Category Archives: My Artists & Writers in Training

My Artists & Writers in Training

Thinking About Things Warm

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It’s supposed to snow a lot tonight. We may get a foot or more of snow. And we’re lucky. ‘Cause we’re not in Philly or D.C., where folks are still digging out of the two feet that fell a few days ago. So, rather than think about snow and cold, I’ve decided to post this photo of Chloe, which although taken in the middle of winter at an indoor pool, still makes me think of sun and warmth.

On another note, it’s about that time for another Chloe opening paragraph masterpiece. Here it is:
When I saw the new kid coming I knew he was going to be trouble. He had that sneaky, sly strut. He had the kind of face that always seemed to hold a sneer. And he had deep, gray, pitiless eyes. He acted as though school was meaningless and the only reason he came was that his parents made him. Yet there was something different about him and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I had to figure it out.

I suggested she start a serial, in the spirit of Dickens. Her eyes bugged out at the thought of it and declined with an emphatic “No!” She’s not yet ready to make that kind of commitment.
My Artists & Writers in Training

Another Chloe Illustration

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This one was for a Martin Luther King, Jr. day coloring book that her art class made for little kids. The theme, in keeping with the holiday, was helping others.

Here, a girl is comforting her friend, who is upset after her little brother destroyed her tower of blocks. Chloe is not a big fan of this drawing, but I really like it. She asked that I not include it in the blog, but I convinced her that one day she’ll be glad to see it in the 2010 volume of Pink Me Not.
I generally try to respect my kids’ wishes when they ask that I refrain from blogging about certain things. But every so often I stand my ground, hoping that one day they’ll thank me for my prescience in deciding to include some of the stories they’d currently like to forget.
My Artists & Writers in Training

Chloe’s Latest Little Masterpiece

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Chloe’s teacher asked the class to write about “how you would feel if you fell out of a tree and what you would do if you fell.”

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It was a nice, breezy, cool autumn day when some cute little 5-year old came toddling up the sidewalk. I thought he was just going to walk right past, but no. He was trying to pick ME off the tree! But luckily, I was just out of reach. Then I started getting worried when he started jumping to pick me off. I was saying to myself that this was the end and I hadn’t even been able to say good-bye. But fortunately, the kid’s mother came along and took him away. I gave a sigh of relief.

Then I realized that NOBODY gets that lucky without something unlucky happening. So I waited and waited and waited. I was just starting to think that I was wrong. Then it happened. A big gust of wind blew ME off the tree! Man, I should’ve known something like this would happen. I can’t believe I was the first to come off the tree. It was so embarrassing. So I tried to look at the bright side. Then it hit me. I was the FIRST to fall off the tree!

What I mean by that is it was like winning 1st place in a race! Thinking about it from that point of view made me feel better. There was only one little problem. Leaves can’t MOVE on their own. So I was basically stuck on the sidewalk. Then I waited for a gust of wind or something that could move me. Eventually, a little girl who was 3 years old came waddling along. I thought she was just going to step on me so I braced myself for the pain. I was wondering if this is how I was going to be moved.

She was coming closer and closer and CLOSER. Then she stopped, bent down, picked me up and started waddling back toward her house. This was NOT what I was intending when I said MOVE. Luckily (for me) she tripped over a root, fell down, dropped me, and started to cry. I kind of felt bad but that was not MY problem. Once I was clear of the little demon, a gust of wind blew me across to the other side of the street.

Then something I had never thought of before came to me. It was this: now that I wasn’t on the tree anymore I would only have (at most) about 3 days to live. So once I got that processed into my mind I waited for it to happen. I was kind of glad that I died because it was really rather boring sitting on the sidewalk all day. Plus, I couldn’t wait to see the other leaves again.

My Artists & Writers in Training

A Chloe Book Review

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Chloe has written a new book review.
This time, we sent an e-mail to the author, so that she could read the review too. We’re crossing fingers that Chloe gets a response! We’re also submitting it to our local bookstore and hope that they’ll publish it in their kids’ newsletter.For your reading enjoyment, here’s Chloe’s latest critique.
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A Review of One of My Favorite Tails: “The Tail of Emily Windsnap”
Ready for adventure and have a heart for mermaids? Even if you don’t, I think you’ll still like this book.¨The Tail of Emily Windsnap” is about a girl, Emily Windsnap, who becomes a “semi-mer,” which means that when she’s in the water she grows a tail and is a mermaid. And when she’s not in the water, she has two feet just like us. The reason she’s a semi-mer and not a regular person is because her dad, whom she does not know anything about, is a merman.Her mom is human. The reason Emily doesn’t know her dad or live with him is because Neptune, the king of the seas, made a law that a mermaid or merman cannot marry a human. Her dad was sent to jail because he married a human, Emily’s mom. Emily learns about her father and goes off to find him with her friend, Shona. Shona is her best friend and a mermaid. They met went Emily went off in the middle of the night to see what would happen when she went in the water. She swam far enough to the rock where Shona was sitting. They talked, had fun, and became friends before going off on their adventure to find Emily’s dad.
My opinion about the book is that it was great. The reason I think it was great is because there was so much detail that it felt like you were with Emily. Emily is a sympathetic, smart and brave character.
The book is crispy and crunchy like a favorite food that you can’t stop eating, even if you’re completely full. It’s a book that can entertain you for hours. And hours.
“The Tail of Emily Windsnap” is the first in a series that currently includes four books.
My Artists & Writers in Training

