My Dreams Are Hopes

You’ll absolutely love the poems and stories authored by the fourth-graders in Ms. Maag’s class at Boone Elementary School!

Stuck on You

I am a piece of tape.
I don’t feel important because
I don’t have many jobs.
One of my jobs is to stick
things back together.
How boring—all year long I stay
in the same place holding a poster.
I hear students arguing about friendships.
I wish I could stick them back together!

Donna Pierce

If the Earth Was a Moon

If the Earth were a moon, what would we do?
We’d float in the sky—oh, how high we’ll go!
We would go so high in the sky, we’d see aliens.
Oh, how we’d go, we’d go really high, but maybe it’s best to stay down low.
Low, low, low. Oh, how we’d go.
Yes, maybe it’s best to stay down low.

Lillian Vasquez

Little Monster

I sneak through your walls
And have little claws
No, I’m not a dog
But tiny as a frog
And smelly as a log
I have a tail
I make noises: wale, wale
I’m in your trash
I move in a flash
I’m hairy and furry
I have little ears
Yes, I’m a fear
What can I be?

Ihsan Suarez

Clean Environment

Clean up the ocean.
Clean up pollution.
Buy products that are less harmful to the environment.
Clean up trash.

Edison Sadler

Earth Day

I can pick up trash
Leave a bowl of water outside for the animals
So they can have water
And leave a berry outside so they can eat food
I love animals and I love when I see them
They are so cute
I would love to take care of a bunny, a guinea pig, a dog
I have a hamster
My mom has a dog
We have a cat
Animals are the best

Bella G. Hernandez

The Life of a Jacket

I am a jacket. I am grey with a blue zipper and blue pockets. My life is quite the racket. On a cold winter day, I feel a cold rush of air. My person’s hair falls in my face. We step inside the door of a place called school. It’s actually quite cool. My normal day starts here. We walk to the cafeteria, a loud BEEEEEP rings out and something is placed on my shoulder. It felt like a boulder. ZZZiiiiippp! We go outside, she takes me off, and I’m left alone again.

The years pass and it’s spring, summer, fall, then winter and spring again. But wait, I am being lifted up into the air! I’m being carried to a box with the words “Lost and Found” on it. I wait in the darkness again. A light peeks out of the roof of this prison. A hand reaches in and grabs me. It’s her! My human! But wait, she looks different. She’s taller, older.

A child walks up behind her and asks, “Is that my new jacket, bwig swissy?”

She answers, “Yes, Marigold. Yes it is.” The child jumps up and grabs me, unzips me, and puts me on. We walk out and it’s hotter. Oh, no! It’s summer, that’s a bummer. I’ll never be worn! I might be torn by Moren, their dog.

Willow Fischer

What am I?

Hi, I’m Ranira. I love swamps, lily pads, and flies and mosquitoes too. They’re so delicious and nutritious for me. I love the rain and humid and rainy nights. My friend and I joined a choir, and we sing our hearts out. I get lots of exercise hopping where I please and, as I said, my name is… RANIRA! By any chance, do you know who I am? If you want, I’ll give you more clues. I’m green and want to jump to the moon! During the day, I drink, eat, and hop! Oh, did I mention I love flies?!

Grace Phipps

Argh?

Hello, I am white with red
I die every day or just get whapped in the face
I get hit once, but that’s not enough
My friend is a bat
But not a cap
I wish I were used every day
Or possibly for a game
I have bigger dreams than to be left in a yard to die
What am I?
It’s obvious
(A baseball)

Chris Mota

I Am a Leader

I am a leader
I am a civil-rights giver
People judge me by my skin
I am treated badly
I can’t eat at many restaurants
What am I?

Bella Brewer

Life as a Christmas Tree

I’m a Christmas tree
I stand tall out of my box
Oh, yes, I’m here
Year by year
I go in, I come out
Oh yes, you’ll see ornaments and presents
Oh yes, they are good
I bring people joy
Oh yes, I do
Every year, I smell those good, tasty cookies and milk
Oh yes, these kids are happy and joyful
I hope and dream to come again
Oh, yes, another joyful day will come again

Bella Bocanegra

Clues

I am something that hops away
Sometimes I like to play
I like to be in my mod
Or is it a pod?

I can hop higher than anything
Do I really have to rhyme with a thing?
I do not like my fears
They really hurt my ears

I have milk in my pouch
What are you doing? Ouch!
I like my prey
But not my predators

I love my boots
But I could be in de ja vu
Could you please tell me
What am I?

I gave you all my clues
Even though I like my shoes
Do you want me to tell more?
Oh my, oh Lord

I will tell you I jump high
Just high in the sky
And one more clue
What am I?
Thank you

Tilley Wooten

Life as Snow

I am white and cold.
I am solid, but liquid.
I am designed and small,
and when I have friends I am powder.
I can even make an angel.
I like wars with small, white balls.
I can be made into a man with a carrot for a nose.
Also, don’t taste me when I am yellow.
I come in the winter.
I go in the spring.
What am I?

Richard Hudson

What Am I?

I am a tiny
TINY thing
That makes that stuff
That humans inhale to survive

Some weirdoes think I don’t exist
Because they can’t see me
Well, the truth is
I’m not tiny
I’m microscopic
Can you guess what I am?

Ryan James Hamer

Frog

If I were a frog, I would be a green frog so I could walk up to Shrek and pretend to be his swamp. If he notices me, I will scream in his ear and then run off to a puddle. I see a duck, oh, I’ll jump on his eye. Oh, he was a pretty nice guy. Oh, what is this? I seem to be stuck. I must have been the duck. But I thought I was the frog. Look again, it was the log. I see something huge. Oh, what could it be? Is it you or is it me? Well, let’s see. I’ve finally found a stick. The stick is very thick. As I walk to the pond, I carry my wand and cast some magical spells. I turn around and hear a familiar sound. Oh boy, that sounds like me. I look in the lake. Oh, this was a mistake. What shall I do? Is that Shrek? No, it can’t be. He just got shreked, but I thought he made that up. I go back home on my big stone and I wonder what’s on TV? Well, I don’t have a TV, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll just go grab my ladder and climb up to my bed hoping this is all in my head. I dreamed about a bird, or is that kind of weird? Nope, not for me. I woke up in a cup, yep, a cup, and then I woke up in a tree. How could this be? I soon woke up in my real home. Excited to be back in my own place. I really needed the space. Is that a rat? Nope, that’s a cat. Looks like I have to go. See ya, Shrek. Oh wait, that was a donkey. Oof!

Lilian Mamaril

I’m Gael, I am Blank

I am fuzzy and furry
Probably have holes
My day is great
I’m warm and snuggly on my owner’s head
I see what they see, smell, touch, and taste
Wear when it’s cold, please, or I am a waste
My dreams are hopes
My hopes are dreams
I just wish to be worn on the head
My fears are frightening and also very scary
My fears are summertime
The worst time of all
Nobody wears me, but one… me!

Gael Rawlings

Slush

I am soft and I go everywhere
I get slept with and I feel warm every day
I sit on a bed every day and sometimes on the floor
In the morning, my owner wakes up, goes downstairs, and leaves me behind
I am scared of the dog and the cat because they could chew or rip me
I hate being on the floor
I hope to get buddies or more friends and not get chewed by the cat or dog
I hope to not get stuck in the car on the floor

Davian Jack Frost

Maybe You Can Spin the World

Check out the amazing poems and stories written by Ms. Maag’s fourth-grade students at Boone Elementary School.

Flying No More

I was flying,
Out there in the jungle, I sang
Forever Free,
That was what I thought then,
I thought I was free,
I thought I was happy.
There he was,
Sweaty as an ocean,
Copper bullets,
Ready to kill,
I already saw the lives he took,
Too slow to run from the lead-filled terminators,
I flew away,
Farther and farther,
Thinking I was safe,
I heard a BANG.
The bullets pierced my wing,
Pierced my soul.

I fell,
Lower and lower,
I woke up,
Clutching my wing like it was gold,
I couldn’t run,
I couldn’t breathe.
Why?
Why me?
I was never free,
What I thought was home,
Was just a hiding place from evil,
Life is just a big game of hide and seek,
But the seeker has to find you sometimes.

For me,
It was now.
My body was lying there,
Dead,
I am at rest,
Finally,
I will be,
Flying no more.

Atlas Castro

The Egg That Never Flew

Close your eyes and imagine this: A man was walking. He saw an eagle’s egg. He looked at it for two seconds, put it in a chicken’s nest, and walked off. A few months later, it hatched and acted just like a chicken.

One day, the eagle looked up and saw another eagle. He asked, “What is that?” The chicken answered, “Oh, it’s an eagle, but you’re never going to be like him.” So, he died a chicken when he was meant to fly.

Nobody is in charge of you. You are you, and you have to shape your life. Nobody else can. It’s just you, because you are meant to fly!

Jasmine Aung

Death Desert

As I walk along the steaming hot,
crystal clear sand,
I get blisters on my feet.

I watched the day turn to night.
I found a cave for shelter.
As the moon rose, it got colder.
I was finally able to sleep.

I suddenly woke up with a start.
I jumped!
But it was only the screeching of a bats’
cry of hunger.
Hopefully.

Morning came and the day grew hotter
and hotter, but I was still in the cave.
Then I heard something,
something big coming for me.
I got up and ran.
I could hear it coming faster and faster.

Its feet were like thunder pounding the ground.
I look back, and it’s just a big, giant fox!
I run as fast as I can.
Only then I didn’t know
that nothing survives here.

Then everything went blank.
I could hear nothing.
I saw nothing.

And in a second,
I was gone from the world.

Sophie Owensby

Ocean Dying

Once was beauty
Now so black
Once was living
Now so dead
Once was new and blue
Now so polluted and grey
I give you waves, I give you paradise
But all you give me is trash and ice
I give you fun
You give me hate
But you turned that all around
You did not make me frown
With all your help, we could make me new and cool
Just pick up your trash and try not to pollute

Jazzlyn Hepburn

All About Clown Fish

I want to be a fish.
I want to be a fish because
they can breathe underwater
for a very long time.
I would want to be a clown fish
because they look cool and
I like their colors.
They’re orange and white.

Nathan Jackson

Fortnite

I went to sleep and dreamt about the new Fortnite.
Then I heard  knock at my window.
I looked out, and this time the bunny yoga class
was learning the floss.
In the morning, a bee was in my room playing,
swarming around my Baby Alives.
I climbed down from my bunk bed and watched
the toy heroes, but then I heard a crunch.
I looked out the window.
There was the Flex Seal Man dancing.

Clarey Warstler

The Water

I think people should get in boats
and pull out all of the trash they see out of the ocean.
They should make a law about not polluting the ocean.
I also think it should be illegal to hunt for fish
in the seas, rivers, oceans, and lakes.
I also wish that fish would have more babies,
so there would be more fish in the ocean.

Xavier Aleto

I Guess

never felt the feel of her
like the rest and rest do see
never met who gave life
even though it was to me
never knew why they made
what they knew they couldn’t keep
why oh why did they save me just to plunge
me down in the deep
I guess that I must look like her
so maybe she looks like me
or maybe she looked ‘cause time will tell
but for now a guess is all I can be

Asa Wilson

The Real World

Imagine one day
You woke up
To see the small world in front of you
With no idea about what troubles
You might experience next
Maybe you can spin the world
Travel to a country filled with amazing wonders
Make your own city
Make relationships
Start a war
Trouble your land
Defend it
Try to fix it
Oh no…
You’re drifting into the real world
You’ve woken up
You want to go back
To fix your mess
But it was just a dream

Jake Napolillo

Did You Know?

