The Kid Looks Back is a collection of sixty-eight stories that cover a wide range of topics. I hope that his book will be a gentle hiding place where you can go to get away from something, return to something or go where you have never been. Some of these stories are true. Others are factually true, although bit embellished. Others are outright fabrications. Most look back to a kinder, mellower time. Digging for worms, swimming in a pond, using an outhouse or wading in a river may bring gross evaluations from our urbanized cousins. I hope that this book introduces them to life with a smile. Most of the stories have a message. Many are simply humorous. Entertainment is the motive. Carefree is the mood. Try to find yourself within these pages. May the beak of reality crack your comfort shell. Start anywhere. Finish anytime. Enjoy!
How did Jon Scieszka get so funny? He grew up as one of six brothers with Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at family dinner.
Short Stories and Tall Tales tells of the bummer days of eight young people. Some days are normal living experiences and others are the result of over active imaginations with suspense and a touch of the paranormal thrown in for good measure. Saturday Morning Surprise page 1 Brianna is twelve and talks her dad into having her own Puppy. She quickly discovers a part of puppy ownership she hadn't planned on.. Only her active imagination can rescue her from this dilemma. Toboggan Hill Page 25 Josh and his brother Ethan have an advanced case of sibling rivalry. Who will be the fastest down Toboggan Hill, the steepest and most treacherous hill in town? Will one get hurt, like last year? The Visit. Page 37 Isabel wakes up in the dark of the night to discover her Grandmother and a friend Miss Daisy are in her bedroom room and dressed as witches. If that's not scary enough, Miss Daisy has had a memory lapse and can't remember how to reverse the spell she's cast on Isabel's brothers, Josh and Ethan. Halloween Page 51 Nate's favorite holiday was Halloween, until the night he met a real ghost called Steadly. The Dreaded Pantry Door. Page 65 Kenzee's friend Goody shares a secret that she keeps hidden behind the kitchen pantry door in her house. If parents find out, it could change the lives of every kid in the neighborhood. Paces and Pits Page 75 Aynslee and her siblings, agree to help their Grandfather test an experimental super modern ultra-reality computer game. The computer somehow beams them inside as real pieces of the game and now they must find the secret to getting out.
Shane Gordon is the author of two books, Dear Baby Boomers and The Tenth Man. This book is Short Stories, Tall Tales And True Confessions. Something for everyone from 16 to 65 plus, some funny, some serious, some just stories.
His younger brothers and sisters were in shock. BEN ROBERTSON, fifteen, son of a South Texas share-cropper and with dreams of being a cowboy, started walking toward town. He climbed in a boxcar and rode three days and nights to Channing, Texas where his older brother, FRED ROBERTSON, was working on a ranch. Fred got him a job and Ben spent the rest of his life, mostly horseback. Four years later, his younger brother, ALTON ROBERTSON, also fifteen, walked that same dusty road with the smaller kids running along behind, pulling on his sleeve and begging him to come back. But, he climbed into a boxcar, riding day and night with no food or water, and hopped off in Channing, just as Ben had done. He caught a ride with a supply wagon out to the ranch where Fred and Ben were working and they got him a job. His childhood was spent riding rough horses, rounding up cattle, branding, shipping, and sleeping on the ground. Alton and Ben learned the cowboy life the hard way, by experience. Life on big Texas ranches in the twentys was hard. Long days in the saddle for weeks at a time caused many a cowboy to look toward the horizon, in the direction of some small town where occasional Saturday night dances were held. Alton and Ben made many of those rough-house dances where pretty girls were scarce and fights were common and they never turned down either, the pretty girls or the fights. Bucking horses, runaway horses, wild horses, and lots of good horses, Alton learned the cowboy way just as many other young men had done before him. Ride those bucking horses or draw your pay and hike back to town. As time passed, he found a sweetheart, got married, lived in a one room shack without the benefit of electricity, plumbing or running water, raised a family, and served his country in the US Army. Later in life, Alton owned a wind mill rig with Ben, broke horses, worked at the sale barn in Dalhart, Texas, purchased a tough bar in Lawton, Oklahoma from his brother-in-law, EMERY COWLEY, and eventually bought a good grass ranch in the northwest Arkansas town of Green Forest. He settled down there for the reminder of his life, running a small cow herd, helping