Artist Statement My name is Jaslene Kwack, and I am 12 years old. I drew this picture on my iPad. I first got inspiration from Taekwondo, which is a sport that I practice and enjoy a lot. Although I learn just like everyone else, I think one thing that sets me apart is how I strive to expand my knowledge and preserve the things I already know. One of my teachers has brought up a topic which really got me thinking. They quoted someone asking, “Is it harder to get good or to stay good?” and I believe that it is both. Some might think, “Oh, it is harder to get good because you have to learn everything from the start and overcome problems.” but it is also equally important to keep reviewing the things you have done to “get good” because what’s the point in learning something if you’re going to forget it anyways? So, this brings me to the topic of my art. I drew this picture about how I practice Taekwondo every day, whether it be at home, at the dojang (the training area where I learn during classes), or outside, I always work harder to perfect every move and every action. Each panel of my drawing shows me performing a different move in Taekwondo, and the further down you look, the more time passes. For example, the first few show me in the summer (you can tell from my clothes and the bright blue sky along with the full green trees). Then, in the later drawings, I am shown wearing a hoodie as the leaves fall and the trees grow bare. Eventually, there is snow on the ground and I also draw myself standing inside my room practicing on a mat. The last panel portrays my house and me yelling the last phase of almost every sequence in Taekwondo: the kihap. The kihap is a yell or shout at the end of a move which is meant to intimidate an opponent. However, it also shows self-confidence and strength. This last panel shows my growth with my practice at the end of each day. Not only does this drawing and the idea behind it apply to Taekwondo, it also applies to other things I practice in my life. For example, I play both clarinet and bassoon, so I designate days to practice each instrument. I also play tennis by myself and with my brother during my free time at the tennis court outside of my house. On weekends, I go out with my family to practice golf, sometimes going on rounds and other times playing at a practice bay. I believe this drawing portrays my dedication to the things I am involved and interested in. It shows how I always work to perfect the things I have already learned in order to remember them and become better. Using this drawing, I also want to inspire others to passionately pursue the things they love and make sure they never give up.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Danny, the Champion of the World, Reviewed by Philip Chen, 12
Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl is one of the most underrated books I have read. In comparison to his other books such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I feel like this book doesn’t get as much praise as it deserves. Like his other famous books, Danny, the Champion of the World is very funny and imaginative. The story takes place around 1975 in a United Kingdom filling station (i.e., a gas station), on a country road out among empty fields and woody hills. There is a lot of traffic and the station sees a lot of business. Behind the station is a caravan in which Danny and his father live. You would think that their life was all hard work without any fun, but you would be surprised. Danny is a very clever, loyal and helpful boy. He helps his father, a mechanic, fix other people’s cars in the filling station. Danny’s father is described as “sparky” in the book, because he always comes up with amazingly interesting ideas. Like his grandfather, his father is a master poacher of pheasants and has lots of creative ways to catch them. He also has a deep, dark secret, but I’m not telling you it! Mr. Victor Hazell is an eccentric millionaire and is fairly well known. Every year, he holds a pheasant-shooting party, which allows people from miles around to travel to his estate to shoot pheasants. He is very conceited and loves his fame. His shooting party has drawn lots of wealthy people to shoot pheasants in trees and then keep the birds for themselves. Danny and his father are very poor and haven’t eaten pheasants in a long time, so they want to eat them now. Mr. Hazell is the archenemy of Danny’s father, so the father and son have to come up with a plan to stop Hazell’s big shooting party. What is Danny’s master plan for catching pheasants, and most importantly, will it work? And what makes him the Champion of the World? Find out in Danny, the Champion of the World, a fascinating novel recommended for anyone over the age of eight that will keep you turning the pages. A master storyteller, Dahl never disappoints his readers with his vivid and hilarious detailed descriptions of events. Moreover, his characters are fun, mischievous, and touching. I was especially touched by Danny’s close relationship with his father. The loving bond between them makes Danny, the Champion of the World a memorable book that tickles and warms your heart. Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1975. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Weekly Creativity #241: Write a Story where the Main Character Isn’t a Human
Write a story where the main character isn’t a human.