(Truth or Not?)
Aliens, oooh,
were found on Mars.
I bought the new dirt in Fortnite from Target.
Baptise is a color.
I am a person.
Ali-A is not click bait.
Yellow is actually green.
Gnomes live!
This guy lives.
Guardians of the Galaxy is real.
Wow Guy is actually Freddie Mercury.
Queen = Beatles (just to anger Asa).
Teletubbies is my favorite show.
Roblox won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Times-Up Guy is an astronaut.

Tommy O’Leary

The Beginning

A squirrel runs along a pine branch in a lush, green forest.
An acorn falls to the ground.
After days of rain and shine, a small sapling shoots up.
Its tiny leaves reach for the sun.

Liam Thomas

He is the High

God is my shield
God is my rock
God is the roof that keeps me on top
I am brave
I am bold
I will love Him ‘til I’m old
Love you, God
R.I.P. Jesus

Anthony Joseph Basden Jr.

It’s the Hard Shark Life for Us

Sharks, like me, are very endangered.
Hunters catch us and make us feel sun-hot anger.

We live our lives in peace and fun.
But when they take us away, it’s like we’re in
a Sharpie-black room looking for a key to freedom.

It sucks, it’s sad, it’s the tip of the marker.
There’s nowhere to go as the light gets darker.

The light fades away like a blowing dust.
So it’s time for God to take me, it’s upsetting,
but He must.

This is it. It’s time to say goodbye
to all our friends and family,
but why, just why?

Gabriel Chavez

Pizza Party

I scored 85 million points in football.
I got to the champion league.
My team won.
We went to Pizza Hut and I ate 85 pizzas.
I was so fat.
My team was fat too.
So when other teams tried to stop us,
we ran over them and won.

Marlon Quinn Hardeman Jr. M2

Coral

A coral reef lives long.
I am one hundred years old.

In my life, I have watched baby fish
and their mothers get caught and suffocate.

I watch people illegally kill whales of all kinds.
I watch them suffer and slowly float to the bottom of the reef.

A tiger shark got killed going up to a boat out of curiosity.
I watch sea turtles get ripped from the sea with other fish
and the fishermen just take it all!

And now because of the consumer,
I went away too.

Sadie Schaeffer

True or False

I play Pub-G
I have H 1Z1
I have Minecraft on PS4
I have Star Wars battlefield
I won Fortnite twice
I watch Teletubbies on cable
I have been gnomed
I have eaten cheesecake
I have real throwing stars

Lucas Hardy

The Pickle

Once I was eating a pickle, and out of nowhere it came to life.
I screamed and dropped the pickle and it summoned more pickles.
They turned me into a pickle.
Now I am a pickle brother for life!

Jack Beck

Is My Brain Rotting Yet?

My parents say I have to have
a limited amount of screen time.
But I don’t care if my brain rots!
It’s fun, and parents always say:
just try to have fun.

Mae Rooni

The Squirrels Nuke

Today… is a great day for a dog!
Look outside!
The big oak tree!!
I’m pretty sure there are 100 squirrels.
Let’s go get some squirrels!
Bang!
What is this?
An invisible wall?
Well, I guess I’ll just watch cartoons.
*Nuke launches.*

Finnley Bridges

Excelling in Amusement

Meet the incredibly talented, knock-your-socks off writers in Ms. Barrett’s class at Boone Elementary School!

I’m From

I am from my couch with End Game on
I am from a hospital with hugs
I am from Hawaii
I am from Game Stop
I am from church
I am from loving dogs
I am from going to Dallas
I am from Tanya and Angel Flores
I am from video games
I am from P Terry’s
I am from two worlds: my grandma’s and my mom’s

Jaiden Flores

Invasion

It was a day as dark as a bottomless pit, but the day didn’t start like this. Let’s start from the beginning. It was a day like any other. Sadie is drawing, Birb’s as good as good can be, Archer and Arlo are goofing around, Juan’s sleeping and the teachers are as smart as can be. They are talking about learning and teaching on the chalkboard, but there is a scary, green flash at the window! ALIENS!!

Everyone is scattering around the classroom and screaming. They are running around like a bunch of ants! Here comes the army. Get ready for World War III. Here comes the general and he’s about to give a command. “Throw the cheese!!!”

Ten minutes later, here comes Mrs. Barrett. “Back to work everyone.” Oh well, I guess I gotta get back to work, but the school is destroyed. Here comes the principal, “Everyone back… to… school? Well, now that the school is destroyed, I might as well retire. So, I am no longer principal, which means this is no longer my mess. Good day and, Archer, you’re in charge. Oh, I can already tell this is going to be a treat.”

Jacob Guzman

Life of an Arlo

I am from a loving family and very dangerous battles.
I am from a happy, healthy mind and the morbid sense of humor belonging to a dark soul.
I am from the heat of Texas in July on fire.
I am from very nice friends in the sun.
I am from the Stockstill name and related to whoever made the National Anthem.
I am from a yippy yippy yi yippy yippy yay – who’s wishing you a happy birthday, yeehaw!
I am from Lynns and Russells.
I am from high technology on the screen or computer.
I am from Tex-Mex and Louisiana.
I am from two worlds: Chuy’s and planet Earth.

Arlo Stockstill

Animals

Save the pigs like the pigs save your hunger!
Be sweet like the honey bees make!
Raise your voice to save the animals—like wolves, howl!
You can be as bright as a parrot, believe!
Hunt for bad people like they hunt for their dinner!
Be groovy like the sea turtle Ms. Jena saw in South Padre!
Raise the roof like a giraffe would do if he enters the room!
Be comforting like panda faces!
Go with the flow like snakes crawling up your warm pants!
Be great like the Great Apes!
Fly away when you get angry like birds fly away when someone steals their food!
Let people use your things like trees let you use their paper!
Mark your territory like my dog does to my shoe!
Don’t be dull like panda colors!

Naomi Ross

This is Where I am From

I am from an old Christmas light waiting to shine and a cat scratching my face.
I am from a new blanket and raindrops falling on my hand.
I am from the hospital in the month of June.
I am from the Apple store waiting for me to come back and buy something.
I am from my warm house.
I am addicted to my phone and friendship.
I am from a Christmas cookie getting pulled out of the oven.
I am from Ashley, Peter, Adam, Delilah, Serenity, Avery, Lisa, other Ashley, Amber, John, Erica, Liliana, Emma, Kayla, Izri, Alyssa, Lili, and Heaven.
I am from my jokes that aren’t even funny.
I am from any Tex-Mex food ever.
I am from two worlds: the moon and stars to Jupiter through Mars.

Cylah Riffle

Rhinos are the Best

Rhino’s horns are hard as a tree.
Rhinos are mean as sharks.
Rhino’s horns are sharp as a shark’s tooth.
Rhinos are grey like the elephant.

Juan Gloria

Silly Sally

There was a girl named Sally. She was driving on a silly street. The street was slick, slippery, and slimy. Sally was on her way to a silly slumber party. She wore a sweet sweater and some shiny shoes with some swirly pants. Her hair was silky, swirly, and smelled like sweets. When Sally got there, she really wanted to go swimming in the sun. So she put on her shiny bathing suit. She was also super hungry, so she ate some silly and sweet cookies. When she was done swimming, she put on her soft and silly PJs and went to sleep.

Amari Martinez

Did You Mean…

Andelin is above average amiableness
Altogether her accomplishments are aimless, but almost always awesome
Absurd excelling in amusement advances actual accomplishment
Ambitious accommodation to accomplish all accomplishing accomplishments
Acorns actual acknowledgement makes Andelin wonder how ambitious acorns accomplish lists and excel with amazing acorn cheek marks
Approximately 800% of arithmetic is assertive and arrogant, but is good at paying attention on the right attire to wear while attacking attractive avocados

Andelin Foxhoven

Car Crash

BOOM! “AAhhhh! My leg! Ahh!”

“Dude, it’s just a game,” his brother said.

“I know it is. I just want it to be realistic. You’re being too realistic.”

“Okay, well, go to sleep. It’s nine o’clock and you have school tomorrow.”

The next day…

“Get your backpack, eat your breakfast, and let’s go!”

In the car driving…

“Stop texting and driving,” the little brother said.

“You’re going to do it at some point,” the big brother said.

“Well, that is bad. That’s what I learned at school.”

“Wait, what is that… ? AAhhhh! Mom, look out!” BOOM!!!!

Erick Campos

Me

I am from pools and dogs in my room.
I am from TVs in my house and phones in my hand.
I am from Mississippi, and Texas is where I was born.
I am from my Xbox, where I hang out most.
I am from my home that my mom and dad enjoy.
I am from Minecraft and penguins and hedgehogs.
I am from Easter and Halloween parties.
I am from Laura and Charlie.
I am from video games that are really complicated.
I am from watermelon and ramen noodles.
I am from Mississippi, on my grandma’s dock, thinking.

Fenex Boyd

Cheerios

Cheerios
Cheerios
Cheerios
I see the Cheerios
I see the Cheerios
I smell the Cheerios
I smell the Cheerios
I save the Cheerios
I save the Cheerios
I consume the Cheerios
I consume the Cheerios
The Cheerios is yum
The Cheerios is yum
3-D Cheerios
2-D Cheerios
4-D Cheerios
Cheerios
Cheerios
Cheerios
doot doot doot doot
Cheerios
Cheerios
Cheerios
*weird scream*
Enlarger to show detail

Sadie Dedeaux

A New World

I am from me (Lala), black hair, seventy-two years old (I mean twenty-seven years) and my trees and a garden that never grows.
I am from my big, blue, king-size bed and my sweet nunchucks.
I was born at St. Davis Hospital in Miami, Florida.
I love hanging out at the bike park.
I am from me and my old, brown house.
I am our secret reputation as kids.
I am from skipping middle school, high school, and college.
I am from the twins—Lauren, Lorence—the other twins, Andre, Andrea, Lala, and Lolo.
I am from iPhones.
I am from chicken wings, hot dogs, and Pizza Hut.
I am from two worlds: the kid and cool world with my elementary friends and senior citizens with other people taking care of me.

Lauren Smith

The Claw Machine

One day, there was a rainbow. Then it got eaten by a dog that was blue named Jeffrey. Every day, Jeffrey spent $20 worth of quarters on a claw machine. He was trying to get this dog bone for weeks, but he couldn’t get it. Then one day, a pigeon came out of nowhere and broke the machine. Then he got his dog bone. He figured out that it was a squeaky toy, but it was just as good.

Jeffrey commentary read in a British accent: Well, blimey, mate. We got a cheeky buggar here, we do, we do. Well, pip pop cheerio. God save the queen!

Noah Rodriguez

Aardvark

Aardvark eats an atom on an apple about to abort an acorn while on a bridge
While an acrobat eats an aquatic fish with an ace of spades
Aardvark has an account on an active obsession with access to an accessory
An aardvark on an acute angle is about to adapt an address
Aardvark is about to admit his accident with an advanced adjective
Aardvark has an addiction to being an acrobat
Aardvark likes to fish while on an acorn
This has to adjust to an activity, aardvark

Archer McCombs

I Finally Know!

