There is no better joy than witnessing a young boy fall love with reading. I appreciate their first attempts to use words and language to navigate through their young worlds. They need authors who write for them for this to happen We will write for the next generation of African American boys to let them know - I see you; I hear you. Let your words seep into their young lives.
We will write children's stories for those who come after us. Think about the young brother and sister sitting in the classroom, bedroom, or library bored because they are struggling to find a book that resonates with them. Let's write for them using colorful words and rich language. Help them smile, laugh, feel warm, get excited, or get lost in their imaginations. We can also write to empathize with them and show them that we care about their young pains.
I wrote the following to capture kids' growing pains and pleasures.
Could Barely
Alfred Tatum
I sat in the car.
I could barely see out of the window.
I went to the park.
I could barely shoot in the basket.
I went to the carnival.
I could barely reach the line.
I got a new bike.
I could barely turn the pedals.
I went shopping with my mom.
I could barely carry the bag.
I took a long trip.
I could barely stay awake.
I was racing my big sister.
I could barely keep pace.
I was playing baseball with my father.
I could barely throw the ball.
I watched a scary movie.
I could barely sleep.
I started doing things made for five-year-olds.
I could barely believe how much fun I was having.
My little sister came to my room.
She could barely do the things I do.
I could barely stop laughing.
A BA from Institute 1 wrote:
Missing Teeth
By Deonte Jones
My name is James. I can wiggle a front tooth and don’t know why.
Sometimes it gets boring and I sigh.
When I kept wiggling, my mom said stop.
When I didn’t listen, I got popped.
I asked why I could wiggle my tooth.
My mom said because it is loose.
What will happen to my tooth?
It is going to go poof.
Why is my tooth,
Going to go poof?
The tooth fairy will fly through your window,
And she will get your tooth from under your pillow.
I don’t want her to take my tooth.
How come she just cant go poof.
You should let her take it sonny,
Afterwards, she will give you money.
Well, I can’t say no to money.
I’ll think about it over some bread and honey.
This bread and honey is very good.
You should make some more, you really should.
Mom, mom, my mouth feels funny.
Where the tooth is feels kind of gummy.
NOOOOOOOOOO! My tooth fell out.
It just dropped right out my mouth.
The tooth fairy will come take my tooth.
I don’t want it to go poof.
Mom, mom, help me please.
I’m begging you. I’m on my knees.
Tell the fairy to go away,
to come again another day.
Tell her to get a different tooth.
I don’t want mine to go poof.
Wait, Wait, I do want money.
Then maybe you can go buy more honey.
That would be great, it sure would.
It might go well, it should, it should.
By Deonte Jones
My name is James. I can wiggle a front tooth and don’t know why.
Sometimes it gets boring and I sigh.
When I kept wiggling, my mom said stop.
When I didn’t listen, I got popped.
I asked why I could wiggle my tooth.
My mom said because it is loose.
What will happen to my tooth?
It is going to go poof.
Why is my tooth,
Going to go poof?
The tooth fairy will fly through your window,
And she will get your tooth from under your pillow.
I don’t want her to take my tooth.
How come she just cant go poof.
You should let her take it sonny,
Afterwards, she will give you money.
Well, I can’t say no to money.
I’ll think about it over some bread and honey.
This bread and honey is very good.
You should make some more, you really should.
Mom, mom, my mouth feels funny.
Where the tooth is feels kind of gummy.
NOOOOOOOOOO! My tooth fell out.
It just dropped right out my mouth.
The tooth fairy will come take my tooth.
I don’t want it to go poof.
Mom, mom, help me please.
I’m begging you. I’m on my knees.
Tell the fairy to go away,
to come again another day.
Tell her to get a different tooth.
I don’t want mine to go poof.
Wait, Wait, I do want money.
Then maybe you can go buy more honey.
That would be great, it sure would.
It might go well, it should, it should.
Now I can’t wait for the fairy to come.
Now I don’t think that she is dumb.
I can’t wait to loose another tooth,
So the tooth fairy can make it go poof.
Let's have fun with our words and characters.
Now I don’t think that she is dumb.
I can’t wait to loose another tooth,
So the tooth fairy can make it go poof.
Let's have fun with our words and characters.
You will post your children's story here today.
