STORIES FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES

2011-08-21T06:54:00.008-07:00

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

2011-08-21T06:54:00.007-07:00

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

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

THE QUEENDOM OF DZITZEL

2011-08-21T06:54:00.005-07:00

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"

Back to the blog HOMEPAGE

MONSTERS VISIT THE VALLEY:A Tolerance Story

2011-08-21T06:54:00.003-07:00

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

Back to the blog HOMEPAGE

THE MESSIEST HOUSE IN THE WORLD: A Homophone story

2011-08-21T06:54:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-21T06:53:00.003-07:00

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..

Back to the blog HOMEPAGE

TATTLE-TALE-TILLIE

2011-08-21T06:53:00.001-07:00

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

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

YOSEF'S BLANKET

2011-04-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

The noted author/illustrator of many wonderful picture books, Patricia Polacco, was motivated by her personal memories. Though I was not born in an Eastern European village, my grandparents were...and they instilled in me the culture of those shtetls. Many traditional stories had a special kind of humor which I hope comes through in this story.

That motivated me to write Yosef's Blanket! In addition, I was influenced by the wonderful, Caldecott medal picture book story by Simms Taback called "Joseph Had A Little Overcoat."

In this story, Yosef jumps to an irrational conclusion and no amount of reasoning would change his mind.

A few of the words are in Yiddish. Click on the words for the definitions.

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

OH RIDDLE, OH RATTLE, WE'RE DONE

2011-02-27T04:24:00.000-08:00

This is a rhyming story for early childhood emphasizing colors and numbers. It is a cumulative story which means that there are add -ons, from 0 to 10.

Click for the story

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

ONE HILL IS ENOUGH

2011-02-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

This story has an interesting background. Many years ago I prepared a felt board story based on the Scandinavian folktale, "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." In this
story, the three billy goats want to cross a bridge. Under the bridge is a mean troll who wants to eat them up.

The pre-kindergarten was coming into the library for their library period. A few minutes before they arrived, I looked at the scary-looking troll and decided--nope- I don't want to do this story. So I quickly changed the story which ultimately became the rhyming story "One Hill is Enough." It is based on the idiom ..."the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." In this case--the other mountain.

In subsequent years I did this story as a puppet show; I used the props for the pictures in the story.

Click to read the story

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

MABLE FRANCIS FUNGUS

2011-01-22T05:01:00.000-08:00

In this fantasy rhyming story, Mable and her grandmother go on a fantastic journey. They have a lot of fun. If you have a fast computer and you click on some of the pictures quickly, Mable will move.

Click for the story

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

TIMMY TUMBLE TRIDDLESBY

2011-01-06T03:42:00.000-08:00

In this rhyming fantasy, Timmy meets up with a cow and a toad. They spend an enjoyable day together. There is a surprise ending.

CLICK FOR THE STORY

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

THE LITTLE RED HEN

2011-01-01T03:39:00.000-08:00

There have been many versions of this beloved English folktale. The one presented here is written in rhyme. As is common with folktales, certain details vary in different versions. In this one, the animals are a cat, a dog and a mouse. I have seen versions of the story with a cat, a dog and a pig--- or a duck. The story is essentially the same. It is a story about responsibility.

Click for the story

A Song about the Little Red Hen, music and lyrics by Suzie-Jean(Susan Maskin), arranged and performed by Bernie Katzman

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

BUNGLE MAURICE, DON'T CALL THE POLICE

2010-12-28T12:03:00.001-08:00

(Photos in this story adapted from clipart.com)

This is the story of Bungle Maurice, a moose who always called the police for everything...and I mean EVERYTHING! He was not at all self-reliant. Bungle learned the lesson in the Aesop's Fable, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," and finally only relied on others for whatever he could not do on his own...AFTER TRYING!

CLICK FOR THE STORY

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

OLD MAN OAK

2010-12-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

This fantasy story is about a tree who finds out his self-worth by realizing all that he had inside of himself. At first he was an acorn...small, and to his mind, of no consequence. He falls into the earth, buried and unseen; a suitable place for someone like him. But then something happens. Some roots grow out of his bottom. Soon little leaves come out. He discovers that he has inside of himself a tree... which grows and grows and grows.

Click to read the story

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BUANA SIMBA'S PRIDE

2010-12-05T05:53:00.001-08:00

This retelling of an East African folktale is part of my "Jambo" series. In swahili,"JAMBO" means "hello." I originally heard this story when I was in Uganda, many, many years ago. We were on safari. We were looking at an elephant, and our driver told us the story. I always remembered it.