I am from the great-grandfather clock in my living room and the old, dusty piano sitting in my garage.
I am from my phone sitting on my bed and the computer I got for my birthday.
I am from the St. David’s South Hospital and the old, rigid mountains where the town of Orden resides.
I am from the tree that hangs down on and over my house.
I am from Boone Elementary School, where I write you this poem.
I am from all the inside jokes me and my friends make.
I am from my mom, Lori, my dad, Matt, and my brother, Zachary.
I am from the Internet, where you can do whatever.
I am from the cheesy sensation of pizza and the yummy goodness of Blondies.
I am from two worlds: the soothing comfort of my grandma’s house and the learning environment of school.

Kayla Van Orden

Lone Wolf

When a wolf hunts, he’s as quiet as a mouse
He’s calm like the air
Waiting for the perfect time to strike…
BOOM!
He strikes like a snapping turtle
He’s as terrifying as a lion
He’s as fast as a cheetah
WHOOSH!
And when he strikes…
It’s the end (read softly)

Nicholas Frayre

Rain Forest Animals

We are all here wasting away,
Getting hunted down like a cat and its prey.
There are many of us and I’ll list a few:
Ocelots, tree frogs, and leopards too.
We are turning into dust like some trees do.
Our habitat is destroyed.
Waah!!! Boo hoo!!!
Our homes are dead as a rocks.
There is nothing we can block.
Think about it next time you go to the store.
Before you get the latest hardwood floor.
Where did the wood come from before?

Samantha Ramos

I Have a Dream That Is to Be Read

Welcome to incredible poems and stories created by the fourth-grade writers in Ms. Barrett’s class at Boone Elementary!

The Pizza Rolls

I am pepperoni pizza rolls.
When I bake, all the cheesy stuff gets in the pan.
I hope to get eaten.
I love the sauce and bread on top of me and I like it next to me.
My archenemy is pizza.

Tristan Buford

The Soccer Game

I am a soccer ball.
I am white and black.
It is fun to get kicked around.
It is fun because you go high in the sky.
As I go in the sky, I can see the crowd cheering loudly.
They want to see if I’m going to make the goal.
I make it.

Nathan Anderson

What Protects Me

My grandma protects me
As you can see
She passed away a long time ago
I try to go through it alone
But I can’t and I break down in tears
It sounds clear, but it’s not
And now my fear is to die
But die in my sleep like my grandma did
So, yeah, that’s my fear and what protects me
Now you know how I feel when I’m crying
And you know why I’m crying

Victoria Berron

Oatmeal Tale

I am oatmeal.
I am steamy, hot, and moist.
I am sitting in a pot.
I am apple and cinnamon flavor.
You put me in a bowl and eat me with a spoon.
I don’t want to get eaten by people.
I have a bully in my pot.
His name is organic oatmeal.
He has a nasty little taste.
Soon I will fall in the trashcan.

David Aguilar

Fun Time Freddy

I’m Fun Time Freddy.
I’m white and pink, and I have a bonnie hand.
My face is in fourths.
I have a bunch of teeth.
I trick people and scare people.
I am scared of the puppet master.

Daniel Perez

Save Our Turtles

Save the turtles every day and night.
Save the turtles and be sweet and nice.
Save the turtles so they can lay their eggs at night.
Save the turtles so they can be alive.
They live on the beach.
Then you will see sea turtles in the breeze.
Give them shade.
So they can go to the waves.

Amira Castilleja

Black Cat

I’m a cat and I’m a black cat.
I give bad luck and I like cat food.
I’m not nice and I love my day.
I don’t get a lot of owners, but I scare people.
I hope that I get a lot of owners and get more food.
I like and dislike dogs, bad people, and pet school.

C.J. Barberena

Lonely Dumb Daisy

I am a lonely, dumb daisy
In a dungeon of King Weed
No escape with no friends and family
If only I could reach the golden key
If only I could feel refreshed by rain
Even if I could, it is still not enough for me
I am the lonely, dumb daisy
I only hear other prisoners clinging the prison bars
If only I had a car
I am the lonely, dumb daisy
Please hope for me to escape

Carcyn Reever

What I’m Scared Of

I feel like my family is going to pass away quickly.
My family and my dog protect me.
My dad is going to teach me self-defense.
My family is not always going to be there.
Poisonous stuff scares me.
Do not eat it or drink it.
I’m scared of being taken away from my family.
I know my family will be there to protect me.

Joshua Taylor

Hi, I’m a Candy Cane

I’m like a coral reef
Sometimes red and sweet
As a honey bee and little insects fly on me
Because of the sweetness
I’m so straight with a hook on my top like an elephant’s trunk
I’m so colorful like a colorful flower
Before someone gets me
I have a plastic wrap around me like a toy wrap

Delilah Granados

Books

I am a book
I can open and close
I can be read
I can be any color
I have a title
I am square shaped

I see people
I smell other books
I hear people talking about me
I taste people’s hands when they touch me

I have a dream that is to be read
I have a hope to not be thrown away

I have a dislike, which is to not be thrown around
I have a like that is to be taken somewhere

Caitlyn Marie Barberena

I am a Lemur

I am a lemur
I jump from tree to tree
To and fro
Back and forth
I am fuzzy and grey
But I’m also white, orange, and black
I taste fruit and feel the tree branches on my feet
I want to eat all the fruit ever
I am a lemur

William Elliott

I Have No Fear or Talisman

Nothing to fear
No way for protection
I have no real fear
Some things are creepy
But that’s just it
There’s nothing I can feel
Some things may make me feel warm inside
And that’s not really protection
But that’s just it
There’s nothing I can feel
There’s nothing more
Nothing less
I have no fear or talisman

Sadie Higgins

Math and Mass

Today is Earth Day.
Our theme is saving animals.
I picked the giraffe because he knows a lot of math.
He doesn’t like reading, but he likes eating.
He loves eating leaves that have a lot of mass and are green as grass.
He hates eating red meat.
When he eats meat, his feet stink.
He’s really happy when he doesn’t have stinky feet.
He does math and knows about mass.

Alfonso Rodriguez

Giraffes

Giraffes, their necks are long as a pole.
Their population is like a big hole.
Their colors are so bright and delightful.
They’re almost as bright as a light cool.
The yellow and brown pleases the eye.
Why are they going extinct, just why?

Jordan Freeman

Baby Shark

In the water you can see my leathery fin coming towards you
Sharp teeth chewing fiercely like a cheetah
You decide to swim away, but I am faster
I swim to the surface of the water that is bright as blueberries
I am just a baby hammerhead shark
You feel relieved that I am a baby shark
So you feel my warm fin and say
You’re not as cold-hearted as I thought

Savannah Haenning

The Life of a Bee

I’m nothing much, just a honey bee
I work as hard as a factory worker
My honey is sweet like sugar
I feel as happy as a bunny playing in the forest
When I go back into the hive, the queen is proud of me
I hear all the bees working like construction workers building a skyscraper
I dream of becoming the next queen
I’ll bee the best bee queen this hive has ever seen!

Isabella Marie Fagan

My Little Blossom Tree

The little blossoms are as pink as bubble gum
The trunk is as strong as Hulk
The leaves are free in the wind like a bird flying high
It soaks up all the water in its roots
Then the snow falls
As cold as the Arctic Ocean
And my little blossom tree’s blossoms fall to the ground
My little blossom tree’s blossoms are grey like my grandpa’s hair
But my little blossom tree will be back in the spring

Annika McCloskey

Brain Bending Wild Stories

Ms. Barrett’s class was a crazy group of writers who valued spontaneity, collaboration, and working together to come up with the most creative and brain-bendingly wild stories possible. Together, we practiced adding details with accordion sentences, wrote about conflict, characterization, and motivation, discovered the secret universes of our own fiction, and just generally had a blast! I know you’ll have a blast reading their work!

Emily Beyda
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

My Dance Recital

One day, it was my dance recital, and I had done so many graceful dances. Right before my funky dance, I got called out onto the stage. I felt nervous but happy. They said, “Greta Braafladt, come get your spotlight award!” on the mic. I felt like I was going to fly out of the room!

Greta Braafladt

The Silly Bakery

Bob wanted to play with Billy, so they did.

After a while, Stewart, Bob’s brother, asked, “Do you want to go to the bakery?”

So they did, two minutes later.

“Hi,” said Bob, “Can we get three Valentine’s Day cookies?”

But the evil worker said, “No, no, no, no. You cannot have anything, so get out, or else I will hit you with my spatula!”

Bob, Billy, and Stewart GOT HIT BY THE WORKER!

They lived happily after, but not the worker, though.

Noah Jade Castillesa

Dash’s Adventures

There was a cat named Dash, and he wanted an apple. But the people on the bus said, “No, no, no! We are not going to stop off to get some apples, okay?” the people said.

So the cat had a sad feeling. Then he went to the park so he could try to get an apple there. A little boy came up to him and said, “You are so cute, cat. Can I have you, please please?” And the little boy’s mom said, “No! You can’t take care of a cat. You are only eight years old.”

So the cat still did not get an apple, and he was so sad. He slept on the bench in the park, and when he woke up he found an apple there! And he lived happily ever after, the end.

Davianna Henry

The Adventures of Ice Cream Dog

My dog wants ice cream, but I said no. So my dog jumped on me, and my ice cream cone fell on his head. Splat! But then an alien started to chase him, and Amos saw him running. The alien is at his side, and they’re running together.

Jaelynn

The Hungry Alien

Once, there was a weird and ugly alien that was just flying around in space when he realized that he wanted to go to earth so he could get an epic full gold crown. But the alien loved to eat space food. Of course, there wasn’t any on earth. So he had to decide if he should go or not!

Trevor

Pennywise Goes to the Store

Pennywise was just walking in the sewer and he looked out the sewage drain and saw the licking eyeball store, but he saw a sign saying, “Store is closed for good!”

“NOOOOOO!” said Pennywise. He really wanted some licking eyeballs.

He angrily climbed out of the sewer and tried to run into the glass and break it, but it wouldn’t break. He tried over and over, until he saw the owner of the store.

Pennywise asked the owner to open up the store for Pennywise, but the owner said, “No.”

So Pennywise ate him. And he wasn’t even hungry!

Jaxon

The Fancy Croissant

Bob wanted a croissant, but he had no money! So he went to his job at the movie theater where he sold popcorn. He liked his job. He got his money and took it to the bank. Two days later he had about $300,000.50 in money, so he got the golden croissant for $300,000.50 and was happy.

Jett Katz

Trump’s Terrible Day

One day, Donald Trump was at Freddy’s Pizza as a night guard. He had to stay up to until 6:00 AM, but he fell asleep. One of the animatronics named Golden Frodo grabbed up. When Donald Trump woke up, he tried to get out of its grasp, but it did not work. The next day, Donald Trump was walking around town when he spotted Slendy Tubbie, then an animatronic. He ran up into his room and stayed in there until the door broke open. He got scared and hid in his bed, but they caught him and he never came back. Then a McDonald’s restaurant opened up—that was their next target. I might make this an animation, thanks for reading!

David Ezekiel Fuentes

A Creepy Mystery

Once someone saw someone. He said, “Eh, that’s weird!” Then he saw an ant that was big. It looked like it had a bomb. Then he noticed the bomb was ticking! But the person at the beginning was a Derp. The Derp wanted a pizza, but the pizza stores had a policy of no Derps. So the Derp robbed all the pizza stores.

