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SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED ekphrasis , noun: a literary description of a visual work of art A picture is worth a thousand words, and for this issue, we want illustrations to lead the conversation. Submissions for stories and poetry that are inspired by, in response to, or in conversation with the following illustrations will be accepted from February 24th - March 31st . We welcome up to three poems and two prose pieces (maximum of 600 words each) per submission, but please note the following guidelines: All submissions must be connected to the artwork featured on this page . Any poems or stories that are not inspired by or related to the illustrations presented here will not be considered. All written pieces should be submitted in a single document with the titles of each piece clearly marked (.doc/.docx, or pdf preferred).  Please do not submit multiple pieces in response to a single illustration. For example, if you are submitting three poems, those three poems should be in response to three separate works of art. Please be sure to list on our submission form the title of each of your pieces and the number for the image that each piece is connected to. (For example: My Great Poem--Image 3). I f your artwork has been selected to appear in this issue, you are welcome to submit poems or stories for consideration, but please do not send written submissions that respond to your own illustration. As always, no AI-generated work . We are looking for your original ideas! Unpublished work only please! For our purposes, a piece is considered published if it has appeared online or in print in an existing journal, magazine, anthology, or other books. Work that has appeared on personal blogs, social media, or as part of a class assignment is okay.  Remember, though, for this issue we only want writing that responds to the artwork featured on this page so please keep that in mind before you submit a piece that was written prior to seeing the featured illustrations. We will happily accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere by emailing us at littlethoughtspress@gmail.com  to withdraw your piece.  We are a publication for readers ages 10 and under. Please make sure your submissions are appropriate for our audience. We welcome submissions from writers and artists of all ages. A number of spots per issue will be reserved for our youngest submitters ages 12 and under.  When you are ready to submit, send your work through our submission form. Please do not email your submission. If you have difficulty using our submission form, please email Claire at littlethoughtspress.gmail.com for assistance. IMAGE 1 IMAGE 2 IMAGE 3 IMAGE 4 IMAGE 5 IMAGE 6 IMAGE 7 IMAGE 8 IMAGE 9 IMAGE 10

A photograph of Little Thoughts Press Issue Nine: Go Wild featuring the poem "The Tiger and the Wren" by Christiana Doucette and an illustration of a tiger by Liz Woodward. Christiana Doucette spends mornings in her garden weeding, because just like her poetry, flowers grow best with space to breathe. She has judged poetry for San Diego Writer’s Festival for the past three years. Her poetry has appeared in anthologies, been set to music by opera composers, and performed on NPR. She is the 2024 Kay Yoder Scholarship for American History recipient. Her full-length verse novel works are represented by Leslie Zampetti of Open Book Literary. You can find her recent and forthcoming poetry in County Lines , Boats Against the Current , Full Mood Magazine , The Zinnia Journal , The Creekside Magazine , Frazzled Lit ., Wildscape Literary Journal , Paraselene , engine(idling , and Wild Peach . Little Thoughts Press: Your poem “Boundary Waters Dark Sanctuary” is an atmospheric, sensory delight. The reader is immersed in the images and sounds of this space—the mesmerizing expanse of glittering stars and the colors of the Northern Lights, the sounds of trees and of animals shrieking and bellowing—and yet there is a feeling of such peace and quiet reflection among all this noise (especially contrasted with the clatter and sensory overload of zooming headlights and booming construction crews that start the poem). You make the dark come alive in a way that is both haunting and comforting. Can you take us through how this poem came together? What images did you start with? How did you choose which sounds to include and how to describe them? Do you have any tips for creating such an immersive setting in the short space of a poem? Christiana Doucette: I wrote "Boundary Waters Dark Sanctuary" specifically for this issue of Little Thoughts Press . We'd recently had several space events happen that left our family scrambling for a place where it was dark enough to actually see the meteor shower, or comet, or planet conjunctions. And I'd spent time reading about the dark sanctuaries of the