“I Simply Remember My Favorite Blogs, and then…”

I have found, in my writing adventure, several great BLOGS concerning children’s literature that have become my favorites.

Kristi Holl – Writer’s First Aid

• I discovered this wonderful blog as I began taking the Institute of Children’s Literature course for Writing for children.  Kristi’s posts always hit home and teach me so much! Recently she posted a quote from C. S. Lewis’ “Letters to Children” in which he said there were three sorts of things everyone need to do: 1) What they ought to do, 2) what they’ve got to do, and 3) what they like to do.  What writer can argue with that list?

Julie Hedlund – Julie Hedlund, Author/Freelance Writer

• Julie introduced me to the 12 x 12 in 2012 challenge…and I am loving her comments and blogs.  There’s so much reality and practicality in her writing life that it makes me feel that I can write too.  You just fold your writing  into your life.  You get glimpses of your craft and then you enter it at times when you can.  Eventually you come to believe you are a deliberate writer, because you have finally learned to fold your life into your writing. She has three finished books on her BOOK page which make me wish she had them published and I had them in my hands. Check them out!

Katie Davis – Brain Burps About Books

• I just LOVE this blog and Katie’s podcast! You know how, if you love to cook, and you find a great show on PBS or somewhere, and you just love Lydia and her lasagna, or Bobby Flay and his cool simple straight-forwardness, or you’re just intrigued by Julia Child’s nasal notions or…(wait…most of you aren’t old enough to remember Julia)…well, I’ve discovered Katie! And she is the Rachel Ray of children’s lit.  There’s links to her podcast at her blog, and I promise you, it’s worth subscribing to.

Banana Peel Thursdays

•   Learn here what NOT to do…and avoid the slip-ups of other writers!  AND they currently are accepting ‘banana peel’ stories and testimonies and confessions from authors and writers everywhere! Visit to learn and visit to share.

Miranda Paul – Miranda Paul, Children’s Author

• Miranda has sponsored a contest to Mix-It-Up at her blog, and I submitted an entry…read more at her blog, but I chose to mix up a fairy-tale in a limerick form, and you can read it below!  Miranda has just recently returned from Gambia, where she helped to put books in chidlren’s hands.  Several of her stories are beautiful tales from other countries.

AS IT REALLY WAS
A Mix-It-Up Tale by Damon Dean

Red-Hood took Granny a sack of food,
walking down a dark lane in the wood
till she came to the ledge
of a wide river’s edge
and she wondered, “What next?” as she stood.

As she stood there a fox of some guile
licking gingerbread crumbs from his smile,
said “Don’t fret…take your sack,
climb right up on my back,
and I’ll swim you across in grand style.”

In grand style they stepped into the river,
but a Troll (whose breath smelled like goat liver)
boating by screamed “Who splashed?”
as his sharp teeth he gnashed,
and his hungry green eyes made them shiver.

As they shivered their fear turned them round
and they swam back to dry and high ground.
As they climbed up the bank
they heard “clink” and then “clank”
and they wondered what made the odd sound.

The odd sound was Troll clanging two sabres.
which inspired the friends get-away labors.
And with grime in his grin
and green stains on his chin
Troll cried, “Don’t go off now, my good neighbors!”

As the neighbors ran, Troll made a plan,
to hide ‘neath his wide old bridge’s span,
where he’d jump from a rafter
to grab Fox and Red after
they crossed to escape to Red’s Gran.

Red’s Gran taught her a wise thing or two:
one was–never trust Trolls, green OR blue!
So with Fox she devised
a quite clever disguise
using goat skins they found, and some glue.

With the glue they put on the gray furs,
Fox put his on and then Red put hers.
Then they tripped and  they trapped
and Troll’s nerves nearly snapped
as he screamed, “Goats are bothersome curs!”

As the curs on his bridge began nearing,
with his old eyes Troll squinted, and sneering
he saw Fox and saw Red
as gray blurs, and he said,
“I think more dinner now is appearing.”

Appearing first Red-Hood said “Don’t mind me,
there’s a much fatter goat just behind me.”
So the Troll let her flee;
his old eyes could not see
as he stared at the next goat so blindly.

On the bridge, Fox came on, getting near him,
so the old Troll’s poor ears could best hear him.
Fox cried “We’ve got your goat!”
as he flung off his coat.
Enraged Troll drew his sword so to spear him.

The spear missing, Fox dodged and Troll stumbled,
which made Troll spit and growl, then he grumbled.
Fox, with no more words said,
cast the coat on Troll’s head,
and then into the river Troll tumbled.

The tale tumbled too, down through the ages,
told to children by authors and sages,
but the story, oft told,
changed much as it got old,
to become more tales on more pages.