Friday, November 9, 2012

Blarz, said the aliens....

ViMae came to me with four large sheets of craft paper, each folded not-quite-in-half at an angle. She asked me to fasten them together (we decided on staples) to make a book. Next she brought the felt markers and told me she was ready to write a story. She needed me to do the hand-writing. This is what she dictated:

Vi's Best Jewelry Book...and...

The Princess Locked in the Tower

by ViolaMae

Once upon a time, there was a princess. Her name was Golden Rose. She was afraid of stormtroopers. They tried to attack and catch her.

Because she was afraid, Golden Rose locked herself in the tower.
She didn't like being in the tower, so she went to see Princess Leia. She thought Leia had a bow and arrow, but she didn't. Princess Golden Rose put on some jewelry to disguise herself as Smaug. The stormtroopers didn't know she was Rose. She went into the woods and ate some zazzberries.
“Blarz.” said some aliens from up above. They put handcuffs on her. But when she had gone to see Leia, Leia had given her a blaster. So she blasted the handcuffs apart.

She called in the warriors, including Princess Leia, to help her fight off the aliens.
Vi's illustration: Rose and Sabrine
Princess Golden Rose saw an alien getting ready to shoot a bomb. "Duck!" she yelled. "Where?" asked her favorite giraffe, Sabrine, looking around. Golden Rose ducked out of the way, but Sabrine got shot right in the neck. He ran a little and then just fell over, and died. ["Isn't that sad, Mom?" Vi asked her mother when they read it together. "That's the sad part."]

She ran over and put a leash on him and pulled him, but he stayed on the ground. Golden Rose and Leia chased the aliens away. "Blarz!" said the aliens as they ran.
The end.

As her parents have noted, ViMae's story has it all: a plot with a climax in the middle, character development, humor, and sadness. It incorporates elements of Star Wars (Leia and the stormtroopers), the Hobbit (Smaug the gold-encrusted dragon), our Dragonvale game (zazzberries are dragon food), and other bits.

Its humor and sadness both come from an old birthday-card visual joke Peter and I have shared with the kids. (Animals are riding in a car, heading toward a tunnel with a low overhead…. The elephant warns, “Duck!” but the giraffe, misunderstanding, stretches his neck upward and asks, “Where?”) The four of us share this running gag often, and the kids seem pleased that it's a kind of "inside humor."    

ViMae took all those elements and made up her own princess story…and happily, this princess is proactive. Golden Rose locked herself in the tower for protection, disguised herself to hide from the stormtroopers, went to Leia for a weapon, and together with Leia dispatched the aliens. That’s a princess story I can support! 

11 comments:

Jeanie said...

Your little princess has quite a talent for story telling. I like that she had you transcribe the story into a book.

Ms Sparrow said...

Wow, I didn't write my first story until I was 10 years old. Little Vi is destined for great things!

stephen Hayes said...

She certainly isn't falling into the trap of waiting for Prince Charming to come to the rescue. Good for her.

Jenny said...

I often woneer how the little ones absorb the world today. This is a great story. Thanks for sharing it. xo Jenny

DJan said...

You make me smile, thinking of ViMae and how talented she is, writing stories with all those elements! And now she is a published author, at her tender age! :-)

Red Shoes said...

How wonderfully creative!!!

This is a side of children we seldom see any more...


~shoes~

Sally Wessely said...

How cute. She is very creative.

Grandmother Mary said...

What a good story- it does have all the elements and blends her literary world in a darling way. How great that you encourage her and take her seriously. It helps to explain that positive self image she projects.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Perfect story...what a treasure! :)

Daughter Number Three said...

Keep on writing, ViMae!

Lisa @ Grandmas Briefs said...

Such a storyteller. ViMae's one creative little gal. (And yes, that was indeed a sad part for poor Sabrine.)

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