The theme for our next issue is New Beginnings. Whether it's the start of a new year, welcoming a new sibling, or making a new friend, we are looking for writing and artwork that captures the experience of a new beginning. We are especially interested in pieces that depict both the difficulty and joy of starting something new.
This theme was inspired by my own new beginnings, both an upcoming one as my family prepares to welcome a new baby this spring, and many old ones, having moved multiple times during my childhood and repeatedly finding myself as the new kid in school. Those childhood moving experiences also inspired my story, "My New House," which appears in my self-published collection Little Thoughts: Stories & Poems, which released a year ago this week. Little Thoughts was a collaboration with illustrator Rachael Harbert, who now provides the cover art for all of our issues of Little Thoughts Press. Working with Rachael to turn my collection of stories and poems into a published book is part of what inspired me to launch Little Thoughts Press.
We are coming up on the birthday of the 1st issue of Little Thoughts Press, Magical Winter. Creating this magazine has been a source of tremendous joy for me over the past year. I am so thankful to everyone who has trusted me with their words and art. It is truly an honor to be able to share the work of our incredible contributors with young readers. And thank you to everyone who has purchased, read, or shared a copy of Little Thoughts Press this year.
In celebration of our latest theme, I am sharing my story, "My New House," in full below. I am also offering free pdf downloads of my collection, Little Thoughts: Stories & Poems, for a limited time. You can download and read the full collection at no cost until December 15th (aka the last day to submit work to our New Beginnings issue!). If you would like to make a small donation for the download, first, thank you! and second, all donations will be used toward the cost of producing our New Beginnings issue.
Thank you for supporting Little Thoughts Press. I am looking forward to another year of celebrating and sharing kid-lit!
Happy Reading,
Claire
MY NEW HOUSE
My old house had a crack in the ceiling above my bed. It looked like a smile. Or a frown, depending on where I placed my pillow.
There was an attic with pull-down stairs. And a closet with a small secret cubby where I stored my treasures. My old house had deep windowsills where I’d line up my stuffed animals so they could watch me play. There was a perfect spot on the wall for my drawing of a horse jumping over a porcupine. And there was a tree in the backyard with thick, twisty branches. I could climb all the way to the top. By the front door, we kept a basket to store shoes, but sometimes I forgot to put mine in there.
The basket is in my new house now, but I still sometimes leave my shoes on the floor. My new house has a different smell. It has different nighttime sounds and different morning light. I don’t know where to hide my treasures, or where to set my stuffed animals. I don’t feel like playing very much these days. There are no tall, twisty trees to climb. But there is a raspberry bush along the fence line. I like to squish the berries between my fingers and watch the red juice trickle down my palm. I like to pull them from the bush and pop them straight into my mouth, sun-warmed and sweet. I like to fill a whole bowl with berries and carry it up to my new room. I lie down on my bed and eat the berries one at a time while staring up at my ceiling.
There is a crack in the ceiling above my bed that looks like an M.
Or a W, depending on where I place my pillow.
Illustration by Rachael Harbert
A child sitting in bed holding a giant bowl of raspberries.