world. The beautiful thing about a place secluded enough to minimize light pollution is that it often shelters a variety of endangered animals, such as some I reference within the poem. When I began drafting, I knew that I wanted the poem to move. And to do that, I needed to take the reader from somewhere to the dark sanctuary. A bustling city full of sound and light seemed the right contrast, so I began there. My hope is that the contrast allows the reader to better enjoy the stillness, the nature, and the light that is not artificial and everywhere. When you turn out the lights, all other senses intensify. That element seemed vital to this poem. It led to the final stanza full of nature's endangered sounds. I'm always drawn to verse that weaves sounds together to create an aural experience that mirrors the story. A poet I admire who uses this technique is Christian Wiman. His lines cascade with sounds echoing and chiming off each other. That's what I want happening in this poem. I'd love for it to be read aloud to someone who has closed their eyes and is just listening to a sound waterfall in the stillness of their own mind. I listen for similar vowel sounds like "shriek/tree," "canvas/dance" or "sphinx/drinks." In portions I just pour a rich helping of internal rhyme into a line like "perch on a boulder shoulder to shoulder and listen to older sounds." I wanted nature to feel rich and real and full of connection. As I worked through this portion of the poem there were animals I added and then took away because they did not add to that sound experience/endangered animal element that I wanted. Tips for immersive setting? Set yourself in that place. However you need to do that. Maybe look at pictures. Maybe find Youtube clips of people there so you can get a taste of the sounds. How something looks is just one sense, and there are five senses. Use them! Here I use a lot of sound. But if I'd wanted to create something longer I might have gone further into the piney smell of the wood, the damp moss on the boulder's earthiness, or what the air tastes like next to the water at night. Layering senses is a great way to create immersion. Little Thoughts Press: Let’s not beat around the bush: hatred, anger, and intolerance are proliferating in our society right now, and these messages are undoubtedly reaching our children. One of the things I love about your poem “The Tiger and the Wren” is that it offers a quiet message of harmony and tolerance without stating it too plainly or didactically. It reminds me of Aesop’s Fables.  Do you have other examples you can share, either of your own work or other poems you admire, where this ability to subtly and deftly convey a greater meaning is on display? Do you feel a responsibility to use your poetry as a way to comment on the state of the world and promote the ideals that are most meaningful to you? If so, how do you balance that effort with the kind of lightness and joyfulness that is often needed to get young readers to initially engage with poetry? Christiana Doucette: You are spot on picking up on the layering of the poem! I wrote "The Tiger and the Wren" for two of my daughters when they were preschool/kindergartners, each of whom has one of those animals as a nickname. They share a room, and sharing space can be difficult. The story under the story here is one sister upset at her sibling for invading her bed after a naptime nightmare. The sister whose bed was invaded was initially really grumpy about it, but then as the space invading sister snuggled in it ended up being a really sweet moment between the two of them. The frightened Wren started singing to herself and it calmed both of them back to sleep. The Tiger who'd been so grumpy came out after a nap, telling me how I needed to be very quiet so I wouldn't wake up Wren. But you're absolutely right. I saw the story in multiple layers. I could see an animal level where it's reduced to only prominent character traits, as well as on the level of watching my children work through a struggle, and broadly, like you referenced, finding a way to appreciate how someone different than us adds light and beauty to our world.  