Cayden Hernandez

Rover’s Revenge

Once, there was a puppy that liked ice cream. That is why he wore an ice cream cone on his head. His name was Rover. Rover had a very big sweet tooth, and all Rover wanted was a bone covered in icing. But the problem was the evil baker would smack him in his head with a spatula and break his ice cream cone, and poor little Rover couldn’t risk that. Then one day, Rover decided to try it out, so he went to the bakery and instead of the baker smacking him on the head, Rover ripped the spatula out of the baker’s hand and started smacking the baker in the head. And then he got the bone and he lived happily ever after.

Lyla Batha-Tipton

Marshmallow’s Mission

Once there was a cat named Marshmallow. He wanted to get a fishing rod, but he couldn’t because he didn’t have enough money. So he tried to steal it from a store but he got caught and he went to prison and he had to stay there for a hundred trillion years. He regretted his decision from that day on because it was horrible.

Bryce McManus

The Oval Head

One day, a guy was in the shower, and he saw a man with a head that looked like a sideways oval. The man had a long beard and a nose that looked like Squidward’s, and giant boots. Apparently, the guy, who was named Juan, had a disease, and when he saw a turkey, he would want to eat the whole thing. So, Juan saw the oval man and said, “I would never want to live with him…” But the man had turkey. So Juan chased the man into a secret room filled with turkey, and the man said, “You can have all of the turkey you want!” Juan wanted to escape, but he ended up living there forever!

Dash

My Amazing Day

I went to Universal. I saw a slide, and I went on it. It was amazing! It felt like a waterland. You see fake dinosaurs, and you are on a raft. It was fun. Suddenly, the raft stops! You go down a hole really fast, around two hundred miles an hour, and land in the water, and you see sky.

Grey

The Adventures of AJ

One day, a boy named AJ found a magical stone—if he touched it, he could turn into a giant. He wanted to save the world. He touched the stone, but someone started attacking him. So then he turned into a dragon and tried to burn the person who was attacking, but it didn’t work. So, AJ ran away, far away. But he still wanted to save the world. Then robots came to Planet Earth and started attacking and destroying everything. So, AJ flew down from the sky and lit all of the robots on fire. He destroyed all the robots, and soon everyone was safe and he was known as the dragon that saved the world.

AJ

The Kid Fights Back

So, there was this guy who always goes down a dark alleyway to get to school. But one day, a mean guy with a hook as a hand started chasing the kid. The kid lost the mean man, fortunately. Then the kid had an idea. He decided to get a monster fish. The problem was that one hundred was the kid’s most unluckiest number. So he got ninety-nine fish instead. The next day, the kid hid behind a bush with his big bag of monster fish he caught. After a while, he saw the mean man and… splat! The fish started biting the man. In the end, the mean dude apologized and never hurt the kid again.

Carly Maxwell

Kit the Cat

One day, there was a cat named Kit. She was a small cat. All she wanted was a bed, a fish on a plate, and catnip. They were going to be so good in her mouth. So she went to the store, and she was going into the store, but then the evil dog named Eagle Eye was scratching Kit, and Kit was getting a million baby tears. But then Eagle Eye said sorry, and Kit got what she wanted in the end. She did it back to the dog and ran away! “Victory is mine!” she said.

Shyla Trevino

The Deadly Breakfast

There was a man named Lil Mike, and he had a sidekick, Long Bob. They wanted to get a bone and eat it for dinner, but they couldn’t because they were trapped in a bowl that had lazers, and if you touched it you would explode and be eaten. During breakfast, they found some rocks and threw them at every later, and they escaped! They tried to eat the bone for dinner, but unfortunately they died choking on the moist bone.

Drake Farris

Bob Toy’s Terrible Day

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Bob Toy. He was walking with his phone and fell and turned into a monster and the spell lasted a month. So he ran home and now he never goes outside without getting a drink of anti-monster potion first.

Kerry

The Week That Went From Sad to Great!

One day I fell off my bunk bed, and I almost fractured my arm! I fell flat on my face, and the next thing I knew was that I was lying on my mom’s bed with a cast. The next day, I went to my dad’s house and found out that he had a new puppy named Keco.

Amanda

Excavating Stories from Our Minds

In Ms. Barrett’s fourth-grade class, we spent our time together digging for details that excavate stories from the images in our minds. Students explored their own expertise and backgrounds while learning the tools to research the unfamiliar and reach the endless possibilities of their imaginations. Folk music icon Woody Guthrie’s song “This Land Is Your Land” inspired us to tell our truest stories—those of the people we know and what they do. The work of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda roused stirring odes about people and pets we love, Twinkies, and even pasta. These young writers experimented with rhyme, similes, stanzas, and detailed descriptions to make their points. You will get a good laugh from Connor’s hilarious tale of “Gail the Snail.” You will find out what it’s like when future drivers are instructed to design their own dream cars. Most of all, I think you will truly enjoy reading and seeing these images written, and the magical pictures they cast in your mind’s eye.

Jena Kirkpatrick
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

The Car I Want

In my dream car, I want it to have the color red.
I want it to have all the food in the world.
I want it to have all the video game systems in the world.
I want it to have all the drinks in the world.
It has AutoDrive.
I want it to have protection all over it, so it doesn’t break.
I would travel all over the world.
If I don’t go all around the world,
I want to go with my friend, Austin, to half of the world.
We will play games and ride.

Cade Alderete

My Rainbow Colored Car

My dream car would be longer than a limo! My limo would be pink with gold sparkles because pink is my favorite color and because I love sparkles. Gold is another favorite color of mine, so the running boards on my limo would be gold with pink sparkles. And did you know my limo could turn into a truck? The color of my rims would be purple. Now let’s go inside the limo/truck. When you walk into my limo/truck there is a big, cute, fluffy, black rug covering up all of the floor. My limo would also be like a camper van, so you could live in it. The color of the seats would be rainbow, and one of the buttons in the front seat would make the limo/truck change colors to rainbow. My sister, Brynn, would live with me. Brynn and I would have bunk beds laid out across from each other. The bunk beds would be blue because that is Brynn’s favorite color. The bedspreads on the beds would have pink and purple zigzag lines on it. On the wall, next to both of the bunk beds, would be a TV. I love watching Full House, so I would have to have a TV. The thing that would be amazing is free Internet. On the walls, there would be black and white polka dots with sparkles. Did you know the bunk beds could turn in together to make a table, so you would have a place to eat? The table would be clear and it would have gold and silver sparkles on it.

Addison Bolen

My Mom

My mom is kind.
She looks like a woman with blonde and brown hair.
Her job is hair stylist.
She works at a hair salon.
Her favorite food is brisket tacos.
Her favorite colors are fuchsia, pink, and purple.
She likes to go to IHOP, Pizza Hut, and Golden Corral.
Her favorite clothes are dresses, pants, shorts, and shirts.
Her favorite shoes are Converse, sandals, and Tom’s.
Her favorite animals are puppies, cats, and wolves.
I think she is pretty.
She loves me and I love her.
I love my mom!

Evelyn C.

My Dream Car

My dream car would have some really comfy seats.
They would feel like a cloud.
The car would have a bed in it.
The color would be purple.
The inside would have a lot of space.
If you ask the car, it will give you ice cream.
You can make up your own flavors,
add your own decorations
and any kind of sweets.
The lights would be the color of a rainbow.
The color of the car would change every minute.
The car would also have a dance party.

Esther Garcia

The Black Sheep

My mother is very loyal to me. She tries her hardest to do what’s best for me. She usually always wears an old Alabama Crimson Tide hat. Back in our old state, Oregon, she worked at this bar called The Black Sheep. She worked almost every day, so she barely ever got sleep. Other than that, she is very funny. She often makes a play on words. She is very entertaining; she’s like the house clown. At her work, she makes a lot of friends and I usually get along with them. The person I got along with the most was named Taylor. Sometimes, Taylor would pick me up from school. One day, The Black Sheep wanted to make a change. They got rid of two of the oldest people and one of them was my mom.

Zach Halliday

Carty Party

My dream car would be mainly black with a blue streak coming across the middle. It would also have a pole to catch electricity. It would be powered by electricity with white parts that look like stars and glow in the dark. It’d be small, but big enough for six people. It’d have two black motorcycles with white, glow-in-the-dark stripes on the sides that people can ride. They can also split off the car with the push of a button, but they can’t go that far away because they are magnetically connected. It would also be able to have part of the front turn into a set of turntables. They are mainly black with a rainbow streak that continually changes color. They have cool speakers and a computer that has headphones. Also, it would have a microphone that’s connected to said features. It would have cool party lights that I could use any time I want. I would rarely let anyone in, and if I did, they’d usually be there to help me with the party settings that I forgot to mention. I’d use it 99 percent of the time for party-like/party/cool events that I am invited to (if you couldn’t tell already). Said parties would mainly be at night. Because. Reasons. Now I want to play Mario Cart for some odd reason… huh?

Abigail Hughes

The Mega Car

Vroom, vroom!
My car—pow!
It’s bad and black
And can go ten times faster than a Ferrari
It has a built-in robot to drive it
It has twenty-four seats and a hot tub on the roof
My car has a 3D printer that can print one thing
With the snap of my finger, it will activate disco lights
It has 5×5 foot TVs and one ten-foot one
It has tires that are thicker than a dog that spent one year in a hotdog factory
With the press of a box, the Mega Car will start to bounce
It can go anywhere, from the Earth’s core to another galaxy
It even has a toilet in the back
The seats are fluffy as a cloud and softer than velvet
The seats are also as bouncy as a trampoline
The fuel is nuclear waste
It’s waterproof and if you say fish
It will turn into a submarine

Alex J.

The Energy Car

My car is fifty feet tall and a street wide. It is jet black with fire red seats and everything important is water blue. The cool thing is that it comes with portable gas in a flameproof closet (actually, the whole car is flameproof and bulletproof). The inside has two really important buttons and a lot of other random buttons. The two important buttons are self-drive and auto-drive. See, the important thing is that… let’s say you tell your friend you will go this specific route for any reason with self-drive. You go that route, but auto-drive will take the main route, and that’s boring. The cool parts are: the rockets that can take you up to exactly 132,586,794 light years into space, a bedroom, a kitchen, a living room, a fully operating weapons system (for anything strange), a fully operating “camp-mode,” a fully operating transforming system, an elevator that can take you to Mars somehow. And the exhaust is cheese and (I saved the best for last)… a cup holder… with a voice lock… No!… ”Aw, man. K.” You can fit thirty-six people in the car and take them almost everywhere in the world. I was driving down a road with dead trees around it and suddenly… a Stegosaurus appeared! It destroyed everything around it, saying, “I am a Stegosaurus!” Then, I suddenly felt dizzy and saw a flash of light. I felt heat and I saw the car vaporizing.

Christian Lopez

Hotel

My dad’s name is Jerry.
His height is five-foot-three.
His name is my middle name.
He is a builder.
He made a hotel by IH-35.
He is also a bike builder.
He also has a lot of tattoos.
He has three kinds of tattoos on his head.
He has one in the middle of his head.
It is a Virgin Mary with roses on the sides.

Texas L.

New York Car

My dream car has spikey wheels.
My car is bright pink.
My rims are silver with glitter.
The seats are made out of fluffy, rainbow fabric.
In my car, there will be a caramel Frappuccino maker.
With the push of a button, it will make me the best drink ever!
I will go shopping with Esther and Daniela.
We will go to New York City.
It will give us more than one thousand phones.

Christiana M.

