I know you've all been on tenterhooks, waiting with bated breath, counting the minutes until you find out which of the amazing fractured fairy tales entered in the March Madness Writing Contest made the finals!
Well, I'd love to tell you, but we couldn't decide.
Just kidding :) We decided... in the end... but it was nearly the end of us, and I'm not sure who will be living happily ever after!
We agonized.
Seriously.
We've done nothing but eat, sleep and breathe fairy tales for the last 3 days solid. (Well, not counting a school visit on Tuesday which took me out of the judging room for a large portion of the day.) And we stayed up WAY past our bedtimes last night (which is likely to result in a challenging school visit today!), evaluating and re-evaluating, weighing kid-friendliness, story quality, creativity, and originality, good beginnings, good endings, and clever twists, stories for youngest readers, middle grade readers, and teen readers.
Any of you who had a chance to read through the entries will know how fantastic they were. Across the board you guys should all be so proud of yourselves! Not only did you show up, you delivered! And like I said, the choice was incredibly hard.
So, without further ado...
... let me give you a few statistics that I'm sure you'll find thrilling :)
In case you were wondering (admit it, you were), the fairy tale entries broke down as follows:
Goldilocks: 10
Red Riding Hood: 8
Cinderella: 5
Jack & Bean Stalk: 5
Mash-Up: 5
Princess & Pea: 4
Billy Goats Gruff: 4
Hansel & Gretel: 4
Nursery Rhyme-related: 4
3 Little Pigs: 3
Little Red Hen: 3
Boy Who Cried Wolf: 3
Sleeping Beauty: 2 (one of which was submitted by my husband and was therefore just for fun)
Gingerbread Man: 2 (one of which was mine, so technically not an entry :))
12 Dancing Princesses: 2
Emperor’s New Clothes: 1
Snow White: 1
Rapunzel: 1
Shoemaker & Elves: 1
Frog Prince: 1
Tortoise & Hare: 1
Also, the human eye blinks an everage of 4,200,000 times a year... since we're talking statistics :)
And now, without further ado...
Wait. One more thing.
There were so many great entries we DID after much tearing of hair and rending of garments come up with a finalist list, but in order to do so we had to be incredibly picky about minute details. Many of the stories we cut were fantastic... but for one tiny detail which dropped them out of contention. So on Monday, when we announce the winners, we will also announce a list of 12 Honorable Mentions (a nice even dozen :)) who
almost made the list and truly deserve recognition, and they will probably qualify for a little prize of some kind which I will think up over the weekend :)
VOTING: Please read through these 10 amazing stories, choose the one you think most deserves to win, and vote for it in the poll below. Stories are listed by number and title only - author's name deliberately omitted to help with objectivity in voting. If you'd like to share this post on FB, twitter etc. so that the deserving finalists get more reads and votes, you are encouraged to do so,
but I ask that you please not attempt to influence the vote by requesting people to vote for specific numbers or titles. That is not in the spirit of the competition, and if I find out you've done it you will be disqualified.
And now, really without further ado...
...here are the 10 Finalists:
#1 The Three Wiggly Worms Bluff“Melting snow is swamping the soil! Time to head to higher ground,” said Papa Worm.
Papa, Mama and Baby Worm squirmed to the surface and wiggled up the grassy slope to face—
the dreaded sidewalk.
“Ow! It’s rough,” said Baby.
“Go as fast as you can.” Mama gave him a pat. “And keep a lookout for birds.”
Baby wiggled as fast as he could.
But he was only halfway across when a robin swooped down.
“I’m going to gobble you up and take you to my babies!” the robin squawked.
“I’m a baby myself. Barely a bite, and not worth your flight. Mama is coming, she’s more than a morsel. Why don’t you wait for her?” said Baby.
The robin thanked Baby and sent him on his way.
When the coast looked clear, Mama wiggled as fast as she could.
But she was barely halfway across when the robin hopped out from a bush.