I have a tendency to layer things pretty heavily. It's in a lot of my poetry. There's usually a surface story, with more beneath. I fairly regularly contribute to #HaikuSaturday on BlueSky and my haiku have multiple meanings. Some meanings may stay private, and others I hope readers will also pick up on. I have several published poems where that layering is especially present: "Ocean Haiku Sequence " in LitShark has a whole parade of two world, one breath haiku that I wrote picturing a school field trip using public transportation. There's such a long history of poets using similar layering, but for "The Tiger and the Wren" I especially think of Emily Dickinson. She wrote of nature, but some of those nature poems during the Civil War I believe referenced events current to her beneath the nature references. I especially think of " They dropped like flakes " written in 1862, and " The name of it is 'Autumn' " which might actually be describing the Battle of Antietam. I don't know that I approached this poem particularly thinking of lightness. But perhaps the sweetness of the moment between sisters brought the light. It may also be the rhyme/slant rhyme and meter that help lift the feet of this poem. Where the first poem needed the freedom to be a fountain, this one stayed within careful syllabic boundaries, giving it a little bit of a bounce. Little Thoughts Press: Issue 9: Go Wild! is about bringing attention to endangered and vulnerable animal species, and spotlighting conservation efforts that can help protect wildlife and their habitats. First, what is your favorite animal? And second, what are some things that you and your family do to help care for and protect wildlife and the natural world? Christiana Doucette: My rescue puppy would be very offended if I didn't say he's my favorite animal. But among endangered animals, I'm especially drawn to the tigers and rhinos. One local species I hope will soon have its own endangered status and associated protection is the Carolina Hellbender, a variety of salamander native to our area. It's one of the largest salamander varieties in the United States. As for how we help care for and protect wildlife, when we moved into our current home, the backyard was a tangle of broken shopping carts, thorns, plastic grocery bag litter and debris. We had no idea a creek ran through the back! But slowly over that first year we cleared away the invasive vines and the litter. I'll never forget dumping a load of leaves into the wheelbarrow and hearing the water come back to life and start running the way it was meant to. Now springs are full of tadpoles. My kids observe salamanders. We watch Blue Heron catch minnows in the creek. And at night, we are woken by a parliament of owls that like to hold their meetings in the trees out back. I love the slice of nature we get to help nurture from our own home. Little Thoughts Press: How did you get started writing kid-lit and what do you find most challenging and rewarding about writing for kids? Christiana Doucette: Growing up, my mom was a writer. She gave me my first poetry book when I was six. I still have it. There was a Kid Lit author in my neighborhood who would come visit us every few weeks to read aloud his story for feedback. I started writing a series of short stories about a frog that I'd share with him, too. And he encouraged my writing so much. During college I didn't write much besides papers, though I sometimes took notes in verse. I started writing Kid Lit again in 2017 during a very difficult surgery recovery for my husband. For nine long weeks he needed help for even simple tasks like rising from his chair, or laying down. And I had two toddlers to care for as well. I began writing during Nanowrimo that month as an escape since I couldn't bodily go anywhere and needed some place to not be responsible for anyone but myself. Of course then I was responsible for all of my characters. But it's a different type of responsibility. After finishing the story that month, I stumbled into the PitchWars community, found my first critique partners, and began querying. I love the community. I already loved writing for kids. Often my kids are the first to hear my kid-related work. I especially love sharing history and science in memorable ways. Once I started back into writing, it was like a water hose had turned on. I couldn't bear to stop. Little Thoughts Press: Which kid-lit authors and books were your favorites growing up? Christiana Doucette: I was obsessed with The Boxcar Children , and all the horse books. I also loved retold fairy tales like Ella Enchanted and Rose's Daughter . I read everything Enid Blyton wrote, all I could find from C.S. Lewis, George McDonald, Robin McKinley, and others. My brother and I were limited to checking out 10 books a week. I'd check out almost all fantasy and horse books, he'd go for the sci-fi. Within a day or two we'd finish our own books and swap. We are both still fast voracious readers. Little Thoughts Press: And what about today? Any kid-lit writers you love and want to shout out? Christiana Doucette: Oh, so many! My mentor Joy McCullough has such a lovely modern secret garden inspired book titled Across the Pond . I love Nedda Lewer's Daughters of the Lamp , Aisling Fowler's Fireborn trilogy, Rebecca Weber's The Painter's Butterfly , and Miriam Franklin's  Extraordinary . I'm pretty obsessed with one particular form, the novel-in-verse. And I could probably list dozens of those. But I'll limit myself to: The Girl in the Walls by Meg Eden Kuyatt: A neurodivergent girl spends the summer with her undiagnosed neurodivergent