Fairytales From The Darkside...
So my daughter is in the 2nd grade and one of the things they do in her class is called Snack-Story Time. Parents are supposed to pick a story, a snack and a day to come to the class to read that story and then administer the snack to the children. The hook is that if possible, you should pick a story that will tie into the snack of choice, as to make it more of an interactive experience. Sounds like fun! I obviously love stories and judging by the red indentations from my skin tight jeans, where my waistline used to be, I love snacks as well.
My only potential conflict is that I loath the thought of being a complete bore. I’ve been laughed at and humiliated in these types of situations before (Don’t ask) and I refuse to let it happen again. So I have decided that instead of picking an existing story that the children are familiar with, I will write my own story. Those poor little bastards...
I present to you some rough sketches and my first draft of…
Do Witches Make Fishes?
There once was a boy who never ate dinner.
His Mother would kvetch, “You can’t get much thinner!”
And the Boy would reply,
"I hate all your dishes and besides,
I like candy not Carrots and Fishes."

Well the Mother would worry and then she’d get mad
But despite all her efforts, no meals would be had.
Then finally one evening after cooking a stew,
The Mother imparted a message brand new.
It wasn’t a question or simple request
But something much stronger than Mother knows best.
She looked at the boy and his half eaten plate
And said to him, “Boy! You’re tempting your fate.”
What he didn’t expect, is the words he heard next.
His ears were confused and his brain was perplexed.
The Mother came forward and put forth the notion
That she was a witch and the stew was her potion.
She went on to reveal, the frightening deal
That she’d make with the boy, if he turned down the meal.
If you refuse and say no,
Out the window you’ll go
And I’ll cook up a spell
That will fix you quite well.

I promise you this,
All the fine and the dandy
Will soon disappear
There will be no more candy.
You’ll land in a pit
Filled with Veggies and things.
With lollipops just out of reach, on a string.

You’ll spend all your time
Thinking thoughts about dishes
That you'll wish would consist
Of my Carrots and Fishes.
So eat or do not
My offer is clear
But whatever you choose
Choose wisely my dear.
Now the boy had gone speechless
And rightfully so
For he hadn’t a clue
About Witches you know.
So he took a deep breath
Do Witches Make Fishes?

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My only potential conflict is that I loath the thought of being a complete bore. I’ve been laughed at and humiliated in these types of situations before (Don’t ask) and I refuse to let it happen again. So I have decided that instead of picking an existing story that the children are familiar with, I will write my own story. Those poor little bastards...
I present to you some rough sketches and my first draft of…
Do Witches Make Fishes?
There once was a boy who never ate dinner.
His Mother would kvetch, “You can’t get much thinner!”
And the Boy would reply,
"I hate all your dishes and besides,
I like candy not Carrots and Fishes."

Well the Mother would worry and then she’d get mad
But despite all her efforts, no meals would be had.
Then finally one evening after cooking a stew,
The Mother imparted a message brand new.
It wasn’t a question or simple request
But something much stronger than Mother knows best.
She looked at the boy and his half eaten plate
And said to him, “Boy! You’re tempting your fate.”
What he didn’t expect, is the words he heard next.
His ears were confused and his brain was perplexed.
The Mother came forward and put forth the notion
That she was a witch and the stew was her potion.
She went on to reveal, the frightening deal
That she’d make with the boy, if he turned down the meal.
If you refuse and say no,
Out the window you’ll go
And I’ll cook up a spell
That will fix you quite well.

I promise you this,
All the fine and the dandy
Will soon disappear
There will be no more candy.
You’ll land in a pit
Filled with Veggies and things.
With lollipops just out of reach, on a string.

You’ll spend all your time
Thinking thoughts about dishes
That you'll wish would consist
Of my Carrots and Fishes.
So eat or do not
My offer is clear
But whatever you choose
Choose wisely my dear.
Now the boy had gone speechless
And rightfully so
For he hadn’t a clue
About Witches you know.
And he let out another
Then yelled to the Witch,
"WHAT'D YOU DO WITH MY MOTHER!"
Then it occurred to him, suddenly so.
That witches hate candy!
That much I know.
Then it occurred to him, suddenly so.
That witches hate candy!
That much I know.
Then he reached in his pocket
That always felt sticky
And pulled from it something incredibly icky.
He’d been saving it up
For a special occasion
And now was the time, for the Candy Invasion.
There were Gummy Worms, Candy Corns, Fun Dip and Charms.
Appleheads, Fireballs and Chocolate Yarn.
With his last bit of strength
He drew back his hand
And let go of a handful, of One Hundred Grands.
It hit her on target
Right in the belly
And she fell over backwards
Right into some Jelly.
She didn’t seem hurt but was certainly stuck
Thank goodness for that and a bit of good luck.
The funny thing is, after all the commotion
He heard some loud growling
And felt a compulsion.
"I AM HUNGRY!" He cried.
But I don’t want my sweets.
I don’t want these sugary, lollipop treats.
What I want is my Mommy
To cook me her dishes.
I want her to make me, her Carrots and Fishes…
THE END...
I hope the kids will be hungry. I'm thinking of bringing in Gobstoppers and Talapia.
The teacher will have to decide which is worse; Being Out-Numbered by Kids or Fish...
That always felt sticky
And pulled from it something incredibly icky.
He’d been saving it up
For a special occasion
And now was the time, for the Candy Invasion.
There were Gummy Worms, Candy Corns, Fun Dip and Charms.
Appleheads, Fireballs and Chocolate Yarn.
With his last bit of strength
He drew back his hand
And let go of a handful, of One Hundred Grands.
It hit her on target
Right in the belly
And she fell over backwards
Right into some Jelly.
She didn’t seem hurt but was certainly stuck
Thank goodness for that and a bit of good luck.
The funny thing is, after all the commotion
He heard some loud growling
And felt a compulsion.
"I AM HUNGRY!" He cried.
But I don’t want my sweets.
I don’t want these sugary, lollipop treats.
What I want is my Mommy
To cook me her dishes.
I want her to make me, her Carrots and Fishes…
THE END...
I hope the kids will be hungry. I'm thinking of bringing in Gobstoppers and Talapia.
The teacher will have to decide which is worse; Being Out-Numbered by Kids or Fish...
Do Witches Make Fishes?

