All the dogs at the shelter
must be adopted before closing day. Will that include Spanky the pup with three
legs?
This short story will pull at
your heartstrings and provide many opportunities to get young children or teens
talking, thinking and writing.
Spanky the Pup
was written by Abreona Curtis, Darrin Gladman, Rochelle Jones and Temil
Whipple, illustrated by Evey Cahall. That’s right – a team of writers. All
teenagers themselves, all working with Shout Mouse Press, a
nonprofit writing program and publishing house. As it says in each published
book, “Shout Mouse Press empowers writers from marginalized communities to tell
their own stories in their own voices and act as agents of change.”
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| Photo credit: Reach Incorporated |
Shout Mouse Press partnered
with another nonprofit, Reach Incorporated, to help teens in Washington, D.C., write their own stories for young children. The
teens were challenged to write original, inclusive stories that would reflect
the realities of their own communities.
Four new titles were published in
November 2016:
The books may be shared with
older students as a project they could replicate. Students of any age can use
the books to spark discussion and writing.
Let’s take Spanky, the pup
with three legs who fears he will be left out on the final day of adoptions. Spanky’s story may help children talk or write
about a sensitive topic.
· What did the dog named Dorothy do to help Spanky
(defended him, built up his confidence)?
· Write about an experience when you felt left out. What
do you wish someone had done to help? How could you help make sure someone else
doesn’t feel left out?
· What can you say when you see someone being unkind or
hurting someone else with their words?
· What are ways to act with kindness at home or at
school?
As a writing style, it is
also possible to talk about the ending of this story which is shown entirely in
pictures without a single word. No spoiler
alert here…
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