12 comments:
My dad always wears such cool clothes
When he drives me to school, his white shirt glistens in the sunlight.
All the kids ask me where he gets his funky ties and shiny shoes.
I wish I knew
This weekend I snuck into my parent's closet
All of my dad's suits look weird without him in them.
I pulled one of them down from a hanger and slipped it on.
I couldn't see my hands underneath the jacket sleeves!
I wrapped the tie around my neck and tied it in a big knot
The pants whooshed along the floor when I tried to walk.
My dad walked into the room to see me in his clothes.
I thought he'd take me to work with him now.
He only laughed and said I looked like I was in clown clothes.
He sat me down on the bed and hung up his clothes.
"Pete," he said, "You're too small to fit into my clothes, but one day you'll be able to"
"Well, how long will that take?" I asked
"It seems like it'll take a long time, but before you know it you'll be wearing fancy clothes like me."
I smiled.
Dad took me back to my room to put on my kid clothes.
Then we played kid games until it was time for bed.
My dad always wears such cool clothes.
When he drives me to school, his white shirt glistens in the sunlight.
All the kids ask me where he gets his funky ties and shiny shoes.
I wish I knew.
This weekend I snuck into my parent's closet.
All of my dad's suits look weird without him in them.
I pulled one of them down from a hanger and slipped it on.
I couldn't see my hands underneath the jacket sleeves!
I wrapped the tie around my neck and tied it in a big knot.
The pants whooshed along the floor when I tried to walk.
My dad walked into the room to see me in his clothes.
I thought he'd take me to work with him now.
He only laughed and said I looked like I was in clown clothes.
He sat me down on the bed and hung up his clothes.
"Pete," he said, "You're too small to fit into my clothes, but one day you'll be able to"
"Well, how long will that take?" I asked.
"It seems like it'll take a long time, but before you know it you'll be wearing fancy clothes like me."
I smiled.
Dad took me back to my room to put on my kid clothes.
Then we played kid games until it was time for bed.
“Momma, momma, what this mean?”
Martha turned from the road to look at Michael’s word list, then she turned back. “Which one, baby? Sound it out for me.”
Michael gripped the list in his hands. “It says Ex, Ex, um…” He frowned.
I leaned over. “Oh, that word? It looks pretty big.”
He hugged the paper. “Me can do it!” he yelled, mouth turning into a frown. I rubbed his brown mop of hair.
“Okay, buddy, then spell it out.”
He stared long and hard at the word. “E-X-H-I-L-I-R-A-T-E.”
“I bet I could figure it out before you could,” I said, “and if you win, I let you have my cookies.” I reached into my backpack and pulled them out, dangling the little baggie with three chocolate chip cookies inside. His eyes immediately lit up, and it made me laugh to see him pump his hands in the air.
“You’re on!” he exclaimed, and Martha whooped with laughter as she drove to his school. I already knew what it meant, but I wanted to see him figure it out on his own. So I let him snatch the little book out of my backpack, and he flipped through the pages in it, whispering the letter “E” over and over again. He reached the word, and he almost jumped out of his seat as he shouted, “To be cheerful or, uh, happy!”
I slapped my leg. “Darn, I was really hoping to enjoy some nice cookies” I pouted, picking up the small bag of cookies and dropping them into Michael’s lap. He cheered as he opened the bag and started munching on them. “How they taste, buddy?” I asked.
“Yum,” he said, and a couple of crumbs dropped from his mouth. “Momma make great cookies all the time.”
“I sure do, huh?” Martha said, reaching back to tap Michael on the knee, earning a giggle from him, before turning into the street of our school. It was big and brown, like a giant or a really large building block. Michael started stretching his neck to see his friends, the cookies now forgotten. I spotted the last little cookie, resting there on his leg, and crammed it into my mouth just as he turned back.
The Unsure Bee
“Hey, there were thwee cookies!”
I shook my head, chewing the soft delicacy before swallowing it. “There were only two, and you ate them. See?” I pointed to his chest, and he looked down.
Perfect.