I use a few swahili words in the story, especially for the animals.

CLICK TO READ THE STORY

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

BUANA KIFARU'S BIG FOOT

2010-11-27T04:51:00.001-08:00

Buana Kifaru thinks he is better than all the other animals. He's big, after all... and so he would only deal with big animals, not small ones. One fine summer day, he and the Tembo family go on a picnic near a cave. An event happens which shows
him that everyone has worth... big and small.

CLICK TO READ THE STORY

CLICK TO GO BACK TO THE BLOG HOMEPAGE

MY HOUSE IS CROWDED WALL TO WALL

2010-11-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

For many centuries, the Jewish people of Europe lived in small market towns called shetls. Most of these towns were in an area of Eastern Europe known as "the Pale of Settlement."

Many Eastern European Jews were annihilated during World War II and so the shetls are no more. But the rich culture of these communities has survived.

This story is a revision of a traditional tale which has wisdom and humor , an important element of the Jewish literary heritage. The story is published as a picture book called,
It Could Always be Worse.

CLICK FOR MY VERSION OF THE STORY

2010-10-31T04:21:00.000-07:00

DORA DRINKS PICKLE POTION
click

One day I walked into the teacher's lunchroom of my school and saw one of the teachers pouring pickle juice into a cup and drinking it. I never saw anyone do that before. I thought a lot about it and concluded that it was a very fine thing to do...After all, it didn't hurt anyone, and it didn't hurt the teacher. I am very grateful to this teacher because she not only gave me pause for thought, but inspired the poem posted here.

Dora and three other people are a bit unconventional. Some of their habits might seem unusual or even strange. But they are not hurting anyone...so what they do is just fine. This is a poem about tolerance.

Back to Home

2010-10-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Let's Get going version
PAT'S CAT AND CAT'S PAT
CLICK

Level 1 version
PAT'S CAT AND CAT'S PAT
CLICK

When children begin learning to read, it is essential that they not be overwhelmed with too many words, especially difficult ones. A story for these children should emphasize word repetition and phonetic content. In this story, written on two levels, the young child reads about a little girl named Pat who loves her cat. The cat loves Pat as well.

BACK TO HOME

2010-10-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

Long-Bearded Bill
Click

This story teaches children to be tolerant of those who seem different.
This lesson is tricky. While we teach children not to "judge a book by its cover"
we also teach them not to speak to strangers. Then, how can a child know
a person without speaking with him or her. The solution is to teach children
never to speak with strangers unless a trusted adult is with them.

BACK TO HOME

2010-10-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Cats and Lawmakers
Click

In order to communicate, one has to listen to what the other person is saying. How often we do not, and misunderstandings arise. Here are two sisters who are involved in a conversation but do not know what the other is saying.

Back to Home

2010-09-30T08:56:00.001-07:00

2010-09-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

2010-09-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

MABLE FRANCIS FUNGUS

2010-09-23T16:04:00.001-07:00

I'd like you to meet Mable. Her story, Mable Francis Fungus,is an adventure which takes her and her grandmother to all sorts of weird places. The story has a surprise ending.

If you have a fast computer, the pictures move when you click on them.

Click for the story

RUMPELSTILTSKIN: A GRIMM'S FAIRY TALE

2010-09-23T15:50:00.001-07:00

Let's speak of Folktales....Rumpelstiltskin
Rumpelstiltskin is a Grimm's Fairy Tale. There were several versions presented by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm. Whereas many other folktales present good values, this story seems to, (at least in part,) reward rather unfortunate behavior. The only character truly punished in the end is Rumpelstiltskin, the elf with magical powers.

In this story, a man (in my version, a miller) brags about himself. He especially tells of his daughter's extreme abilities... she can spin straw into gold. The greedy king hears about it and decides that the miller's daughter shall spin gold for him. If she succeeds, he will marry her. If she fails, she will be killed. With the help of the magical elf, the miller's daughter spins THREE rooms full of straw into gold. For his greediness, the king marries the miller's daughter. For his foolishness, the miller is the son-in-law of the king.

My version of Rumpelstiltskin, while preserving the basic story, softens it in parts.

To read this story,

Click

Pat's Cat and Cat's Pat: An Emergent Reader Story

2010-09-17T03:50:00.000-07:00

The Emergent story is designed for the child to read to him or herself. Many publishers produce these books on 4 levels.

