“Snow Over Clouds” by Hannah Parker, 12 Published in Stone Soup December 2018 A note from Sarah Ainsworth Having grown up in California, I can’t say that I am very familiar with snowy, cold winters. But now, living in Canada for graduate school, it’s something I am slowly getting used to. This week, I had a snow day, where class was cancelled– a first for me! This made me want to revisit some of the excellent work that Stone Soup has published over the years with wintery subjects. From December 2018, “Snow in Clouds” (pictured above) is a beautiful photograph by Hannah Parker. Not only are the colors mesmerizing, but also the composition is very appealing. Hannah’s photo follows the rule of thirds, which is a classic photography rule, but modifies it slightly by rotating it and having the subjects diagonal. The result is an eye-catching photo that served as a stunning wrap-around cover for Stone Soup. There has also been some wonderful writing published in Stone Soup on the subject of snow. “Snowmen” by Sharon Wang, features some descriptive language that captures the atmosphere of a Michigan winter. Eliza Wagner’s poem “Snow” uses spacing to create a rhythm that feels like you are watching snowflakes falling outside. And those are just two examples! If you, like me, find yourself with extra time indoors this weekend trying to stay warm, I’d highly suggest going through the past issues of Stone Soup we have on the website. Maybe you have a theme in mind, or maybe you’re just looking to explore the past issues generally. In any case, leave a comment on any stories, art, poetry or reviews that strike you. Happy weekend, Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Daniel Zhu, 10, reviews “Undying Glory” by Clinton Cox. Read the review to find out more about the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, which was composed of Black soldiers who fought in the American Civil War for the Union army. Daniel recounts how the soldiers of the 54th Regiment were consistently treated unfairly, and what he thinks we should take away from the story today. In “An Early Morning,” new blogger Sophia Libman writes about a run she participated in with her dad and brother. Though it was challenging, Sophia enjoyed herself and writes that she “was smiling ear to ear” at the end of the run. Read more about Sophia’s experience on the blog. Sabrina Guo, 13 From Stone Soup January 2020 Huài shì hǎo shì (Evil Things, Good Things) By Sabrina Guo, 13 (Oyster Bay, NY) Every New Year’s Eve, my friend tells me she smashes six pomegranates on her lawn, and when I ask her why, she says it is because she is Greek, and when I want to understand more of what she means, I read up on pomegranates in Greek mythology, discovering that after Persephone was abducted by Hades and joined him in the underworld, her mother Demeter mourned by drying the Earth in a long, cold winter, until Zeus arranged for Persephone’s return, but because Persephone had been tricked into eating six pomegranate seeds, she had to return to Hades to spend every winter with him in the darkness, …/MORE 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.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
An Early Morning
Ring, ring, ring. My alarm went off, and it flashed 6:30 am. I had to get out of bed because we were on a tight schedule. I put on warm clothes to face the brisk weather outside. I had an exhilarating morning ahead. My dad, my brother Max, and I piled into the car and left the house. It was a beautiful but chilly morning, and I could see the sun rising. The sky was shades of pink and orange, and it was clear with almost no clouds. We had to be at Hessel Park before 7:00 am. When we arrived at the park, I saw about thirty other people all gathered in a circle near a tree. In the middle of the circle stood Josh Whitman, the University of Illinois Athletic Director and former Illini football player. Mr. Whitman has a tradition of leading a four and a half mile jog every time there is a home football game. We were all there to run. The general course started at the park, then went through the community to campus, and finally looped back to the park. Mr. Whitman started the run at exactly 7 am, and we left the park heading to the quiet University of Illinois campus. It was silent because all the college students were still asleep. We ran on the streets, and the cars did a sudden stop and let our group pass. We kept running towards the Quad and Alma Mater on campus. These two landmarks were our halfway point, which meant we had run about two and a quarter miles. I was starting to feel tired, but I pushed myself to keep going. We were running at about an eight and a half minute mile pace. Max was a very motivational partner, and he cheered me on. I started to remember the sights around me, and before I knew it we were back at Hessel Park. I was breathing hard and sweating, but I was happy that I had accomplished this long run. I was smiling ear to ear when I saw my dad waiting for Max and me. After the entire group finished, Mr. Whitman shared donuts and water, the breakfast of champions, with everyone. I was parched and drank the water bottle quickly. The donuts tasted extra delicious, and it is a tradition for Mr. Whitman to take a picture with everyone who ran. After the picture, we thanked him for doing the run and returned home before 8:00 am. I had plenty of time to go back to bed.
Undying Glory, Reviewed by Daniel, 10
Have you ever been discriminated against or treated unfairly for an unjust reason? The 54th “Glory” Regiment definitely was during the Civil War. All the soldiers in this regiment were Black, but even though their desire to serve their country burned bright in their hearts, they were heavily discriminated against because of their skin color. During the time of the Civil War, Black people were often treated unfairly because the whites thought they were superior. Even at the beginning of their career, when they were not even officially in the army, the 54th Regiment was treated unfairly. They were not given a bounty, which is the money that you get when you join the army, and their pay was very low compared to the whites. They weren’t given extra money to buy clothes like the whites, and every rank of Black soldiers got the same pay, whereas the higher ranking white soldiers in the army got a higher salary as they were promoted. It was only until nearly the end of the war that the regiment’s pay was raised, and even then, it was only for the soldiers that had been free before the war started and alive at the time the pay was given, which was still only a fraction of the number of Black people that had enlisted. Also, even when the 54th Regiment was hard at work storming Wagner and Charleston, an anti-Black riot spread throughout the Union. It was a devastating experience; many Black people were killed, and many others were forced into asylum. It is not the typical civil rights protest, where people hold up signs with big, bold, words displaying a motto or opinion; it was an all-out, kill or destroy the first thing or person that you see that is related to African-Americans. It was like Doomsday for the Blacks. Keep in mind that when the 54th Regiment departed to fight, they were treated like heroes. What happened to the Black people’s reputation? Finally, toward the end of the war, they wanted to promote Sergeant Swails, a member of the 54th Regiment that had served faithfully with his leadership, to an officer. However, their request was denied by someone that had previously warned people to treat Black and white people equally. How hypocritical for him to go against his own word when the choice fell into his hands! Finally, after much persuasion and pressure, Stanton, the Secretary of War, finally approved his becoming an officer. Now you ask, why did the whites think they had a reason to treat the Blacks differently? According to President Lincoln, if they enlisted Black men, the slave states in the Union, which included Illinois, Alabama and other states, would join the Confederacy. However, the whites’ enlistment rate was dropping, yet the Blacks were still willing to join. The government had to grudgingly admit that if they kept holding back the Blacks, they would have no soldiers at all. But, even though Black men were finally allowed to join the army, they were still seen as dirty and unclean, simply because their skin was darker than the Americans. Ironically, the Black camps were much cleaner and well-maintained than the whites’. Even though racism is not as liberal and outspoken in America anymore, let this be a lesson to you to never bully, tease, or judge someone because of what they are. One of the most common types of discrimination is pitying someone. When you see someone that is disabled, is your first reaction, “I feel so bad for him/her?” Know this; the pitied are often ashamed of themselves. So, instead of just standing there, reach out for him if you really do pity him. Prejudice is in human nature; it’s natural. As Mark Twain said, “The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.” So why not just change the ink, and make the world a better place? Undying Glory: The Story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment by Clinton Cox. Scholastic Biography, 1993. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!
