Search Results

One day some kids named Scarlett and Tom found a lake where there wasn’t one before. It was mysterious. Scarlett asked Tom, “Was this lake here before?” And Tom said, “No, it was not, but we will check tomorrow.” The next day, the lake was not there. Scarlett was surprised. “Wow! I did not see that coming! Tomorrow, if the lake comes back, we will dive in and see what is in there.” The next day, Scarlett and Tom walked to the lake. They were surprised to see that the lake was still not there. Then Scarlett said, “But I don’t understand. It was supposed to show up today!” “We will check tomorrow, Sis,” said Tom. The next day, they came in swimming gear. Tom said, “Wow! The lake is back!” “Let’s dive in!” said Scarlett. “Now!” “Scarlett, lower your temper,” said Tom. “Okay Tom. Maybe I am taking it too seriously,” Scarlett said. So they dived in and they saw a treasure box. “Wow!” said Tom. “I was not expecting this!” “Come on, Tom,” Scarlett said. “Okay,” said Tom, “but first let’s look for—” Too late. Scarlett was already swimming toward the treasure box, but right when she tried to touch it, a wave washed her away. “Scarlett!” said Tom. He was all alone. Tom was scared without his sister. He wanted to swim back but he knew that he couldn’t leave without Scarlett. He didn’t know what to do without her. Tom thought about the memories that they made together. He knew he had to save her. Then he heard a voice. “Scarlett?” shouted Tom. Scarlett came into view but something else did, too. It was something big. It…it…it was a shark! “Oh, sorry, Tom! I didn’t mean to scare you. I made a friend down there.” “Why does it have to be a shark!?” said Tom. “Does it have to be a different animal?” Scarlett said, “Tom are you afraid!?” Tom nodded. “Whatever, come on!” Scarlett said. “Let’s go get the treasure!” They swam to the treasure box together. But the shark got there first. Scarlett said, “I thought we were friends!” The shark shook his head and ate the treasure box. “Uh-oh. This is bad,” Tom said. Scarlett said, “I know. But I have an idea.” “What’s your idea?” “We have to let the shark eat us,” Scarlett said. “What?!” Tom said. “It’s the only way, Tom.” Tom looked nervous, but he nodded. “Aren’t you still hungry?” Scarlett asked the shark. The shark opened his mouth, and Scarlett and Tom swam inside. And there it was, right in front of them: the treasure box. They tickled the shark’s stomach and he laughed. While his mouth was open, they grabbed the treasure box and swam out. They quickly swam to the top of the lake. But when they got to the top and went on land, the treasure box was gone. “What’s wrong?” asked Tom. “I think the treasure box was fake,” said Scarlett. “Please don’t tell me that the real one is still in the shark’s mouth,” said Tom. “I bet it is,” said Scarlett. “Oh well,” said Tom. “We can try again tomorrow.” “As long as the lake is still here,” said Tom. But they never saw the lake again. Ada is in first grade in Florida. Her favorite movie is Trolls and her favorite book is the Dragon Masters series. She loves dragons and rainbows, and she has a cat named Smoothie.

When autumn comes ‘round, leaves fall to the ground, and it seems like they’re not even trying. But there’s something behind it, I’ve worked hard to find it. It’s magic that there’s no denying! The fairies on leaves, they float with the breeze. Their young, tiny forms are a flyin’… They pull and they push, leaves fall with a swoosh. It’s true! Do you think that I’m lying? Mia Perron is a 7th grader who enjoys playing tennis, reading, writing, dancing, and spending time with friends, including her younger sister.

L ovely leaves start drifting down E very month of autumn leaves of all colours come down A utumn. My favourite season. V ery welcoming and safe. E very year it bestows earth’s love on us S o very warming Asger is 8 and you can usually find him hitting a balloon about or drawing in a notepad. Asger loves playing badminton and listening to music.

