Environment, Theme, Contests

This week I’m continuing to spotlight themes in children’s literature. The themes of The Munched-Up Flower Garden and Trouble in Troublesome Creek focus on the environment and ecology. Children's books need strong, universal themes. And what is a universal theme? It’s an underlying message—subtle, not preachy—that children everywhere can respond to.

Many children’s books deal with such universal themes as loneliness, new school, new pet, new baby, moving, and friendship. These themes can work whether the characters are people or animals.

Don’t worry about developing a never-before-seen theme. Instead, work toward a fresh and unusual approach of a tried-and-true theme. Think of the books you read as a child or to your child. Throw around ideas, mix them up, and turn them topsy-turvy as you place your unique spin on the tale. Have fun writing a new story with an old theme.

Classroom activity:

Promote student observation and descriptive language through the sense of touch. Allow students to explore various textures of items found in the environment. Examples: ground coffee, pebbles, sand, leaves, twigs, tempera paint, grass, string, pieces of construction paper, crumpled paper, cotton balls, bits of cloth, and other convenient items. Students sort items into groups by similar texture and discuss the way the items feel: This feels smooth or this feels rough. Use a variety of descriptive terms: bumpy, soft, silky, coarse, fluffy, etc. Students will glue items of a similar texture onto construction paper to make a collage. Combine the collage pages into a book and again discuss the textures of the different collages. Students may label each collage with a descriptive word or phrase.

No-Fee Contests:
1. Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/wergle/we_guidelines.php
Deadline: April 1, 2010

"Now in its ninth year. We seek today's best humor poems. Total cash prizes have been increased to $3,600, with a top prize of $1,500."

2. The Smories Prize
Prize: $1,500.
Submission is free. All rights will remain with the writer. Entries accepted from anywhere in the world.
Not be longer than 1,000 words.
Text only, in English.
Must be fiction for children from 3 to 8 years old.
Poetry & rhyming stories may also be submitted.
Deadline for this month: 31st March 2010
All other details on the site: http://www.smories.com

3. The 4th Annual Cheerios® New Author Contest will be open for entries on 3/15/2010. For more information on the Cheerios New Author Contest, please visit www.SpoonfulsofStories.com