The World Around Us

July, 2004

Welcome to



          O U T E R

                    S P A C E

                              B O U N D


Where anything is possible,
Where computer monitors
Send you flying elsewhere,
Where tree trunks open
Into other kingdoms,
Where animals talk
And have fun adventures,
Where aliens visit
And cut your grass,
Where magic flows down
Your fingers and noses,
Where friendly giants roam
And fairies offer to help.
Come join our travel
And journey into the land of



I M A G I N A T I O N.

Last month I promised more science fiction, so I think it would be appropriate to start out with a couple of alien visitations.

The follow two tales are about cutting grass. In the first story, the alien needs to collect noise. (Boy, has he come to the right place. We just happen to have lots of noisy things on Earth!)

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In the second story, a nasty alien, one who’s thinking that Earth would be a nice place to conquer, sees our grass-cutting in a completely different light.

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These two tales are opposites . You might want to try opposite stories, too, for they help us to tweak a situation so we can see many different views. In these two stories, one alien is a good alien, and in the other, he's a bad guy.

In what other ways are these stories different? Do the aliens look different? Do they act different?

Maybe, come to think of it, I should write a story about a female alien who comes down to cut grass for her pet bunny. I wonder if she'd mind the noise of the lawn mower. What would she think about Earthlings (that's you!)? I wonder what an alien bunny looks like. Does he have antennae, or three eyes? Does he have a cute, little boppy tail?

Please, let me know what YOU think an alien bunny would look like. I'd love to hear or see, if you want to draw me a picture.


However, I think my next story should really be about an alien family who wants to cut grass to refuel their spaceship, or maybe a teenaged alien who wants to record the MUSIC of the lawnmower, or . . .


You get the idea. What did you think about the grass-cutting alien stories? How would you tweak each of them? Why would aliens WANT to come down to visit us? What would they want? What would happen when aliens arrived, even if they landed just to watch you cut the grass?




For our older readers, I have the first chapter of a brand, new adventure. Imagine diving into your computer and being transported someplace you might not want to go.

Are you ready to take that plunge? Slip into your monitor and travel through light.

The Visit - chapt 1  (E) Three teenagers find themselves transported via the computer. #509143 by Write-fully Loti

All right. That’s enough. Our fantasy readers are starting to protest. They’re going to picket the place if we don’t give them some magic. Ok, fantasy readers, how about a story with fairies?

According to the author, Diane Freese, in her story, each fairy has a different magical power. I wonder what magic each of them owns? I’d like to own some time magic. Then I could sprinkle it over everything and slow down summer. What do you think? Is that a good magical power?

To find out what powers Ms. Freese’s fairies have and how they protect the people of Serendipity, read this story.

Saving Serendipity  (ASR) Four fairy sisters, each with unique powers, protect the land and people of Serendipity. #520675 by Diane

Any dinosaur fans out there?

This is a tale of a girl who thinks it’s unfair that in books only boys get dinosaur friends. Here’s the girl's ideas about how she’d entertain a friendly dinosaur.

Byron, the Dinosaur, And Me  (E) This is being submitted. #827620 by Shaara

Next is a story about some animal friends who have an exciting adventure. First they enter an enchanted forest, and then they almost become dinner, and then . . . Well, I don't want to tell you the whole story. You can read it right here, but I do want to tell you that this tale was written by one of The World Around Us fans, and he's a fifth grade boy. Congratulations to him for sending us a great story!

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And while we’re in the realm of talking animals, how about a butterfly who forgets how to fly?

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How would you like to have your own sweet, fuzzy friend who would always be there for you? He could comfort you, keep you company, and listen to your stories. He could be your best friend.

The following is a delightful little tale for small children all about the little friend they already have, if only they knew it. (I said the story was written for younger children, but I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I’m no longer small.)

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Time for some poems. I love to hear the rhythm of a good tale told in poetry. This poem is about pretending. Close your eyes, and anything you want can happen in your



         IMAGINATION .

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Here is another wonderful poem, written by the same author.








She dangles a mystery in front of us this time.

STATIC

The Magic Box  (E) Can you imagine what's inside this magic box? #834023 by Cubby~Cheering House Florent!

Gee, I wonder what's in that box. That could be another great idea for a story or poem starter. I'm trying to picture how big the box is -- or how small.

I bet it's a dinosaur egg, or a transportation ring, or an alien translator, or a bottle with a genie inside, or a . . .


Sigh, there's never enough time to think of all the possibilities and all the stories I'd like to write. I guess, you'll just have to write some for me, and then I can wander around in YOUR



i m a g i n a t i o n!



I also wrote a poem for you. The first is about a flea. How can you write a poem about a flea, you ask. You can write about anything if you use your what? Did you guess the word I'm going to say?



I M A G I N A T I O N .



This particular poem is written in a format called a Pantoum. That format has a line that has to repeat exactly as it was in the previous stanza (A stanza is what they call a paragraph in poetry.) In the last stanza of the Pantoum all the lines repeat – but in a certain formula.

Yes, it’s a difficult kind of poem to write, but to tell you all about the flea named Flake, it was worthwhile. (It’s also fun. You teens might like to try it. Just observe where the repeating line comes from each time and write your own Pantoum. I suggest that the first time you might want to write the poem without a rhyme, and then when you get the hang of it, you can later write one with a rhyme.)

A Flea Named Flake  (E) This is a poem about a flea who resides on a labrador dog named Rover. #830367 by Shaara

Now for a couple of tales that take you into pure fantasy, where anything goes. Fasten your seatbelt, and be ready because when you blink your eyes you may find yourself transported


          e l s e w h e r e .

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Would you open that book again? I sure would! However, in the following story, written by my good friend, Danny Moon, I don’t think I’d want to journey to the place where his character goes.

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What do you think? Would you stay there?

Let’s go on another adventure, this one into the land of fairy tales. Snow White is having some problems. Ride along, and we’ll go visit her.

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All right, one final story for July. Toad Magic is about the problems of a poor boy who keeps turning people into animals. This is the third chapter in the series. If you haven’t read the first two and discovered how the boy apprentices himself to a wizard so he can learn how to stop casting spells, you can catch up by following the links back to his past adventures, or you can start with this chapter and just keep going. Whichever you decide to do, have fun.

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So now the boy has made friends with a giant, and we find he has another problem! Wow, doesn’t life sometimes get complicated! But this boy’s making friends, so I know he’ll come out all right in the end.


Well, that went fast, just like the months. Can you believe how quickly they whiz by? Maybe you could write me a story of how you got time to slow down, or you could blame aliens on speeding time, or you could have the TIME POLICE giving out tickets to the months that pass too rapidly. Be sure to send me your story. I can’t wait to read it!


         See you in August.


                             Smiles to you always,
                             Shaara