Howard County schools have provided The Sun with winning entries in the county's Young Authors Contest for second- through fifth-graders. These are some of the students who advanced to the State of Maryland International Reading Association Council (SoMIRAC) contest. Other entries will be published later. Three Centennial Lane authors who won first place and honorable mentions were invited with their parents, principal and teacher to the SoMIRAC Reading Convention last month in Towson. In both contests, the authors' works were judged without their names and schools attached.
The Sun will periodically publish students' short stories, poetry and photos that have won recognition in school contests and other educational arenas.
Jessica Rose Stein
Centennial Lane Elementary
Grade 2
SoMIRAC Winner for Short Story
Raccoons Rumble
Tim was a frisky raccoon and he was very smart. He made a guitar, a flute, maracas and a drum for himself. Everyone wondered why Tim made all those instruments.
The next morning Tim gave Sally, his next door neighbor, the flute. "Why, thank you," said Sally. "What's this for?" "You'll see," said Tim, and with a swish of his ringed tail he was gone.
Next Saturday Tim gave Max the guitar. "Bon jour," said Max, (he was a French raccoon), "but what do I do with this?" "You'll see." That was what he had said to Sally.
The next morning Tim delivered the maracas to Maria. "Gracias," said Maria, (she was a Spanish raccoon). "What's this for?" "You'll see," said Tim and with a twitch of his nose he was gone.
The next morning, Tim did not give out any instruments. He kept the drum for himself. Today is the big day where I get Sally, Max and Maria together. When I get them together, all the raccoons will rumble!
When Tim did get them together there was no music. There was a lot of BAM, YOW, CRASH, BONG! "Oh, no!" thought Tim, "this was not what I wanted, what did I do wrong?"
Then Max and Sally and Maria put their heads together and "La, la, la, me, me, me." They tuned up their voices and they traded instruments. The music sounded much better after they traded.
Tim was surprised that the raccoons had traded the instruments. He rushed to Sally. "Sally, I thought your favorite instrument was the flute?" "It is," replied Sally. "But now you have the maracas and the rest of you traded also," shrieked Tim. They all shouted, "But we know how to play these instruments! The instruments you gave us are our favorite instruments, but we know how to play these!"
Just then, Charlie the moose came and said, "What are all these instruments for?" Maria explained everything that was going on. "Oh," said Charlie, as he explained to Tim, "you have to play what you know how to play or it will be a big mistake. I brought my piano, so let's play now. You all know how!"
Tim, Sally, Max, Maria, and Charlie played with all their might.
Carrie Gartner
Centennial Lane Elementary
Grade 4
SoMIRAC Honorable Mention in Poetry
A Poem About Dr. Seuss
His real name was Theodor
He was born in the year 1904
And he wrote books that kids just adore.
We call him Dr. Seuss
and his dad worked in a zoo
where there were all kinds of animals -- including a moose.
His dad might have worked in a zoo
but he could have been a ghost
because Dr. Seuss lived on both
east and west coast.
There are only 50 words in
Green Eggs and Ham
am I impressed ...
I am ... I am.
His most popular book
is Cat In The Hat.
Imagine that ... a Cat In My Hat.
He wrote 49 books
so as a writer, I'd say
he's a success and is loved by the kids of today.
Nicholas Aburn
Centennial Lane Elementary
Grade 5
SoMIRAC Honorable Mention in Poetry
Morning Hymn
The sun wakes to the day
greeting all with a bright smile.
The brilliant blue sky surrounds
the world with a serene blanket of color.
The dazzling green grass
covers the world with a sheet of soft cool emerald.
The small birds chant their
soft melodic song.
The crisp air floats outside
while the dewdrops dance on the grass.
Small squirrels chatter
prancing with their tails high.
Chipmunks gather nuts in their
small pouchlike mouths
for the upcoming frost.
Jacqueline Cassard
Hollifield Station Elementary
Grade 3
The Sun
What is that fiery thing up there in the sky?
And how does it fly?
And why?
Can I take it down?
And if I can, how?
Well, whatever that thing is and where it came from I don't know.
But someday I'll know all these things so ...
Don't ask me till then.