Mysteries

I woke up in an abandoned hospital.
I looked both ways.
The date was 2082.
Since the hospital was blown up, I climbed a wall.
I saw the future, but there was a portal.
I forgot Stacey came with me.
I saw her and I ran to her and said,
“Stacey! You saw the portal, right?”
“You’re strange,” Stacey said.
“So, let’s go into it,” I said.
“Okay,” Stacey said.
We looked and saw the date 1825.
It was a back-in-time portal.
We had to go back.

Drake M.

Llama Bus

My dream car is a double-decker bus without a roof on the top part and no seats on the roof, just grass. The color of the bus is yellow. The inside is bright orange. The bus is called the Llama Bus. On the Llama Bus there are stripes. The stripes are brown, but the llama is white. It does not use gas for fuel. It uses cheese. There is a button that changes the cheese kind. It can disguise itself as a giant llama. When it goes into disguise, corn comes out of the llama’s mouth. The coolest thing about it is that no one drives it. It also goes up to five light years a second. I would bring Connor and Christian and go into a black hole and see what’s inside. Inside the black hole are alpacas, mostly brown alpacas and the rest are white. There is no gravity and it also makes you feel weird because you are getting stretched out. When we come back, we will have a Stegosaurus, which will say, “I am Stegosaurus.”

Nevan Montgomery

My Ode to My Dog Harley

My dog, Harley, is funny.
When he plays with his bone, he grows very funny.
Harley is softer than a bunny.
Harley loves to sleep.
He never makes a peep.
Harley likes to go to the park slide.
We also like to play seek and hide.
He is tan and black.
He likes to run the track.
His favorite people are my uncle and me.

Camilla M.

Ode to Pasta

Oh, pasta! How can you be so delicious?
With those spices and sauces, you are a god of food, you know?
You are ancient. You came from China and transferred to Italy.
“Where Lambos are,” and transformed into paradise.
You fill me with joy and tranquility.
My tongue always wonders where you are and never stops thinking about you.

Sebastian Stevanon

My Sweet Dobie

Oh, how I love my dog Dobie!
How he stares in your eyes
The way he licks your face
I love Dobie like cotton candy
He is the light of my day like the sun in the sky
How he curls with you when he can give no more
Sweet brown of his fur
He gives you a kiss when you’re down
Like a puppy saving a duck in town

My dog is small and lazy
He sits on the couch like a tomato
He’s only six years old
But to me he’s a baby
Sometimes he goes too far
It’s like a piece of paper hitting you
But he is mostly nice and cute like a lion
My dog is my world
He is my sun in my day
He’s cute and could act like a good dog
But he won’t even listen sometimes
Dobie loves wearing a shirt
I make him hot when he’s cold
He is like a body lying in bed
I love Dobie like a god
He has fur like a bear
I can go home and give him a kiss

Essie Taylor

Ode to Twinkies

The sweet, pillowy cream
The spongy, light outside
To me, it is more valuable
Than gold

All the different flavors
Your golden color
Your plastic wrapper is so crinkly
For you I would give anything
I would give shoes for you
In my heart there is a place for you
I could swim in an ocean of Twinkies
You come in all those shapes and sizes
Deep fried, ice cream, packaged fresh
I could binge eat you for a lifetime

Jake Texeira

Gail the Snail

Once there was a snail
His name was Gail
He was male
He swallowed a nail
And he gave Dale the mail
He wanted to sail
But he was a fail
That’s why he was a giver of the mail
He lost his tail
When it started to hail
He went to his house and hid in a pail
But forgot to eat his kale
So he went to jail
And when he got home he found his tail

Connor Tipps

My Unicorn Car

I would love my car to be a unicorn car. It will be white with painted rainbow hairs on it and it will have a golden unicorn horn. My dream car will have lots of buttons. One will be for a chocolate fountain with a bowl of strawberries next to it. It will also have a cake-maker button where you can pick a flavor, frosting, and topping. My Unicorn Car will also have a unicorn Frappuccino button. There will also be a small stand of hot Cheetos. The hot Cheetos will be flaming hot Cheetos puffs, Takis, and flaming hot rings. My dream car’s light will be rainbow. My car will also have wings and be able to fly. My dream car’s seats will have unicorns. It will have a unicorn horn on the top of the seat. My dream car will be powered by my hand. My dream car will have a microwave and a touch screen. My dream car will also have rainbow wheels; it will have a freezer with ice cream, caramel apples, Hot Pockets, pizza rolls, and popsicles. I will take my family to a beautiful beach.

Daniela Villegas Garcia

Car

My dream car would be light, bright blue with windows the color of the ocean on the left, bright red on the right and bright purple in the middle. The inside seats would be red. The headlights would change color in rainbow order. On the inside there would be a large rainbow button with a capital “C” on it. It would spill out candy. Mostly Twix, Hershey’s and gum. There would be a blue button with a “P” that releases a pool with a diving board, water slide, and pads that you can swim on included. As well as an orange button with a “W” that releases a climbing wall and a cave. There would be a board touch screen that has all the other water controls. This car could fly, swim, climb, slide, drive. and go to outer space (as far as six million light years). There would be an autopilot and another touch screen that would change the shape of the car. The background of the touch screens would be blue and the words and pictures would be white. The touch screens would be floating, half hologram and half transparent. The last touch screen would paint murals on the car, depending on what I tell it to paint. It can even show moving pictures, films, and movies!

Alice Weber

Homework, Skateboards, Turtles and Elephants

The young writers in Ms. Williamson’s morning class always greeted the day with a smile. They were unfailingly generous of spirit, both when it came to sharing snacks and sharing stories. Over the course of our month together, we worked as a group to create wild fictional universes (full of animals doing surprising things), wacky people going on silly adventures, and even a few talking objects! These writers used their empathy to explore the world through their creative writing, and their stories reveal their kind-heartedness!

Emily Beyda
Badgerdog Teaching Artist 

The Story of Homework

I am homework,
I’m not second-grade homework
I’m not third-grade homework
We’re talking fourth-grade homework, people!

I’m supposed to be on your desk with a big, red A+
Stamped on my face like a big, beautiful bow!
But now I feel ignored and neglected because
Emma forgot me in her dirty backpack! Do you
Know what’s in there?!

A moldy sandwich from last week!
Stale crackers from a month ago!
A water bottle that’s been in there since
Who knows when!

And now, thanks to Emma, my best friends Pencil
And Eraser are avoiding me because they think
Emma thought I was so lame, she didn’t even have
A thought about looking at me!

That is why I am not on your desk with a
Bright, red A+

Yours truly,
Emma’s Homework

Emma Read

Zombie Takeover

Once a fish wanted to go underground to find a hidden shower, so he traveled in a robot dinosaur with water in it. When the fish got out, he dug. The robot dinosaur went with the fish. But when they found the hidden shower, the robot dinosaur ate the fish! Then the robot dinosaur turned on the shower, and his power went down forever.

Ten years later, the fish came back to life as a zombie and started a zombie war. So we turned the robot back on, but the fish bit the robot so he could turn into a zombie robot. Together, they ruled the world. Then the SWAT team came and hit them with sledgehammers and all their other weapons. The SWAT team won the war against the zombie robot, the fish, and all the other zombies.

John

The Most Dangerous Game

Once there was a girl who skated. One day, she wanted to take a break from skating and play a video game about a fish eating people. She went to GameStop to buy the game, but it was closed. She was so depressed. She did not know what to do, but then she had an idea. She would break in!

She got all the supplies and broke in. She looked for the game, but it was out of stock. She heard sirens and saw a cop car. The cop came in and arrested her. But… this cop was nice, and he let the girl play the game in jail.

Gavin

Basketball Man Meets the Special Elephant

Once there was a man whose dad had a special elephant. He was a strong man and a basketball player. But sadly his dad died that Friday, and someone took the elephant away from him. The basketball player went to get the elephant, but there was a shark guarding it. So he jumped in the tank and killed the shark with his bare hands and rescued his dad’s elephant.

Joseph

The Burn Bird

Once there was a little birdy who wanted an iPhone he could use to call the cool birds and ask them out for dates. But the Joker wanted the iPhone too, so he could use it to call his girlfriend Harley Quinn and ask her to rob a bank with him. The bird tried to get the phone, but he failed. Then the Joker roasted the birdy, and the birdy said, “No, you’re ugly!” and the Joker cried and ran away. The bird grabbed the iPhone and asked the cool birds out on a date. They said yes. The Joker never messed with birds ever again, and he is scared of birds for life now.

Diesel

The Ghost Mission

Once there was a weird person who wanted to see a ghost. So he set off on his journey to find a ghost. The old haunted house was where he went first. Then he saw a SWAT team member who said, “Stop doing crazy, stupid things!”

“Bah, who needs SWAT!” said the weird guy. With that, he ran away.

Just then, the SWAT team circled around him. “Freeze!” they said.

“Okay,” said the weird guy.

They put him in jail.

One night, when he was sleeping in jail, he saw a ghost. “Can you break me out of jail?” asked the weird guy.

The ghost frowned, and called his friend Pennywise. “You’ll float, too, you’ll float, too,” said Pennywise. With that, Pennywise slaughtered the weird guy and ate him for breakfast.

Eli Patel

The Ninja Dog

One day, there was a ninja who was part dog, part ninja. He wanted dog food because he was part dog, but there was a dangerous obstacle: a magic skateboard that kept him from the dog food. So he put a sticky bomb on it and exploded the magic skateboard and ate the dog food!

Jayden Martinez

The Adventures of Spider Boy

There was once a Spider Boy and two criminals, Mr. Bear and Cat Boy, who wanted to fight him. Spider Boy wanted to kill Mr. Bear and Cat Boy. But a turtle came, and he owned an Apple store. Spider Boy was distracted and went into the store to buy some apples. The turtle asked why he was getting so many apples. He told the turtle he was on a mission.

Erika Lopez

Sadness

It makes you cry
It brings you tears
Your chest feels heavy
Whenever it’s near

You don’t feel right
You think you’re sick
But you realize
It’s only a trick

You may feel down
And your heart will pound
But it’s your pain
Coming from your veins.

Piper Pombrio

The Crazy Skateboard

My character is a skateboard. The skateboard loved to go rolling around everywhere. So, one day, the skateboard got really sick from rolling around and he threw up (yuck!). After the skateboard threw up, he got really, really fat! The skateboard’s friends were skinny, so they all rolled around together, and he got skinny again after a month.

Amelia Ponce

My Soggy Day

In the morning, no one told me they’d made me cereal, so I had to eat soggy old cereal. Then I went to turn on my Xbox to play with Waylon, and we almost won a hundred-person match. We came in second place! We got mad, so we wanted to go skate, but it was raining so I couldn’t skate outside.

Nick

The Alien’s Skateboard Adventure

Once upon a time, there was a weird alien thing that wanted to skateboard. Its obstacle was that it was in jail, where skateboarding was not allowed. All it had was a hairpin and a screwdriver, and the alien used them both to unlock the lock and run to the spaceship, where it got its skateboard, ran to a skatepark, and skated for days.

Graves

Rocket League

A guy named Blocks was playing Rocket League with his friend Michael. They were playing Rocket League for eight hours. They were not tired, but then it was one a.m. and Blocks’s mom came to his room. Blocks ran to his bed and pretended that he was sleeping until his mom left. Blocks went back to his game and flipped over a ramp. Boom! The other team scored—game over. He was at level seven, and had won twenty-one games. Rocket League is like a race car soccer game. He had to get goals and get upgrades, and that was what it was.

