BLOG INTRODUCTION

This blog is now entirely devoted to the stories that I've written. The stories are mostly picture books for children. I have my stories posted on my website, but this blog gives you easy access.

STORIES

I would like to invite you to click each title below for individual stories as posted on this blog...

Pat's Cat, Cat's Pat
a beginner reader story about a child and her pet

(Note: you can also scroll down on this home page for more information about this story)

Long-Bearded Bill
A story about acceptance, based on the idiom.."don't judge a book by its cover."

(Note: you can also scroll down on this home page for more information about this story)


The Willy-Silly Series
a series of 10 nonsense stories with lovable characters

The Queendom of Dzitzel
for adults-- personality essays

Monsters Visit the Valley
a tolerance story

Early Every Morning ( A Singing Story)
a story featuring the days of the week

Tattle-Tale-Tillie
a story about tattling

Yosef's Blanket
a problem solving story set in Eastern Europe prior to World War II, for children and adults, including many Yiddish words


Oh Riddle, Oh Rattle, We're Done
a counting, color story

One Hill is Enough

a story which illustrates the concept, "if you don't have what
you want, try to want what you have."

Mable Francis Fungus
a fantasy trip of a child and her grandmother

Timmy Tumble Triddlesby
a fantasy encounter between a boy, a cow and a toad

The Little Red Hen
a new version in rhyme of this old English folktale

Bungle Maurice, Don't Call the Police
a story about being self-reliant

Old Man Oak
a story about recognizing one's own self-worth

Buana Simba's Pride
a retelling of an East African folktale, this story is about the
silly boasting pride of a lion. (Note: this is not the group of
lions called 'a pride of lions.'

Buana Kifaru's Big Foot
Silly Buana Kifaru--thinks that only big animals are worth
his time. He soon learns an important lesson when a small animal
is the only one who can help him.

My House is Crowded Wall to Wall
A retelling of an Eastern European folktale


POEMS/JINGLES

I also wrote long poems that tell a story.

Dora Drinks Pickle Potion
click

a story about recognizing one's own self-worth This is a story/poem about being your own person, marching to your own drumbeat-

Cats and Lawmakers
Click
a story about the need to listen to what others are saying in order to communicate properly--

Harvey Van Shrout
Click
a story about recycling, and having respect for all things-


A Few Feuds
Click
a story about the futility of conflict, especially war.


Not Quite Allergic to Arpegios, 1
click

Not Quite Allergic to Arpegios, 2
The Vacuum Cleaner Solution
click

a story and a sequel about the relationship between a mother and her son

I Know That I Know About Everyone--NOT
click
a story that teaches us , as the saying goes, not to "judge a book by it's cover"

HOW I GOT STARTED

I have been a librarian in a Day Elementary school for over 27 years. I specialize in early childhood education. I got to know the children really well...in terms of what they like, how they react...etc. For most of that time, I never thought of writing books for them.

In the autumn of 2002 I was cleaning out my closet. I found a story book that I made with my daughter when she was in kindergarten. The story, called PAT'S CAT, is written on a first grade level. My daughter illustrated the story. That gave me an idea... I am a librarian in a private elementary school. I thought I might reproduce this story for our first grade--and I did. I renamed the story PAT'S CAT AND CAT'S PAT.


The story tells of a child and her pet cat who love each other. The story is written on two levels: Click here for the easiest version: Let's Get Going Level Click here for the level 1 version Click here for more information about emergent (beginner) stories and how to create them I then went on to write several more of these emergent reader stories on various levels.


The story tells of a child and her pet cat who love each other. The story is written on two levels:

Click here for the easiest version: Let's Get Going Level

Click here for the level 1 version

Click here for more information about emergent (beginner) stories and how to create them


I went on to write several more of these emergent reader stories on various levels




Then-- something wonderful and rather weird happened. One day in the middle of February I was ready to go to work. I had my coat on, and was carrying my bag. All of a sudden I had an inspiration for a story-- and I thought to make it a rhyming story. It seemed so strange because I never thought of writing in rhyme before. I took off my coat and went to the computer. I began the story and finished it in school.

The story: LONG-BEARDED BILL (click title or the picture for the story)


This is the story of a man who lived by himself on a mountain side. He is a kindly man, but no one knows it, because know one knows him. They avoid him because they think he is weird. Then an event takes place which changes
everything.

