew nearby Pluto in July of 2015. Notice the Red, Blue, and Yellow sections?
What do you think caused these colors?
The image above is a color-enhanced image to help scientists see what elements makeup Pluto. The color enhancement works well, but below is what Pluto looks like without the color enhancement. Can you see a heart shape on Pluto?
Believe it or not, it is a real picture of Pluto. This is a photograph taken from the New Horizons NASA mission spacecraft as it flew nearby Pluto in July of 2015. Notice the Red, Blue, and Yellow sections?
What do you think caused these colors?
The image above is a color-enhanced image to help scientists see what elements makeup Pluto. The color enhancement works well, but below is what Pluto looks like without the color enhancement. Can you see a heart shape on Pluto?
Other interesting facts about Pluto.
- It takes 248 years for Pluto to orbit the Sun.
- Pluto is a little smaller across than the height of the United States (Pluto’s diameter is about 1400 miles and the height of the USA is about 1580 miles).
- Pluto has five moons named Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra.
- The temperature on Pluto is about 378 to 398 degrees below 0. That’s about 400 degrees below freezing!
- An 11-year-old girl gave Pluto its name in 1930. Her name was Venetia Burney.
- Because Pluto is so far from the Sun, the sunlight on Pluto is about as bright as moonlight on Earth at night.
- Pluto is on average over three billion miles from Earth. It took the New Horizons mission nine and ½ years to get to Pluto from Earth.
- Gravity on Pluto is about one-fifteenth the gravity of Earth.
- That means someone who weighs 100 pounds on Earth would weigh about seven pounds on Pluto.
- Someone who can jump two feet high on Earth could jump 30 feet high on Pluto!
How high could you jump on Pluto? (Figure this out by seeing how high you can jump and then multiply that by 15.)
What would it be like to play basketball on Pluto (if you could play in a gym that would protect you from the cold)?
We do not believe there is life on Pluto because it is too cold to support life. But suppose you were writing a science fiction story about life on Pluto.
- What do you think the people would be like?
- How do you think the constant cold weather and dimly lit skies would affect the way they relate to each other?
- If people came to visit them from Earth, do you think they would consider the Earth people odd or scary?
Individual Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
Write a short science fiction story or play or movie about taking a trip to Pluto. What happens there? Who do you meet?
Group Activity
Share the science fiction plays, stories, and movies you wrote.
For Faith-Based Version
Consider all the amazing detail of the small planet Pluto. Consider all the amazing detail of the Earth and other planets. Then read Psalms 19:1
What do things like the intricate detail of Pluto and the amazing beauty of Earth tell us about God?
Why do you think God made the planets so different from each other?
Why do you think he made people different from each other?
How do you think he wants us to relate to people different than us?
Session Five – Be the Change
Recall in the story how Azul, Rose, and Manjano faced their fears and changed Pluto for the better.
Are there problems you see on the Earth? List some of the problems you see here.
Can you see ways to help make some of these problems less bad? Or can you think of ways to completely get rid of some of these problems?
What action will you take to help end the problems you listed above?
Recall in the story how Azul, Rose, and Manjano had to work together for the solution to the problem to happen.
Who can you work with to help solve the problems you mentioned above?
Recall from the story that the solution to Pluto’s problem did not happen all at once, but slowly over time the people of Pluto overcame the problem. As we look throughout the history of Earth that seems to be the way positive change happens. Rarely does dramatic change happen quickly. It almost always comes as a series of many small things done consistently over time.
Thinking about one of the problems you would like to see solved on Earth, what is one small thing you can start doing regularly to help make the world a better place?
Individual Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
In the blank pages that follow do one of the following to express the most important thought you had as you were answering the questions
Group Activity - Live it out
As a group, pick a nonprofit organization that helps make the world a better place and go serve at that organization. Perhaps you can help prepare and serve a meal at a homeless shelter. Or maybe you can help stock and sort food at a food pantry. Or maybe you can do some yard work for people who cannot do it themselves. The possibilities are endless. Find an organization you are excited about and make a plan to serve them to help carry out their mission.
For Faith-Based Version
Read Luke 5:14-16. How can you be a light in this world? What practical actions can you take to let your light shine?
Read James 1:17. If you want to make the world a better place, where will the power for you to do this come from?
Read Ephesians 2:19. What was one of the reasons you were created? What good works do you think God might be calling you to do in the next few weeks? What good works do you think God might call you to do in the coming years?
Read Mathew 28:19-20. These verses are called The Great Commission. How can you be involved in what Jesus is asking of us in these verses? Does everyone need to be a preacher or minister to live out this verse? Or can we start living out this verse wherever we are with whatever we have? If so, how?
Recall in the story how Azul, Rose, and Manjano faced their fears and changed Pluto for the better.
- First, they saw a problem.
- Then they saw how Pluto could be better.
- Then they made Pluto better.
Are there problems you see on the Earth? List some of the problems you see here.
Can you see ways to help make some of these problems less bad? Or can you think of ways to completely get rid of some of these problems?
What action will you take to help end the problems you listed above?
Recall in the story how Azul, Rose, and Manjano had to work together for the solution to the problem to happen.
Who can you work with to help solve the problems you mentioned above?
Recall from the story that the solution to Pluto’s problem did not happen all at once, but slowly over time the people of Pluto overcame the problem. As we look throughout the history of Earth that seems to be the way positive change happens. Rarely does dramatic change happen quickly. It almost always comes as a series of many small things done consistently over time.
Thinking about one of the problems you would like to see solved on Earth, what is one small thing you can start doing regularly to help make the world a better place?
Individual Activity - Express Your Heart with Your Mind
In the blank pages that follow do one of the following to express the most important thought you had as you were answering the questions
- Draw a picture
- Write a poem
- Write a short story
- Compose a song and put the words and music here
- Write a journal entry
- Write a play or movie script (and then film the movie)
- Anything else you want to do that is not listed above
Group Activity - Live it out
As a group, pick a nonprofit organization that helps make the world a better place and go serve at that organization. Perhaps you can help prepare and serve a meal at a homeless shelter. Or maybe you can help stock and sort food at a food pantry. Or maybe you can do some yard work for people who cannot do it themselves. The possibilities are endless. Find an organization you are excited about and make a plan to serve them to help carry out their mission.
For Faith-Based Version
Read Luke 5:14-16. How can you be a light in this world? What practical actions can you take to let your light shine?
Read James 1:17. If you want to make the world a better place, where will the power for you to do this come from?
Read Ephesians 2:19. What was one of the reasons you were created? What good works do you think God might be calling you to do in the next few weeks? What good works do you think God might call you to do in the coming years?
Read Mathew 28:19-20. These verses are called The Great Commission. How can you be involved in what Jesus is asking of us in these verses? Does everyone need to be a preacher or minister to live out this verse? Or can we start living out this verse wherever we are with whatever we have? If so, how?
Page Layout for The Trouble on Pluto Field Guide / Journal
Front and Back Covers
|
|
Interior Pages
