Author Club

After reading a story last night, the Tumbleweed decided that she is going to start an "Author Club" just like the kids in the book. Of course, she forgot until bedtime tonight. "We need to go shopping for a notebook tomorrow!" she says. Not realizing what I was getting into, I pointed out that she already had a notebook in her desk drawer that she could use.

As I read the Dandelion's stories, she found a pencil and got to work. By the time I came in she said, ""Mommy, you don't have to read me a story - I am going to write one." Deciding not to stifle her creativity, I let her work while gathered some laundry. Occasionally, she asked me to spell a word. Twenty minutes later she says, "How do you spell 'chapter'? This is going to be a very long book, so it may take all night!"

Since there is no need for a 5 year old to pull an all-nighter, I stopped her there and asked if she would read the story. It is called "The Cat and the Dog?"... "Where the ? means it is a mystery"

Here is what Page 1 looks like:


The Cat and the Dog, as read by the Tumbleweed:

(Page 1)

The cat is good. The dog is naughty. One summer day, the cat and the dog were picking raspberries.

Wait, not the dog! Not the dog!

Wait a minute, where is the dog? The dog?


(Page 2) [Written: Hi was eating som rasbarys What the rasbarys]

He was eating some raspberries. What? The raspberries!

(Page 3) [Written: Hi is in timowte]

He is in timeout.

(Page 4) [Written: The naxt day thay went fo a wak]

The next day they went for a walk.

(Page 5) [Written: The dog ranaway the got lost and got lost in a prickers* and thorn* bosh] *I spelled prickers & thorn for her.

The dog ran away. The dog got lost and got lost in a prickers and thorn bush.

(Page 6)

1 Chapter
Prickers & Thorn Bush


And that is where I stopped her for the night. Stay tuned to find out what happens to the dog in the prickers & thorn bush.