Over two hundred years ago, John Adams was a sailor on a ship called the Bounty. The Bounty sailed from England to the island of Tahiti to collect plants. On their way back to England, many of the sailors decided that they wanted to return to Tahiti. So they took over the ship, put the captain and a few other sailors in a tiny boat and sailed back to Tahiti.

If people in England were to find out what they had done, the sailors would be in a lot of trouble. So, after they returned to Tahiti, the sailors made for the tiny island of Pitcairn, where no-one would find them. With them, they took some men and women from Tahiti who wanted to join them on Pitcairn.

At first, life on Pitcairn was very happy. There was lots to eat and drink and everything the sailors needed they took from the Bounty. But after a while, the sailors and the men from Tahiti fell out. There were many arguments and fights. After nine years, only two men, both sailors, were still alive. They shared the island with some women and children. But they were so frightened of the men, that they lived in a little fort, which they had built for themselves. Life on the island was miserable.

Then one day, the two sailors found the Bible from the Bounty. One of the sailors, John Adams, couldn't read, so the other sailor taught him using the Bible. Every day, as they read the Bible, they started to change. The women and children became less frightened of the two sailors and gave up their fort.

The other sailor died, but, by then, John Adams could read the Bible himself. He taught the women and children to read the Bible. Slowly, life in Pitcairn began to change. People started to treat each other much more kindly and the children were able to grow up in safety.

Years later, an American ship arrived in Pitcairn. The captain of the ship was amazed by how well the people of Pitcairn treated each other. 'All they seem to care about,' he wrote, 'is helping each other.'

The Bible had helped to change John Adams and life on the island of Pitcairn.

A Primary Vision resource provided by Stockport Christians in Schools Trust