David Shulman
Hollifield Station Elementary
Grade 3
Turkey Breakaway
I started to run to my house but little did I know it would be a very strange Thanksgiving. I sat down ready to finish my plate and play my favorite computer game. My mom, dad, and little brother were in the kitchen trying to bake the turkey. Just then I heard a crashing noise and my brother shouting "T! T!" I raced into the kitchen just as the speeding turkey whizzed by. Next came my little brother. "T! T!" he shouted.
I started to sprint after it. I saw my mom and dad come out of the kitchen. Just then the turkey went into the basement. I got a terrible thought, my electric train set! I went down and snuck up quietly, one false move could cause disaster. I saw it on a train, the train started to roll ... and the turkey's claw hit the On switch and the speed dial. The train went faster and faster and SMASH! Goodbye two $50 trains, and $1,050 scenery and train table and goodbye dashing turkey. I saw it jump on my trampoline and slip on a Micro Machine. Slish, slosh, BANG! Goodbye $1 Micro Machine. Goodbye $100 Nintendo 64. It got up, spun in six circles and lay on the couch and ran away. I saw it go upstairs. By the time I got there my mom and dad had already chased it and were tired. I went into the dining room just as my brother tried to grab the turkey's waddle. Bok! Bok! Bok! Bok! I ran upstairs and into my room and turned on my lego train. And guess what he did? He drove it into the wall! But luckily I caught him and do you know what I said to him? I said, "It's your turn to say goodbye $100 lego train."
My brother shouted, "T!" I knew the turkey didn't want to be eaten. So everyone agreed to keep him as a pet and was happy.
Mark Hengemihle
Hollifield Station Elementary
Grade 4
Why Turtles Are So Slow -- An Ojibwe Legend
Many moons ago when animals could talk, a turtle named Fast Turtle was running from a hawk! Swoosh! Down came the hawk, but Fast Turtle dodged the hawk and got to safety. Turtle hated almost being eaten. So Fast Turtle went to his friends Wise Fox and Curious Antelope. Then he asked them, "How can I not get eaten by my enemies? I know I'm fast, but my enemies are faster than I. What can I do?" Wise Fox said, "You can go to the Great Thunder God and maybe he can help you."
"No, I don't know the way." Curious Antelope didn't have an idea so he wasn't any help. The next night, Fast Turtle had a dream. It showed him the way to the Great Thunder God and told him to go to the Great Thunder God the next morning. So the next morning Fast Turtle went straight to the God. Fast Turtle got to the God in three days. Then Fast Turtle told the powerful God, "I need protection." "Protection!" the Great God said. "Yes, I want protection," said Fast Turtle. "Well I may have something for you!" "You do! What? What is it?" asked Fast Turtle. "How about a shell." "Sure, anything." "Well here you are." "Gee, thanks," said Fast Turtle. But now it took Fast Turtle 5 days to get back down to earth. He was now slower, but the turtle didn't notice. Soon Fast Turtle noticed, and now he is Slow Turtle. But Slow Turtle is happy because he has protection and this is why turtles are so slow, because their shells are so heavy.
Sam Waller
Hollifield Station Elementary
Grade 2
Snowdog
One day I was going to the pet shop. I was going there to get a dog because I like dogs. I got a dog and he was a Rottweiler. I named him Porkchop because he loves pork.
A few days later, I found out that Porkchop could talk, so me and Porkchop could have conversations with each other. But right away when I was about to say something, Sean came running in yelling, "We need to decorate. Quick!"
Then Nick came running in yelling, "AAHHHH! Jimmy and Brian are doing the powder doughnut treatment on Bobby!"
"OK guys, make a catapult and get the squirt guns! Now! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"
Five minutes later, we had put as much snow in the catapult that it could hold. We also filled our squirt gun full of snow. First, we demolished their snow castle, then we shot them with snow. We got Bobby back to the park to celebrate, but then the worst thing in my whole entire life happened. Porkchop was gone!
We looked everywhere, but we finally found him. We had dug a hole and Porkchop jumped in and went through the snow to the left. We went down and followed him. He went left, then right, then right, then left, then right. It really confused us! Finally we caught him. Then we went home for dinner.
The End
Nora Meador
Hollifield Station Elementary
Grade 3
The Thanksgiving Chicken
This was the strangest Thanksgiving ever! My aunts, uncles, cousins, my sister, and I were all sitting at the table and my dad was cooking the turkey. When I smelled the turkey I could almost taste it in my mouth. My parents walked to the table and sat down. "The turkey is almost finished," said my dad. Then my family heard the oven door open and close. The turkey walked up the stairs.
