Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – Week 6!

Good morning, my friends!

It’s Monday!
It’s Monday!
That means it’s writing fun-day!
Grab a pen
and come join in!
We’ll all be published one-day! ๐Ÿ˜Š

I made up that song just for you!ย  You can sing it to “It’s raining, it’s pouring!” hehehe ๐Ÿ˜Š It can be like our fight song ๐Ÿ˜Š Rah! Rah! Rah!

Now let’s jump in to Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Week 6!

Mix 'n' Match Mini Writing Challenge

Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun during this bizarre stay-at-home spring!

You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies!)

To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.

For a full description of the challenge or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)

To add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)

To add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)

To add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)

To add your Week #5 entry, please go HERE (Week #5)

 

Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #6 for Week of June 15:

So far we’ve played with characters, setting, and emotion (or a combination, depending on where your random choosing landed you), with nursery rhymes and point of view, with a picture prompt, fun names, and a plot point, with fairy tales taking place in a new setting, and with “How To” ๐Ÿ˜Šย  This week we’re going to get right into the young child mindset! Behavior and choices tell us a lot about personality and character!

Begin with:

I (or Name) only/always eatย  __________!
(first or third person, present or past tense – either is fine)

OR

I (or Name) never eat __________!
(first or third person, present or past tense – either is fine)

and choose a Simile from Column A, a Food from Column B, and/or a position from Column C to fill in the blank!

Column A – simile Column B – food Column C – position
Like a pig Peanut butter (or nut-free alternative ๐Ÿ˜Š) Upside down
Like a bird Things that are orange On the floor
Like a horse Things that are square In his/her treehouse

So your story might begin:

I always eat in my treehouse!

or

Dumpling never ate like a pig!

or

Zoe only ate things that were orange, and she only ate them on the floor!

  • Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
  • You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline
  • If you’re deeply inspired by another simile, food, or position that is not on the list you can use that instead – as long as you write a story as outlined above – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
  • For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please be sure to put the simile, food, and/or position you chose at the top of your entry along with your name and word count.

 

Here is my little just for fun sample ๐Ÿ˜Š

Just Like Mom (27 words – can you believe it? from ME?!)
position – upside down

Smidge always ate upside down.
A choice that made other folks frown.
But his mom only smiled
At her bottoms-up child.
“Monkey see, monkey do,” she’d expound!

Okay ๐Ÿ˜Š I took a few liberties using “expound”! ๐Ÿ˜Šย  I’d better leave the limericks to Marty, who has done one every week of the challenge so far!

Now come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

Ready, set, WRITE! ๐Ÿ˜Š

(And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

(And if you need to motivate yourself scroll down to see all the amazing prizes you could win!!! ๐Ÿ˜Š)

 

Check out the Week #6 stories!

(apologies for the delays in updating this week – family situation)

I Only Eat Like A Llama – Jamie Bechtelheimer (only, like a llama)

Marigold Eats Orange – Candice Marley Conner (only, things that are orange)

Eating With Gigi – Dawn Young (only, things that begin with P, treehouse)

Neater Eater – Cupcake The Dog (never, like a pig)

Polly’s Peanut Butter Passion – Patricia Nozell (only, peanut butter)

Drip Drop Plop – Brenda Whitehead (only, way up high, on the floor)

Doodle Dot – Cindy Boyll (like Minnie Mouse, dots, everywhere)

Charlie’s Cheesy Choices – Deb Buschman (like a cow, cheese, in the barn)

Lulu – Rose Cappelli (always, foods that begin with L)

Untitled – Colleen Murphy (never, in the stable)

Penny Never Ate Upside Down – Barbara Renner (never, upside down)

Geometric Eating – Deb Sullivan (only, foods that are square)

Ralphie Eats Like A Bird On The Floor – Ashley Congdon (always, like a bird, on the floor)

I Do NOT Eat Like A Bird – Sue Lancaster (like a bird, in my treehouse)

Annabelle Always Eats Chips – Susan Inez (always, like a pig, upside down, treehouse)

King Frederick The Square – Matthew Lasley (only, foods that are square)

Like A Bird – Dot Anson (only, foods that start with C, like a bird)

Limerick For Week 6 – Marty (only, foods that are square)

Milo Slurps – Sarah Meade (only, through a straw)

Stop And Roll – Linda Schueler (foods that are square)

There Was A Young Lass – Jill Lambert (never, like a pig, orange, upside down)

Dahlia’s Dilemma – Leslie Denkers (only)

A Bird Like Petunia – Michelle S. Kennedy (always, like a bird, seeds, on the floor)

Untitled – Kay DiVerde (like a bunny, things that are orange, on the floor)