I flicked the tip of his nose, and his hands shot up to cup his nose. “Hey! That not nice!” He tried to look hurt, but he didn’t cover enough of his face to hide that “U” his lips made. Martha found a parking spot and drove into it, then exited while telling me to help Michael with his seatbelt. I knew that the day he figured out how to unlatch the seatbelt would be a sad day indeed, and I watched him struggle with it: he pushed the seatbelt, he pulled it, and he even tried pulling it apart. I had to stop him, though, when he resorted to biting.
“So, buddy, ya ready to spell?” I asked, finally deciding to set him free from the little trap. His smile faded, and he started fiddling with his fingers. He mumbled something, and I asked him to speak up.
“What if, well…” he trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish. He reminded me of the first time I went up on stage: completely nervous.
“Don’t be silly,” I said, putting on a smile for him, “just imagine the whole audience in their underwear.” I looked for his toothy grin as he scooted out the car, but there was still that unhappy “n” on his face and reached for my hand. “Why the sad face, buddy? Martha and I will cheer you on.” I took his hand as we walked down to the school doors where Martha was waiting.
“What if I lose?” he said, looking up at me. He had that sad look on his face, and his pace slowed down a little as we got closer, like he was scared of what awaited him inside.
I frowned. I wasn’t good at this whole confidence thing, but he really needed some motivation now. Martha usually was the one who gave him the words or the warm hug he needed, but I wanted to be able to do something this time. So I couched down and looked him straight in the eye.
“Uh, well, everyone’s a winner, Michael, as long as they try their best.” I ruffled his hair again; it was something my dad always did to me when I was young, and I was now passing that onto my boy. “So you do yours, okay?” He didn’t say anything, but he started walking again, this time with a little bounce in his step. He just left me there to get back on my feet and jog after him.
Martha leaned down and kissed Michael on the cheek, than told him that we’d be in the very front row to watch him. He sped off to his classroom, pausing at the door to cheerfully wave to us before disappearing.
“The talk, huh?”
“Everybody needs a little help every now and then.”
She smiled at me. “You didn’t say anything weird like you usually do, right?”
“I tried my best, just like he’ll try his. He’ll be great.”
As we walked to the room with the stage, she leaned on my shoulder. “Yeah, he’ll be great.”
Who Stole My Berries?
By Jhaylin Benson
My name is Billy, and I had some berries.
But someone took my berries.
I decided to catch the thief with the help of my friends.
Me and The Awesome Ninja warriors searched high and low for the thief.
We could not find the thief.
But, we never gave up.
After 2 weeks of searching we found out who did it.
Ricky, the hugely underdressed mole rat, gave us a tip.
“Yeah, I saw that dragon run up in yo’ crib,” Ricky said.
“Thank You,” I responded back to him. “This has been very helpful.”
Me and the Awesome Ninja Warriors went to find Aku.
We searched for what seemed like forever.
“How long have we been looking for Aku?” I asked John Boy
“For like 5 minutes,” John Boy responded.
We searched for another 5 minutes until we found Aku evil palace.
The evil palace of Taco Flute.
The Awesome Ninja warriors and me jumped through security on the first floor.
On the first floor, we swept through a wall of fire.
We ran on hot coals.
We battled great monsters, and dipped and ducked from fireballs.
On the second floor, we had to solve a puzzle.
“I will let you pass if you can solve my puzzle,” Mr. Wang the old, wise Reading teacher said.
“What is as big as you and does not weigh anything?” Mr. Wang asked.
We all thought for about 2 minutes. Thinking this long and hard was a challenge for us.
Then, the answer hit me.
“My shadow,” I answered confidently.
The old teacher turned into dust as I answered the question. I knew I was right, and now I was one step closer to getting my berries back.
Me and the Awesome Ninja Warriors ran towards the last room, and I knew Aku was there.
“Why did you steal my berries?” I asked the dragon.
“Because you out here flossing and I got nothing,” Aku responded.
I lunged for the dragon. We battled as the Awesome Ninja Warriors watched. Why were they not helping me. Then, it hit me. They could not help. Aku froze them.
I dipped under fireballs, I ran up walls to charge up my power, and I punched the dragon in his nose. The battle was going my way, but I noticed something strange.
The dragon had a couple of kids. Those kids were eating MY berries. The kids had nothing but MY berries and bologna. They were poor. I then knew what I had to do.
I stopped fighting, and without a word, un-froze the Awesome Ninja Warriors. We left the palace, and we went back to our house.