Emergent stories are different from regular picture books. While picture books
have a reading level that can be as high as second or third grade level and are generally read by adults to children, emergent stories are written very
easy-to-read ,depending upon the level. It is important to pay attention, not only to "word count" but "words used." Words introduced should be repeated often through the story, especially on Level 1. Rhyming words are helpful, though the stories should not be in rhyme unless the story is written on a more advanced level. Rhyming stories would require too many "new words."

Pat's Cat and Cat's Pat is a simple Level 1 story about a little girl and her pet.
It is written as a simple "chapter book." I like chapter divisions even in the easiest of stories. It breaks down the story for comprehension checks and review of vocabulary.

Click to read the level 1 version.

An easier version is at:

Click

SHADOWS

2010-09-15T02:33:00.000-07:00

Click the picture for an enlarged view
The early childhood and early grade science curriculum includes a unit on shadows. I thought it would be fun to write a song about shadows. I wrote the lyrics and music early one morning and brought them to my friend Bernie who plays and sings my songs for recordings.

It was such fun to do. I do love shadows myself. I wrote a story about shadows which I will post on my website (and let you all know). It is about a girl named Shelly whose brother teaches her about shadows. The story stresses the 'sh' sound.

CLICK for the song.

A SONG ABOUT LEFT/RIGHT

2010-08-08T04:14:00.001-07:00

Teaching children to distinguish left and right is a very important early childhood skill. Following the teacher, raising the right hand or left hand, presents complications. If the teacher is facing the children his or her left hand is seen by the children sitting in front as the right hand. The teacher has to raise his or her left hand and say "raise your right hand," and the children will follow. Otherwise, the teacher must have his or her back toward the children. It is most advantageous to watch the children at all times. The teacher really needs to concentrate on this one....

Here is a song which helps learn left/right.

Click to hear the song. (Please remember to allow a few seconds for the song to load on the link page.)

BUANA KIFARU'S BIG FOOT: A JAMBO STORY

2010-07-19T12:41:00.001-07:00

When my husband and I were in East Africa, our guide told us a folktale about a silly lion which I retold and have on my website. I used a few Swahili words in the story. (I will post that story on the blog soon.) I decided to make up several more stories and put them together in the JAMBO series. "Jambo" in Swahili means hello.

Buana Kifaru's Big Foot is about Mr. Rhinoceros. Mr. Rhinoceros (Buana Kifaru) was a snob. Everyone in his family was a snob. They thought that big is better than small. I am using the word "was" and "thought" because Buana Kifaru and his family learned an important lesson.

Loving miniatures as I do, I have a lot of respect for small things. Large things too!

CLICK to read the story.

TATTLE-TALE-TILLIE

2010-07-14T04:06:00.001-07:00

CLICK for an enlarged view of the picture

TATTLE-TALE-TILLIE--the story

2010-07-11T06:15:00.001-07:00

I started writing rhyming stories in 2003. The second story that I wrote focuses on the problem of "tattling." Children are often given mixed messages... they are told not to tattle , but to tell. Children do not always know the difference and it is important that they be taught.

"Tattling" is telling on someone with the purpose of getting that other person in trouble. What that other person is doing is not dangerous or insulting...not hurtful in anyway. For example,Ellie might say to her teacher, " Mrs. Trent, Cara is not coloring her picture !"If Cara is not doing an assignment, it is the teacher's concern, not Ellie's.

"Telling" is relating something important because it could be hurtful. In the example above, Ellie might say to her teacher, "Mrs. Trent, Cara is throwing not coloring her picture but is throwing the crayons at Lorraine" This is potentially hurtful. Lorraine might be hit in the eye. Lorraine's feelings might be hurt. Other children might start throwing their crayons causing danger and chaos.

In the story, Tattle-Tale-Tillie, Tillie, the tattler learns that tattling is not fun to do at all. The story explains the difference between tattling and telling.

There is a song in the story. It was difficult to use the word tattling, because it could be pronounced two different ways: tatt-ling or tatt-el-ing. However, the message comes across.

CLICK for the story.

CLICK to hear the song about Tillie

COLLAPSIBLE DOLL HOUSE

2010-07-03T13:43:00.001-07:00

When my children were young, I made some of their toys. It was a way I could show my children how much I loved them. I made a road system for my son's small cars. I wanted a doll house for my daughter.

Living in a fairly small-sized apartment, we had to make use of every inch of space.

Doll houses are often large and space-consuming. What should I do?

I made a collapsible, easy-to-store dollhouse. It was made with love for someone precious to me.

The second picture shows the house with mini-furniture and accessories.

