Friendship & Family - page 1 - all works

Children's

The Chrysanthemum Question

He was leaving. His meager belongings tucked into his backpack, Makoto slipped down the hall. The morning sun was creeping into the house. Shadows lingered in the living room like quiet storm clouds ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Tale 3 min

The Starship of Random Acts of Sparkles

Amy Power Jansen

Cleo curled up on the rainbow-coloured beanbag next to her mom's desk. It had been bad enough when she had to go back to school to finish out the term after Dad's accident. But adding insult to ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Humor 3 min

Pupthagoras the Wonder Dog

Jenny Moore

Pupthagoras Barkimedes Brown was no ordinary dog. He was a woofety wonder-mutt with intelligent eyes and a head full of amazing ideas. Even his fleas were clever. While normal dogs ran around ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Adventure 3 min

Where do bugs go to read?

Liam Berryman

Leaving her parents behind the second they all arrived together, Lucy tiptoed through the aisles of books that filled her local library. She was determined to find what she had always heard was ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Adventure 3 min

Comfortable Otter

Anne Johnson

Tremaine was an otter who would do anything to be comfortable. He used fluffy cottonwood seeds to line his hole in the rocky river wall. When the river roared too loudly, he tucked wet leaves in his ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family 2 min

The immortal grasshopper

Chris Falcoz

The grasshopper hated winter. She could feel it approaching, with its gusts of cold air that left her continuously shivering, and knew there was nothing she could do about it.

The few insects she'd ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family 2 min

Kite's Tale

Sue Lancaster

Ever since his arrival on Molly's birthday, Kite had longed to feel the wind in his ribbons. But whenever Molly suggested taking him outside, Mummy had a reason to say no . . . "It's too cold.""It's ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family 4 min

The Build-A-Friend

Philippa Rae

It was Saturday morning. Toby was playing with his friends.
Toby wanted to fly the kite but Majid wouldn't let go of the string. "It's mine."
"Yeeha!" Peter shouted. Toby put his hands to his ears ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Tale 4 min

Three Wishes

Susan Lendroth

Three cats -- Rumkin, Mist, and Flop Ear -- followed Jenny along the rocky shore, dancing away from the incoming tide."This will make a good soup," said Jenny, dropping a glistening clump of sea moss ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Slice of life 2 min

The Treehouse

Karen Tylek

My name is Zach, and I don't have a treehouse.

My new neighbor, Oliver, has an amazing treehouse built just for him. He's so lucky.

What I have is a stack of unread library books and a LOUD ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Poetry Slice of life 1 min

Ice Cream at Bedtime

Susan Lendroth

Ice cream at bedtime,
Aunt Betty's the best!
She knows in the summer
it's hard to find rest

when faced with hot sheets,
hot pillows, hot bed,
no place cool enough
to lay a hot ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family 3 min

The Cat Who Hated His Name

Katie MacNichol

Kitsy Boo hated his name.
"Kitsyyyyyyyyyyy," his owner, Marguerite, would call. "Boooooooooooooo!"
Every time the shaky old voice called for him, the other neighborhood animals would laugh. ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Slice of life 3 min

The New Kid

M L Owen

Phineas wished, for the two-thousand-three-hundred-and-twenty-third time, that he had a different name. His father was in the army, and the family moved fairly often. No, unfairly often. There was ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Adventure Sci-Fi & Fantasy 4 min

Bronnie and the Great Green Two-Headed Plague Dragon

E J Delaney

Bronagh's mother watched her toying with her food.
"Sit up straight, Bronnie," she chided, "and finish your dinner. Your father's ready to read you a story."
"I don't want to."
"Well, if you'd ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Adventure Sci-Fi & Fantasy 5 min

Finding Silver City

Susan Lendroth

Sarah bounced as the SUV hit another rough patch on the dirt road into Silver City.
"Just look at this place!" her dad exclaimed, taking photos of one rundown building after another.
"You wanted ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Adventure Sci-Fi & Fantasy 5 min

Theofina Freezes

Kilmeny MacMichael

Theofina's class had won a contest. The contest was for a special trip. They were going to go back to the time of the dinosaurs!
Theo was happy, excited, and worried. She wanted to be brave, but ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Slice of life Poetry 1 min

Whistle at First Light

Susan Lendroth

There are mountains hidden downstairs
in my grandpa's country house
with craggy granite boulders
no bigger than a mouse.

Little trees of twigs and moss
hug miniature ravines,
where ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Adventure Sci-Fi & Fantasy 5 min

Noisy Night on Planet Purple Plum

Guy Belleranti

SNORRRRR!

Jason sat up in his space bunk. What was that noise? It wasn't the wind. He'd heard and felt lots of Planet Purple Plum wind in the front yard that afternoon while Mia and he were ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Slice of life 4 min

The Gift

Ellen Denton

Allison stood in line with the rest of her class, waiting for the school doors to open. Usually first thing in the morning was a quiet time, but today kids were talking happily—and loudly. This was ... [+]

Children's

Friendship & Family Adventure Slice of life 5 min Mature Audience

Thumbs Up

Nancy Coulter

Jennie rubbed the sandpaper rhythmically along the curved edge of the skateboard deck. On the sixth pass, the gritty paper caught the end of her finger.
"Ow!" Several tiny blood droplets came to the ... [+]

A New Kind of Literary Pulse

A New Kind of Literary Pulse

The Chrysanthemum Question

The Starship of Random Acts of Sparkles

Pupthagoras the Wonder Dog

Where do bugs go to read?

Comfortable Otter

The immortal grasshopper

Kite's Tale

The Build-A-Friend

Three Wishes

The Treehouse

Ice Cream at Bedtime

The Cat Who Hated His Name

The New Kid

Bronnie and the Great Green Two-Headed Plague Dragon

Finding Silver City

Theofina Freezes

Whistle at First Light

Noisy Night on Planet Purple Plum

The Gift

Thumbs Up