grandmother in a house haunted by a vengeful ghost. It deals with generational trauma and breaking cycles in such a powerful accessible way. It comes out this year. I am Kavi by Thushanthi Ponweera: A Sri Lankan girl sees the scholarship she just won as a way out for herself and her mother, only to learn her mother will be staying behind with her stepdad. Desperate to fit in at the elite school, she begins a life of deception that escalates, endangering her ongoing education, and way forward. Flooded by Ann E. Burg: The way the author weaves points of view! If you like Spoonriver Anthology , it reminds me a bit of that poetry collection. It's the story of the Johnstown Flood when a dam failed, drowning whole towns in a valley. It's a fascinating read, and fascinating history. After reading I wanted to look up all I could on the event. Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson by Ann E. Burg: A non-fiction story in verse following the life of the renowned naturalist who first wrote of the impact pesticides were having on nature in her Silent Spring . It's told on a middle grade level. And I just love how the story is brought to life. Little Thoughts Press: What advice would you give to young writers? Christiana Doucette: Read broadly! Read what you love! Talk with others about what you love. It's helpful to think of what movement is going to happen in a short piece, whether poetry or prose story. Use all your senses as you write! And find others who love writing too. You can encourage each other along the way in ways that won't happen on your own. Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked? Any upcoming projects, publications, or other news you'd like to share? Christiana Doucette: I have a whole page where I link to places my poetry has published. You can f ind that here . I also share novel-in-verse statistics about once a year on a portion of my website. Like I mentioned above, it's my favorite form. I've just shared one with a masterlist of all the middle grade novels-in-verse I can find, along with infographics about this year and last year's titles. You can see that post here . Thank you for the opportunity to share. And I loved the compelling questions you explored!

Here at Little Thoughts Press, we want to shine a spotlight on some of the amazing artwork we have featured in our issues over the years, and celebrate the talented illustrators and artists who have shared their work with our readers. We hope that our Inspired by Illustrations series will spark new poem and stories ideas for writers of all ages and encourage you to share your drafts, brainstorms, or reactions to the featured artwork in the comments below. If you are inspired to craft a piece and wish to share it on social media, or a personal blog or website, we ask that you please include a link to our blog post and tag Little Thoughts Press and the artist whenever possible so that we can help spread the word and shout-out our talented contributors. Today we have an illustration, MerDads, by Kati Fernandez Lambert that originally appeared in our Pride issue . Kati Fernandez Lambert (she/her/hers) is an illustrator and artist who lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her family, cat, chickens, and fish. She loves to make drawings that celebrate love and connection. If she could, she would draw pictures all day long, stopping only to snack on cookies. Her home is on occupied Ho-Chunk Land, where she enjoys finding inspiration in nature, catching frogs, and wildlife tracking. Find more of Kati's work at www.coyotefirearts.com .

Thank you to everyone who shared the love in our Silly Love Sonnets kidlit poetry contest! It was such a delight to read through all of the incredible entries about the sweet and silly little things you all love! We are excited to announce our WINNER... artwork by Little Thoughts Press cover artist, Rachael Harbert LINDA HOFKE Raccoon's Sonnet for Trash Cans Oh, wondrous trash cans, lining city streets, we topple you to let the scraps spill out, and cherish the discarded tasty treats, like chocolate-covered cake with sauerkraut. The mighty depths of your gourmet cuisine keep we raccoons a-digging through the night, discovering a donut or sardine, or ketchup-coated morsels of delight. Some apple cores in gravy mixed with peas, potato peels in homemade apple sauce, a giant chunk of moldy cheddar cheese-- we never know what we will come across, each trash can a mysterious food tower with succulent surprises to devour. Congratulations, Linda! Were we swayed by the focus on raccoons and what felt like an intentional nod to our contest mascot? Sure, but we also really loved the playful, gross-out humor in Linda's clever food combinations and the specific love not just for the disgusting delights found in the garbage, but for the trash cans themselves as a source of mystery and joy. AND OUR HONORABLE