An Ode to Fall by Chloe

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Another Chloe masterpiece, written at school:

I like fall because we get to wear long sleeves.
Fall smells like pine, grass and leaves.
My favorite thing to do in fall is eat as much candy
As I please.
Chloe was reluctant to let me use the poem for tonight’s blog entry, because she didn’t think the verse was any good. But I begged to differ with her – I think it’s one of her best attempts at rhyming poetry yet!
On a separate note, one more day to go at work before an extra-long holiday weekend. It would be an understatement to say that I am looking forward to a few days off. “Looking forward” just doesn’t cut it. I haven’t had a vacation since July. I CAN’T WAIT!
My Artists & Writers in Training

Chloe’s Poem Challenge

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I’m in need of a blog entry tonight, so I’ve enlisted Chloe in a poem challenge. I’ve just announced to her that she needs to come up with a few lines about…

Challenge #1: MATH

Math, math
You can add or subtract.
Math, math
You can divide or multiply.
Math, math
It’s easy to do.
Math, math
I love you.
Challenge #2: LOBSTER
Lobster, lobster
You’re so yummy
I never have enough
To fill my tummy
I like you when you are freshly caught
And I like it when you come to me brought.
My Artists & Writers in Training

Wants & Needs

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“Wants and Needs” by Chloe.
Well, everyone has something they want. And everyone has something they need. For example, I want more erasers, but do I actually need more erasers? No. What I do need is water. An I bet that everyone else needs water to. In fact, all living things need water.
Also, I want books to come out sooner. I’m pretty sure that other people also want this to happen but first of all it’s not going to happen. And second of all, it’s not something I need. What I do need is sleep. It’s okay if you have a sleepover and you don’t go to bed until 2 in the morning. But if you do that all the time you’ll die. Also, if you want to take a nap during the day that’s fine. But don’t do it too much or people will consider you lazy.
There are a few other things I want including the whole “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” series, a really cool series. All of these are things I want. Some people don’t know of all this. And all of this I don’t need. But before I get to the stuff I need, I want to explain what those other things are. “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” is a TV show. And it’s my favorite. Most kids have a favorite TV show. Now “Nancy Drew” is a book series and it is my favorite book series. Finally, you’re probably wondering when I’m going to mention what a treehouse is. But most people know what a treehouse is so I feel there is no need to explain.
And now for the things I need, which are food, one brain and one heart. I need food because if I don’t eat anything I’ll starve myself to death. And if I didn’t have a heart and a brain I wouldn’t even exist. And there are a few other body parts you need. And one last thing I need is to wrap this story up. So those are most of the things I want and need.
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This wonderful little essay by Chloe got her into a tiny bit of trouble at school. The teacher liked what she wrote, but didn’t like that she neglected to follow the “one paragraph only” rule for the assignment. Which further stipulated that kids write at least five sentences, but did not give an upper limit for the number of sentences. Does that mean it would have been ok if Chloe had written the same thing as part of one long run-on paragraph? I understand that the teacher wants kids to follow instructions. Fair enough. But how many 8-year olds are there today who love to write? What’s the harm in encouraging it? The system is all about the testing now and it sucks. Thanks, President George W. Bush, for your contributions to American education. Aargh!
My Artists & Writers in Training

Chloe the Novelist, Part II

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Following are some of Chloe’s more ambitious follow-ups to the opening sentences she wrote a few weeks ago. She’s graduated to opening paragraphs, and they’re great.

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Jack was 11 and afraid of thunderstorms. He knew it was childish but he couldn’t help it. There was always the chance of getting struck by lightning. There was always the chance of a tree falling on his house. He knew the chances were slim, but he still go worried.
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Melissa and Marcy were twins completely identical. No one could tell them apart. But Melissa and Marcy were nothing alike. Not one connection. The only thing they had in common was looks. Like for instance Marcy was the carefree kind of person. Melissa was a very cautious person. Not a clean freak, just cautious. She said you can get hurt some way or another no matter what you do, it might not even hurt, but technically it is still considered getting hurt. But for Marcy, if she’s under a table and stands up, she won’t care if she bangs her head. She might give it a couple of rubs, but will show no sign of pain.
My Artists & Writers in Training

An Ode to the Times

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Chloe’s latest foray into poetry. It happens to be quite an accurate statement about our current economy (although, let’s face it, Chloe was not aiming for that effect when she thought of this little verse).

I was rich and now I’m poor
From going to the store
And now that I am broke
I can’t even afford a Coke.
She’s discovered the fun of crossword puzzles today. We’ll see how that evolves.
My Artists & Writers in Training

Chloe Wants to be a Book Critic

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Chloe’s talking about be a book critic and an author when she’s older. She wants to know how much money she’d could make if she wrote a book and publisher bought it.

She wanted to know if kids have ever had books published. When we answered in the affirmative, she was very happy. Will it prompt her to take one of her super sentences and turn it into an award-winning children’s book?
Not sure about her follow-through. But how cool would that be? Anyway, enough with the fantasizing. We’ll continue to encourage her and who knows? Maybe she’ll write a short story. “Cricket” still accepts submissions, don’t they?