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A photograph of Little Thoughts Press Issue Six: Fantastical Fall with a sneak peek of the poem "On the Pond" by Jennifer Thomas. A white page with black text. Jennifer Thomas is a Canadian poet. Her children’s poetry has been published in The Dirigible Balloon, Little Thoughts Press, Tyger Tyger, Paddler Press, and The Toy. Jennifer comes up with her best ideas for poems while she’s walking her dog, and as a result, her dog gets lots of walks. This makes her dog very happy. Little Thoughts Press: Our Fantastical Fall issue includes poems and stories based on fairytales and imagined worlds, but both of your poems, "There's Magic Right There," and "On the Pond" are about the magic and mystery that exists in more ordinary settings. How do your environment and the natural world influence and inspire your writing? Jennifer Thomas: I live in Canada, a big country whose human inhabitants are mostly clustered in cities along the southern border. The rest of the country is populated by mountains, glaciers, and seemingly endless forests, and I think the knowledge that we as humans are tiny creatures in a vast landscape influences how Canadians think. The natural world is a huge influence for me — I get out into the woods near my house as often as I can. I do much of my writing while I’m out walking. I started participating in Haiku Saturday on Twitter (I can’t bring myself to call it X) about 18 months ago; it’s a very supportive environment where everyone is welcome to write and share haiku, even if they’ve never written poetry before. It’s been a great exercise for me in learning to look closely at things that I might otherwise have overlooked, like the way the snow is melting next to a stream in the spring, or the way a leaf has fallen on a rock in the autumn. I’ve become a lot more observant, which has really helped me in writing children’s poetry, because children often notice small details in the natural world that adults miss. In addition, I’m a person of faith, and believing that the trees, lakes, and sky I see were designed by a Creator infuses them with extra beauty and a touch of magic. Each time I look around when I’m in the woods or by a lake, I feel like I’m looking at a picture that was painted with a purpose in mind. I feel like I’m being invited to turn over rocks, peek into hollows in trees, or imagine what’s underfoot, because there’s always more in front of me than my human eyes can see. Little Thoughts Press: Issue 6: Fantastical Fall is all about imagination and adventure, things that children more naturally and easily gravitate toward than adults often do. What techniques do you use to tap into your imagination and maintain a childlike sense of wonder and exploration when writing for a young audience? Jennifer Thomas: When I’m writing a poem, I’ll sometimes start with a single word — for example, with the weekly word prompts that The Toy Press posts on Twitter. I try to shed all the things I know about the word as an adult and focus on the sound and bounce of the word, and what the word might mean to a child. I ask “What if?” a lot. If I’m washing dishes in the kitchen, I might ask myself “What if songs flowed out of this tap rather than water?” or “What if I couldn’t turn off the tap?” If I’m out walking my dog, I might look up and wonder “What if the clouds were having a conversation?” Once I’ve got the first wisp of a poem, I try to let my mind run free, without putting any constraints on ideas as they float by (“This makes absolutely no sense” or “That will be too hard to write” or “I’m sure someone has already done this”). I work as a medical editor, and that type of work is all about following rules and checking for accuracy. After a few hours of editing medical texts, it often feels like my brain is itching to run out the door and start doing cartwheels in the sunshine. Little Thoughts Press: What do you find most challenging and rewarding about writing for a young audience? Jennifer Thomas: For me, the most challenging part of writing poetry is the business side. There are far more good children’s writers than there are opportunities for publication. I’m very grateful for the volunteers who run children’s literary magazines like Little Thoughts Press, giving writers a place to share their work. Kudos for all of the hours you devote to supporting your fellow writers! The most rewarding thing for me is playing with the sound and rhythm of words. I’ll often start with a short string of words; for instance, “all things mathematical” was the jumping-off point for a recent poem about a government department filled with people who count absolutely everything, including all the water droplets in all the lakes. If it’s