Bufo boreas

By Paul Roberts

Our Monday Mulch newsletters are intended to be a springboard for a creative project for any and all of us that are a part of the Grow Me A Story community. Although any kind of creative project is encouraged, since this online medium is so “written language” oriented, it seems reasonable that most of the responses will be in some kind of written format. But even if that is the case, there are still a vast variety of genres and styles that can be fun to experiment with.

I’m still exploring whatever genres and styles strike my fancy. A few years ago, my daughter Zoe and I were enjoying the spring time return of the Western toad that lives in the window well outside the basement window in our backyard, where he has resided for the past 4 or 5 years. I mentioned to her that “Mr. Toad” had the makings of a children’s story, and shortly thereafter jotted down the first paragraph in the story you can click here to read.

Yesterday, in our Monday Mulch, Carol reminded each one of us of the creative value of being intentionally observant while on a “weekly walk.” Our backyard is a wonderful place, even in the winter, for such an excursion. Each time I pass by the window well, I regularly anticipate Mr. Toad’s return when winter comes to an end. The springtime sun heats up the rocky cave under the window where he sleeps away the cold weather. My weekly walk brought some springtime heat to my thoughts on Bufo boreas, our Western toad. Chapter 1 of the children’s story “B.B.Toad’s Big Bold Trip” is the result.

To read chapter one of my story, click here.

Questions for our Grow Me A Story community:

Should I give chapter 2 a high priority during my writing time?

How realistic should the illustrations be for a story like this?

Is this a children’s story? What age range is this for?

If you were writing for publication, what genre, style, topic, or age range would you like to write? Why?

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