his neighbors, and meeting the three best friends of his life, CLAY THARP, and his brothers, Claude, Clell, and Clinton. The lives of true cowboys are colored into this account of four generations of a family that lived, enjoyed and overcame the hardships of working on the ranges of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. It is compiled for the appreciation of all who have been cowboys or have ancestors whose lives were enriched by cowboy life. This book opens the corral gate beckoning to the young ones who feel the calling to live in an honorable, hard-working and determined commitment to life that few find nowadays. Enjoy the hardscrabble humor, sweat and endurance of those who have preceded us in this great adventure of the American West. Chimp Robertson
This book offers another opportunity to appreciate the value of family and kinship ties. From Mr. Kings prior publication, Imperfect Families: Setting Free the Skeletons of Kinship Neglect, a reader might recall this statement, . . . time spent with your children is precious. Just being at home regularly and talking about whatever is sufficient for the emotional development and comfort of every member of the family. Just talk. In some ways, Tall Tales and Short Stories complements that important sentiment. There are, contained in this book, a variety of stories suitable for fun and sharing but useful, too, in communicating values held dear over generations.
In this imaginative book, former journalist and occasional broadcaster Philip Algar avoids all the restrictions imposed during Covid and travels in time without any hassle. He meets new friends on a conventional UK holiday decades ago and discovers how three young boys play an unexpected role in the war. He listens to the reminiscences of two elderly men, gazing out to sea from their shelter on a sea front and follows the progress of an unpleasant politician to whom truth is an alien concept. How does a dream become part of reality for a man who plays a role in the manufacture of sausages and who is slavishly addicted to the advice offered in his daily newspaper? What happens to a young man who has a fantasy about a girl in a suede coat? These and other tales are included in this humorous book which is an exercise in escapism.
From the New York Times-bestselling creator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend comes the inspiring epilogue to the beloved classic nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. Everyone knows that when Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. But what happened after? Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's poignant tale follows Humpty Dumpty, an avid bird watcher whose favorite place to be is high up on the city wall--that is, until after his famous fall. Now terrified of heights, Humpty can longer do many of the things he loves most. Will he summon the courage to face his fear? After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) is a masterful picture book that will remind readers of all ages that Life begins when you get back up. 2018 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Winner A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2017 A New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2017 A New York City Public Library Notable Best Book for Kids A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017 A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2017 An NPR Best Book of 2017
In this rhyming story, Kiara learns how to keep going even when things get too hard. Through colorful illustrations and rhythmic rhymes, Kiara reflects on her mistakes and realizes that mistakes help her grow. Instead of avoiding them, she learns from them so she can improve. Do you want your child to learn about perseverance and diligence? Your child will learn how easy it is to get back up after failing. "I Choose to Try Again" is a story with social emotional learning (SEL) in mind. It has been praised by teachers and therapists worldwide. This story told from Kiara's point of view will help open your child's mind to what it feels like to fail, and then try again. Kiara will teach your child how to be mentally strong. With Kiara in real life examples, your child will learn to develop their understanding of their own emotions. Throughout the story, Kiara will show you what perseverance looks like. Teacher and Therapist Toolbox: I Choose is an empowering series curated to empower young children to become aware of big emotions. A new book series developed in tandem with teachers and therapists to help children cope with a range of emotions and teach them that they indeed hold the power to choose their actions and reactions. Try not to say 'never.'. That brainwashes you to fail. It means that you won't have the chance To raise the victory sail. "I Choose to Try Again" was developed alongside counselors and parents to be used as a resource in a social emotional curriculum.