Tim the wizard magics the leaves, yellow brown orange and red Slapandio, sizzle and pop! Make these leaves colour and drop! Tim does the magic with a magic wand (secretly in the evening) Slapandio, sizzle and pop! Make these leaves colour and drop! Overnight the magic happens and in the morning...it is autumn! Little Lime is 6 years old. He enjoys Minecraft, football, and poetry. He has poems in The Dirigible Balloon poetry bank, in Parakeet Magazine, and in a previous issue of Little Thoughts Press. He also does voiceover recordings for other poets.

Carolyn Meade is five and a half years old and in kindergarten. She loves to paint, sing, and eat pancakes.

Arlo was not an ordinary human. Nor was anybody in his town, but Arlo was exceptionally different. Arlo lived in Halloween Town where everybody turned into a wolf when the moon came out at night. Their school also started at 8:00pm, so everyone was a wolf at school. Arlo though, didn’t turn into a wolf with the moon, he would turn into a hippo. For this reason, Arlo was bullied at school for being the odd one out. Everyone would play wolf games after school while Arlo would sit at home watching his favorite television show with his family. He loved his family but he wished for some friends. One day, Arlo came home from school with a sad face (as usual). He was watching TV with his family when a commercial came on. It was promoting a pair of glasses that made you look like a wolf. Arlo thought “That’s exactly what I need!” A week later, the package came on his front door. Before getting on the bus that evening he put them on. In the bus window reflection was a wolf! At school, everyone looked at him differently. He sat with the cool kids at lunch. They even invited him to play wolf football with them. For the rest of the month, Arlo followed his new “friends”. When they spray painted the school bathroom, so did he. He played tackle football instead of going home to his family. In fact, Arlo’s whole personality changed. He dressed differently, he had no manners towards his parents, and he even sneaked out at night. Although Arlo loved being one of the cool kids now, he missed watching television with them. He missed his mom’s delicious pumpkin pie. He just missed his family. One day, Arlo took the glasses off before he got on the bus. He was just his normal hippo self. He got to school and tried to sit with his friends. They told him he wasn't cool enough anymore. Everyone gave him dirty looks. Arlo realized that if you weren't “normal” no one wanted to be your friend. He wanted to put an end to this. He stomped on the table to get everyone's attention. “Hello everyone. I know I am not very “cool” anymore, but I just want you to know that you don't have to be the same as everyone else to be cool. Just be who you want to be and that's all that matters.” Arlo went home and told his family what happened. His family was very proud of him. He was proud of himself. Arlo went to bed that night with a smile on his face. When he went to school the next day, everyone was different. Some people wore their hair differently. Some people had different clothing on. Some people weren’t wolves either! But what they looked like was themselves. People thought of Arlo now as their friend. Although Arlo wasn't the “cool” kid, he was the hero who helped everyone be themselves. Keira is an 11 year old girl going into 7th grade. Keira loves writing and comes up with the most creative stories. When she is not writing, you can find Keira on the softball field pitching in one game after another. You can find more of Keira's work in Little Thoughts Press, including the following blog posts: Not My Dream Dog Can't Wait to be in California And an interview about "Christmas Countdown" from our Magical Winter issue.

