A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post about teaching storytelling to my son. I mentioned that we would begin writing the stories down together.
Over the past few weeks we’ve developed a method. I ask him who the story is about, what the character wants, why they want it, what stops them from getting it, how they try to solve the problem, whether it works or not, and what happens afterwards. He answers all of these questions while I take notes, and then I put it into a story structure and read it to him. He tells me if he wants me to change anything, and I do. Then I read it to him again. If he likes it, it’s done. Once it’s done I print it up and he takes it to show his dad and then put in his room.
It’s been really fun.
So here, presented with my son’s permission, are three of the stories I’ve helped my son to write so far. (The third one is my very favorite)
The Boy With Two Balloons
by G.R. Dotson
Once there was a boy who had two balloons.
He flew with them in the sky, heading towards the jungle. He wanted to visit all of the jungle animals.
But a plane flew past him, and its wind blew him off-course!
When he landed, he wasn't in the jungle. He was in a desert!
The first thing he saw was a spider who came along and touched him with one leg. The spider was wearing the fangs of other spiders all over it.
“Why are you wearing other spiders' fangs?” the boy asked.
“So that I can be the strongest!” the spider answered.
The spider poked the boy, but the boy held his balloons out of reach of the spider's pokes. So the spider crawled back to his web.
Then the boy jumped into the air with his balloons again. He wanted to go to the jungle to visit all of the jungle animals.
But an eagle on his way to the desert flew past the boy. The eagles' wings blew the boy away.
When he landed, he wasn't in the jungle. He was on a farm!
The first thing he saw was a barn cat who asked the boy, “Will you pet me?”
The boy petted the cat for a long time, until it jumped away.
Then the boy took his balloons again and jumped up into the sky and tried one last time to fly to the jungle.
Finally he made it! While he was there he visited an orangutan, a peacock, and a lemur. When he was done meeting them he waved goodbye and flew back home to his mommy.
THE END
Baboochi Can't Find His Friend
by G.R. Dotson
Baboochi the puffer fish wants to go and visit his best friend, Gonteess the epaulette shark. But he cannot find her anywhere! He starts to swim around the reef looking for her.
Instead an eel finds Baboochi, and it tries to eat him. So he swims in circles around the eel's head over and over, as fast as he can, until the eel is too dizzy. Then he swims away.
Then a dog jumps out of a fisherman's boat and tries to catch Baboochi for the fisherman. But dogs breathe air, so Baboochi just swims to the bottom of a trench under water and waits for the dog to go away.
But the fisherman threw garbage in the water and the garbage tangles Baboochi up. Baboochi asks a giant crab to use its claws to get the garbage off of him.
Once the garbage is off of Baboochi the giant crab tries to pinch him! He swims way out to sea to escape from the crab.
Out in the sea Baboochi meets a sperm whale who wants to eat him. Instead, Baboochi tells the sperm whale a story about a dragon, until the whale is so distracted that Baboochi can swim right back to the reef.
A big splash surprises Baboochi. It's his friend, Gonteess the epaulette shark! She was walking on land over the top of the reef when he couldn't find her before, and now she jumped into the water again. Baboochi and Gonteess go together to play at Baboochi's house.
THE END.
The Spider Who Stole All Fangs
by G.R. Dotson
When Zursu was a baby spider, his mommy spider told him a story. The story was about how to get the strength of many spiders by taking their fangs.
When Zursu was almost a big kid spider, he decided to get the strength of all the other spiders in the desert. He had to get their fangs.
He told the first spider to walk onto some sticks hiding a hole. The first spider fell through the sticks into the hole, and Zursu ate him all up except his fangs. Zursu used his spiderwebs to stick the fangs to his own body.
He made a trip-trap for the second spider using his silk. When the second spider tripped over the trap, Zursu ate her all up except her fangs. Zursu used his spiderwebs to stick the fangs to his own body.
He tricked the third spider into going in front of a bear walking through the desert. The bear stepped on the third spider and squished him, and Zursu ate him all up except his fangs. Zursu used his spiderwebs to stick the fangs to his own body.
Zursu trapped, tangled up, or tricked every spider in the whole desert. He ate them all up except their fangs. He used his spiderwebs to stick their fangs to his own body.
Zursu was the only spider left in the desert, and the strongest spider in the whole world.
The next day was Zursu's birthday party, he was a big kid spider finally. But he had no friends left to come to his party. He had eaten them all and stolen their fangs. He realized that even if he was the strongest spider in the whole world, he was still lonely.
So Zursu puked out all of the other spiders. He took their fangs off of his body. He used his spiderwebs to stick the fangs back on all the spiders. As soon as they had their fangs back they all came back to life.
They were very mad at Zursu. So he told them he was very sorry and gave them all some of his birthday cake.
Zursu promised that he wouldn't eat other spiders ever again, only birthday cake.
THE END