“Now, Lula Mae,” Mama said, peering at her daughter in her rear-view mirror, “I hope you packed a smile somewhere in that suitcase; otherwise, you might hurt Grammy’s feelings.” Lula Mae crossed her arms and huffed a dramatic sigh. “I love Grammy. And her pies. And those big crinkly fries she makes me, but two whole weeks! I’ll be soooo bored, Mama.” “Oh, hush now, it’s not that long. There is plenty of summer left to pla...

1 THE TERRIBLE TIGERS “Ouch,” said Gavin as he fell to the ground. He slowly got up, rubbing his arm. I’m never going to catch the ball, he thought, feeling defeated. Gavin and the rest of the Willow Elementary School Tigers football team practiced on the field behind their school. “Team! What is going on?” yelled Coach Jackson. “You’re playing more like kittens than tigers! No one is tackling anybody, and no one is catch...

1 THE ASSIGNMENT The bell rang at Willow Elementary School. Gavin and his classmates bumped into each other, trying to reach their seats. Miss Sweets, their history teacher, walked in, dressed in her usual flowery dress. Her curly hair was pulled back from her face in a gold barrette, showing off her bright blue eyes and contagious smile. The kids loved her because she was very kind and made history fun. “Hello, sweet pea...

1 THE BULLY Gavin slowly poked his head through the bush and looked both ways. Where did he go? thought Gavin. I hope I lost him. “Gavin the Goober! Gavin the Goober!” yelled Tommy. “Time to pay up!” Oh no, he’s still after me. Tommy stood just a few feet away with fists clenched and a snarl on his face. He was the meanest kid in the whole fourth grade, maybe even all of Willow Elementary! He liked to take lunch money fro...

In the mystical realm of Aquacora, where the sea met the sky, Cora's enchanting voice echoed through the waves. A gentle Siren with wings as delicate as a butterfly's, she sang to guide ships safely to shore. One fateful night, her melody lured Captain Bone's pirate vessel to a hidden cove. Captain Bone, a rugged pirate with a heart heavy from past losses, was initially wary of Cora's ethereal beauty. His violin, his sole...

Hi folks, my name is Milly Tigger. This is how I found my forever home after a rough start in life . I wasn't sure I would ever have a safe space . My beginnings were rough I was born to a Yorkie and poddle living off grid in a place that was pretty run down . But anyway, one day, I peeked at the computer screen and saw where the lady was trying to sell me and my brother, and I whimpered. The teen human said, "I'm sorry y...

Miss Emily called the critters over to her and said, "It's time for us to have special company.“ The critters cheered and Scamp ran around in circles. Miss Emily giggled and said, "The children from the children's home are coming to spend Halloween with us. So today we will get the buildings and barn ready for spooky fun.“ The critters cheered and then settled down quickly to listen to the rest of Miss Emily's instruction...

The low hum of the air conditioner breaks the silence of the room. The sheets are soft below my body, and my face is buried into a pillow. Sunlight slowly tiptoes across my floorboards, making its way toward me. I scrunch my comforter closer and turn onto my side. There is a knock at my door. My mother gently opens the door, fully waking me up from a good night's rest. After she leaves I scurry across my room to a small p...

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a little lamb called Ivy. You may think that’s a strange name for a lamb, and perhaps it is. Now, Ivy was a little different from all the other lambs. To be honest, Ivy lived in a world of her own. Ivy liked to bounce around the field exploring while the other lambs huddled together with the sheep. Such a happy little lamb; the world was just one big adventure for her. By the e...

Hi, folks.My name is Bruiser. I'm a little dachshund. I weigh in at five pounds soaking wet. I'm two years old. I'm adorable and playful.But enough about me. This story is about my human Mommy and Daddy.I was just sitting there eavesdropping under the coffee table as my humans had a conversation about my human Mommy and her doctor's appointment yesterday. Her doctor wanted her to go see an oncologist. I wondered what that...

Tom was nearly seven, such a happy little boy. Like all children of his age, he loved to play, go to school and just do all the things little boys do. The one thing about Tom, he was a trier. No matter what he was asked to do, he would always do his best. He wasn’t very good at schoolwork but he always tried very hard. His mummy and daddy didn’t mind that he wasn’t very good at anything. As long as he did his best, that w...

It was a beautiful fall day on the farm. Miss Emily decided today was the day to teach Sparky, the dog, to use a leash.Miss Emily was gonna teach him how to walk on a leash when walking away from their property. Sparky wasn't a fan of the leash and made his opinion known about it. But she knew he would be a good pup for her. Miss Emily called out, "Sparky, come here." He looked at his friends who were scattered around the...

It was a beautiful summer day on the farm. Sparky, the dog, was laying on the porch resting after a fun morning of playing with his friends. He was watching the people go by and would bark to say hello to them. Scamp, the monkey, was hanging from the porch railing waving at the people. People would call out hello.They were enjoying the sunshine. Jack, the donkey, and Blackie, the horse, and Lynnie, the lamb was in the yar...

It was springtime on the farm.Miss Emily went all out for the decorations this year. She even found a six-foot-tall inflatable bunny.Sparky saw the giant bunny and went into guard dog mode and barked and yipped. All the animals came to check out the reason for the barking. Miss Emily explained to everyone that it is just a bunny and perfectly harmless. Sparky about died of embarrassment.Miss Emily said to Sparky, "You are...

It was a quiet day at the farm... Scamp, the monkey, heard about the local space shuttle building contest open to all ages and told Sparky, the pup. The contest was to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 11.They thought it would be great fun to enter. Miss Emily had just had a new refrigerator delivered and the box was in great shape and all they would have to do is find things to use as the wings and the tail fo...