Stone Soup Magazine
— Dumpling Days, by Grace Lin; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: New York, 2012; $15.99 “You should know Taiwan. It’s…” Dad said, his face dimming as he tried to think...
— A ten-year-old mariachi violinist battles stage fright before performing a Spanish love song solo at the International Mariachi Conference in Tucson.
— A girl brings home her first pet, a crested gecko, carefully observing its colors and movements as it adjusts to its new terrarium.
— A girl meets a shelter cat whose piteous call and pale green eyes transfix her, leading to adoption and the naming of Stella.
— A single daffodil pushes through snow and mud to bloom, becoming spring's first herald among the winter browns and grays.
— A family hikes through scorching heat to a waterfall, where the narrator climbs rocks and discovers a breathtaking view of the shimmering river below.
— A girl tries to save her family's ancient oak tree by climbing into its branches, but fails; later finds solace when a cat makes a home in the fallen logs.
— A girl watches wild horses from behind a rock, naming each one and calling them her 'silent friends' who don't know she exists.
— A prose poem explores the color black through a series of sensory images, from crows to horses, culminating in a meditation on loss and racial identity.
— Dogtag Summer, by Elizabeth Partridge; Bloomsbury: New York, 2011; $16.99 I’m not adopted, but what if I was? What if one day you wake up and find out that the...