Meredith, Meal Time Scientist – Sara Ackerman (always, like a scientist)

Untitled – Shariffa Keshavjee (always, like a bird)

Seafood Diet? – Rebecca Gardyn Levington (only, seafood)

I Only Ever Eat Things Beginning With C – Tracy (only, things beginning with C)

Tink Eats Like A Bird – Mary Van Beuren

Peter Liked To Eat Like A Pig – Lily Erlic

I Always Eat Summer – Kristy Roser Nuttall (always, summer)

I Always Eat upside Down – Corine Timmer

Follow The Rules! – Penny Adler (never, like a pig)

Henrietta – Susan Schipper (like a bird, things that are round, upside down)

You Are Invited – Di Litwer (pig, orange things, treehouse)

No To Purple Food – Bev Baird

Try It In Reverse – Elizabeth Meyer Zu Heringdorf (treehouse)

Gabi The Dog Eats Carrots – Susan Krevat

Santa And His Beans – Two Limericks – Liz Kehrli

I Only Eat Things That Are Square – Ugo Anidi

Jim? JIM! – Jess Murray (always, like a bird)

Carl Eats Like A Pig – Amy Flynn

I Only Eat Things That Are Square – Alicia Meyers Kelly

Oakley Only Eats Quirky Food – Katie Schwartz

Afternoon Snack – Mia Geiger (eat, bird)

Upside Down Blu Eats Things That Are Orange – Ketan Ram

Jay The Bird Boy – Lauri Meyers (like a bird)

Untitled – Heather Hatch (only, peanut butter)

 

PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who completed the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! ๐Ÿ˜Š

For Spacious Skies by Nancy Churnin, award-winning author of so many fabulous books I don’t have space to list them all! Visit her website or Amazon Page!

For Spacious Skies

Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Kirstine Erekson Call, author of THE RAINDROP WHO COULDN’T FALL (Character Publishing 2013) and the forthcoming MOOTILDA’S BAD MOOD (Little Bee Books, September 2020), COW SAYS MEOW (HMH March 2021), and COLD TURKEY (Little Brown Spring 2021)

Kirsti Callย Mootilda

Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Ellen Leventhal, author of DON’T EAT THE BLUEBONNETS (Spork 2017), HAYFEST: A Holiday Quest (ABCs Press 2010), and LOLA CAN’T LEAP (Spork 2018)

Ellen Leventhal Lola Can't Leap

Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Lindsay Hanson Metcalf, author of BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST (September 2020), FARMERS UNITE!: PLANTING A PROTEST FOR FAIR PRICES (Calkins Creek November 2020), and NO VOICE TOO SMALL: FOURTEEN YOUNG AMERICANS MAKING HISTORY (Charlesbridge September 2020)

Lindsay+H.+Metcalf+(CREDIT+ANNA+JACKSON)+copyย Beatric Potter

Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non rhyming) from Kaye Baillie, author of BOO LOVES BOOKS (New Frontier Publishing October 2020), and MESSAGE IN A SOCK (Midnight Sun Publishing 2018)

kaye-baillie-author-headshot Boo Loves Books message-in-a-sock-cover-1_2

Your choice of EITHER a Picture Book Manuscript Critique or a Virtual Visit with Keila Dawson, author of THE KING CAKE BABY (Pelican 2015),ย and NO VOICE TOO SMALL: FOURTEEN YOUNG AMERICANS MAKING HISTORY (Charlesbridge September 2020)

Screen Shot 2020-05-11 at 1.51.59 PM King Cake baby Keila No Voice Too Small

 

Winner’s Choice of Webinar from the amazing Alayne Kay Christian, author of picture books Butterfly Kisses, An Old Man And His Penguin, and the forthcoming The Weed That Woke Christmas and the chapter book series of Sienna The Cowgirl Fairy, and editor at Blue Whale Press!ย  Webinar choices include: How A Picture Book Is Made, Perfecting Your Critique, Top Ten Reasons For Rejection, and How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro!

Alayne butterfly kisses An Old Man and His Penguin

 

15 Minute Video Chat – ask your questions about writing, research, submissions – whatever’s on your mind! –ย  with Christy Mihaly, author of DIET FOR A CHANGING PLANET: Food for Thoughtโ€‹(Twenty-first Century Books/Lerner 2018), HEY, HEY, HAY!
A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them (Holiday House 2018) , and FREE FOR YOU AND ME: What Our First Amendment Means (Albert Whitman March 2020)

Chris closeupย Free For You And Me HEY, HEY, HAY! Cover

Quick Impressions on your Picture Book Manuscript from Rosie Pova, author of IF I WEREN’T WITH YOU (Spork 2017), SARAH’S SONG (Spork 2017), the forthcoming SUNDAY RAIN (Lantana Publishing March 2021) and others.