Brianna 

Bonkbob’s Troubles

Bonkbob is stuck and he wants to break out so that he can get 500 dollars. He runs to people and fights them. He wins because he is powerful, and he flops down and sees that he is lost. But he finds a jetpack, and uses it to fly where he needs to go.

Aiden

The Ninja’s Quest

One day, there was a boy who was a foot high. He was really small. He wanted to become like the ninja he’d seen once. To do it, he had to climb a tree that had the legendary ninja suit in it, but guards were working to guard it. So he had to sneak in undetected. He went through the facility and got through. Then he saw the guards. So he took out the guards and climbed the tree and got the suit. He then became the best ninja in the land and saved people from bad guys.

Derrick

Batman vs. the Trampoline

Batman wanted a chest full of gold coins, gold bars, fancy jewels, and a king’s crown, but to get it he had to go down to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, deep down to the freezing cold water. He had to go through a couple of obstacles. The obstacles were a trampoline, a skating area, and a Zumiez. Those were Batman’s favorite games! He couldn’t stop looking at them, so he went and played.

He played on the trampoline for seven hours, and went skating for eight hours, and after eight hours of skating he went to the Zumiez and bought lots and lots of clothes and went back on the trampoline for two hours and skating for one hour and forgot about the treasure chest and went home.

The next day, he remembered the chest and went back to search for it. This time, there was no obstacle, so he got the chest he wanted. But the chest had a big lock! So he could not get the treasure inside. So he brought the chest home with him.

Haylee Senior

The Deadly Seat

Bob the turtle wanted to go on the chair, but a bird swooped down and picked him up when Bob tried to sit on it. The turtle was never seen again.

Breylen

The Soccer Game

An elephant who was very fat had an obstacle—that was a banana fish eating another fish with big eyes. The elephant wanted to play soccer with two people and wanted another person to ride around on a rocket and be the referee. He wanted one of the people playing soccer with him to get taken away by the rocket. But the banana fish got in his way!

Waylon Jeter

 Three Trips

1. I went to Florida and went to Sea World. There was a big roller coaster, but my dad does not like roller coasters, so it was just me, my sister, and my mom.
2. I went to Puerto Rico, changing from a car to a boat along the way. It was awesome. I got to go to the beach.
3. I went to Alaska. It was freezing, but there were amazing things to see. It was incredible. My whole family was there but we got sick.

Philip

The Secret Life of Lemon

Once there was a dog named Lemon. He was the best dog you could have, but he had secrets. He wanted to get to his secret lab and create something no one had seen before, but he had a problem.

His big dog house blocked his way, and every time he found a new way the yummy smell from his food brought him back to his house. But once, he threw his food in the trash and took a new secret way to his lab. He made something no one had ever seen before. He named it Frankenstein.

Ryan Moore

Billy Meets the Bird

Once there was a man named Billy, who was an astronaut. He was in space having fun until he met a girl who he thought was pretty. She had a pet bird that was huge. Billy had two cats who would fight over a chair. Billy accidentally bumped into the girl, and her bird thought Billy was trying to kill her, so the bird ate Billy! After that, the bird barfed and licked his lips.

Zayra

Beck Bites Back

Once there was a dog named Beck. He loved to play with his Xbox. One day, the dog was going to play with his Xbox, but in the middle of the night, a shark came and ate the Xbox. The dog knew this because the shark left a note just to make sure the dog knew. Beck was so sad about his Xbox, so he sent a letter to the shark, but the shark was so mean he didn’t write back.

Isabelle Baldwin

Strange Tales of Struggle and Triumph

The students in Ms. Williamson’s afternoon class took writing seriously. Always ready to offer a constructive comment, a suggestion for a plot twist, a question about descriptive language, or a reflection on motivation, these young writers created a supportive community where they felt free to riff on their favorite fictional worlds, break genre barriers, and dig deep into their creative selves. You’ll love reading the work created… maybe it’ll inspire you to create something of your own!

Emily Beyda
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

Wacky World

The weirdest day I ever had started yesterday morning. As I woke up, I could already tell that things were going to get wacky, because when I walked into my closet, all the clothes were in opposite spots! But as I examined the small room, I started to think that it was just a childish prank that my brother had pulled. I walked out of my closet giggling a little.

Suddenly, I stopped dead in my tracks. My shorts had turned from white to leopard print! As I turned around, I saw my dog with a green tie and pinwheel hat! I bolted out of my room, grabbed my backpack, and ran to school. As I arrived, I found the whole Boone Elementary School turned on its side!

Scared out of my wits, I ran to a nearby alley and tried to hide. After that, the police came up to me, grabbed me by my shoulders, and told me I was going to court! I arrived at the huge courtroom as the short judge walked in. He stared at me with prying eyes. All of a sudden, the judge raised a carrot and pointed it at me. He started asking weird questions, moving closer with every word.

Then I shot up in my bed, blinking and rubbing my eyes. It was just a dream? Could it be true? I looked at my dog, who was completely normal. I grabbed him around his neck and squeezed him until… I got hungry. I stepped out of bed and tripped. Something had rolled out under my foot. I looked back at the cone shaped item, and realized it was the same carrot that the judge had pointed at me!

Cora Mae B.

The Alien

I am an alien who wants a UFO. An Unidentified Flying Object. I want the UFO so I can grab planets and put them in another galaxy. But there is a monster guarding it, thinking it is an alien.

Vincent

Who Am I?

I am Aliyah and I have two siblings. My home is a one-story and it’s brown. My city is Austin and it has buildings. My state is Texas and it is big. My country is the U.S., and it has fifty states. My world is the earth, and it’s the only planet with living things. My universe has Jupiter and black holes. My beyond has everything you’d ever dream of, unicorns and… me!

Aliyah

Two Brothers

Jebidiah Kerman put on his new tuxedo and drove to his friend’s party. When he got there, he took off his top hat and walked away. A little while later, his head got cold, so he went to get his hat. He saw his evil twin Jebii take his hat and run away. Jebidiah blasted after him and tackled Jebii, punched him in the nose, and got his hat back. In the end, he drove away, leaving Jebii in the street.

Renny

The Fatal Basketball

One day, when a boy went down the hill, he was walking with a pencil. He was so sad until he saw a basketball, and he picked it up. His mom told him not to pick up stuff from the ground. He remembered that his mom would be furious if he picked it up. He was walking home until a happy jellyfish came up to him to stop him from getting hit by a car. His mom came and picked him up, and she was so so so joyful she had her son back. The next day… Boom! The house exploded, and he and his mom moved out of the house. Bam! They left. It started to rain and boom, crack, pop! The thunder boomed. At last, they were home in their new home.

Lily

Garden Games

There was once a man named No Limbs At All. I have no clue why, but he had eight arms and eight legs. His mission was to get the Golden Garden Award. One problem: Mr. Chubby Muscles, who was a stick man, had the universe’s supply of all the supplies that were required for successful gardening. The solution was simple: Steal some items from him, use the free pardon that he won in real life Monopoly, and win the award. Guess who had the award, and who was DQed?

David

The Hungry Narwal

The narwal wants to turn into a bird so he can fly over to the birdhouse so he can eat because when food goes in the water it gets soggy. But if he turns into a bird, he can’t fly because he is underwater! So the narwal finds a ship, and inside the ship he finds an air tank so he can breathe on land. So he grabs the tank and flops out of the water, all the way to the house.

Austin

The Puppy Princess

At the end of every day, the princess would turn into a puppy because the evil witch had put a curse on her. And the only way to break the curse was to take the witch and force the curse back on her. But there was a giant wall protecting the witch. So the princess broke the wall, and she was free!

Natalie

Penelope the Peacock

There was once a peacock named Penelope. She lived in space. She was a star peacock. She lived in the Milky Way. She was a gorgeous friend, a fun, funny, and amazing peacock. She was also rainbow. I know what you’re thinking: “But it’s boy peacocks who are colorful.” But this was a different universe.

One day, Penelope was taking a stroll on the shiny gold sidewalks of her town. All of a sudden, a tomato fell from the sky! That was just what she needed! She tried to walk over to it, but out of the blue, a dark, deep fog came rolling in.

“Where’s that tomato?” Penelope said. She looked and looked, but she just couldn’t see it. “Oh, no. What did I just step on?” Penelope looked down at her foot, and it was covered in tomato juice! Then the tomato juice started to grow. She got out by holding onto a passing car and moved to another world.

Syreeana 

The Hot Dog Adventure

Once upon a time, a princess who could turn into a dog woke up. After seeing that she couldn’t make a hot dog without having to boil precious water, she thought, “I really need a microwave!”

She decided to go on a quest. She called it The Quest for a Microwave. She knew her father wouldn’t let her go, so she snuck away in dog form. She eventually made it to the microwave store, where she asked, “What is the best microwave in the world?”

The cashier said, “The best microwave in the world is the golden microwave. It is so amazing, it can cook a hotdog in one millisecond!”

She kept going, and 500,000 days later she found it. Right before she could grab it, the guardian of the golden microwave woke up, and if you don’t know what that is, it is a giant dog with tentacles for a mouth. The princess defeated it, got the microwave, and made it back home before she was one hundred and fifty years old.

Lucas

The Strange Day

My day started off bad when I heard that someone who would be coming to my sleepover couldn’t spend the night. It was Vincent! But then the school shrunk to the size of a dollhouse and nobody knew why. It was scary! Then we went to normal size, and we got to go home and eat ice cream. But then aliens came down and stole my TV! So I had to use the one in the living room. But then I found a $30 Amazon gift card, and I was happy and the weirdness stopped.

Charlie

Naptime for Piggy

There was once a pig who had trouble sleeping. But winter was long, and he wanted to sleep through it. So one night, he set off to find a teddy bear. On the way, he met a bird. It was really mean. It started to peck the pig’s head, it was so annoying! Finally, the pig lost the bird and found a store. He went in, but they were all out of teddy bears. It was almost winter, and the bears had already gotten them for hibernation. Finally, he saw one. He grabbed it, and when he went home he finally got some good sleep.

Ben

From Bad to Good

My bad day started like this: My mom got into a wreck! I had to go to the hospital—it was the worst. The next day, a fly went in my eye. I was running in circles in my backyard. The next day, nothing was happening. Everything was starting to be so good. Then I noticed this wasn’t a bad day, this was a good lunch day, and I also found a twenty-dollar bill and a ten-dollar bill in the parking lot.

Gisella

What?

There was a dude named Jeff who wanted to get rid of the wings a witch named Mary gave him. So he traveled to a nice witch to get what he wanted. The nice witch was named Red R. He traveled all the way there, and he felt mixed emotions, like happy, sad, and mad, but when he got there the nice witch was gone, and he was getting sick and turning into a blue jay. But the witch came back with cocoa, and Jeff was super happy because Red R killed Mary, the mean witch, and Jeff’s wings were gone. But Jeff had another problem. He forgot how to get home. But Red R took Jeff home, and Jeff took his shoes off and he had lion feet! He also had ice cream hands, and they melted, so now he does not have hands. Mary is coming back to Boone soon! Look out! Boo! Ha ha ha!

Betty

Emotion

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Molly. She had a whole lot of friends, and she wanted a hot dog with boiled eggs. But she did not have enough money. She only had $2.30. But what stopped her from having the hot dog was that there was a strange thing, like a turtle, so she started getting really disgusted, crazy, and mean. She was mean because she loved her food and there was a turtle in front guarding it. And she was disgusted because the turtle again. And she was crazy because she thought her food was good. But apparently not.