MENTIONS ARE... SARAH CLAXTON SONNET FOR A BUMBLE BEE As you put the treasures in your pocket And stuff full your pantaloons It’s the flowers that will profit In the summer month of June Flitting about from tulip to daisy Sniffing inside to gather the nectar The bee-hind emerging makes me crazy You are by far the cutest collector The way you float and wiggle near The delight you bring I cannot inhibit The sight of you I hold so dear I plant your favorites so you’ll visit It’s no wonder you’re the knees Sweet and plump, silly bumblebee & JESSE ANNA BORNEMANN ODE TO U From the Ural Mountains' peaks to Uruguayan beaches, From Utah 'cross the pond to the UK, Your unique and undying charm ubiquitously reaches. Your fame is universal, I should say! You're zesty like umami, an uncommon sort of flavor. Like unicorns, you show a sparkly flair. Your upside-down umbrella smile is poetry I savor— So crisp and bright, like brand-new underwear! I might appear without you in qat, Qatar, or qi, but It's by your side I'm anxious to remain. I understand, so many times, you slyly stray from me, but "It's U for me!" shall be my bold refrain. I promise to be steadfast, sweet, and true— Your utterly devoted letter Q. And lastly, my eight-year-old's favorite and the winner of our KID'S CHOICE is... BENNY ZADIK SCREAM TIME Dare not take away my screen, Brave not my wrath, my howls, my scream, Of course I jest! (though I can  play mean), Should disturb you my screen-time regime, ’Tis not my want to throw a scene, A tantrum, fit, or fiendish scheme, But should you prove less than keen, To expedite this YouTube stream... Resign your protest, forswear routine, Just tap four digits, sight unseen, Thy passcode unlocks my imprisoned queen, My blue-tint love, my iPad screen, Huzzah! Regret-not what you here bestow, How now?! What treachery! “BATTERY LOW!” Here are a few thoughts on his choice: "This is so relatable. Me and all of my friends love our screen time and we've all been there where you're like, 'Oh man, low battery?!'" Congratulations to all our winners! Please email me at littlethoughtspress at gmail to claim your prizes and coordinate shipping. Our Winner, Honorable Mentions, and Kid's Choice winner will receive a copy of one of our issues and a bookmark featuring cover art from Little Thoughts Press. Thank you again to everyone who participated! It was such a treat to read through your entries . And thank you as always for reading and supporting Little Thoughts Press! Our 10th issue: An Ekphrasis Adventure will be opening for writing submissions later this week, so keep an eye on this space!

Valentine's Day is almost here! To celebrate and spread a little kidlit love, we are excited to once again host our "Silly Love Sonnets” Kidlit Poetry Contest! artwork by Little Thoughts Press cover artist, Rachael Harbert It's time again to celebrate the little things you love the most! That first sip of coffee in the morning, the distant sound of a train whistle, the teeny tiny chocolate chips in a granola bar, or your softest, most comfortable t-shirt. Give us unusual perspectives: a poem from a dog who stops to sniff at every tree on a walk, a thundercloud ready to burst with rain, an earthworm making its way through the dirt. Don't let the form scare you away. We are looking for sonnets but aren't sticklers for specific rules. Just give us fourteen lines about something silly you love. Rhyme and meter are a plus, but aren't required. What: A fourteen-line poem celebrating any little thing you love. The sillier the better! This is all about spreading joy, and saluting the small pleasures in life. All submissions should be appropriate for a readership of kids ages 12 and younger. Who: Agented, pre-agented, published, pre-published, writers of all ages and stages— all kidlit creatives are welcome to enter! When: The contest submission period is from February 12th - 14th . A winner, two honorable mentions, and a kid choice winner will be announced here, on the Little Thoughts Press blog, and on our socials on Monday, February 18th! Selected poems will be featured on the blog and winners will receive a free copy of their choice of one of our issues & a bookmark featuring Little Thoughts Press cover art. Winning entries will be selected by Little Thoughts Press editors, Claire and Carrie. How to enter: Post your entry as a comment on this post by 11:59 pm (EST) on February 14th. Comments will be turned on starting February 12th. Entries posted outside of this window will not be considered. Please include your name with your poem so we know for sure whose entry it is! Details: Rhyme and meter are not required, but your sonnet must be fourteen lines. 1 entry per kidlit creator. Grab your copy of our participant badge and help spread the word by sharing #sillylovesonnets on your socials! We can't wait to see all the silly things you can't help but love!