The leaves are dropping along with the temperatures, Thanksgiving is almost here, and our Fantastical Fall issue is making its way to readers. That means it's time to start thinking about our next issue. While most Little Thoughts Press issues have included a sprinkling of nonfiction, this one will be special. It’s ALL nonfiction! We’re calling it “Fabulous Facts: A Celebration of Nonfiction for Kids.” So, what does that mean exactly? Here’s some information to get you started: Dusty, boring, dull...nope, not on our watch! We want to celebrate the wonderful world of the astonishing facts kids love to learn. Bring us your mini-biographies of outstanding inventors, scientists, and creatives. Send your best STEAM stories and narrative nonfiction poems. Have an out-of-the-box informational fiction idea or illustration? We’d love to see it. Back matter is welcome, but we ask you to keep it brief due to limited space. For fact-checking purposes, please include citations/sources/references for information that isn’t common knowledge. (References will not be published.) I hope your nonfiction wheels are already turning. But, if you’re anything like me, you probably want an example or two. I’m glad you asked. Here you go: What makes one a “yes” and the other a “no?” It comes down to the fact that in a magazine (unlike a picture book text), the illustrations are minimal and more decorative than informational or storytelling. The space for back matter is minimal. Therefore, a piece must do most (or all) the heavy lifting for itself, giving the child reader what they need for comprehension within the text. You can see this at work in the two texts above. The “yes” example doesn’t need much in the way explanation. However, the “no” piece needs illustrations and/or extensive back matter to support the text. Without a picture or sidebar, the reader won’t know that Maria’s “harnessing seawater and sunlight” describes her inventing a solar powered still which turned seawater into fresh, drinkable water. If your piece must include back matter, keep it short and simple. Here’s an example that could accompany our “yes” piece THE LIST: Monarch life stages: Egg, larvae (caterpillar), pupa (when the caterpillar turns into an ooey-gooey bit inside the chrysalis case), butterfly. Learn more about monarchs (give book title, etc. here).” Now, you may be thinking, “Wait – both the YES and NO examples are narrative! What about expository nonfiction? Kids love that, too.” We say, “Absolutely - bring it on!” Either way you go, we encourage you to find the hook and framework to get and keep a fact-loving kid reading. (Here is a great article from the master of expository kidlit herself, Melissa Stewart, with some lovely examples of both narrative and expository approaches and various ways of framing them.) We hope you’re starting to get as excited about this upcoming issue as we are. Keep in mind these general guidelines. Submissions for Fabulous Facts will be open from November 27, 2023 - January 1, 2024. All submissions will receive a response by January 15, 2024. We can’t wait to celebrate your fabulous nonfiction kidlit with you and our readers.