CLICK to see more pictures

OF FRIENDS WHO WALK TOGETHER SINGING SONGS ON COUNTRY ROADS

2010-06-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Timmy Tumble Triddlesby enjoys spending time with a cow and a toad which is his Grandfather's gift.

To read this story:

CLICK

POSTSCRIPT TO DORA

2010-06-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

In the poem lower down on the list, Dora , Roger and the twins live unconventionally. In fact, some folks might think they are odd. But they do not hurt anyone, and they are not hurting themselves. That's a good thing!

It is important for all human beings to define themselves. In this poem, Boe Jimminy Blig chooses how he wants to live. A baboon thinks he is 'nuts' because Boe is so unconventional. Boe teaches the baboon a thing or two.

To read the poem,CLICK.

This poem is written in the limerick style. A limerick has 5 lines, and the poem about Boe is longer. Limericks are extremely difficult to write because the rhythm is so often ' off.' But they are a lot of fun...To find out what a limerick is--CLICK.
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DORA AND FRIENDS

2010-06-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

OK--I'm unconventional. So are many other people. I believe that people have the right to choose their own lifestyle, so long as that life style doesn't interfere with anyone else. This picture is associated with a poem about a woman named Dora who writes rhymes. The poem is also about an unconventional plumber and a set of kind, unconventional twins.

To read the poem.

CLICK

Hidden in the Branches-My Tree of Meaning

2010-06-19T02:43:00.000-07:00

When I made this tree, I did something meaningful to me. I put names of people--people I know, people who are famous who I do not know personally (past and present), and the names of objects. I call this the "Tree of Meaning" because the "soul" of the tree has
these names. Though hidden from view, the names are still there.
The tree is about 14 inches high.

Recycled Art

2010-06-15T02:53:00.000-07:00

I googled images of recycled art, and was very impressed. I love the concept. What artists who create this type of work do is collect items meant for the trash and use them in art projects. Using throw-aways in artwork reinforces the value of all things. Certainly, not everything we throw away can be reused. Using some of it not only brings into existence a new work of art, but emphasizes the concept of meaning.

I wrote a poem about recycling called Harvey Van Shrout who loved to throw "everything" out. His wife, however, took some of those throw-aways and recycled them into masterpieces.

CLICK to read the poem.

The Chicken Little Chronicles....again

2010-06-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

I already posted the first two in the vocabulary-building
CHICKEN LITTLE CHRONICLES. It is widely known in educational circles that learning vocabulary through written context is the best way to retain the meaning of words. The Chronicles are designed to present difficult vocabulary in a story text. Each vocabulary word links to the definition. Here are all four in the Chronicle series, including the first two stories previously posted, now repeate---(click on each title)

l) Chicken Little's Acorn Fiasco -A retelling of an old English folktale, also known as Henny Penny.

2)Chicken Little Works It Out. An original sequel to the first story in which Chicken Little goes through mood shifts and finally becomes optimistic.

3)Chicken Little On Her Way. Chicken Little goes to Lurkey Manor, home of Turkey Lurkey, to make plans for the party.

4) The Little Lurkey Party. One ridiculous party!!!

An Axpelliment in Neuronkapit

2010-05-28T17:38:00.001-07:00

I am not scientist in any field. However, I decided one day to write a wonderful neurology article anyway. When you read it, please take notes. However, do not count on learning much because of one problem: IT'S COMPLETE NONSENSE. Nevertheless, it sounds very very.....what should I say??? Actually, I don't know what to say!

BTW-- If you are having trouble with some of the words, do not bother to consult a dictionary. I made up many of the words, and those that could be found in an unabridged dictionary are misused.

This "article" appears in my Dzitzel collection (see the posting of January 23, 2010)as part of a book "written" by one of the citizens of the Queendom of Dzitzel, the very erudite and expert, Dr. Knowmuchmorethan Youknow.

Click for the article

P.S. I am not sure you would want to know what An "Axpelliment in Neuronkapit" means---But if you do...First GUESS!...then click

A Savings Gimmick

2010-05-27T03:11:00.001-07:00

This is an unusual topic for this blog.

This morning I read an article in Yahoo News about the difficulty most people are having saving for their retirement. I thought I would share a gimmick (trick, strategy) I have used to FORCE myself to save.

Each American bill in all denominations have serial numbers. If I find the number "7" at the beginning OR end of that serial number, I put it away for savings. I do this with denominations from the one dollar bill to the twenty dollar bill. I have been doing this since 1990 and have kept a record. To date, I have saved $82,030. Twice a month I make a cash deposit into my savings account.