Avah

King Gumball’s Challenge

Once upon a time there was a cute SpongeBob in a tuxedo. All he ever wanted was a happy human and dog. But he could not get these from the evil King Gumball. So one day, SpongeBob went to King Gumball and asked him for a happy dog and human. King Gumball said, “If you can solve this Rubik’s Cube in four seconds, you can have them.” SpongeBob solved the puzzle and got his happy dog and human!

Avery S.

The Tweeter

I am a birdy who tweets on the street. I wanted an iPhone 10, but there is a cow with with fire on its horns. One of the horns has a laser coming out of it, destroying the Sprint store, so I can’t go in and buy a phone.

What? Is there a person on there?

“The Boomers are here, hooray!” That’s Billy Bob Joe on the laser-fire-horns cow.

What the heck? Oh! I found the iPhone 10, yes! No! The cow turns his head, a laser hits my phone, and, “Nooooo! Dad! What are you doing piloting a plane?”

“Because I am a boss dad.”

“Can I have an iPhone 10, tweety please, Daddy?”

“Sure you can, when you are thirteen.”

“What? Dangit, I am twelve in three days. I am so close to getting an iPhone 10! Why, cruel world??”

Ethan

The Cat’s Revenge

One dark, cold night, I woke up to a loud noise. I went downstairs and peeked into the kitchen. There was the cat, talking on the phone! He had a cruel, evil look on his cute, fluffy face. He ran towards me and knocked me off my feet and viciously dragged me out the door. He put me on a glittery spaceship and sent me to Jupiter, and I was never seen again!

Emma

Red Balloon Boy: Let’s Throw a Party

Red Balloon Boy wanted revenge. Red Balloon Boy was animatronic. Everyone pushed him around, so he thought he should attack them. He couldn’t do it in the daytime, but at night he malfunctioned. He didn’t know what to do. He started to steal batteries from a flashlight so he could attack Freddy and take revenge on him for popping his favorite balloon.

Michael

Scary Nights and Comforting Creatures

Dear Reader,

Caution: The following works comprise a collection of voices and visions waiting to reach out, suck you in, and never let go. From fancy ketchup to zombies in tutus to spring-ready accessories, the works in this line-up are as eclectic as the students who produced them.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of exploring and creating with Ms. Williamson’s fourth-grade students at Boone Elementary School. Each week, we speculated, debated, and laughed as we discussed the essential elements that make a piece of writing compelling, and, above all, matter. I believe each of the following works embodies those traits, and I feel lucky to be in the company of such expansive imaginations.

So, sit back, relax, and prepare to be dazzled by some amazing creative works. Tread fearlessly, but carefully—they might bite.

Amanda Scott
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

 

How to Sell Ketchup: A Fine Food for Fancy People

Rated number one by food tasters around the world! This ketchup is made with real tomatoes, not Franken-food. What’s more, it’s even a good stress reliever. Just squish the packet in dangerous, scary, or other questionable situations and all your fears will disappear! Don’t wait any longer! Now’s the time! Grab your own fancy ketchup packet today. Available at a fast food restaurant near you.

Tiernan Hunt

Kevlar Comb

Combs are the best way to keep your hair looking both fine and divine! They’re unbreakable—like Kevlar for your hair! Who wouldn’t want one?

Marcus Trevino

Alvin and Theodore

One day I went to get a haircut. As I was sitting there in the bright barbershop, I thought to myself, Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pet? While I was on my way home, I thought of the perfect pet: a hamster. That’s it! I’ll adopt a hamster!

The next day, I drove to PetSmart and stared into the glass cases housing hamsters, ferrets, and kittens. I spotted a hamster with large black eyes and was immediately in love. The placard next to the cage read: “Chinese Dwarf Hamster.” How exotic, I thought. I had to have it, but I didn’t want it to be lonely, so I decided to snag the hamster it shared its cage with. I filled my cart with all the necessary supplies for my new friends: a cage, water bottles, colorful toys, and flaky hamster food.

Back home, they looked comfortable and happy. The only thing left to do was name them. After a while of thinking, I came up with the only names fit for these two friends: Alvin and Theodore.

Caleb Amayo

Dizziness

It was a dark and stormy night when I fell out of my bed. I got up so I could wake up my dog. I wanted to sleep in his doghouse, figuring I’d feel more comfortable there. But then I heard something odd, something that sounded like a clown. Sure enough, a clown jumped out of the shadows and squeaked his large red clown horn at me. Naturally, I was extremely scared, so I ran the other direction toward the kitchen when a zombie popped out of the pantry wearing a tutu, of all things! I scrambled toward the bathroom and thought I was alone and safe. But then I heard a ghoulish sound from the shower: it was Frankenstein! We looked at each other and both screamed! I dashed out of the bathroom toward my sister’s room, where I spotted crazy Elmo! He started following me as I rushed to get away, but then I crashed into two dancing dolls with eyes as large as the moon. My head was swirling and I started seeing visions. Chicken wings, crying babies, choirs singing. In my haze, a robot dog came barking down the hallway after me. So, of course I ran as fast as I could before spotting the Cookie Monster who yelled, “Cookie, cookie, cookie!” after me as I sped past toward my bedroom. Nowhere was safe. I burrowed into my bed. A few seconds later, the TV mysteriously flicked on, and on the screen appeared the cast of Sesame Street. Slowly, I watched as the head of King Elmo rose at the edge of my bed, and came closer, closer, closer.

Dyson Hall

The Swag Dogs

I have two female dogs and two male dogs. My family likes to call them the “Swag Dogs” because they have a lot of attitude.

They are all very soft but smell very, very bad. My dogs are all unique. I have a Pug, Chug, Chihuahua, and Maltese. Pancho, the Chihuahua, sleeps with me. But one day he died. Magically, he came back to life. It was a miracle, and the Swag Dogs were back together once again.

Sidnee Amador

Jeffery the Zookeeper: Dun! Dun! Dun!

Once, there was a zookeeper named Jeffery. He was a very rich man, and his house was made of gold and cost more than one million dollars! He also loved animals and even had his own bobcat.

One day, Jeffery saw something in his bobcat’s cage. It was shiny and glittery. Jeffery had to have it. The bobcat was nowhere to be seen, so Jeffery crept into the cage, hoping to retrieve the treasure. But Jeffery did not see that he had been wrong all along: the bobcat was still in the cage.

To this day, nobody steps foot in that cage.

Cali Reever

Fight for the Husky

I really want a Husky. I’m trying to persuade my parents to let me adopt one. I mean, who wouldn’t want a Husky? Who wouldn’t want a fluffy, blue-eyed cutie?

I deserve a Husky because I would take good care of it, attending to all of its needs. I already have two other dogs, so I’d convince my parents that they’d also need a new friend.

I’d make my case and seal it with puppy dog eyes. In my fight for the Husky, I’d be victorious.

Lilly Besa

We are Always Happy

My sister is four years old. Sometimes we are mad or sad. But most of the time, we are happy. When I’m sad, she gives me a hug and a kiss. Sometimes my sister and I are mad or sad. But if we stick together, we’ll always be happy.

Marina Tapia

The Switch

There is a photo of a man and his cat. However, what you see is not what is because the man in the photo is the cat, and the cat is the man. The man’s mustache is his whiskers, and the cat’s whiskers are his mustache. They’ve switched bodies.

Since that very first day when the man spotted the cat roaming around his neighborhood and decided to take him in, he knew they would switch bodies. The cat loved it; it loved being human. So they lived like this forever, switching bodies back and forth, between feline and human.

Coryn Rodriguez

The Nightmare

My friend and I were at my house playing games and having a great time when things got… freaky. First, the lights started to flicker, which made us run upstairs and hide in my closet. Sitting quietly together, I suddenly realized it was Friday the Thirteenth. In the shadows of the closet, everything took on a dark red hue, like the color of blood. Then we saw as a hand slide into the closet and slowly feel around. I closed my eyes and hoped it wouldn’t find us. But I never opened my eyes again to see.

Declan Perez

Spring Rose Hairclip! By Hair Clippie Co.

Today we have a limited-edition hairclip for the spring season. But this isn’t just any old hairclip. This gorgeous accessory features a prominent magenta rose that will match any party dress you pick out to dance the day or night away. You’ll be the blossom of everyone’s dreams. But this offer won’t last, so get yours today! Be the beautiful bloom you always thought you could be!

This has been brought to you by Hair Clippie Co.

Izzy Gonzalez

Giants

– ¾ after Shel Silverstein’s “One Inch Tall”

If a humans were one-inch-tall, pools would be oceans.
A shoe sole would be a deep, dark cave.
A dollhouse would be a mansion.
I don’t think being one-inch-tall would be so bad after all.

Joshua Hernandez

The Scary Night

It was a dark and stormy night. Tod was in the bathroom when the lights started to buzz and the door suddenly swung open. It was my mom. I was comforted at first, but then I noticed she looked different. She didn’t look like herself. Her eyes widened and her mouth turned into a triangle. She let out a long cackle, and then, poof—she vanished.

Rey Goff

Animals Reign Supreme

Speak all the languages of the world or talk to animals? I’d go with the latter.

I’d rather be able to talk to animals because I could joke with them. We could trade tricks and laughs all day long. There’d never be a dull moment.

If I could talk to animals, I’d also be able to help them when they’re hurt or in need. I’d know how to help them if they were sick.

In the end, aren’t we all the same, anyway? Aren’t we animals, too? If I had to choose, I’d rather talk to animals. How about you?

Jaiden Valadez

Look At My Imagination, Not My Room

Have you ever wondered how to make pickles dance? Well, it’s easy if you follow the steps provided by one of Ms. Barrett’s morning students. Just hire a DJ named Nolan, who plays “hip-hop, rap, or retro music.” And don’t forget the pool for pickle swimming. I love how this group of fourth-grade writers found inspiration in Sandra Cisneros’s “My Name” to imagine the sensory details of their own with colors of “dashing red or a deep blue” and “a fresh chocolate smell.” When we explored places in our writing, rooms emerged that were so clean “I can run as fast as a cheetah.” Other rooms were so outrageously messy, they “smelled like death and bad breath, overrun by ants, stinky cheese, and rotten peas.” I’m grateful for the invitation to write with Ms. Barrett’s fantastic, fun, and fearsome writers.

Terri Schexnayder
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

My Room Is So Clean

My room is so clean I can fit ten very large people in it. I can run as fast as a cheetah in there without stepping on anything. You won’t find noisy toys or LEGO—absolutely nothing is in my room! It is so neat, one billion people can squeeze in the space.

My spotless room smells like roses and tastes like a crisp apple. It is so quiet that you can hear the wind blowing through the trees. That’s my clean room!

Edward

How to Make My Dream House

Have you ever imagined creating your own dream house? Let’s plan and make one together with these materials:

• Chocolate Hershey kisses, the best on earth
• Sweet Tarts for the bedroom door, located on the fourth floor
• Pink bubble gum for a slide
• Blue bubble gum for the elevator
• Snickers and Milky Way bathroom—tub, sink, and even the tile
• Nerds are the windows

Maybe now you can make your own? I am going to build mine right now!

Mya

My Magical Name

My name is Preston.
Take away the “n” and it’s “Presto!”
I love my name.
It’s like the color red and the sound of the ocean.
My name is so magical with its fresh chocolate smell.