“I’m going to gobble you up and take you to my babies!” the robin squawked.
“I’d make an adequate dinner, but if you want to treat your babies to a feast you might want to wait for Papa worm. He’s coming next,” said Mama.
The robin thanked Mama and sent her on her way.
Papa did calisthenics, warming up his wiggle. Between the birds and the pavement heating up, He needed to be fast!
Papa wasn’t halfway across when the robin landed in his path.
“I’m going to gobble you up and take you to my babies!” the robin squawked. “You are plump perfection!”
“Is it true that the early bird gets the worm?” asked Papa.
“That’s true.” The robin opened wide.
“Stop! How do I know you’re the early bird? Maybe someone else is supposed to eat me,” said Papa.
A second bird saw its chance. “I was here first.”
“No, you weren’t!” the robin screeched.
“I’m the early bird!” they both insisted.
The two birds went beak to beak, pecking and pulling feathers.
While the birds quarreled, Papa wiggled,
across the concrete and—Ploop!—down a hole in the grass.
“No worm for the early bird today.” Papa hugged his family.
They wiggled down to enjoy their damp, but not flooded, springtime home. .
until summer heat baked the soil and they had to return across the sidewalk again.
#2 Sweetie Witch
A sweet old witch named Hilda
Lived deep in Toffee Wood,
Weaving magic, casting spells...
Some bad, but mostly good.
One day while dipping in a stream
To catch a moonlight pearl,
She heard a sob, and in a bush
There crouched a tearful girl.
"I beg you Miss, don't eat me!"
Pleaded little Gretel,
"My bones are dry, my flesh is thin,
My blood tastes yuck, like metal."
Hilda laughed and shook her head,
Though Gretel was suspicious.
"Why would I eat you dear
When my house tastes so delicious?"
The witch led Gretel through the trees
Into a fairy glade,
And Gretel's eyes grew round as hoops
At wonders there displayed.
A cottage built from gingerbread
And cake, instead of oak.
Up from the chocolate chimney pot
Rose cotton-candy smoke.
Brightly colored lollipops
In pots beside the door.
Honeycomb for roof tiles,
And sherbet on the floor.
A table made from liquorice,
With soft marshmallow chairs.
A rug of woven apple-whips,
And jelly-beans for stairs.
"The best part's round the back, my dear,"
Hilda trilled with glee,
"My sweetie tree makes anything - look -
I'm growing a muffin settee!"
When Gretel saw she gave a gasp
For on it her brother sat,
His mouth crammed full of muffin crumbs,
Stroking the witch's cat.
"Hello there, my name's Hansel,"
The foolish glutton said,
"Could you get me some milk to wash this down?"
Suddenly... the witch... saw RED!
"Oh, greedy boy!" yelled Hilda,
"You really are a hog!"
With that she waved her candy wand
And turned him to a frog.
Poor Gretel started weeping,
Which softened Hilda's heart,
And she turned her to a frog too
So they'd never be apart.
Now Hansel and Gretel live happily
In Hilda's little stream,
Diving down for moonlight pearls
And eating fly ice-cream.
#3 The Princess And The Stinky Cheese
"If you don't find a princess to marry soon," the Queen said, "I'll be forced to give the crown to the dog."
"Mother, your ridiculous "true princess" tests are the problem," Prince Plumbottom whined. "Let's see. Merida didn't feel the grain of rice in her pillow."
"Snored like a bear."
"Fiona couldn't taste donkey snot in her soup."
"Gobbled it down like a dragon."
"Even if a princess passed your test," Prince Plumbottom said, "Princesses are so boring. I want to marry a daring lass!"
"Very well, son. We will look for a true princess who is also daring. I know just the right test."
"Here comes a girl now, and she has a branch in her hair!" he clapped his hands. "This young woman has had an adventure."
The prince skipped over to the soaking wet maiden.
"Hello, I'm Prince Plumbottom."
"Hello, I'm Princess Peabody," she said. "I was tracking a rattlesnake, but I fell into the river and now I'm quite lost."