My family heard bath water running. The turkey walked back down the stairs. He was squeaky clean. He jumped on the table, took the cranberry sauce and trotted out the door. My family was shocked! We all stared in horror! I was calm. "There goes my dinner," I said. Suddenly my sister, aunt, and uncle all leaped up from their seats. My parents and all but one of my cousins followed. They all returned breathless. My cousin's face lit up, then she said, "Let's get some turkey food to use as bait. When the turkey smells the food he'll come back." I dug up some bird food out of the basement. My mom poured it into a bucket. My dad put the bucket of food on the porch. My whole family waited. "I don't think he can smell it wherever he is," said my sister.
Then I smiled and walked to the freezer. I opened it and took out some chicken. My mom cooked it. Then my dad sliced it. Everyone gobbled it up. We all agreed that Thanksgiving turkey isn't as good as Thanksgiving chicken. That was the strangest Thanksgiving ever!
Sarah Jawed
Bryant Woods Elementary
Grade 5
Why Violets Are Purple
Eros and his mother, Aphrodite, the god and goddess of love, watched Earth from Mount Olympus. The Earth looked beautiful, but they felt that something was missing. They needed to create a new nature object that would make the Earth look more beautiful.
"How about some flowers?" Aphrodite suggested to Eros. "That would certainly make the Earth more beautiful. Don't you agree?" "Yes, I agree," Eros said. "Flowers would certainly make the Earth look more beautiful."
So, they both went down to Earth and planted flowers all over the field. The Earth certainly looked more beautiful. There were flowers of all shapes and sizes, but then they felt that something was still missing. There were no colors. All the flowers were just plain white. So, they got out their pallettes and paintbrushes, and went down to Earth to work again. They divided the flowers equally between themselves and started painting. Aphrodite painted her half with her favorite colors. Eros painted the other half with his favorite colors. Now, the view was really spectacular. There were beautiful flowers of all colors as far as the eye could see. As Eros and Aphrodite stood admiring the view, they noticed one little mistake that was rather hard to ignore. They had missed just one flower. It was still white.
"Oh, my! How did we miss that one? Maybe we planted one more flower than we should have," said Aphrodite. They were both silent for a minute.
Then, Aphrodite said, "I know what we should do. Let's paint it red, my favorite color." She went down to Earth and painted the flower red.
"No," said Eros, as he followed Aphrodite down to Earth. "Let's paint it blue, my favorite color." He washed the flower and painted it blue.
"No," said Aphrodite stubbornly. "It has to be red." She paused for a minute, then smiled and said, "After all, women appreciate flowers more than men. So, therefore, there should be one more flower of my favorite color." She washed the flower and painted it red again.
"It has to be blue," insisted Eros. "Men also appreciate flowers." He washed off the red color and painted the flower blue again.
Both Eros and Aphrodite remained stubborn and unwilling to yield to the other. Eros would wash the flower and paint it blue. Aphrodite would come back and change it to red. Their quarrel lasted the whole day. At night, Eros sneaked out of the house quietly. He went to the field and washed and painted the flower blue. Then he heard someone coming. He ran and hid behind a tree. Soon, he saw a shadow approaching the flower. It was Aphrodite. She took out her paintbrush and in a hurry, started to paint the flower red in the dark. Unable to control his anger, Eros shouted, "Who is there?" Aphrodite was startled but recognizing that it was Eros, she yelled back, "What are you doing here?" Suddenly, they both realized that they both were trying to sneak up on the other. So they went back, but kept an eye on each other for the rest of the night. "The first thing I will do tomorrow will be to go and change the color back to blue," Eros said to himself. "I will make sure that Eros does not touch that flower again," Aphrodite said to herself.
The next morning, still wary of each other, they both walked down together to the flower. As they came near, their anger turned into amazement. "What has happened to the flower?" they both exclaimed. The flower was neither red nor blue. Aphrodite suddenly realized that in a hurry, in the dark, she had forgotten to wash the blue color off the flower before painting it red. The new color was actually quite beautiful and exotic. They both forgot their anger and were soon admiring the new color. "Let's call this color purple," Eros suggested. Aphrodite, who always had her own opinion, said, "No, this doesn't sound exotic. I will call it violet. That's more exotic and feminine." Eros was still too excited to argue. "We can call it both purple and violet," he said looking admiringly at the flower.
