Introduction to this Stone Soup Art and Writing Activity Many of the stories we print in Stone Soup are both written and illustrated by the author. Many authors illustrate their own stories—especially authors of books for children. I am sure your library has books by authors like this: Maurice Sendak, Arnold Lobel, James Marshall, and M. B. Goffstein being just a few. In the original manuscript that was sent to us, “When Smudgie got Lost” had twenty-three illustrations and was made into a book. The original manuscript is a “picture book” with a picture on every page. In a picture book, there isn’t much of a story without the pictures. The story and the pictures are of equal importance and they are often created at the same time. Of course, unless you are ambidextrous and able to do two things at once, it’s difficult physically to write words and draw a picture at exactly the same time! To produce your picture book you will have to decide which one–drawing or writing–takes the lead, for you. Do you visualise your story in pictures or images first, and then add the words to help your audience understand what they are seeing, or to help them pick out particular elements in your picture that you want them to notice? Or do you have the outline of a story in words that you want your readers to be able to see in your picture rather than visualise for themselves using more words? Make a Picture Book Make a book where the pictures take the lead or the pictures and text are equal, where you can’t imagine one without the other. In a book of this kind there will probably be a picture on every page, and the text itself will be very short. In a picture book, one often finds that without the pictures, the written story doesn’t mean very much. It is in the pictures where a “picture book” comes alive. When Smudgie Got Lost! By Karine Faden, 10, Rockville, Maryland Illustrated by the author From the September/October 1986 issue of Stone Soup Erik and Ashley lived in England. They had a dog named Smudgie. Smudgie liked to go for walks to the marketplace where they had food, but even more Smudgie liked to go to the butcher and sit outside where all the good smells were. She came to the nursery every afternoon before tea for her daily walk with her leash in her mouth. Smudgie scratched at the door. Nanny said, “Smudgie, sit!” Smudgie sat. Then out came Erik and said, “Good girl.” Then Ashley came out and put on Smudgie’s leash. And then, out came Nanny, with the coats and mittens, hats and scarves, and said, “Button up, children.” Then Nanny put on Erik’s hat and buttoned up Ashley. “Come now,” said Nanny, motioning toward the door. Like soldiers they all marched out the door and down the stairs, Nanny first, then Erik, and then Ashley walking Smudgie. Finally, they were out on the street—Erik and Ashley and Smudgie, that is. Nanny was stuck in the door. But Smudgie tugged Nanny out while Erik and Ashley went inside the house the back way and pushed from the back. And then they marched out the door. Then we walked Smudgie to the market. Smudgie was very happy. Nanny had said that we were going to the butcher’s. That’s why Smudgie was happy. She always got a bone at the butcher’s. Smudgie did get her bone. Smudgie tugged at her leash very hard and Erik let go! In less than a minute Smudgie was out of sight. “Uh oh!” said Erik. “Whoops!” giggled Ashley. “This is not a laughing matter,” replied Nanny. They searched all over South London and didn’t find a trace of Smudgie. Finally, at seven o’clock P.M., way past tea, a bit past dinner, and almost bed time, they hadn’t found Smudgie. When they got to Markshire Square, Nanny said, “Let’s take a cab home. It might cheer us up.” But that depressed them even more. Smudgie had always followed any car that Erik or Ashley traveled in. By the time Nanny had brought the poor children home, they were all too tired to do anything but go to bed. While all this had been going on, Smudgie had gotten herself lost. Smudgie had seen a cat and she just had to chase her, but the minute she rounded the corner she had lost her. Smudgie had tried looking for Nanny and listening for Erik and Ashley’s call. But she hadn’t heard a thing, and right now was in a very bad neighborhood. And a mean dog had stolen her bone. About nine o’clock Father was driving home and he saw Smudgie in a side alley along the road. Then the two of them drove home. Erik, Ashley, Mother, and even Nanny were all happy to see Smudgie. And, of course, Father.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Writing Activity: powerful expression through unique style, with “We Are Looking for Freedom” by Marigian Muhammed, 12
Introduction to This Stone Soup Writing Activity “We Are Looking for Freedom” was written by Marigian one-and-a half-years after she arrived in the United States. It is a true story about the recent history of her family. At the time Marigian wrote this story she was still learning English. We have printed it just as she wrote it, so you will find the English is not perfect. But after you read “We Are looking for Freedom,” I think you will agree with me that the style of writing is itself part of the story of Marigian’s life and the terrible problems war caused her family. Marigian’s story is an example of a work written in a style that tells us something about the main character, and which increases the power of the story. This technique of writing stories in an unusual or imperfect English in order to show the special way the main character sees and thinks about the world is one used by many of the most famous writers. Project: Adopting a Style Create a narrator (the person who tells the story) who thinks in and speaks in an unusual English. Think of a character—a child, a recent immigrant to the United States, a person who is sick in bed with a high fever and a bit woozy, or even