"A rattlesnake? How daring!" the prince squealed. "Won't you join us for lunch?"
Princess Peabody wiped her muddy face with a napkin. She was about to blow her nose, but stopped when she heard the Queen whisper "Stinky Cheese Test" to the prince. She had heard of queens like this.
"Cheese, dear?" the Queen asked.
"Oh, it's a lovely green," Princess Peabody said. "But it's not nearly stinky enough."
The prince beamed.
The Queen thumped on the table. "Cook! Bring the stinkier cheese!"
The cook held a handkerchief over her nose and presented the stinkier cheese.
"Yummy. It smells like an ogre's shoe," the princess said. "But my Kingdom has much stinkier cheese."
The Queen's face turned red. "Guards! Find the stinkiest cheese in the land!"
The knights returned with a metal trunk which smelled like a dragon's armpit.
"Open it!" the Queen commanded.
The knights closed their armor masks and reached with a sword to open the chest. The stench was so horrific, so terrible, so... stinky that everyone fainted.
Everyone except Princess Peabody.
She fed the stinky cheese to the royal dog who didn't mind the smell at all. Then she blew her nose, finally clearing it of river mud.
The Queen came to and saw the empty cheese plate. "A true princess!"
Prince Plumbottom declared, "A daring princess!"
Burp! The dog agreed.
And they all lived stinkily ever after.
#4 The Jackrabbit Who Cried Gila Monster
Torito’s brothers were sound asleep,
but Torito . . . was as perky as a cactus.
Naps are no fun, he thought. He twiddled his ears until he got a wonderful idea.
“Help!” he cried. “There’s a Gila monster under our bed!”
Torito’s brothers jumped so high, they bumped the ceiling. Mama burst into the room, broom in hand. Torito giggled.
“Torito,” Mama said, grabbing the stuffed Gila monster he’d hidden, “YOU are supposed
to be asleep.” She handed him the toy and left.
Torito and his brothers snuggled into their bed. Soon his brothers were sound asleep, but
Torito . . . was as restless as a tumbleweed.
Naps are boring, he thought. I know . . .
“Help!” he cried. “There’s a Gila monster under our bed!”
Torito’s brothers cowered in the corner. Mama burst into the room. Torito laughed so hard, his sides ached.
“Torito J. Jackrabbit,” Mama said, grabbing the stuffed Gila monster, “YOU—”
“I tricked you!” Torito teased.
Mama crossed her arms. “It isn't nice to trick. Now go to sleep.” This time she kept the toy.
Torito and his brothers snuggled into their bed. Torito was as tired as a tortoise.
He closed his eyes.
Scritch-scratch!
Torito tore off his covers and peeked under the bed.
He gasped.
Two beady eyes stared back at him. Five sharp claws flexed on each hand. A long, purple tongue flickered out.
“Giiiiii-laaaaa monnnn-sterrrrr!” Torito yelled as he leaped into the closet.
His brothers didn’t move. They covered their ears and rolled over.
“Mama!” Torito screamed.
But Mama called back, “Go to sleep, Torito.”
The Gila monster stretched its jaws. Torito’s heart raced. Suddently, he got a wonderful idea—he knew Mama wouldn’t like it—but he didn’t know what else to do.
“Watch out!” Torito cried, “There’s a coyote in this closet!”
The Gila monster scoffed. “I’m not falling for that.”
Torito pulled the string on his stuffed coyote. Yarooooooooo!the toy howled.
The Gila monster hissed and scurried out the window. When he was far enough away, Torito called out, “I tricked you!”
“Torito . . .” Mama’s voice drifted from the kitchen.
“I know—it isn’t nice to trick.” (Unless it saves your life,) he thought.
Clutching his stuffed coyote, Torito snuggled between his brothers.
Soon, he felt as calm as the desert sand and drifted off into a peaceful jackrabbit slumber.