A photograph of Little Thoughts Press Issue Five: New Beginnings with a sneak peek of the poem "January Blues" by Jacqueline Shirtliff. A white page with black text. Jacqueline Shirtliff is a primary school teacher and a children's poet from the Isle of Man. She has had her poems published in The Caterpillar, TygerTyger, The Dirigible Balloon and Northern Gravy. She lives in a rose-covered cottage near the sea, and when she's not at school or writing poetry she enjoys gardening, crochet and playing the tuba and harp, but not all at the same time! Little Thoughts Press: I love how your poem "January Blues" captures the sadness so many of us feel at the beginning of a new year, but also offers an element of hope and uplift. When writing for young kids, it can be tempting to present a fully sunny picture of the world. What guidance would you offer to other writers on how to approach writing about difficult emotions and experiences? How do you suggest acknowledging the sadness and gloominess that is often present in our lives, while still balancing it with a sense of hope and progress for young readers? Jacqueline Shirtliff: As a primary school teacher, I'm very well aware that life is not always sunny and happy for children. A number of my poems reflect this, because I see when children are sad, and it's part of my job to come alongside and talk over why they're sad and try to find a way out of that sadness. Sometimes it's that a classmate's made fun of them, or that they've fallen out with a friend. At other times it's something that's happening at home, which I can't do anything about, but I can listen and try to understand. I would encourage other writers to tackle difficult emotions and experiences in their writing, though I've found it can be hard to find homes for sad and reflective poems. I think it's really helpful for children to read poems and stories about other children going through sad or tough times because then they know they're not alone. It's good to remind children (and ourselves as well) that there is almost always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if sometimes it's just a tiny glimmer. As a writer, it's far easier to write about these issues if you have opportunities to talk with children, to understand their concerns, and to listen to their ideas and solutions. Watch how they resolve difficulties or sadness themselves or with their friends. I learn so much every week from just being with children and I get almost all my ideas for poems from the children in my school, though they don't know it! Little Thoughts Press: Issue 5: New Beginnings is all about fresh starts and new experiences. Can you tell us how you started writing kid-lit and what drew you to creating stories for young readers? Jacqueline Shirtliff: I've always enjoyed writing. I was writing and making poetry books to sell to my mum and dad when I was five. I found one when I was having a sort-out in the holidays. The rhymes are truly awful! I stopped writing creatively, even in my spare time, when I went up to high school, though I did keep a diary. Then when I took some time out of teaching to look after young children I seized the chance to write whilst they were having their afternoon naps. I started with stories, but poems are quicker to get finished and shorter to edit, so I sort of fell into writing poetry for children instead. Initially, I found it hard to know what to do with my poems, but with the internet, it's now so much easier to find publishers and I was amazed and delighted when Rebecca O'Connor wanted to publish one of the poems I'd sent her in The Caterpillar and that gave me a lot of encouragement and a reason to take my writing more seriously. Little Thoughts Press: What do you find most challenging and rewarding about writing for a young audience? Jacqueline Shirtliff: I find it hard getting started! Even if I have an idea, I can sit staring at a blank page for ages before putting pen to paper. The most rewarding thing is seeing my poems in print, or reading them in school. The amazement on the children's faces with new classes who don't yet know I write is priceless! Little Thoughts Press: Which kid-lit authors and books were your favorites growing up? Jacqueline Shirtliff: I loved Swallows and Amazons! I wanted a boat of my own, to sail to islands, to camp. Needless to say, I read the Arthur Ransome books to my own children, who enjoyed them as well. I really liked fantasy too, especially The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit. and Ursula le Guin's Earthsea trilogy. Little Thoughts Press: And what about today? Any kid-lit writers you love and want to shout out? Jacqueline Shirtliff: That's a hard question as I am always discovering new books to read alongside the classics! I read Narnia to every class I get the chance to, but I love Wonder by R.J. Palacio and The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q.Rauf. Both of these books tackle difficult issues but children soak up every word. More recently I've really loved The Worlds We Leave Behind by A.F. Harrold, but it's a bit dark for my current class of 7 and 8-year-olds! As a poet, I obviously read a lot of poetry with my class, but I wouldn't know where to begin with shout-outs. The children's poetry group on Twitter is so supportive and kind and I wouldn't want to leave anyone out! There are so many fantastic contemporary children's poets in the UK and further afield. If anyone's new to children's poetry, a good starting point would be to check out the CLPE poetry awards for the most recent collections of poems for children. Little Thoughts Press: What advice would you give to young writers? Jacqueline Shirtliff: What I tell all my classes: don't worry about your spelling! Just write. And read as much as you can. Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked? Any upcoming projects, publications, or other news you'd like to share? Jacqueline Shirtliff: Yes! Firstly, I was recently longlisted for a collection with the Emma Press. Secondly, I currently teach full time, but I'm hoping to work a little less next year, so that I can go into schools to lead poetry assemblies and writing workshops. I'm very excited!

When my son was two and a half years old, he suddenly developed night terrors. My husband and I spent the summer passing him back and forth over and over until dawn as we tried to help him sleep. Worried and desperate, we reached out to our pediatrician for guidance and she informed us that we could expect the problem to last roughly six months (she was right), and offered the following suggestion for our son’s bedtime to help ease him to sleep and (hopefully) reduce the likelihood that he would wake screaming from nightmares at three in the morning: place a chair just outside the threshold of his open bedroom door and sit in it until he fell asleep. We were not supposed to engage with him, apart from reminding him that it was bedtime, we were right there, and he was perfectly safe. Some nights, it took nearly two hours for him to stop popping up to peer over the edge of his crib to see if we were still sitting there. I found this experience maddening—having to avoid making eye contact, resisting the urge to respond when he chattered away at me, being stuck in one spot like a trapped animal. I kept myself sane by using the chair time to write. I’d stretch my legs out in front of me, press my feet against the opposite wall, and turn my lap into a table for my computer and then I would start typing, doing my best to get lost in my work and ignore the sad, tiny child whimpering for my attention from only a few feet away. I wrote eighty thousand words of a YA novel this way, stuck in a dark hallway, illuminated only by the light of my laptop screen. I have yet to finish this manuscript, but I’ve returned to it every few months or so in the years since and am always pleasantly surprised by my ability to slip back into the world I’ve created there. I add a little bit and then put it away for a while, but I fully intend to finish it someday and hope to get it published. I would love to hold in my hands a book that was born from the most difficult period of my early parenting experience. A book, written in the dark, that brought me some much-needed light. Where We Write is a blog series that aims to showcase the spaces and places that are the backdrops of your creative work. We would especially love to highlight unique or unconventional writing spaces. While we will be prioritizing posts from past contributors, we welcome any writers who wish to share a little bit about where they write to submit essays for blog publication to littlethoughtspress@gmail.com (please put Blog Submission in the subject line). If you’re comfortable, please provide a few pictures of where you write, as well as a short post that addresses any/all of the following: How did you come to choose or create this space? What is unique about it? What specific challenges/inspirations does the space provide? What is your favorite thing you have written there? Take us on a tour of where you write!