For those who can not afford to save the twenty and ten or even five dollar bills, even saving the one dollar bills can add up. Getting into the habit will force the savings.

I am not sure about foreign currencies. Perhaps there are serial numbers on those bills as well.

Other ideas for savings:

l. Put coins into separate containers. They accumulate! Roll them (some banks have coin machines which separate the coins automatically), and deposit them in savings accounts.

2. Take a predetermined amount from your salary and deposit into savings account. If you are "living from check to check," you might decide on a small amount, but every bit helps! Save it no matter what! Pretending that the money never existed in the first place helps. Train your mind to think that the remaining amount is all you earned.

3.The bills have a single number under the serial number. The one dollar bill still has that number in the center on each side of the bill. I believe that number is the Federal Reserve distribution number. Different areas of the United States have a different number. For example, The New York State and surrounding areas receive new notes with the #2. Illinois and surrounding states are designated as #7. Most notes in a particular area have the Federal Reserve designated number for that area. (I am not really sure of Federal Reserve distribution policy but I believe this might be the case.) However, because of travel and exchange, other numbers show up as well. Choose a Federal Reserve number that is NOT your locality. In that way, you will not overwhelm yourself with bills to put away leading to an abandonment of this system.

FOLKTALES: MY FAVORITE STORY GENRE

2010-05-22T03:29:00.000-07:00

I have always loved folktales. There were several folktales in my 3rd grade reader which I remember to this day.

Folktales are known as "Folk Literature" which is an aspect of Folklore. Folklore includes all that relates to the culture of a group of people: music (folk songs), stories ( folktales), dances ( folk dances), traditions, beliefs etc. It is interesting that folktales/literature is a form of fiction that has a call number in the Dewey Decimal classification system whereas most other forms of fiction are classified by a letter (the first letter or first three letters of the author's last name.) The number for folk literature is 398.2. I expect that the reasoning is that folk tales are related to the cultures of certain groups of people and in that sense might be considered an aspect of cultural anthropology.

Folktales are complicated. There are many different types of folktales, and many interpretations as to what those types may be. Basically, folktales include "Fairy Tales" also known as "Tales of Enchantment," "Tall Tales," "Animal Tales," "Fables,""Reality Tales,"Cumulative Tales,"Cautionary Tales," "Trickster Tales," "Heroic Tales," and others. Here is the problem: there is a lot of overlapping. For example,"The Tortoise and the Hare" is both a Fable and an Animal Tale. If you Google "types of folk tales"you will find a variety of interpretations.

There is controversy as to whether Legends should be considered folk tales. Legends are historically-based stories in which there might be correct factual information included as well as aspects of the story that are not verifiable or may be completely untrue. Another great difference between legends and other folk tales is that legends are set at a certain time or place whereas other folk tales might be vague... happening "a long time ago in a place far from here," or not include a time or place at all. I personally interpret legends to be part of folk literature because they have many characteristics of other types of folk tales. Other people disagree.

Myths are also not always considered to be part of the folk tale genre. The Roman and Greek Myths, for example, are often put in the category of religion. Myths tend to relate to topics considered to be religious: the origin of the earth, what causes lightening etc.

The common characteristics of folk tales are:

l) ORAL TRADITION: most folk tales were originally telling stories. There were people in various countries who "collected" these stories and wrote them down later on. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, for example, collected tales in Germany.

2) PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE GENERATIONS: These stories were passed along through the years. Story telling was a major form of entertainment in prior centuries. Most of these stories have lasted the test of time.

3) CULTURAL LINK: Many cultural groups have their own specific tales. These cultural groups could be broken down into several categories--by country, religion, ethnic group,occupation, etc.

4) ORIGIN: We usually do not know how these stories originated and who wrote them. Since they were in the oral tradition, and since they date back many centuries, the origins have been lost. There are some familiar folk tales that can be traced to a specific person and are often categorized as a folk tale, but are technically not part of this category. Some of the Hans Christian Andersen stories are based on Scandinavian folk tales while others were original. They are all included in the group known as "Andersen's Fairy Tales."

5) VERSIONS: There are many versions of the same tale. Though the basic plot is the same, stories change over time. Some versions of a story can be found in numerous parts of the world. The "Cinderella" story is a very good example. Many authors, especially those writing picture book stories, choose to write versions of familiar folktales. They are free to do this because the stories are in the "public domain."

I have written versions of some popular folk tales.