Here at Little Thoughts Press, we want to shine a spotlight on some of the amazing artwork we have featured in our issues over the years, and celebrate the talented illustrators and artists who have shared their work with our readers. We hope that our Inspired by Illustrations series will spark new poem and stories ideas for writers of all ages and encourage you to share your drafts, brainstorms, or reactions to the featured artwork in the comments below. If you are inspired to craft a piece and wish to share it on social media, or a personal blog or website, we ask that you please include a link to our blog post and tag Little Thoughts Press and the artist whenever possible so that we can help spread the word and shout-out our talented contributors. Today we have an illustration by Jess Burbank that originally appeared in our Fabulous Facts issue . Jess Burbank is a picture book author/illustrator, working primarily with traditional media every day from her art studio in Bellevue, Washington. Named a 2023 PB Party Finalist and a 2023 PB Rising Star Runner-up, Jess is a member of Storyteller Academy and SCBWI where she continues to hone both her writing and illustration skills. She enjoys nature walks admiring the many mosses of the Pacific Northwest with her corgi, playing board games with her husband, and traveling as much as possible. Find more of Jess's work at www.jessburbank.com .

Leonor , aged 6, wants to be really clever when she grows up. Her most favourite colours are green, silver and gold. Her favourite character is Disgust from Inside Out. Most of all she loves her family. What made you choose this animal for our Go Wild issue? Because they have beautiful colours.  What is one interesting fact about the super humpheaded wrasse that you can share with our readers?  It has thick lips and teeth.  What is your favorite topic to study in school? History and art and English. And I also like Geography and RE and PE. What is the most interesting thing you recently learned? About the Great Fire of London.  What book are you currently reading or read most recently? Would you recommend this book to other readers? The Emperor's New Clothes. Yes, I would recommend it.  What is your favorite animal? Oh gosh, I like so many animals... horse and bunny.  Do you have any suggestions for fellow kids on how they can help protect animals and wildlife habitats? Make sure other people don't kill them and to tell them not to. Look after them and make sure they're not hurt. Making sure they have food. Pick up rubbish down at the sea.

Dezzy Khirallah is 10 years old and a very zany person. He LOVES to make other people laugh. He does a lot of different activities besides school. His favorite activity is rock climbing (which he is getting really good at). He also swims competitively, and plays the electric guitar and viola. Dez loves spending time with all of his friends, they enjoy playing anywhere and all enjoy playing Minecraft together. Dez once built a giant restaurant in Minecraft that looks like the Steve character barfing real lava (pouring down) into a bucket. He also can be clumsy at times and once ran full speed into a stop sign and now has a scar on his head, and no, not like Harry Potter’s.  Peace out! What made you choose to focus on fish for our Go Wild issue? The reason I focused on fish for this assignment is because most people assume that fish are just for eating but they are wrong. Fish are the biggest part of the earth’s ecosystem and lifecycle. Without fish it would be much harder to survive. There are so many different types of fish and we don’t want any of these magnificent creatures to get extinct.  I wanted to bring attention to some endangered fish because it is not only the cute and furry animals that are disappearing. I love looking at fish tanks and watching the different fish swim, one day I hope to have a great variety of fish in my own aquarium. I wondered if any fish species were endangered and I learned that 1,616 fish species are at risk for extinction, 989 are endangered, and 627 are critically endangered. This makes me feel very upset. They are endangered because humans are polluting the oceans, overfishing, and killing the reefs as the oceans are getting too warm. I suggest we start eating fish that are easier to repopulate. We need to stop our trash from getting into the ocean and use more boats and technology and clean up the trash that is in our oceans, rivers, and lakes. I don’t know how we can help bring the reefs back to life because I don’t know how to stop global warming easily but I heard that “green” energy will help, like using bikes instead of gas driven cars to get around when we can.  One source claimed that the following fish were the top ten most endangered species: 10- Atlantic Halibut. 