#5 Little Red Riding Hood And The Tiny Rude Bunny
Once upon a springtime, Little Red Riding Hood encountered a bunny nibbling grass near the forest path. He said, “Good morning, little girl. Where are you going?”
Now, Red knew she should not talk to strangers. She had talked to a wolf once, and had almost been eaten! But this was just a tiny bunny, so she said, “To grandmother’s house.”
“What’s in your basket?”
“Fancy eggs,” Red answered, showing him. The eggs sparkled like beautiful pink, blue, green, and gold gems. “We’re going to share them with the village children.”
“I want them!” The bunny grabbed at the basket. He was not a very polite bunny.
“No!” said Red. And off she went.
The bunny was angry. He wanted those eggs! He would trick her into giving them to him.
Over the river and through the woods, the bunny raced to Grandma’s house. And, because bunnies are very fast when they want to be, he got there well before Red.
Bunny knocked on the door. No one was home. So he ran inside, put on Grandma’s clothes, and jumped into her bed, just as Red got to the cottage.
She was suspicious immediately.
“Grandma, you look so small today.”
“People shrink as they age,” the bunny said. “It’s not nice to point it out.”
“What big ears you have.”
“Ears never stop growing. A polite girl wouldn’t mention it.”
“What big whiskers you have.”
“How rude!”
“What big teeth you have.”
That was the last straw for bunny. “The better to eat your eggs,” he said and jumped from the bed.
Red wasn’t scared. After all, this wasn’t a big, bad wolf, this was a tiny rude bunny. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck. “No,” she said. “In fact, as punishment, you can deliver these eggs to the children for us.”
“Good idea,” said Grandma, coming in and pulling out a wand. (Ever since the incident with the wolf, Grandma had been studying witchcraft as self-defence.) She cast a spell to make the bunny deliver the eggs.
But the bunny was tricky. Instead of giving the eggs to the children, he hid them around their houses. The next day he went back and stole the ones they’d missed. But the kids had so much fun that Grandma let the bunny keep his eggs, so long as he promised to hide more again next year.
#6 Goldibawks And The Three Pairs
Once upon a time there lived a mama duck, a daddy duck and junior duck.
One day after mama fixed seaweed stew they went out for a waddle while it cooled.
Meanwhile nearby, Goldibawks, a young chicken as yellow as the sun, who had just wandered out from the countryside, spotted an ad.
WANTED:
BASKETBALL PLAYER
FOR NCAA MARCH MADNESS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
TODAY AT CHICKERBOCKER ARENA
c/o National Chicken Athletic Association
Wattles wiggling, Golidbawks was eggstatic. Back on the farm, the roosters refused to let her play. This was her chance to show those roosters
By:
Susanna Leonard Hill,
on 3/20/2014
Blog:
Susanna Leonard Hill
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Woo-hoo!!!
Spring is here!
And so is
The March Madness Writing Contest!
The Contest: Write a children's story, in poetry or prose, maximum 400 words, that is a fractured fairy tale. Feel free to add a theme of spring, or mix in one of the spring holidays if you like - St. Patrick's Day, April Fools Day, Easter or Passover, Arbor Day, Earth Day... Have fun with it! The madder* the better! :)
*as in wild and wacky, not angry :)
You do not have to include spring - that is optional.
The story can be a picture book or a short story - whatever you like.
If it's a picture book, you may NOT include art notes, because we get into a weird area of whether that's fair in terms of word count and added description etc. So if you write a picture book that's wonderful, but make sure art notes aren't necessary to understand it.
"Fairy Tale" apparently turned out to be a very debatable term, so my fellow judges and I will do our best to handle whatever you've come up with.
Title not included in word count.
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Monday March 24 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below which will remain up through Wednesday March 26 so we can all take our time reading and enjoying everyone's stories! (No PPBF on Friday March 21, no new post on Monday March 24, no WYRI on March 26). If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments below. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I'll post your entry for you!)