Cynthia Mackey is the author of Katie Shaeffer Pancake Maker and The Lullaby Monsters, and her poetry appears in The Dirigible Balloon and Little Thoughts Press. Her debut picture book, If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe, will be published by Yeehoo Press in 2024. Her blog, Kid Lit Village features interviews with authors and illustrators of newly released children’s books. Cynthia lives with her husband in Victoria, Canada. For more info, see booksbycindy.com. Hi, I’d like to thank Claire for the opportunity to write for the Little Thoughts Press blog. When I started out, my writing was done in the spaces between other things, so I needed to be flexible. Like other moms who write, it happened while waiting for my children at their soccer, basketball, or curling (a popular Canadian sport) and piano and guitar lessons. My office could be the coffee shop, the car, or the waiting room at the orthodontist's office. In the early mornings, my office was the living room couch. I’ve even written on ferries, trains, and airplanes. In fact, I prepared materials to send to an agent earlier this year while traveling on Via Rail from Ottawa to Toronto. It is a long enough trip to fit in a good block of time and there aren’t many distractions, plus they have coffee. Sadly, the agent passed on my materials, but her request for more work came while I was traveling, and I didn’t want to make her wait. I recently created a home office, and here are my favorite things: IKEA office stool: I love that it moves with me when I need to wiggle. I’m like a kid that way! David’s Tea container: I’ve repurposed it as a pen and pencil holder. Sketch Book: I am not an illustrator, but I like to do sketches to envision what the spreads might look like. Sofa: For when I need to read or be more comfortable to write. Tivoli radio: I use this with my iPhone to play music when I need a little more oomph to get through the writing. It has a fabulous sound! Most of the time, though, I prefer quiet. IKEA face-out picture book shelves: I love that I can change what’s face out and put out the picture books I’m using as mentor texts or for inspiration. My dream to fill these shelves up with my own traditionally published books is coming closer to reality. My debut picture book will be released in 2024 with Yeehoo Press, and I’m looking forward to the day when I can add If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe to sit alongside books by my critique partners. That will be a day to remember!