9- Beluga Sturgeon. 8- Acadian Redfish. 7- Winter Skate. 6-Orange Roughy. 5- Bocaccio Rockfish. 4- European Eel. 3-Goliath Grouper. 2-Maltese Ray. 1-Bluefin Tuna.  What is your favorite topic to study in school? My favorite subject in school is music because it sounds awesome and I am good at it.  What is the most interesting thing you recently learned? The most interesting thing I’ve recently learned was how to play Pirates of the Caribbean on the electric guitar. What book are you currently reading or read most recently? Would you recommend this book to other readers? The book series I just finished reading is the Wild Robot . I would recommend this book because you usually don’t know what is going to happen next, five out of five stars. We featured your artwork in our very first issue, Magical Winter! It's wonderful to see that your interest in art has continued. What first got you interested in drawing and creating art? What is your favorite thing to draw? How does creating art make you feel? One thing that got me into art was my family. I saw how a lot of people in my family were so good at art and that inspired me to draw too.  My favorite thing to draw changes a lot. First I loved drawing trains, then Pokémon; dinosaurs; Super Mario characters; Minecraft characters; then fish; and occasionally trains at intervals in between, basically whatever I am interested in at the time. Creating art makes me feel happy and excited because I can draw what I see without tracing. I always can’t wait for my art piece to be done so I can start another.  What is your favorite animal? My favorite animal is a duck. Do you have any suggestions for fellow kids on how they can help protect animals and wildlife habitats? What are some things you and your family do to care for animals and the natural world? My suggestion for other kids to help animals and wild habitats is to try to use less disposable bags, paper bags are okay because they can be recycled. Also try to throw away less food. My family and I can help by continuing to recycle, not wasting food, and driving less so that we don't waste gasoline.

Daya Woodward loves to draw and paint whenever she can. When Daya isn't drawing, she enjoys jumping on the couch, taking care of her baby monkey, and eating pasta. What do you like most about Amur leopards? Dots. They're fun. What is your favorite animal? The bunny. Because they are my favorite. Because they like to laugh. Is there a book that you read recently that you really love and think other kids should read too? Yea, um, it is The Rabbit Listened . I like that the hyena likes to laugh. You are the youngest illustrator we have ever featured! What do you like best about making art? How does drawing make you feel? Um, coloring, because it's my favorite. We color faster and faster. It makes me happy about it. What are some things you and your family do to help protect animals and take care of the world? We pick them up and hold them and keep them. We like tigers to scratch us and kitties scratch us. Our kitties, we pick them up and hold them and be nice to them and we let them inside.

Welcome to our new writing prompt series, Inspired by Illustrations! Here at Little Thoughts Press, we want to shine a spotlight on some of the amazing artwork we have featured in our issues over the years, and celebrate the talented illustrators and artists who have shared their work with our readers. We hope that our Inspired by Illustrations series will spark new poem and stories ideas for writers of all ages and encourage you to share your drafts, brainstorms, or reactions to the featured artwork in the comments below. If you are inspired to craft a piece and wish to share it on social media, or a personal blog or website, we ask that you please include a link to our blog post and tag Little Thoughts Press and the artist whenever possible so that we can help spread the word and shout-out our talented contributors. To kick off this new series, we have an illustration by Valéry Goulet that originally appeared in our Autumnatopoeia issue . Valéry Goulet grew up in Québec. That’s where she first fell in love with illustration. Dreaming up worlds as a child turned into academic ambition as an adult. She studied at Université Laval and earned a Masters in Interaction Design. She’s worked with global brands and agencies. And her illustrations have garnered attention far and wide. When she’s not illustrating, she’s teaching. Valéry instructs for the Visual Communication Design Program at the University of Alberta. She also teaches in the Bachelor of Design program at MacEwan University. By inspiring others, she connects with the spirit of creativity that fueled her dreams as a child. Find Valéry's portfolio at https://www.valerydesignwrks.ca/ .