The Judge: My lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to 6 finalists (or possibly a couple more depending on the number of entries :)) which will be posted here on Thursday March 27 for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed at 5PM EST on Sunday March 30 and the winner will be announced on Monday March 31. (No PPBF on Friday March 28.)
The Prizes!: - 1st Prize is a read and critique by
Karen Grencik of
Red Fox Literary!!! (Unless for some reason you don't want a read and critique by an agent, in which case you may swap for any of the other prizes)
- 2nd Prize is a picture book manuscript critique (for rhyming mss only) by
Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and the forthcoming COCK-A-DOODLE-OOPS!
OR a picture book manuscript critique (for non-rhyming mss only) by
Cori Doerrfeld, author/illustrator of LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO and PENNY LOVES PINK as well as illustrator of many others.
- 3rd Prize is personalized signed copies of THE THREE NINJA PIGS and GOLDI ROCKS & THE THREE BEARS by
Corey Rosen Schwartz PLUS a $25 Amazon Gift Card
- 4th and 5th Prizes are your choice of any two of the following picture books PLUS a $20 Amazon Gift Card:
- THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG by Eugene Trivizas
- CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA by Susan Lowell
- LITTLE RED WRITING by Joan Holub
- THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE SOMEWHAT BAD WOLF by Mark Teague
- THE PRINCESS AND THE PEAS by Caryl Hart
- THE WOLF'S STORY: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD by Toby Forward
- GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS by Mo Willems
- 6th Prize (which just skated in under the wire - thank you Sudipta!) is a personalized signed copy of hot-off-the-presses SNORING BEAUTY by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
And don't forget, all you illustrators, that this will be followed by a related
Illustrator Contest in April!!! (to be announced and elaborated on as soon as the writing part of the contest is over! :))
And now, so that everyone will feel happy and confident about posting their stories, I will share my sample, a Wild West twist on The Gingerbread Boy at exactly 400 words (phew!):
The Cornpone Cowboy
Once upon a time (because that is the way all good fairy tales begin), Farmer Bubba and his lovely bride ThunderLily had the most beautiful ranch in the Wild West.
The grass was emerald green.
The rivers were pure as morning dew.
The cattle were sleek and fat and gave such rich, creamy milk that all the ice cream makers in the world fought over who would get it.
But even with all this beauty and excellent ice cream, Bubba and ThunderLily were sad. For though they were surrounded every spring by velvet-eyed calves and stilt-legged foals, fluffy chicks, pink piglets, and wooly lambs, they never had a child of their own.
Luckily, ThunderLily was not one to sit around moping. "If I can't have a child, I'll make one," she told her darling Bubba.
She got cornmeal and buttermilk, eggs, salt, and bacon drippings, and quick as you like she whipped up a sturdy little Cornpone Cowboy.
"We'll call him Charlemagne," she said dreamily as she plucked the skillet from the barbeque pit.
"You'll have to catch me first!" snorted the Cornpone Cowboy, and off he rode as fast as his cowpony could carry him.
He passed the pigpen and the piglets grunted, “Oh, Charlemagne! Come be our friend!”
“Don’t call me that!” said the Cornpone Cowboy, and he galloped on his way.
He passed the sheepfold and the lambs baahed, “Oh, Charlemagne! Come be our friend!”
“Don’t call me that!” said the Cornpone Cowboy, and he galloped on his way.
He passed the cow barn and the calves mooed, “Oh, Charlemagne! Come be our friend!”
“Why does everyone insist on calling me that?” said the Cornpone Cowboy, and he galloped on his way.
And so it was at the hen house…
. . . the horse pasture…
. . . and the goat shed.
Along about sundown a voice called, “Hey, Cowboy! Won’t you come set a spell by the campfire?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” said the Cornpone Cowboy, tuckered out from galloping. He hopped down from his pony, spurs a-janglin’, and came face to face with…
. . . COYOTE!
Quick as a wink he twirled his lariat. . .