going to be a rhyming poem, sometimes that string of words will require that the poem be written in a certain meter, and then it’s fun to fit together other words that will work with that meter, a bit like putting together a puzzle. I love writing for kids because they haven’t yet put boundaries on their imaginations or their interests (the way we adults tend to do), and they still believe that anything is possible. Little Thoughts Press: Which kid-lit authors and books were your favorites growing up? Jennifer Thomas: My dad read the Narnia books to me at bedtime — I still have my childhood copies, and whenever I open one of them, I hear his slow, resonant voice. Later, I loved books by Enid Blyton and Mary Norton; the Borrowers series left me with a lifelong conviction that tiny people might very well be living under the floorboards. We also had a couple of books by the Canadian poet Dennis Lee on the bookshelf when I was growing up, Alligator Pie and Nicholas Knock and Other People. Like countless other Canadians, I start bouncing in my seat whenever I hear “Alligator pie, alligator pie / if I don’t get some I think I’m gonna die.” Little Thoughts Press: And what about today? Any kid-lit writers you love and want to shout out? Jennifer Thomas: I’ve borrowed many, many children’s poetry collections from my local library but, honestly, some of the best writing for children I’ve read lately is work that’s been posted on Twitter or published in children’s literary magazines. There are lots of talented children’s writers sharing their work these days — I won’t attempt to list all the ones I love, because I’d be bound to leave several out. Of the children’s poetry collections I’ve read recently, Kate Wakeling’s Cloud Soup and Moon Juice stand out. These two books sit on a shelf within easy reach of my desk. I admire her imagination, her masterful use of language and rhythm, and her ability to write poems that acknowledge and explore the full range of emotions that kids experience, in a way that feels unforced. Little Thoughts Press: What advice would you give to young writers? Jennifer Thomas: I’d give them the same advice I was given: read everything you can get your hands on. Novels, poetry collections, magazines, comics, game instructions, song lyrics, the back of the cracker box … you’ll find interesting words and ideas everywhere. Also, never assume that your work isn’t “good enough” (whatever that means). If what you’ve written is meaningful to you, then it’s good work. One last thing: when you’re cleaning up your room, please don’t throw away the scraps of paper with poem ideas, or the notebooks with half-finished stories, or the writing assignments you did for school! When you’re 40 years old, you’ll want to know what 8-year-old or 10-year-old or 12-year-old you was thinking and writing. Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked? Any upcoming projects, publications, or other news you'd like to share? Jennifer Thomas: I co-wrote a zine of children’s poetry called Invisible Things with three talented writers I met on Twitter, Susan Andrews, Jerrold Connors, and Laura Cooney. It’s about the gnomes, sprites, and other magical creatures who live at the periphery of a modern child’s world, and it’s fully illustrated by Jerrold. Co-writing it was a wonderful experience, in every sense of the word. It’s available on Etsy at www.etsy.com/ca/shop/InvisibleZines. My dream is to have a children’s poetry book published someday. Whether or not that happens, I’m having lots of fun writing and sharing poems. I’ve just started offering poetry-writing sessions for kids in my area, and I’m compiling some of my poems into a homemade booklet that I can use in these sessions. I’ve also launched a website: www.jenniferthomaswords.com. And there’s always another idea to explore! It's an honour to appear on the Little Thoughts Press blog. Thank you so much for having me.

The leaves will start from nothing, The tree has Bare branches Showing through. The buds will grow, Then split. The tree has leaves; They’re fresh and new. Till the autumn air falls like a cloak Round the shoulders of the tree The leaves will change their colours Green to golden, you will see. And then they’ll take The leap down to A place they’ve never been. The crisp brown earth that’s underneath the tree that was once green. Marian is a 12 year old who enjoys sketching, watching films with her family, and eating sushi. She is an avid reader and collector of notebooks that are too nice to use.

Miles Meade is seven years old and in first grade. He loves fishing, flying drones, and boogie boarding at the beach with his family. His favorite treats are Oreo cookies.

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!