I wrote many rhyming stories, as well as stories in prose.

click here for general menu on my website

THE WILLY-SILLY FRIENDS

One morning, few years ago, I woke up with an idea. I decided to write stories which included all the elements I know small children love. So, what do they love??

1. They enjoy stories in a series-- Children identify with characters and grow to love them. They enjoy reading about the same
characters in different adventures.

2. They love nonsense--the sillier the better. Nothing better than a cow laying eggs, and chickens giving milk......

3. They love nonsense talk.

4. They love a bit of adventure.

MOSTLY
THEY LOVE TO LAUGH

SO.... I created the Willy-Silly series... consisting of 10 stories. In the first story,
the WillyNilly royal children (Prince Jay, Princess Fay, and Princess Kay) travel
to SillyDilly Land where they meet Princess Peek-a-boo who takes them on a tour
of her kingdom. The children see things which look very strange to them. Of course, none of it is strange to the people who live in SillyDilly Land. The underlying theme of these stories is tolerance.

Click for the Willy-Silly Menu

The theme song for the entire series, and especially story #1 is entitled:
"It's Not Strange to Me." music and lyrics, by Suzie-Jean (Susan Maskin),arranged and performed by Bernie Katzman.

The Song




The Music


Improvisation, by Bernie Katzman





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THE QUEENDOM OF DZITZEL

A RESIDENT OF DZITZEL: THE INTELLECTUAL SNOB

SIR BALTIMMORRE CLONE,D.oA,S.O.B.,
R.S.V.P, M.O.O, Xy.Z, T.N.T, O.I.N.K.

Click to Sir Baltimmore's name to read about him.

In this series are profiles of different personality types. First is an introduction which describes my take on these types of personalities. Following are
EXAGGERATED descriptions/stories about a "being"living in Dzitzel with these character traits. The stories are satirical.

SO---CLICK TO PICK A PERSONALITY

or click "The Queedom of Dzitzel"

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MONSTERS VISIT THE VALLEY:A Tolerance Story

When I was a child, I watched an episode in The Twilight Zone which stuck in my mind. The story took place in another world. Some surgeons were operating on a patient, trying to fix his or her face to make the person look normal. I can't remember exactly how the story proceeded...however, the patient had a face that looked normal to us and the surgeons had faces we would consider distorted. In teaching tolerance to children, I feel it is important to understand that people have different customs--they may look different...and perhaps, what is strange to us is not strange to them. To illustrate this point, I wrote The Willy-Silly Series. I wrote another picture book called Monsters Visit the Valley in which some three-legged green people are terrified when visited by "monsters"--turns out, they are people who look like us earthlings. They learn a lesson from the only person in their village who is different--Zenniker Zoo, who is blue.
.
CLICK TO READ THE STORY

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THE MESSIEST HOUSE IN THE WORLD: A Homophone story

HOMOPHONES ARE FUN!

There are several thousand homophones in the English language, but only a few hundred are commonly used. Homophones are words that sound alike but are usually spelled differently and have different meanings. "I see the deep blue SEA." "I SEE the big waves crashing on the beach."

I wrote a story in rhyme using homophones. The story, "The Messiest House in the World" was incredibly difficult because of the many limitations of words available for use. However, it was lots of fun to do.

CLICK to read the story.

How many homophones do you know?

Here is a song that I wrote about homophones, performed by Bernie Katzman.

EARLY EVERY MORNING: A SINGING STORY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

Children love stories. Children love singing. I decided to combine both in a singing story. Early Every Morning is very simple and repetitive, focusing on the days of the week. It is also a bit silly, which children tend to love. It makes them laugh.I HOPE THAT WE CAN ALL LAUGH A LOT AND BE HAPPY IN THE NEW YEAR...2011. AND I ALSO HOPE THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER, PLAY TOGETHER, LIVE TOGETHER PEACEFULLY.

CLICK for the singing story..

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TATTLE-TALE-TILLIE

Teasing is hurtful. Tattling is hurtful. Children need to learn that it is not fun!

I wrote a story about a child who loved teasing her classmates. More than that, she loved tattling on them. She learned her lesson.

It is important focus on these issues with children, and have them understand.

To read the story: Click


A song about Tillie-- music and lyrics by Suzie-Jean (Susan Maskin); arranged and performed by Bernie Katzman




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