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Navy wives Amy Dobbins, left, and Sarah Murphy show off the three installments of their "Good Morning Military" children's book series at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, April 8, 2021.

Navy wives Amy Dobbins, left, and Sarah Murphy show off the three installments of their "Good Morning Military" children's book series at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, April 8, 2021. (Theron Godbold/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – Marines storm a beach, fighter jets line up on an airfield and troops parachute from an aircraft in the latest installments of a book series for children living in military communities.

Yokosuka, Japan-based Navy wives Sarah Murphy and Amy Dobbins published their first children’s book, “Good Morning Yokosuka,” last summer.

The 16-page illustrated book – for early readers or for parents to read aloud to youngsters – features a guided-missile destroyer underway as Mount Fuji rises against a sunset on the cover. It gives readers a snapshot of life for children at the home of the 7th Fleet.

Murphy and Dobbins, both mothers of young kids, dropped by the library Thursday at the home of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo to show off the latest installments in what has become a series: “Good Morning Okinawa” and “Good Morning Guam.”

The new books show places familiar to kids on the islands, such as parks and beaches.

The Okinawa book includes scenes of Marines training with an amphibious vehicle, an AH-1 Cobra helicopter and an MV-22 Osprey aircraft as well as Air Force F-15 Eagle fighters.

The Guam book features a scene of Navy explosive ordnance disposal troops parachuting from a cargo plane and speeding in an inflatable boat while a submarine surfaces off the island.

It tells kids about the “boom” that Guam residents are used to hearing as troops detonate some of the World War II-era munitions found on the island.

Dobbins’ husband, Lt. Commander Jonathan Dobbins, disposes of explosive ordnance for the Navy. Murphy’s husband, Cmdr. Micah Murphy, leads Afloat Training Group Western Pacific.

Illustrations for a fourth book, “Good Morning San Diego,” are being prepared by Seattle-based artist John Molinero, who provided art for the other books, the pair said.

They began collaborating on their first book during coronavirus restrictions that left them with plenty of time to plan, Dobbins said.

“All we were allowed to do was sit outside and talk,” she added.

The books help children to learn: “This is where we live. This is what it looks like. These are the places we visit,” Murphy said.

The titles are available at Yokosuka’s Navy Exchange, some on-base gift shops on Okinawa and online at goodmorningmilitarybooks.com.

robson.seth@stripes.com Twitter: @SethRobson1

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Seth Robson is a Tokyo-based reporter who has been with Stars and Stripes since 2003. He has been stationed in Japan, South Korea and Germany, with frequent assignments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Australia and the Philippines.

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