The World Around Us

March, 2004

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Outer Space Bound:


         Hi! Welcome back! It's March already! Do you know what that means? I'll give you a hint: What happens on March 17th? Did you guess?

Okay. For those who don't have a clue, here is one: You have to wear green.

Now, I know you remember.

Yes, in the United States we celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and we think about rainbows with their pot of gold at the end.

We look for leprechauns with cute, little green ears who can grant any wish they absolutely choose.

(Of course, you have to catch a leprechaun first.)

And we plot how to catch someone not wearing green so we can give them a gentle pinch.

That's why in Outer Space Bound this month, I thought we should have at least one elf/leprechaun tale, and here it is:

I'm Green But Cool  (E) A young boy wakes up to find that he's turned into a leprechaun. #784591 by Shaara

         All right. Time to blast off into space.

Where are those aliens, green or otherwise?

         Here's a story that our teens will like.

It might get kind of scary for the little ones because there's a creature with big, sharp teeth who chases our main character.

                   Are you scared?

It's okay.

Even though it takes place on a faraway planet, it's quite safe.

The Race on a Creshol  (E) On a planet in the Nebula Galaxy... #658322 by Shaara

Now, for all you fantasy lovers, I have a great story both teens and children will love.

It was written by my good friend, Dan.

He wrote it about a flying pig.

Can you imagine looking up into the sky and seeing a pig flying among the clouds?

I wonder what we'd see? What fun. If they sat in a tree, I bet we'd hear lots of "oinks" instead of "tweets"!

Off we go, readers, to a kingdom where pigs are king, and where the main newspaper is called the The Daily Porker.

(Good name for a pig's paper, Dan!)

I wonder if their restaurant is called the


The Bacon Café.

                    Or is it

Café Pork Chops?

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I had decided, for some strange reason --

maybe because green is for St. Patrick's Day,

and green does remind me of grass

and animals do eat grass --

that we'd should make March

                   all about fantasy animals.

So, the next story is for children, and it's a silly poem about bears .

These bears invade a man's camping trip.

They break into his tent, and they steal his



                    PEARS.


I hope you get a good chuckle over it.

What would you do if a bear stole something of yours?

         I know what I'd do.

                   I'd give that bear anything he wanted!

Three Bears and Pears  (E) This is a silly rhyme about a camping trip where three bears visited. #759849 by Shaara

Okay, time for science fiction once again.

This doesn't have any animals in it, but it does have a strange alien with bright orange teeth.


This story is really for teens, but there's nothing scary about it.

I think most older kids will probably enjoy it.

That's Your Fantasy?  (ASR) A teenager gets to spend time with a visitor from outerspace. #786044 by Shaara

Now, for our youngest readers.

Don't worry, I would never forget you.

I have a special treat just for you.

The next story is about a small boy who wishes things were different.

He wishes he were all kinds of different animals.

Do you know why?

It's because he wants to do all the things his big brother can do.

He thinks if he were a kangaroo, he could play basketball.

What do you think?

Could a kangaroo play basketball?

A Mermaid's Brother  (E) A small boy wishes things were different with his brother, sometimes. #785716 by Shaara

I think it's a fun thing to think about.

If you were an animal what animal would you want to be?

I think I'd be a horse so I could run clear across the field and not be tired.

I'd run faster than a person.

I'd gallop and run with the wind.

Could you write a story about the animal you'd like to be?

The next story is a real fantasy about animals.

In this story, the animals not only talk, they fall in love.

I think this story is even sillier than most because the two animals who fall in love aren't even the same kind of animal.

That's like a dog falling in love with a goldfish.

Or a cat falling in love with a turkey.

What are the funniest two animals you can think of to fall in love?

STATIC

The Whale and the Zebra  (ASR) Love knows no borders... #626256 by Shaara

What about barnyard animals? I've got a story that combines fantasy and science fiction!

This story is about a cow that wants to see the moon. And she does!

Get ready for a flying cow to go with the flying pig!

Why Bessie Ann Won't Fly Any More  (E) One flight over the moon was more than enough flying for one cow #789078 by Vivian

The next poem is about magic.

A young princess has a magical ring that brings her romance.

You'll have to read the story to find out what kind of animal is in this tale.

This poem was written by another friend of mine. I know you'll enjoy reading it.

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Children and teens, what is the most important thing in life?

Have you ever thought about that?

In the next story, two animals discuss that question.

See what they decide.

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For the final story this month, I have chosen my favorite theme, science fiction.

In this story, a young boy raises an animal, but that animal turns out not to be what he thought it was.

The animal is really an alien.

That doesn't matter to the boy.

The little animal becomes his best friend.

The boy doesn't even mind when aliens invade the earth.

This is a strange tale, but I think you'll like the strangeness.

We call that tweaking a story.

We don't let it go the way everyone thinks it will go.

I like to tweak stories. Do you?

The Owlers and Eaglers  (E) An owl becomes a young boy's best friend. #579035 by Shaara

Where does the time go?

That's why I get up early every morning.

The first thing I do each day is write.

In fact, I write at least one story every single day.

Maybe, you don't have time to write a whole story every day, but I bet you could start a story and keep working on it each day.

All you have to do is choose to write and stick to it.

I hope you do because I really want to read your stories.

Why don't you write a story about an animal you'd like to be.

Or you could write about the day aliens landed in your backyard.

What were you doing?

Were they good aliens or bad ones?

Did you make a friend?

Have a wonderful month.

I can't wait to see you in April.

Until then, have fun reading and writing,

and may your mind

                    be full

                              of


                              imagination.


Smiles to you,
Shaara

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