As Eros and Aphrodite were talking, they saw people, both adults and children, coming out to the field. They were talking in excited voices and admiring the beautiful flowers that had covered the fields. Everyone was particularly attracted to the exotic purple or violet flower which looked so different from the rest. Eros and Aphrodite looked at each other. What people were admiring most was something that they thought was their mistake. "How did you come up with this wonderful color?" people asked Eros and Aphrodite. "Oh nothing, all it took was a little imagination," Eros said boastfully. "Yeah, right, some imagination!" Aphrodite said smiling.
In a few years, the purple or violet flowers spread all over the Earth. One day, a beautiful rainbow appeared on the sky after the rain. The people noticed that one of the colors of the rainbow looked exactly the same as the color of these beautiful flowers. They named that rainbow color violet after the color of their favorite flower.
Brittany Edmondson
Hollifield Station Elementary
Grade 5
The Jumping Dog of Camia
My dad told me a story that happened a long time ago. He said a dog that could jump really high came to my neighborhood. This creature came from a place called Camia (Came-ia). Camia is located somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The King of Camia wanted every single piece of jewelry and valuable item in all of Camia. As you can imagine, this left all of the dogs very sad, not to mention poor.
Each of the dogs had a special talent. Some could jump very high, others could stand on their heads, and many of the others could perform many different talents.
One day one of the high jumping dogs decided to find a better place for his people to live. He was so unhappy that he just had to get away. The first place he came to was my neighborhood. No one in my neighborhood knew how to react because they had never seen such a creature. Everyone was scared of this poor creature even though he was not harmful. No one would come near the dog. My great-great-grandfather was different. He went right up to the dog and touched it lightly on the head. The dog rubbed up against him and they instantly became friends. My great-great-grandfather even let the dog in and fed him. When the neighbors saw how friendly the dog was they all began to greet him. Someone yelled, "Let's call this creature DOG." They decided to call it DOG because my great-great-grandfather's initials were DOG.
After a week the dog decided it was time for him to go back to his village to save his people. That night, when everyone was asleep, he went back to his village. When he finally got there he held a meeting so the group could make a plan to leave the village.
They agreed in the plan to leave their home in three days to head for the new place. They decided that they couldn't go during the day because the king would notice that all of the dogs were disappearing, so they decided to go at night.
Meanwhile, everyone back at my neighborhood was in a panic. Everyone was running around. People were searching and screaming for the dog. This panic lasted for the whole time the dog was back in Camia.
On the third night every dog was packed and ready to leave. They all got together and walked out of Camia. They swam all the way to my neighborhood. The next day all of the dogs ran up to various houses in my neighborhood and barked at the door until people finally came outside to greet them.
There were enough dogs for every family in my neighborhood to have at least one. Of course, my great-great-grandfather received the dog that came to him before. He was so excited that he named him Uno, for the first dog. All of the neighbors also gave their new dogs special names.
This is how dogs became man's best friend, and you know how that story ends.
Wait!! The King of Camia decided to find a new place to rule, but instead became a servant for a mightier ruler. As for Camia, it might still be in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean ... no one knows.
The end.
Samantha Hines
Triadelphia Ridge Elementary
Grade 2
The Big Grizzly Bear
Suddenly I turned around ... and I saw a big grizzly bear!
A big bear, a hairy bear, a hungry bear.
A bear that was big and hungry and looking for food.
I was scared but I wanted to be friendly, not rude.
I was also afraid that he was going to eat me
so I invited him over for cookies and tea.
Mommy thought I was crazy bringing home a bear.
But he proved that he was friendly once he was there.
He sat down at the table and stared at me a while;
Then asked for a cup of tea with a big grizzly smile.
I asked him if he wanted sugar and he said "Yes, please."
We talked and discovered that we both liked trees.
We both like purple, we both like to swing,
we both like retrievers and we both love to sing!!!
I took him to my room to show him my Beanies.
He liked them all but his favorite was Peace.
I looked outside; it was getting dark.
We decided to walk back to his home in the park.
I told him I would come see him again,
and that I considered him a very good friend.
The end.
Pub Date: 04/08/99