Lauri C. Meyers writes for children and people who used to be children from a book nook in her New Jersey home. You can find Lauri's work in Little Thoughts, Clubhouse Jr., Spaceports & Spidersilk, Stinkwaves, and Guardian Angel Kids magazines, as well as the upcoming publication of a poem in Highlights High Five and a YA short story in Ember. She is a member of SCBWI and 12×12. Find her tweeting about squirrels and other nonsense at @laurimeyers or blogging at www.laurimeyers.com. A few years ago, I became very annoyed with a storage cabinet thingy in my bedroom. Perhaps because I read The Littles when I was younger, I knew this little space under the eaves could be turned into a lovely space. I didn't want the space to feel like Harry Potter's room under the stairs, so I opened it up. I created a tornado amount of noise and dust. I remember young me always wanted a window seat, so I added a window! A little book nook appeared, perfect for reading, writing, or taking a "what does this character really want?" nap. This project turned out to be the start of a new workspace (my old space was stolen lovingly passed to my husband during the pandemic). My desk is simple, which is the way I like it. I admit this picture is quite faked…I removed a banana peel, yesterday's tea, a busy notepad, and 13 Post-it notes prior to capture. My nook holds lots of ideas … books I love, trinkets from loved ones, memories of the past. Most importantly, you can fit 18 STACKS OF PAPERS! Oh, how I love piling projects, especially because I often work on picture books, poems, and short stories simultaneously. So it usually looks like this: I keep adding (vintage, reclaimed) storage pieces to deal with my piling problem. My file cabinet has a lid that opens up, which I really dig because I can visually see all my manuscripts. My drawer stand stores journals, pens, and Post-its. I recently added a paper sorter to help me keep up with what was on submission or needing revision. But the piling persists. (Let's be honest—if I were an animal, I'd probably be a beaver piling up papers until I had a good dam!) Though I do spend a lot of hours at my desk, I write lots of places. In the car waiting for a pick-up, in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil, in a lawn chair waiting for the dog to do his business…stealing those otherwise lost minutes can turn into a lot of writing. Did you know J.K. Rowling wrote a lot in a pub? Hmm…I wonder if they allow piles?

Image of Michael Scott from The Office with text that reads "An office is a place where dreams come true." Brandy Bellittera has been a Kindergarten teacher for 15 years. She finds daily inspiration in her students, as well as her own three children. Brandy is an unwavering Gryffindor who possesses a huge nerd heart. If you quote lines from The Office while wearing a StarWars or MARVEL t-shirt, you are instantly best friends. She has studied her craft of writing at the Institute of Children’s Literature and is a member of SCBWI. She is also an active member of the Writing Community on Twitter and Instagram. She has been published in Little Thoughts Press magazine twice, (August 2022 and October 2022) and has a piece forthcoming in Cricket’s Spider magazine in September 2023. You can find her at @inkedauthor31. “Writing stories is a kind of magic, too.” ― Cornelia Funke, Inkheart Setting up a writing space was one of my favorite tasks when I decided it was finally time to pick up the pen and never put it down again. Luckily for me, I had just the space. We have a fourth bedroom that has been utilized in many different ways over the seven years we have lived in our house. It’s been a “junk” room, guest bedroom, LulaRoe closet (when I was a consultant many moons ago!), “Junk Room 2.0”, a playroom, and then a den. Just as I was looking around Pinterest for ideas on how to create a home office that suited the space (and getting super excited about the possibilities), I was given the best gift God could give me. After not feeling well for a few weeks, I discovered that I was expecting my youngest kiddo, Maverick. Needless to say, I was quite surprised by this development. Even though I was overjoyed to add to my family, it meant I had to halt my office plans. Designing his nursery became a priority and I stored most of the furniture I had been collecting in the garage. The nursery is still a very special project for me as its creation is the last project I was able to do with my momma before she passed. It still looks exactly as it did before he was born. Even though he will be turning four this year, Maverick doesn’t seem to mind. I am grateful for that. After Maverick was born, I gave myself some time to acclimate to being a mom of three kiddos. But those long nights provided plenty of time to scroll Pinterest and think about what I could do now that my office space needed a new home. After talking to my husband, he agreed that I could take a corner of our primary bedroom and convert it into a small writing space. This allowed me to not have to get rid of all of my furniture and still have enough storage to keep all of the things I would need for my journey without losing my style. It takes up a good portion of the room, which was a challenge at first, but with some careful rearranging, we are making it work! I still have a few furniture pieces tucked away in the attic for now (before I know it, my kids will be grown) and I will find myself in that spare bedroom again. For now, I love my cozy little author nook. It has everything I need when I have time to work from home. My favorite piece is my navy/teal hutch to house works-in-progress and mentor texts, along with some fun trinkets that make me smile. So… TADA Here it is in all of its cozy glory. And lucky for you, my Editor in Chief was feeling photogenic today. With the zoo I have, there is ALWAYS a fur baby lurking nearby. Hedwig just happens to be the boss. Photograph of the author's writing space.