My favorite folk tale comes from England...THE LITTLE RED HEN. Some of the main characters are not the same in other versions. I use the Hen, the cat,the dog, and the mouse. I have seen other versions of this story with a duck or a pig as the fourth character.

I wrote this story in rhyme.

Click to read this story.

2010-05-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

In April, I posted the first vocabulary training story.
Chicken Little and her friends survived the encounter
with Foxy Loxy in a revised version of an old English
folktale.

Are you ready for new words?

The second story in the Chronicles shows
that even Chickens can have mood shifts!

Click

2010-04-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

Ready for another visit to the Queendom of Dzitzel?
Hmmm! This time we will be introduced to the intellectual
snob. Now, an intellectual snob is not necessarily the same thing as an
intellectual. Here's the difference: an intellectual loves
learning; the intellectual snob loves others to know he or she
is learned. Sometimes, the intellectual is also an intellectual
snob. Sometimes NOT! In fact, an intellectual snob, can be
very, very unwise--really dumb! So here he is with all his titles:

Sir Baltimmorre Clone,Do.A., S.O.B., R.S.V.P., M.O.O.,Xy.Z.,T.N.T., O.I.N.K.

Introduction

Sir Baltimmore's Story

2010-04-17T03:47:00.001-07:00

Hi again!

I hope you are learning your vocabulary. I will post the next story in the Chicken Little Chronicles soon. Today's focus is on PUNCTUATION. Nowadays some people ignore those tiny little implants when writing, thinking they are not really that important anyway. You would be amazed just HOW IMPORTANT THOSE COMMAS, PERIODS, QUESTION MARKS,etc.truly are! Capital letters are vital. If you don't believe me, click the links.

The INTRODUCTION explains what you will see next. It is an eye opener!

Introduction

Story with punctuation

Story without punctuation

GOOD LUCK!!!!

STUDYING VOCABULARY? TRY WORDS IN CONTEXT

2010-04-12T03:39:00.000-07:00

In January I posted a play based on the folktale Chicken Little (aka Henny Penny.)I also wrote a series of stories about Chicken Little which uses difficult vocabulary words. It is interesting that people who read a great deal throughout their lives understand many words usually considered to be esoteric . These people are considered to be erudite...

The series of four stories is called THE CHICKEN LITTLE CHRONICLES. The first story in the series is a retelling of the Chicken Little folktale. It comes under the title "Chicken Little's Acorn Fiasco."The other three stories are sequels to the story.

Do you want to be part of this group of people who understand many words?
Do you want to score well on the SAT and/or impress people at gatherings??? Hmmm!

The first story in the Chronicles:

http://suziejean.com/chick.little/acorn.fiasco.html

CLICK ON THE WORDS IN THE STORY THAT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND FOR THE DEFINITION.

P.S. Folktales are often changed through the years, though the story remains essentially the same. This retelling "softens" the ending. In the original story, Chicken Little and friends are devoured by the foxes. I decided to give these unfortunates a second chance!!!!

2010-04-09T03:59:00.000-07:00

Back to Dzitzel--remember, the Queendom ruled by a bully?

I have a question...Are you a perfectionist? If so, or if
you know someone who is, you might be interested in the
Dzitzel resident named Astor J. Chime. Is it possible to be
perfect? Is it frustrating to try? READ ON!

http://suziejean.com/Dzitzel/Aster.intro.html

http://suziejean.com/Dzitzel/Aster.story.html

2010-04-08T03:37:00.000-07:00

The April focus on my website is a story entitled "My House is Crowded Wall to Wall."This story is a retelling of an Eastern European Jewish folktale. Another version of the story has been published under another title. My version is in prose and rhyme, using different animals. The story can be found at:

http://suziejean.com/Rabbi.folktale/Rabbi.cover.html

2010-04-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Why is April 1 thought of as "April Fool's Day?"
No one knows for sure, though there are many theories.
One of the more popular explanations relates to the
change in the calendar.

Prior to the middle of the 16th century, new years
was celebrated in many European countries for several
days beginning March 25 and ending April 1. In 1564
the calendar was changed, so that new years day became
January 1. There were many people who were unaware
of the change and still celebrated the new year at
the end of March. Some people who knew of the change
wanted to follow tradition. Some of those who celebrated
new years at the beginning of January made fun of the
people who still followed the old calendar, considering
these people to be fools. A tradition of playing jokes
on others might have developed from the confusion of the
new year.

2010-01-23T06:37:00.001-08:00

2010-01-18T03:41:00.000-08:00

2010-01-16T04:08:00.000-08:00