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That was the best story EVER. I'd totally buy it. And my daughter would make me read it to her about 583 times daily. . . I'm just sayin' with a little bit of illustration, you COULD be rich!
ReplyDeleteSuper creative story and great illustrations Jason!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Dad to be, and just started to blog. I added you to my blogroll at getreadydad.com and I look forward to reading more of your posts. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is 6 years old and would Love this story...
ReplyDeleteNice little allusion to Tantalus there! I love a good mythology reference.
ReplyDeleteBut otherwise? I think you need to step it up a bit. Go truly Roald Dahl on their unsuspecting little asses.
I love it!! I hope they do too!
ReplyDeleteMy plan is to self publish the book when it's finished and donate 100% of the profits to The Garden of Dreams foundation. All the ad revenue from this blog goes to them as well. Stay tuned.
ReplyDeletevery well done! can i pimp u out to read this to my kid's class?
ReplyDeleteGreat job J!
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you CAN'T do?
ReplyDeleteLove it!! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff. Who knew you could write so well? One year ago, I wasn't even sure you could read!
ReplyDeleteThat was awesome! I was picturing Will Smith rapping it!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!
ReplyDeletegreat writing!! So clever, and now my tummy is rumbling. Who did those illustrations!!?!!
ReplyDeleteGreat one. Of course you must take swedish fish as the snack!
ReplyDeleteVery nice.
ReplyDeleteThe drawings for this are amazing. Good stuff, sir!
ReplyDeleteNice work, Jason. Instant Halloween Classic!
ReplyDeleteMight I recommend cooked carrots and Gummi Fish as the treats?
wow, i hope you get this published! it is so good and i love reading rhyming books outloud.
ReplyDeletemuch love
that's some crazy shit man. brilliant though. evan is that kid. I would totally read that to the kids. Did a Wolfson draw those illustrations?
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, Mike! I drew the sketches and will be doing final versions later on.
ReplyDeletecool! i don't have any kids but i'd borrow someone else's and read it to them!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize you were such an artist! LOVED the story. Seriously, you should get that published, or go the self-publishing route. Email me when you do so I can buy a copy. And if it is ready in time for Christmas this year, I will buy 4 or 5 copies for my nieces and nephews.
ReplyDeleteExcellent story! And those illustrations were fantastic too! Let me know when you get it published...I'll buy some!
ReplyDeleteIt's official. You are my favouritest blog crush.
ReplyDeleteAs long as I don't picture you in skin tight jeans with a pot belly.
That's a little too real for my liking.
So you're saying that blogging and writing is not just about writing "This was my day" with the hope that people will connect? I have to be original too?
ReplyDeleteAnd you're saying parenting means more than feeling good about myself if the boy survived another day?
Setting the bar pretty high there... (and making the rest of us look bad!)
(great stuff, by the way).
bring SWEDISH FISH for SNACKS!!!
ReplyDeletethe pictures are great.
ReplyDeleteAlso I love that you said kvetch. I say this often on my blog and people give me the side eye. I feel it.
This is awesome! I suggest the Fun Dip... sugary and messy...and you get to go home afterward!
ReplyDeleteVery awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me long for the days when I carried candy in my pockets (i.e. yesterday)
ReplyDeleteI would buy this book. Totally.
ReplyDeleteYou are rad.
That's awesome! You've got a talent.
ReplyDeleteGreat story. The thought of gobstoppers and tilapia killed me. Please bring that in. That would make you my hero. If not that then make it Halibut and Oreos.
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Fish is always a touchy subject.
ReplyDeleteVery creative! Great writing!
ReplyDeleteQuite simply, that's brilliant :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd absolutely read that to my kids!