someone who is a little crazy and talks funny. The fun of this project, and the challenge, is to adopt the language of your character, or to express your own language in a way that will convey meaning to your readers. Imagine you aren’t you, that you think and speak an English different from your own; or that you are trying to write from the perspective of a different you hidden inside your imagination. Who and what do you see? How do you describe it? And what is the story you have to tell? We Are Looking for Freedom By Marigian Muhammed, 12, Fort Collins, Colorado From the March/April 1986 issue of Stone Soup I live in Vietnam. I went to school in Saigon. I has one cat. I has four brother, no sister. My mother selling in her own store. My father was working for C.I.A. before 1975. After 1975 my father stop working for C.I.A. One night at eight o’clock in August 30, 1978, the Viet Cong come and caught my father to put in the jail. Because my father work for C.I.A. At 1979 my dad is dead. One night my mother put the clothes in the bag. I was ask my mother where are we go? My mom said, “I take your brother to visit your grandma.” I so small didn’t know my brother and my mom escape. I saw her sitting on the table with my aunt, and my mom was crying. I came next to her and she said, “You have to live with your aunt.” I don’t know why. My mom gone about a month and my aunt tell me, “Your mother escape.” At one time my cousin, my aunt, and me try to escape, but we can’t because they caught two of my cousin. And they let them out. One day after school, I went to my house. The Viet Cong came and tell me that they have to take my house, tell me to go live at my aunt house. I ask them why I have to live in my aunt house, they tell me that I under eighteen years old, that right now I have to live with my aunt. At April 7, 1982 I escape with my aunt and her daughter. When we went to Cambodia, we there for week. The half way to the camp my aunt and her daughter go another way, and I go another. We don’t see each other for week. I went to the camp name Nong Samet. I live there for three day and my aunt try got in there. We don’t see each other for ten day. I live with woman. She so nice to me. When I and aunt together in Nong Samet for one week we went to the camp name N.W. 82, which is half in Cambodia and half in Thailand. When we live there they don’t has anything much food. Every day they cook rice for us lunch and dinner. We has to cook our own food to eat with rice. Every day we only has eight liter of the water, every day in the hospital has people sick and almost dead. In our tent it so big we live with two hundred people in there. If the tent dirty the Thailand man call the tent people. They came out, stand there, another Thailand man get a stick to hit the Vietnamese, they don’t care about old people or young people. We live there for a year and we went to Pamatnikhom. Our family live there a week and we went to Philippines, we live in Philippines near the mountain. Every day I went to school there. We live there, we got a lot of water, every day they gave the food to us to cook and eat. We very happy. But I miss my grandparents and aunt. One day in Bataan, Philippines, has hurricane, some of the big tree was fall down, some of the ceiling was flying, we so scary, just for few minutes, then hurricane was gone. One day, our name was call to travel to America. On September 29, 1983 in the morning we drive the bus to Manila. We went to the airplane, we fly all the way to Los Angeles. We stay there for five hours and we fly all the way to Denver. And I see my mother and my brothers. Now we together.
Art Activity: exploring the power of strong colors with ‘Fishing’ by Halima Said Ali, 6
Introduction to This Stone Soup Art Activity Halima’s colorful picture is made in felt pen. It is so completely colored in it looks like painting! But because it is made with felt pen, it is the kind of painting that is easy to do at home or at school. What makes this picture so wonderful to me are the colors. Halima approached the task of coloring her scene with great courage. She said to herself, “I am going to make a bright, strong picture, a colorful picture that makes me think of cool water and the bright hot sun shining on fishermen at the beach.” And then she went ahead and did it! Look at the picture closely, and look at it from a distance. Notice the effect of the bright colors. Look carefully at the black lines—at the faces and fish and nets. One might say that, with colors, Halima tells the story of the bright hotness of the day. And, with lines, she tells another story—the story of the fishermen and the fish they caught that day. Project: Make a Picture That Tells Two Stories Using lines, tell us what some people are doing outdoors on a clear bright hot summer day. Using color, tell the story of the weather, the story of that brightness and hotness that make certain summer days so special. Using pencil, lightly draw the basic shapes of people, some details of their faces and clothes, the buildings, cars, trees, whatever you need to tell the story of what your people are doing. Then, using felt pens, colored pencils, or paint, boldly and courageously transform your sketch into a brightly colored painting. Use color to tell the story of heat and brightness. You may discover that in some cases the “right” color to use is not the real color that you seem to see with your eyes. For instance, let’s say the day is very hot and the sky very blue. What color sky will best give the idea of a hot day? It might be blue, but it might also be red, orange, or some other “hot” color. So, in choosing your colors, be brave, and experiment! Go with all your senses! Follow Halima’s example and make your picture exciting as a carnival! From the May/June 1986 Issue of Stone Soup Fishing, by Halima Said Ali, age 6, Oman
