School started here recently, and we've got quite the neighborhood crew that hops aboard the bus bright and early every morning. But not our youngest, Gwen. She'll go to Kindergarten next year, but for now she's the only one left behind when the big kids head off. There's something mellow but a little magical about the time we have together when Leo's at school for the day. That felt like something I could tie into a fall-themed piece. I recently read the book Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greenias (Illustrated by Tracy Subisak), which is SO INCREDIBLE. The author wrote it as a reverse poem, where the second half of the story is in perfect reverse order of the first and tells quite a different tale. Not an easy feat! But I thought I'd give it a shot for this entry. And, for funsies, I made a digital painting to go along with it.  A Little While: A Reverse PoemBy Allison Strick
119 words It’s only Mom and me, for a little while. Brother’s getting on the bus. Things feel different. I sigh. She says, “He’ll be back soon.” No school for me-- I’m younger, littler. In the woods, it’s quiet, quiet, except for our feet in the leaves. Two sets of tracks follow Mom and me, holding hands. Crunching, Kicking. Pausing. Listening. Being. Turning back. Kicking, Crunching. Holding hands, Mom and me follow two sets of tracks. Except for our feet in the leaves, it’s quiet, quiet in the woods. I’m younger, littler-- No school for me! She says, “He’ll be back soon.” I sigh. Things feel different. Brother’s getting on the bus. For a little while, It’s only Mom and me.
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I create a piece of art to match the SCBWI Draw This August illustration prompt--"Lunch Break." To my delight, I was chosen as one of the winners! I've really been working on my storytelling skills in my illustrations--I guess it's paying off!  I work in Procreate on the iPad. This piece was done with the "Imperfect Patterns" brush set created by Lisa Bardot, to whom I owe most of my knowledge of Procreate. If you're looking to get started with digital illustration, look her up!
Hello! Thanks for visiting my blog to read my #SpringFlingKidLit contest entry. This event, hosted by Ciara O'Neal and Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez, challenges writers to write a 150-word (or less!) spring-themed piece inspired by a gif. I made my own gif this year using Procreate. Hope you enjoy it!  SuperbloomBy Allison Strick
In the Arizona desert stood a grumpy old saguaro. “Cheer up!” said young Rosita. “Grandpa, spring begins tomorrow!” He squinted through the sunlight on his aging, weathered face, and grumbled, “There’s no springtime in this hot, forsaken place!” ......(end excerpt)..... It's almost time for the #SpringFlingKidLit contest, hosted by Ciara O'Neal and Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez! The idea is to write a 150-word spring story inspired by a gif. Read all the details here! It can be hard to find gifs that aren't duds, to be honest. I used Procreate to draw and animate one for my entry, and then got addicted to the process and couldn't stop making more! So I'm posting them here in case anyone needs inspiration! If you end up using one for your entry, I'd love to be tagged so I can see what you came up with! You should be able to right-click on these and download them. Enjoy!
It's time for another Valentiny contest hosted by Susanna Leonard Hill! This year's theme was "pride", and as usual, entries should have kid appeal and adhere to the word count limits. (214, in this case.) An excerpt of my entry is below! Be sure to visit the contest page where you can read all entries in the comment section.  Percy's Performanceby Allison Strick
213 words Peacocks lookin’ fancy! (Gasp!) Peacocks lookin’ fine! (Oh my!) Tonight’s the night they'll strut their stuff and score a Valentine! (Aww!) The ballroom is aflutter. The party’s at its peak. But Percy watches all the others chatting cheek to beak. Fellow Kid Lit writer Tonnye Fletcher is launching a new blog series called PBJamz, where she'll explore all the magical connections between picture books and music. In preparation for her endeavor, she held a logo design contest. She wanted an image that included picture books, musical elements, and bonus points for including a nod to peanut butter and jelly. These are ALL some of my favorite things, so I got to work on an entry. I'm delighted to say that my logo was the winner! What an honor to have my artwork attached to what is sure to become a popular Kid Lit hub of information and inspiration. Make sure you head over to Tonnye's blog to subscribe to the PBJamz newsletter--you won't want to miss out on any of the fun! And keep me in mind if you ever have a similar need -- I'm open for commissioned projects!  Susanna Hill is hosting yet another holiday kid lit writing contest, and this time the theme is... a holiday contest! Below is an excerpt from my entry, and a little illustration I made to go with it. Make sure to check out Susanna's blog to read the others! Solstice Skatersby Allison Strick Deep underground, Mole awoke to the tell-tale sounds of winter’s arrival: muted trumpets, tinkling bells, the scrape of skates carving the frozen pond overhead. The Solstice Mice Skating Competition. Other years, Mole had dug deeper, away from the cute and graceful forest creatures. I’m not one of them. But tonight, Mole found himself tunneling closer. They can’t stop me from listening in.  It's time for another kid lit contest: Halloweensie, hosted by Susanna Hill. The challenge: write an eensie-weensie 100-word Halloweenie story, using the words goodies, glow-in-the-dark, and goosebumps. Here's my entry! Who Cares if it's Cold?99 words I was supposed to be a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish. Floaty. Beachy. Then it snowed. Look, I’m twelve. This is my last year of trick-or-treating, and I refuse to wear a musty old coat over my costume! When Dad drops me off, I’ll give a cozy wave and then kick the coat to the curb. I’m going down in goose-bumpy glory!  “T-t-trick-or-treat!” Maybe I’ll drape it over my shoulders. “Thh-th-thank you!” One arm in? “H-h-happy Halloween!” Zzzzip! It’s so annoying when Dad’s right. But these pockets do hold extra goodies. And at least I’m the only glow-in-the-parka smellyfish on the street!  It's time for one of the Kid Lit world's favorite contests: #FallWritingFrenzy, hosted by Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez, Lydia Lukidis, and Ameerah Holliday. Make sure you check out this blog post to see all of the entries! The challenge: write a fall-themed piece inspired by one of several provided photographs, and keep it under 200 words while you're at it! One image caught my attention because it reminded me of a phrase I've had in my idea notebook for some time. It was the nudge I needed to finally parse out the idea! Here is the image:  And here is a snippet of my entry, plus the illustrations I made to go with it for funsies! Signed, Squealed, Delivered  If the ghost who’s been haunting you plans a vacation, There’s no need to pout as she pulls from the station! Wherever your ghoul-friend should happen to roam, It’s easy for her to send messages home.  The Ghost Office handles the spookiest mail, Through rain, wind, or snow, not leaving a trail.   Recently, my friend Susan's kitten was hit by a car and had to have a leg amputated. To cheer her up, I created a little piece of art of sweet Franklin.  Susan loved it so much that she asked me to do another piece featuring Franklin's brother, Gerald.  Since then, five of Susan's friends have contacted me asking if I'll do something similar for their pets. If I've learned anything in the past year, it's to seize any opportunity that comes my way, so it looks like I'll be commissioning my first official artwork in the next few weeks! Who knows where that will lead? I can't wait to find out!
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