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's “From Trash to Treasure” Kidlit Poetry Contest! It was so fun to read the stories behind this year's entries and see everyone's creativity on display. We are thrilled to announce our WINNER... TRACIE RENEE Kale Chips and Pickled Beets   Parents aren’t supposed to lie but    tonight Mom said, This is really good!   and I can’t decide what’s worse:    Mom telling that lie...   or believing that’s the truth?!    Congratulations, Tracie! "Kale Chips and Pickled Beets" is humorous and oh so relatable! We gobbled it up! As our kid judge put it, the line This is really good! "is exactly what moms say and it's hardly ever true." Kudos to this winning poem for finding that perfect balance of kid and adult appeal! There was such an inspiring blend of humor and heart in this year's entries. It wasn't easy to choose our favorites but please join us in congratulating our two HONORABLE MENTIONS... JULIE HAUSWIRTH "Mermaids aren't REAL," Carlie said, but the river disagreed in every shade of turquoise and tossed shimmers of glittery silt into a swirling kaleidoscope of sunbeams... or was that the flick of a tail? We love the beautiful descriptions of the river that add to the sense of magic in this poem and the little mysterious twist at the end is a delight. KELLY Boogie Monster Trap    With sticks and string, bucket of water, squirt of soap, the mop, hat rack, and Dad’s overcoat, I set the trap, then went to bed— SNAP! CRASH! Surprise! Caught Mom instead. How fun to try to picture this monster trap fully constructed and to be able to see the ending coming even if Mom doesn't! My seven-year-old represented young readers by selecting his favorite. The winner of our KID CHOICE is... BABY CHICKADEE I am a baby chickadee My wings are black my body sleek and as I call, I chirp and squeak.  I store my seeds and tons of it.  Is that too much? No not a bit! Ben, on why he chose Baby Chickadee: "I love anything with animals and the ending where the chickadee says 'Is that too much? No not a bit!' is so cute and funny." Congratulations to the author of Baby Chickadee. There was no name posted with this poem, so please shout out in the comments if you wrote this one so we can update this post and properly congratulate you. Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to all of the poets who participated this year! We loved seeing the treasures you created and we hope you'll join in when we do this again next year! In the meantime, our Go Wild! issue launches on Wednesday, November 20th. Order a print copy , or check out our issues page on Wednesday for a link to a free PDF of the issue. We are also hosting a Kid-Lit Celebration on Sunday, December 1st from 2–4 pm (EST) featuring readings from our contributors, prizes & announcements for the year ahead. This event is virtual and free to attend, but registration is required.

Little Thoughts Press and the Revision Raccoon are excited to announce the return of our “From Trash to Treasure” Kidlit Poetry Contest! Rather than throw out our darlings, what if we remade them? Take a discarded darling and make something new! Send us a lyrical haiku, funny limerick, inspiring quintains, creative free verse, or whatever your imagination dreams up. What: Take a discarded-but-loved line from one of your kidlit pieces and use it as a starting point for a poem. Be it fiction or nonfiction, funny or a little dark, quirky or inspirational – whatever direction you go, the work should be appropriate for kids 12 and younger. LGTBQT+ and diverse themes are welcome. The first line of your new poem must be a line that you previously cut from a different piece. We're working on the honor system here! Please do not submit a poem that doesn't include a previously discarded line. Who: Agented, pre-agented, published, pre-published, kids of all ages— any and all kidlit creatives are welcome to enter! When: The contest submission period is from November 10th - 13th . A winner, two honorable mentions and a kid's choice winner (selected by our EIC's 7-year-old) will be announced here, on the Little Thoughts Press blog, and on our social media sites on Monday, November 18th! Selected poems will be featured on the blog and the winner will receive a free copy of their choice of one our magazine issues . Winning entries will be selected by Little Thoughts Press editors, Claire and Carrie. How to enter: Post your entry as a comment on this post anytime between November 10th and November 13th. Comments will be closed on this post except for during the contest window. Details: There is no word limit, BUT there is a maximum length of five lines per piece. 1 entry per kidlit creator. Feel free to include a sentence or two about the reason this is a “darling” and the inspiration behind the reimagining of it. Grab your copy of our Revision Raccoon participant badge and help spread the word by sharing #trashtotreasure24 on your socials! We can't wait to see how you turn your trash into shiny new treasures! Need some inspiration? Check out last year's entries and winners !