I could but some new berries, but I could not bring myself to take food out of a person in need’s mouth.
Videogame King
At school I’m the master of videogames with the highest score in everything.
When I get to the tenth level everyone in the school says
WWWWOOOOWWWW!!
Until one day a new boy came around and was just as good,
He thought he was better than me and he was annoying.
I wanted to prove I was better than him so I went home clicked
on the power button and practiced.
CLICK! CLACK! I was getting past level by level quickly and swiftly
as the Sun started to fade away.
My mom came into the room and was angry that I was playing my game
all day. She unplugged it and told me to come down to dinner.
MMMOOOOMMMM!!!!! I cried at the top of my lungs. Why did
you do that? Come down to eat and that’s final. She grabbed my ear
and took me downstairs.
I started to pout and shout and started rolling on the floor
getting a load of dirt on me.
After dinner I was put to bed except I sneakily plugged the game back in
and played it most of the night.
The next day I woke up ate a bowl of Frosted Flakes cereal momma made
me and I left out to school tired but ready to claim my spot as the best video gamer in the school.
I walked into school tired and ready to go straight back home but the
big strong security guard stopped me from leaving.
I started to get teased because everyone thought I was giving up my spot
as the videogame champion.
BOOOOOOOOO! All the kids yelled in my face in disappointment.
So I faced him and I lost the third level because I closed my eyes for one
second and I heard my guy died as I was sleeping on the buttons. A new
videogame king was crowned.
by Jabari Harrell
Past The Milky Way
Corey Ellis
Eric would lay there for hours under the clouds just watching them go past. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s a dragon! It was whatever he wanted it to be.
But the real reason Eric laid there was to dream of being an astronaut; soaring past stars and comets. He would board the ship and ZOOOM he was off!
ZIP ZAM ZOOM he went past everything then he’ll stop for space gas to finish his fun! He went too Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. But none compared to his day on Mars.
Eric stopped there for pizza and found Martians owned the place. And Martian Manhunter was the galaxy cook. A giant, green, eight-armed Martian with antennas flashing high. “WOW can I get a picture with you Mr. Manhunter?”
He stayed there jumping around and watched Martians play Baseball it was always a home run the ball never stopped. He bolted back to his ship and said, “ Gwat zeep” (Good-Bye).
Eric always wanted to go past the Milky Way to find out, if it was better ice cream there than back home. “WEEEEEEE” he screamed as he blasted past our galaxy. After all the zooming and zagging Eric got home sick; he would need his mommy in the long run. Who would help him wiggle out of his little space suit for his bath?
It was time to go home but don’t worry “Meep zonk tobeep” (I’ll be back soon)
Little Dude
by Ellington Webb
My name is Ronald and I’m 13
I have a little pest for a brother named Donald
But I have to say he is a dreamy guy.
He’s a wild little fella’ running around the house
ZOOM!
With an imagination so big his head should fall off
He’s 3 years younger than me and is about to turn 10 tomorrow
So now he thinks he’s the man of the house of course
But that was the day he stopped being the wild child.
It just happened right before my eyes
KA-BOOM!
He made his big speech on his birthday.
I am now TEN YEARS OLD. I am now a real MAN.
So now little Donald, the one I nicknamed Little Dude, thinks he’s a man
Well whoopdy doodle doo.
Now Donald walks around in his church clothes and one of Dad’s briefcases.
I was okay with the new Donald. The only thing that did not change was his imagination. But he wasn’t walking around like a dinosaur or astronaut.
As long as he wasn’t flying in my room bothering me, I’m just peachy
But I kind of missed my Little Dude of a brother.
So I stormed to my brother’s room with thunder and lighting
CRACKLE!
BOOM!
PSSSSH! Yes a little rain fell too.
I knocked on his door BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Open up Little Dude
CREEAAKK went the door and in his suit and tie Donald was standing there. His hands at ease
What is the matter Ronald.
YOU NEED TO STOP ACTING LIKE A MAN
I am a man
You’re only TEN Little Dude
Stop calling me Little Dude. I’m a Big Dude.
No you’re not. You’re a kid and you should be proud of being a kid. I used to think the same way as you do but I heard Mom say she missed being a kid. That’s when I realized being an adult is boring and hard work. You should enjoy being a Little Dude as long as possible.
