My 2022 Spring Fling Entry MORE FUN THAN PUDDLES (120 words)

 

Spring Fling entry, 2022 (120 words)

 

The Joyful Splash by Deborah Holt Williams(110 words)

 

Two yellow boots languished, lonely, at the back of the closet. Their world was dark and smelled like wet socks. The yellow boots yearned to play outside.  “Will we ever walk between the flowers again?” asked Lefty. “Remember how we stepped so carefully around worms on the sidewalk?” recalled Righty. At the same time, they asked, “Is there anything more fun than puddles?” and they sighed at the happy memory. Then one day, thunder shook the closet and rain danced on the roof. Small hands grabbed the yellow boots, and soon they were on feet and out the door, into a glorious spring shower. Then, with a joyful splash, into puddles. And even more fun than puddles? Puddles with friends!

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 29, 2022

    This Massachusetts author/illustrator created stories for her two little boys that featured a steam shovel and a snowplow who became heroes. Her primary focus was her art. She was working on a book about design when she died in 1968 in Folly Cove, MA. This was Virginia Lee Burton, and her books include Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, Katie and the Big Snow, and The Little House.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 22, 2022

 This author/illustrator's daughter thinks his stories about two male amphibian friends who loved each other but lived separately may have reflected his own life, as he came out to his family as gay not long after the stories were published. Sadly, he was an early casualty of AIDS and died in 1987 at age 54. This is Arnold Lobel and his beloved characters are Frog and Toad.

A Bright Spot in My Writer's Journey--my 50 Word story made the winners list!

     After the heartbreaking loss of my agent the very week she was going to take my story on submission, and not being one of the #PBParty finalists, it was such welcome news to see that my 50 word story was one of the winners in Vivian Kirkfield's #50 Precious Words challenge! Thanks to Vivian for all she does to encourage writers. Out of 749 entries, 57 of us won a donated prize. I was #45! Good news at last. UPDATE--I got a #PBParty honorable mention! More good news!

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 15, 2022

 Two male British authors each wrote about bears. A.A. Milne's bear lived with his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Name the author whose bear came from "Darkest Peru" and landed in a London train station. That would be Michael Bond, who created the bear called Paddington, after the station where he was found.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 8, 2022

    Her career as an author/illustrator began with mushrooms, painting and describing numerous species of fungi. She wrote her first children's book at the age of 36 and used her royalties to buy a sheep farm. At 47 she married her lawyer, and when she died at 77 she left 4,000 acres to England's National Trust. She was Beatrix Potter, 1866-1943.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 1, 2022

 He earned a PhD in economics, but turned to graphic art. This author/illustrator, born in Amsterdam, began creating children's books when he tore characters from paper for his grandchildren. One of his books features a tiny black fish who organizes other fish to scare away a shark. This is Leo Lioni, and his books include Swimmy and Little Blue and Little Yellow.