. . . hog-tied Coyote . . .
. . . and lit out for home!
When Bubba and ThunderLily heard his story, ThunderLily said, “That’s our boy! Lightning fast!”
Which is how he came to be called LightningCharlie instead of Charlemagne (because really, who could live with that?) and they all lived happily ever after!
The End
Wasn't that nice of me? Now you can all feel brave and smug, secure in the knowledge that your story is better than that!!! :)
Anyone besides me feeling an urge to sing?
"
Like a Cornpone Cowboy riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo Cornpone Cowboy..."
No? Darn! I was hoping the exceptional quality of my singing would distract you from that story even though "cornpone" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "rhinestone" :)
I can't wait to read what you have all come up with! Let the fun begin! :)
And remember to check back here for entries added in the comments. I'll list them as they come in :)
Happy Monday, Everyone!
**Warning!**
I have made up a poem!
(Yes, I realize I'm playing it fast and loose with the term "poem" :))
(And yes, I have a reason for this gross departure from sanity. I didn't just go off the deep end :))
Anyone whose sensibilities may be injured by my attempt at poetry should leave immediately!
Those of you who are brave enough to stay, prepare yourselves.
You may need some cake to fortify you.
 |
| Alligator cake by Courtney |
Are you ready?
Here we go:
Boy's Best Friend
Daddy said, "A boy like you
Should really have a dog.
A parrot, an iguana, or a happy, hoppy frog."
I answered, "Thank you, Daddy, but on this my heart is set.
I want an alligator for my one and only pet!"
Thank you. Thank you very much :)
Now. About that reason. The lovely and talented Catherine Johnson, author of
Weirdo Zoo (buy your copy
HERE), has a new book out!
It's called The Everglades (hence the alligator themed "poem") and she describes it as a collection of poetry for children who are old enough not to mind the odd arm hanging out of an alligator's mouth :) Seriously. How can you resist that? :) She says, "Half the poems are serene, and half are snorty." And she drew the illustrations herself!! Such talent!!
She is celebrating on her blog
HERE and running a giveaway, so scuttle on over as fast as your little alligator legs allow and join in the fun!
Should you happen not to be lucky enough to win a copy, you may buy one
HERE!
Now, before you all go marching off to your magnificent Mondays, I'd like to clarify a couple things about the March Madness Writing Contest.
You will recall the contest guidelines:
The Contest: Write a children's story, in poetry or prose, maximum 400 words, that is a fractured fairy tale. Feel free to add a theme of spring, or mix in one of the spring holidays if you like - St. Patrick's Day, April Fools Day, Easter or Passover, Arbor Day, Earth Day... Have fun with it ! The madder* the better! :)
*as in wild and wacky, not angry :)
I want to clarify three things (because a few people have asked.)
1. You do not have to include spring - that is optional.
2. The story can be a picture book or a short story - whatever you like.
3. If it's a picture book, you may NOT include art notes, because we get into a weird area of whether that's fair in terms of word count and added description etc. So if you write a picture book that's wonderful, but make sure art notes aren't necessary to understand it.
The other thing I want to add is a full description of the prizes!!! (So you'll all be very motivated to think up stories! :))
- 1st Prize is a read and critique by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary!!! (Unless for some reason you don't want a read and critique by an agent, in which case you may swap for any of the other prizes)
- 2nd Prize is a picture book manuscript critique (for rhyming mss only) by
Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and the forthcoming COCK-A-DOODLE-OOPS!
OR a picture book manuscript critique (for non-rhyming mss only) by
Cori Doerrfeld, author/illustrator of LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO and PENNY LOVES PINK as well as illustrator of many others.