He thought about this for a while. TICK TOCK
Then BOOM!
HE JUST SHUT THE DOOR IN MY FACE!!!1
But then the door swished open 2 minutes later and Ronald was screaming.
YYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUUU! Dressed with underwear over pants and a towel in his shirt with his arms akimbo
My Little Dude was back to normal… well as normal as a Ronald can get.
Spanky Kindergarten Mysteries
By
Jarell Charleston
I have a mystery this morning
Are we going to have fun in kindergarten?
I have another mystery this morning
Are we going to zoo and see the lions in kindergarten?
I have a mystery this morning
Will we go to the park and play on the swings?
I have another mystery this morning
Will we play ball in the gym with the round ball?
I have a mystery this morning
Are we going to the swimming pool, the big one
Like the one a shark can fit into?
I have a mystery this morning
Are we going to have dress up day
Like the one in the movie?
I have a mystery this afternoon
Will we going to circus to see the lions tigers and bears?
I have a mystery this afternoon
When do we have lunch?
I have a mystery this afternoon
Do we have to go to sleep at school?
I have a mystery this afternoon
Are we going to have classroom parties?
With lots of games, candy, and movies
I have a mystery afternoon mystery
Are we going to read lots of books about cars, kings, and animals?
I have a mystery this afternoon
Will we learn our numbers from one to a thousand?
I already know mine see 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 see and much more
I have a mystery this afternoon
Will we learn our ABC?
What if we know them already?
I have a mystery this afternoon
When do we get out of kindergarten class?
I have a afternoon mystery Spanky
can we finish with the first day of school
before we have fun in kindergarten.
Juice Johnson By Diwani GreenwellI
I bring the pillow to my head
and get ready to go to bed.
After I fall into a deep sleep I see a man,
who is wearing things that are not cheap.
Who is that far out brotha?
Who talks real smooth with no stutter like butter?
Yea yea, that’s Juice Johnson
He is known from Mexico all the way to Wisconsin.
Tall dark and handsome on his own two feet
Watch as he grooves to the lively drumbeat.
He’s fresh, funky, cool, and out of sight.
He’s a bad brotha; watch him as he takes flight.
He wears a suit with a fly bow tie
It’s said he can do anything. He can even fly.
WHOOOSH WWHOOSH he flaps his wings and soars into the sky
Wait look up into the clouds I think he’s waving goodbye.
Oh my gosh he just flew up like a bird
I never even got to say a single word
I thought to myself OOOOOOO WEEEE that guy was awesome
I will never ever forget Juice Johnson.
Perry The Pig by Will Thorpe
Perry the pig played in the pin while his mother cooked food in the oven.
Perry broke out, he screamed & shouted.
His scream could be heard all the way in Ireland.
His laugh was enormous.
His legs were the strongest.
His appetite was even more atrocious!
One day the pig ate as much as a house.
There was no food left, not even for a mouse.
He ate chicken wings, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and yams!
Perry the pig almost ate everything on his plate, including some jam.
For dessert he had a gigantic bowl of ice cream and there wasn’t any left for Uncle Sam!
Boy oh Boy did Perry slam!
The next day Perry wasn’t feeling too great.
Perry had ate one lemon pie, three eggs, and a grilled cheese.
Perry was so full, he couldn’t move his knees!
Perry just sat their as full as a house.
There was no food left, not even for a mouse.
Perry’s mother had said to him earlier, “Perrrry! You always eat everything! I hope you didn’t eat ya fathers Krispy Kremes!”
Knowing Perry the pig, he already did!
Perry’s father came home from work, and boy was he in a really bad mood.
He was really hungry and there was no food.
“Perryyyyyyyyyy don’t tell me you ate all of the food! Not even my donuts from the barbeque!”, said Perry father.
Perry ate the donuts including the box.
Perry is always hungry like an ox!
Perry’s stomach started to hurt more and more.
His stomach felt as if it could burst!
Perry moved back in the pin and drank water to quench his thirst.
His body turned bigger as his stomach ache got worst!
Perry the pig stopped eating as much food.
His mother and father seemed to be in a better mood!
Perry the pig no longer eats like an ox.
When he does eat, he’s sly as a fox!
Post a Comment