Preston

The Best Dream House

Let me tell you about the most amazing dream house ever! Once you have heard about it, you will want to live in it and probably build your own. It’s actually a humongous structure, called the Party Palace, in which a very petite person lives. You see, the story goes like this:

Little bitty Amy shopped for houses, but did not find any she liked. For example, she found a one-room with only one bed, and that was too small even for her. So she designed her own from granite and rhinestones. Inside there was a pool of green Jell-O and a chair made from a really large gummy bear. Amy’s bed squished when she climbed in, because the pillows and mattress were marshmallows. With the softest turquoise blanket, she slept so well!

In her dream house, Amy also had a flat screen TV, where she could watch “Jeopardy” all day long on her favorite spot—the cotton candy couch. There was a hot tub with warm, melted chocolate in her house, located behind Niagara Falls. Listening to the sounds of water tumbling down, it’s the best place in the whole wide world!

Vivienne Authement

My Name is Maya

Do you know what my name means? Well, I will tell you. It’s like a vanilla donut, and it makes me feel as happy as sunshine cupcakes and rainbows. My name is Maya.

Maya is a nice name. It smells like a daisy and tastes like cookies and creamy ice cream. My name is a pink color and cute as a puppy doll. My name is mostly perfect. Maya means hope.

Maya Barrientos

My Icky Room

My room is so dirty, I can’t see the floor.
It’s so dirty, I can’t find the door.
The toys are stacked up so high,
I think they already touch the sky.
My room is so messy, it looks like a maze.
Somebody help me—I’ve been in here for days!
The closet is so full, it’s going to blow.
What should I do? Where should I go?
It smells like old gym socks and stinky feet.
Plus, I lost my cousin Pete.
Please call for help!
There’s an avalanche of slimy kelp.
Oh, no! My closet exploded!
My shoes flew so far away; I think they are in France.
My room smells like death and bad breath, overrun by ants,
stinky cheese, and rotten peas.
Won’t someone just rescue me? Please!

Ameris Basden

My Enormously Neat Room

My room is so clean I can fit California in its space. Last week, I even held a football game in my room—the Dallas Cowboys won, of course! I once held a party in there and 1,000,000 people of all ages came and there was room left over for more.

When Queen Elizabeth visited for lunch, she complimented me on my room’s tidiness. It is so shiny, even the sun thinks it’s too bright. My room smells as if millions of roses lived in there. It tastes like a chocolate ice cream sundae. Hey, are you planning a superstars concert? Well, my bedroom is the place to rent! And, I promise, an event in my room will be an unforgettable evening.

Ava Contreras

How to Make Pickles Dance

Have you noticed those big, fat green things in jars? Have you ever imagined the pickles dancing? Well, I have, and I have seen them come alive at night! So, now, I will share with you some pickle-dancing tips. Be sure you get the regular, big fat green kind.

1. Play hip-hop, rap, or retro music.
2. Turn the music up very loud!
3. Create a disco room.
4. Hire a DJ named Nolan.
5. Make sure you have plenty of Coke and cherry soda.
6. And don’t forget the Minecraft video game.
7. Order ten Domino’s Pizzas with ranch on the side—enough for 100 people and pickles.
8. Build a backyard pool for pickle swimming.
9. Remember the pool table with colorful legs.

So, now you know how to make them dance. Have fun watching the pickles dance and join in!

Nolan Edward Espinosa

I am Stuck!

My room is so dirty that toys are everywhere, climbing the walls and hanging off the roof! If you dare to enter my room, you must be a doof. You will trip and fall on your face, then roll down the hill of toys, hit the wall of dirty clothes, and disappear for the rest of your life.

Don’t stand in one place in my room, or the monster with no face, which hides under my floor, will get you! My room is so sickening that if you want to sleep with a blanket, you will have to dive deep to find one. And don’t go into my closet. If you open the door, one billion toys will jump out at you, pushing you through the floor and into the underworld. Hey, maybe while you’re down there, you will find the other toys I have been missing!

Oh, no! There’s my old friend Logan hidden under my LEGOs. Well, I should say my enemy now, because he just knocked me out!

Chase Foley

How to Ride and Handle a Unicorn

Have you heard the expression “somewhere over the rainbow?” Unlike this idiom, finding a unicorn is a real skill you can learn! Let me show you how to accomplish this with these simple steps:

• Find your unicorn, usually somewhere over the rainbow. (Now, I mean literally!)
• Tame it by feeding it a silver carrot, more than likely found in the same spot where you found your unicorn.
• Once the unicorn has finished its meal, hop on its back. I promise, it won’t throw you off because it is your friend now.
• But, remember, whatever you do, don’t put a saddle on it!
• Gently grasp its rainbow horn so you can communicate telepathically, steer, and accelerate extremely fast.
• If you need to break through a wall, unicorns provide many weapons to do this—explosive barf, laser eyes, laser horn, and the rainbow of death, to name a few example.
• Use your psychological connection with the magical creature to use any of these.
• Eat a mint and offer one to your smelly unicorn, too.
• When your unicorn gets hungry and runs out of silver carrots, just spray paint your baby brother.

That’s how you find, ride, and handle a unicorn. Go out and discover one for yourself. And good luck!

Emmett Foley

How to Build Your Dream House

Let me explain how to build your dream house. Personally, I would prefer one made out of vines so I could swing throughout the living room and kitchen with all the power in the world! But, let’s get back to how to build it.

First, gather vines from Madagascar and make sure they are stuck together with gummy worms for the maximum strength. Be sure and get enough for all ten stories of your house. Plan on not having a floor—only water—so you are forced to swing around your house. (Plus, by moving around this way, your mom can’t tell you to stop climbing all over the walls!)

Another thing, remember to put the correct type of crocodiles in the water, so you can swim with them. You know, the dark as night ones. Take care of them and feed them some chocolate milk and nothing else.

Don’t even think about adding an elevator. You will be carried up to the top by a roller coaster when you get tired of swinging on vines. The last thing I recommend when you are designing your own dream house is to flavor it with a rosy smell.

Uma Green

My Messy Room

My room is so messy that whenever I open my door, everything falls out like an avalanche of colorful fabrics. I have to clean up with a bulldozer before I can go in—it happens every time. Maybe I should get a tow truck to pull it all out. When I finally enter my room, it smells like wet socks and rotten eggs. Once, I was stuck in there for a month, I passed out twenty times!

My room is so disgusting, my friend Logan went in and never came out. His mom and dad called the cops, and luckily they found his body! But then we had his funeral in my room and it stunk even more like moldy cheese.            

On to the next subject, when the zombie apocalypse hit, and they came into my room, the smell was so terrible, it killed them! I hid at the top of the house with a can of Febreze to save myself.

JonPaul Lara

Life is My Name

My name is like the number five, one of the most beautiful numbers.
A dashing red or a deep blue color.
A bright star or a dull planet.
A light in the sky to lift you up.

M, Meaningful
I, Interesting
K, Kind
A, Amazing
H, Hope
Mikah, a name to be crowned.

It tastes like rich, dark chocolate
and smells like homemade chicken soup.
A beautiful flower sprouts my name.
It is so fascinating, like prehistoric dinosaur bones.

A name derived from the culture of Saudi Arabia, a land far away. My name—all because my grandfather’s company desired educated workers. So he came to the U.S. to attend college and stayed. His story lived on through my Aunt Sara and my father Jamil. Later, I was born and released into the world along with my name, Mikah.

Mikah Muhaisen

Monster Room

My room is so messy, it’s like a monster is living in here, breathing out dog poop. There is chunky pizza on the ceiling. It smells like a thousand shards of old milk are hitting my nose. My eyes water as if lemon juice was squirted into them.

One time, my Shih Tzu entered my room, piled so high with soiled laundry, he disappeared. He was actually pulled into a black hole below my bed. When I step on the trains on my floor, it hurts my feet as if I were crunching on 1,000 pieces of glass. Slimy fish stick to my shirts and pants, and I discover 1,000,000 pieces of chewed gum all over my room, too. Whenever I say, “Fine, I will clean my room!” and tidy up, it is back to its filthy state within two seconds.

Brianna Perez

How to Build Your Dream House

Let me give you some tips on how to build your dream house. For me, I would start with gumball candy for the door and gingerbread for the base of the house. Add some delicious Hershey chocolate bars for the roof, which is eight feet into the air. Now that the outside is built, let’s go inside and see what we can create.

How about blue cotton candy for your bed? And silly string for the carpet, sugar cubes for stairs, and, best of all, slushies for the wallpaper?! The water flowing in the bathroom can be Coke, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, or some other soft drink you prefer. And your bathtub is made out of Mentos, and it’s so large it looks like an elephant’s. Your house smells like hot popcorn and sounds like people crunching and munching on delicious food.

Pretty amazing dream house, right?

Sofia Pezzi

How to Train Your Tiger to Dance

Let me think. How would I train a tiger to dance, to spin around, even talk properly to humans? Here are some suggestions:

First, find the perfect tiger at your local zoo because they can be easily trained.

Next, gather together ribbons and spin them to show him how to twirl. Play a song by Michael Jackson—tigers just love him!

While you are training your tiger, be sure and give him some chores, such as mopping the floor and washing the dishes. Tigers eat a lot, and you want yours to contribute to the household expenses.

Okay, back to training. Always cheer him on by clapping your hands. Teach him how to move his hips by feeding him a hot taco. And, to instruct the tiger on how to talk, just say, “Hi!” and he will answer you back.

Final tip: Don’t ever distract your tiger while he is dancing. He can bite.

Jakenzie Murphy Vargas

How to Dig a Hole

Holes are crucial to life. You need them to build basements, to hide from tornadoes, and to hold water, among other things. Here is how to build one. First, make a list of what you will need:

• 1 long shovel
• 1 short shovel
• A backyard
• Sticks and leaves
• A poker face

Let’s get started! First, dig a shallow drop with the short shovel. It should be about one foot long and one foot deep. Second, go inside and eat lunch. Digging short, one-foot holes is so tiring! Third, go back outside and dig the hole about two feet deeper with the long shovel. Nice work. Now, you will need to clear out the hole with the short shovel—it’s more precise. (I hope you have a backyard because we are not throwing dirt into the street!) Toss your dirt all over your yard, but keep watch for the hornet’s nests. Remember I told you to get a poker face? Put that on now because you are going to need it soon. Next, take your sticks and cover the top of your hole. Finally, hide your sticks with grass and leaves.

Bring your brother or sister outside and have them stand close to your hole. Using your poker face, trick them by saying, “Hey, if you stand right here, you can see a bird’s nest on the top of that tree.” Guide them to the spot where your hole is. When they fall in, laugh as much as you want and walk away. Did this help you build a hole and also learn how to prank your siblings for the next time they do it to you? I hope so!

Dorsey Warstler

Arrow Maker

I am an arrow maker. Cold stone and wood. I get respect from warriors and myself. Arrows are speedy and agile—going with and against the wind. It feels powerful to make the weapon that shoots from a bow. A bow without arrows is useless, but arrows alone are still strong with an ability to kill ducks and deer.

Feathers for accuracy fall from the clouds. Added to the arrows, they help to make a straighter shot. Now, there are rifles, but I do not make bullets. I keep my culture and continue to make arrows to protect my tribe and to be the best Fletcher in this colony. If my name were Taylor, I would be a clothes-maker. But, true to my name, which means “arrow maker,” I have a passion for making them. Fighting the Europeans off on charging horses. Indian. American. European. Texan. Brave. Western. Southern. Fletcher.

My name is Fletcher Wilson.

Fletcher Wilson