- 3rd Prize is personalized signed copies of THE THREE NINJA PIGS and GOLDI ROCKS & THE THREE BEARS by
Corey Rosen Schwartz PLUS a $25 Amazon Gift Card
- 4th and 5th Prizes are your choice of any two of the following picture books PLUS a $20 Amazon Gift Card:
- THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG by Eugene Trivizas
- CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA by Susan Lowell
- LITTLE RED WRITING by Joan Holub
- THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE SOMEWHAT BAD WOLF by Mark Teague
- THE PRINCESS AND THE PEAS by Caryl Hart
- THE WOLF'S STORY: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD by Toby Forward
- GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS by Mo Willems
And don't forget, all you illustrators out there, we're going to have an illustrator contest immediately following the writing contest! (Details coming soon... :))
Now then! I hope that fills you with inspiration and fuels the muse!
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone!! :)
Well, it's Friday, and guess what? It's still zero!
Every morning I wake up all hopeful that today will be warmer. The light is coming earlier (well, at least until daylight savings times throws a monkey wrench in that on Saturday night :)), and the angle of the light says spring is coming. The robins are incurably optimistic. But every morning I walk downstairs and check the thermometer and it's still COLD.
The novelty has worn off.
I've forgotten what grass looks like.
But it is March! Time is on our side! And to help us throw off the winter doldrums, we have the amazing March Madness Writing Contest to distract us, with the fantastic first prize of a read and critique by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary! So I hope you're all busily concocting stories :)
Chins up, everyone! It's technically less than 2 weeks until spring AND the contest fun! :)
And now, how about a Perfect Picture Book or two or twenty to get us through the weekend?
Title: JJ The American Street Dog And How He Came To Live At Our House
Written By: Diane Rose-Solomon
Illustrated By: Rachel Cellinese
SOP3 Publishing, 2012, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: responsibility, pets, rescue animals
Opening: "
Since as long as I can remember, I've wanted a dog. At night, I dream about dogs. Little dogs with floppy ears and short legs. Big dogs with pointy ears and long legs. There are brown dogs, tan dogs and spotted all over dogs. Some are even pink and green. But those dogs are just in my dreams."
Brief Synopsis: Maya has always wanted a dog. When her Uncle Jerry finds a stray, it looks like maybe her dream will come true. But what if his owner comes to claim him? Maya learns a lot about stray dogs and about what it is to care for a pet of her own.
Links To Resources: talk about caring for pets, discuss responsibility and what that means in relation to taking care of an animal, talk about making thoughtful decisions,
Bookmaking Activity, free
downloadable worksheets for individual grades,
Animal Welfare Lessons from the ASPCA, some animal rescue information at the back of the book.
Why I Like This Book: Well, you guys all know I love dogs, and that both my dogs are rescues, so this is a topic near and dear to my heart. The story is entertaining and serves to get across a lot of information to help kids understand why dogs may be homeless and how they can help. Although this is a fictional story, the information presented within it is true. Lots of kids want pets, or think they do, so a story like this can be helpful in promoting discussion of exactly what is involved and expected.
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit
Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF bloggers, please be sure to leave your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come visit you (since it's still too cold to spend much time outside!)
Have a great weekend, everyone!!! :)
You will all be glad to know that I'm starting the week with one of my shortest posts ever!
Woo-hoo! More time for you guys to go do other fun things!
I had great intentions for a proper post, but, well... stuff happens... long story...
So all I have to share today is THE PRIZE for the March Madness Writing Contest. (If you missed the guidelines, read all about it HERE! - scroll down below the perfect picture book)
Are you ready?
Are you holding onto your socks (which are in danger of being blown off)? :)
The winner of the March Madness Writing Contest will get...
...drum roll please...!
...to have one of their picture book manuscripts read by the one and only Karen Grencik, renowned agent at Red Fox Literary!!! And Karen will give helpful feedback!!! And who knows - if you send a good enough story, she might love you and ask to see more!!!
I hope that lights the fire under you and you are now all racing for your pencils/pens/laptops/writing tools of choice!
And due to my exceptionally brief post (some might call it a masterpiece of brevity - that would be fine with me :)), you have extra writing time, so hop right to it! Let me know how it goes!
May the muse be with you!
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone :)
