Caitlin Goh, 12 (Dallas, TX), published in Stone Soup March 2020
A note from Emma
Do you know what was happening in the year you were born?
I was born in the year 1988, and I had to look up what was going on in the world then. 1988, like 2020, was an election year in the US—George H.W. Bush won. There were numerous man-made and environmental disasters. The movie Big with Tom Hanks was released. The Soviet Union began to dissolve. The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway. There was a Winter Olympics. NASA launched its shuttle Discovery into space for the first time.
Many, many other things happened too. When I read through the lists I find online, it’s one disaster and political crisis after another. This is strangely comforting. So much is going on in the world right now, especially with the spread of COVID-19. Much feels uncertain for all of us. Looking at history is a reminder that history has always been one crisis after another. One day, we will look back and say, “Remember the self-quarantine in 2020?”
This week, consider finding out what was happening in the year you were born. You can search online or you can ask a parent, older sibling, or relative. How was the world different? Maybe what you learn will inspire a story, poem, or artwork!
Finally, I hope you will take the painting and poem included in this newsletter as a reminder to spend time outdoors during this hectic time. Simply looking at a tree waving gently in the wind or at a sky filled with cumulus clouds makes me feel calmer and happier.
Until next week,
Highlights from the past week online
Don't miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com!
Daniel talks about the powerful effects of grief in his review of the book Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Learn about the main character’s struggle in coping with the deaths of family members and how she found ways to move forward.
Why can’t we just make water? You might have wondered this before, especially with all the talk of clean water that has been happening lately. Well, it’s not so easy, Lucinda explains in her blog “The Science of Making Water.” Read Lucinda’s explanation of the chemistry, as well as some unfortunate historical examples.
From Stone Soup February 2020
In My Liquid Tourmaline
By Lauren Giglia, 11 (Irvine, CA)
In this shimmering liquid tourmaline
A teal and gold-breasted kingfisher whistles in the green pines
As the lake’s cool breath whispers in my ear
She speaks of laughing trout gliding in her belly
Humans pouring acid in her veins
And her tree friends she has lost
I am wrapped in the scent of salt and sweetness
As the freezing rush of cold water billows about my hand
And the smooth trout wriggle across the lake
Stone Soup is published by Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization registered
in the United States of America, EIN: 23-7317498.
Stone Soup's Advisors: Abby Austin, Mike Axelrod, Annabelle Baird, Jem Burch, Evelyn Chen, Juliet Fraser, Zoe Hall, Montanna Harling, Alicia & Joe Havilland, Lara Katz, Rebecca Kilroy, Christine Leishman, Julie Minnis, Jessica Opolko, Tara Prakash, Denise Prata, Logan Roberts, Emily Tarco, Rebecca Ramos Velasquez, Susan Wilky.
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