Babe is a children’s novel about a pig who becomes a sheep dog. Pig. Sheep-pig! Despite this deeply philosophical foundation, it’s a funny, enjoyable tale. In the last third of the book, there is a scene where wild dogs break in and worry the flock of sheep, killing an old ewe who was one of…
Inevitably, whenever I speak about the “biblical imagination” someone will object, “Isn’t the imagination a bad thing? Doesn’t the Bible say our imaginations are evil?” It is a pervasive opinion, and there are understandable reasons for it. I think it is founded on the fact that whenever the King James Version of the Bible uses…
I’m happy to say that we have compiled a PDF with all of the short stories inspired by Jamin Still’s painting! Use the link below to download To Cross the Sea and Other Stories, and you can print the whole document, or just the cover page with Jamin’s painting, and your own stories. Thanks so…
Here, from Jeremy C. (age 9) is one of the many, many delightful stories we received in response to Jamin Still‘s Illustrative Writing Prompt. Enjoy! In a large house by the seaside there lived seven children. One particular day, when their parents would not take them to the beach, Robert, fifteen, said to his fourteen-year old…
Here, from Ella West (age 11) is one of the many, many delightful stories we received in response to Jamin Still‘s Illustrative Writing Prompt. Enjoy! In the far-off city of Sol-et-Pavus, all the houses had golden suns painted on their doors, and proudly preening peacocks roamed the streets. The suns represented the king of the…
Here, from Miriam Novotny (age 17) is one of the many, many delightful stories we received in response to Jamin Still‘s Illustrative Writing Prompt. Enjoy! Once upon a time, there was a young man. He lived with his father and his mother in a small townhouse. One morning, as he started off to class, the…
Here, from Maddy Guzzaldo (age 6) is one of the many, many delightful stories we received in response to Jamin Still‘s Illustrative Writing Prompt. Enjoy! Once upon a time, there was a graceful peacock running through the forest having a great time when all of a sudden a robot boy swooped down from her tree….
Do you know a budding storyteller between the ages of four and eighteen? Our friend, artist Jamin Still (https://jaminstill.com), has a terrific opportunity to offer them. Jamin has generously donated this beautifully magical painting as a story illustration. What that story says is up to your budding writer! Have your young author write a bit…
My first opportunity to read Ken Priebe’s Gnomes of the Cheese Forest and Other Poems was in preparation for this review, and I found myself forced to read it alone at the end of a long day. That’s hardly a fair reading for an illustrated collection of children’s poetry, but I grimly powered ahead because…
In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott advocates “writing [lousy] first drafts.” In other words, she says no-one should be trying to refine as they create. She compares writing to taking a Polaroid – just snap the picture! Then do the work of shaking it and you’ll see it slowly come into focus. Partway through our…
It’s harder to write a meaningful radio song than a thoughtful album; when you have only three minutes to make your point, it’s easier to be catchy than deep. It can be harder to write a short story than a novel; you need to accomplish the same things – character development, rising conflict, resolution –…
Would you like to hear your children spontaneously quoting stanzas of poetry? (Real, meter-and-rhyme verses about real things?) I know I do! And when certain poems become a part of your family experience, quoting snippets at each other can be like an affirmation of love. What surprises me into gratitude is how easily – not…
