I Am Poem
by Z. R., Grade 4

I am funny and nutty.
I wonder what happens when you die.
I hear breathing in my closet.
I see moogle and poogle, my head voices.
I want infinite wishes.
I am funny and nutty.

I pretend I’m a monkey.
I feel scared of death.
I touch a dragon scale.
I worry about death.
I cry when someone I like dies.
I am funny and nutty.

I understand that people die.
I say peace!!!!!!!!!
I dream about my friends.
I try to be nice.
I hope war will end.
I am funny and nutty.

A is for the Adventurous efforts of all the students who wrote for this Anthology.

N is for the Natural storytellers we all are.

T is for all the Thinking we did to write our pieces.

H is for the Hall of Fame we all get into when we do our best.

O is for keeping an Open mind.

L is for Liberty ~ the freedom to write what we think, feel, and know.

O is for the Outrageous outcomes you’ll find in this anthology.

G is for the Great opportunity to write and be published.

Y stands for You and me, because WE created this.

Teachers do it,
The Principal too,
Why can’t I do it, too?

If you give me that cookie,
You can teach me all you want!

Ok, let’s hurry to our lesson.
We are late,
And I want my chocolate cake!

Kitty is Glad

by H. S., Kindergarten

There was a cat that lived with his owner on a mountain. Then he went back up the hill to his house, but the doors were locked. There was an open window, and he got back in. The he saw there was a tiger. The tiger was wrecking the house. The cat chased the tiger out the window. He went in his room and saw his owners. He was happy.

Being Half Filipino
by M. F. V., Grade 3

My name is M.F. I am Filipino. Some day I hope to visit my father’s home, the Philippines. I really want to visit my cousins and live with them for a year or two. Being Filipino means a lot to me because it makes me feel special. My dad, the Filipino part of my family, is the most talented one in my family.
The most important thing to the people is the family. The men are the head of the households. They have to make sure their family is healthy, happy, and comfortable. People become adults when they get married and begin raising a family.
Children go to school for a while but it’s hard for them to afford. Of all the kids who begin school, only half make it to sixth grade. Children either walk or take a cabby car. The cabby car is like a tiny school bus and they’re always stuffed with kids. All students wear uniforms. Girls have blue skirts and white shirts. Boys wear blue shorts and white shirts. They wear shoes that are like tap dance shoes with knee socks.
Filipino food is mostly rice, rice, and more rice They also eat fish, veggies, noodles, and fruits. On special occasions they eat roasted pig stuffed with rice or banana leaves, served with sauce made from the pig’s liver.
When I go to visit my family in the Philippines, I like to go scuba diving every day, play on the beach, and go to my cousin’s little hideout. It’s behind a toolshed and has a tire swing and lots of other cool stuff to play with.
I’m excited because I think we’ll be going there for a visit next year! I’ll be able to be with my cousins, Desiree, Jennifer, and Tin Tin. They live with all their aunts, uncles, and grandparents in one place. It’s so cool.

My dad, Martin Buser, is a musher. Sometimes when my dad goes to Alaska I get to go with him and skip school.
Once when my dad and I were in Alaska the Iditarod was going to start. So, as you probably already guessed, he went in the race and this is where my story begins.
It was 3:49 when the race started and my dad had all his dogs ready. He had 12 dogs, Sugar and Twilight, then Fortune and after that is Point because he has pointy ears and a pointy nose and so on and so forth.
When the race started I was a little scared. What if he died somehow in the middle of the race? What if he fell off and got ran over? I tried to forget about it and I did.
I waited for a few days before I was delighted with joy. Martin Buser won the race and that will be a memory that I will never forget!

It’s Snowing
by R. S. T., Grade 1

I see very shiny snow.
I hear patting of the snow.
I feel powdery, silky snow.
I want to make a snow castle and have a snow fight.
It’s snowing, and I’m happy because it’s snowing.
Winter is here! And I am happy.

It started out being a regular day, but I didn’t know that one of my best friends would be out of my life. It all started when I got her as an early birthday present. I was at preschool when my dad picked me up he said that he had a surprise for me. Of course me as a little five year old I loved surprises, who didn’t? So when I saw her wedged in between the car door and my seat I was speechless. I had always wanted a puppy, my wishes had come true, my dad got me a puppy.
She was a beautiful Golden Retriever, so small and pretty. She reminded us of a beautiful jewel, Amber. Amber was her name, she was always there for me, she slept with me, she played with me, she was my best friend. She was by my side for three years, until my dad told me something that would change my life forever, he was moving overseas and we had to give Amber away. I was heart broken.
I had just a month to deal with it because I didn’t know but he had been planing to go to Thailand with his new wife and my little step brother for a while. So my dad gave Amber to one of his close friends, Ted. He couldn’t keep her but he said that he could find her a good new home.
I am ten now, I have been living with my mom and step dad during the school year and in the summer I go to Thailand. I haven’t seen Amber since then, I miss her very much. I heard from Ted about a year ago saying that he found Amber a good home, but two months ago he said that Amber ran away from her new owners. We don’t know where she is now, but I pray that she is ok. My life wouldn’t be the same with out my dog Amber.

Junior and His Recipe
by B. N. W., Grade 3

Junior was really looking forward to his writing assignment. He was supposed to write a science fiction story, but he kept messing up. He tried and tried, but could not get it right. Finally, his friend Alex said, “Junior, I’m making a recipe of my own to write about. How about you make one too?”
Junior went home, and with his Mom’s help, he made up a recipe for the most outrageous brownies he could imagine. The recipe goes like this:

1/2 cup butter
3 squares unsweetened baker’s chocolate
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup mini-marshmallows

1. Grease a pan
2. Heat the oven to 350*
3. Melt butter and chocolate
4. In separate bowl, stir sugar, eggs, vanilla
5. Add melted chocolate and butter
6. Let cool a bit, then stir in flour
7. Last stir in marshmallows
8. Pour mixture into greased pan and bake for 26 min.

Junior’s class loved them. Zach said, “It’s like double chocolate!”
Will said, “No, it’s like triple chocolate!”
Keidren said, “Holy cow!”
Jan said, “A M A Z I N G !”
And, this is a true story.