Rosie Pova Sunday Rain

RONAN THE LIBRARIAN, (Roaring Brook Press April 2020) brand new fromfabulous author Tara Luebbe

Ronan

Your Choice of EITHER A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction, non-rhyming) or an Ask Anything 15 Minute Video or Phone Chat with Tara Luebbe, author ofย  SHARK NATE-O,(Little Bee Books 2018), I AM FAMOUS ( Albert Whitman 2018), I USED TO BE FAMOUS (Albert Whitman 2019), OPERATION PHOTOBOMB (Albert Whitman 2019), and RONAN THE LIBRARIAN (Roaring Brook Press 2020) (see above)

Tara Luebbe Shark Nate-O

Sherry Howard, author of Rock And Roll Woods (Spork 2018) and a series of Nonfiction Middle Grade titles for Escape Publishing (2019)

Sherry Howard (4) Cover Rock and Roll Woods

Sherry Howard MG NF Books

is offering 6 of her nonfiction middle grade titles which will go to 6 lucky winners!

Ann Whitford Paul, author of Writing Picture Books (being donated by Becky Scharnhorst below), the book we ALL use as our picture book bible ๐Ÿ˜Š, and countless wonderful picture books, is offering signed copies of her IF ANIMALS… Series (Farrar Straus Giroux):

Ann Whitford Paul

If Animals Went To Schoolย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย ย ย  ย  ย  ย  ย If Animals Kissed Good Night

If Animals Went To School (2019)ย  ย  ย  ย  ย If Animals Kissed Good Night (2008)

If Animals Said I Love You ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย ย  ย  ย  ย  ย If Animals Celebrated Christmas

If Animals Said I Love You (2017)ย  ย  ย  ย  If Animals Celebrated Christmas (2018)

If you would like to benefit from her picture book wisdom, please sign up for her newsletter HERE!

A hand lettered quote of someone’s choice from a picture book,ย  or a quote about reading or writing that could be framed as a gift for a child’s bedroom, a writer you know and love, or an inspiration for writing in your own work space (why shouldn’t you give yourself a present?!) offered by Kristy Roser Nuttall! (Samples below – you can choose your own quote!)

Kristy Nuttall 20200512_092224 20200512_091604

Making Picture Book Magic – Self Study Class any month (x3)

MPBM

Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul, donated by Becky Scharnhorst whose debut picture book P.S. Camp Wildwood Stinks will be released in Summer 2021 from Philomel!

Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation to Publication by [Ann Whitford Paul]

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert donated by Becky Scharnhorst whose debut picture book P.S. Camp Wildwood Stinks will be released in Summer 2021 from Philomel!

Big Magic

The Nuts & Bolts Guide To Writing Picture Books by Linda Ashman (only available for Kindle) (x2)

The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books by [Linda Ashman]

Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

 

The Story Book Knight by Helen Docherty

storybook knight

This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward

This Book Is Gray

Story Cubes

Screen Shot 2020-05-10 at 11.23.08 PM

Writing Journal (x10)

5358C071-383B-4EF4-ADFD-353F737E23E5_1_201_a

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

343 thoughts on “Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – Week 6!”

  1. Jamie Bechtelheimer says:
    Reply
    Jamie Bechtelheimer's avatar

    I Only Eat Like a Llama (95 words; simile โ€“ like a llama)

    Mama, for breakfast I only want leafy green llama food.
    Because today Iโ€™m a llama and I eat like llamas do.
    And because youโ€™re my mama, you must eat like a llama, too!
    No, no, no, you canโ€™t use a fork or a spoon!

    Donโ€™t worry Mama Llama, Iโ€™ll show you how itโ€™s done.
    Stretch your neck down the plate and eat, eat, eat.
    Now stretch your neck up tall and high.
    And last, open your mouth super wide.
    So when you chew, chew, chew, I can see all the leafy greens inside!

  2. candicemarleyconner says:
    Reply
    candicemarleyconner's avatar

    Oooh, Susanna. This one was tough! Loved your example though and the ditty up top!

    Marigold Eats Orange, Things that are Orange, 67 word count

    Marigold only ate things that were orange! Tangerines, satsumas, pumpkins, so yum! Cheese puffs and papayas (even butternut squash!) would make her mouth water. Orange juice was divine, carrot juice was delish.
    But there was one thing sheโ€™d never had on her dish.
    On vacation at the beach, she saw the setting sun.
    Marigold licked her lips. โ€œNow thatโ€™s a giant cookie thatโ€™s almost baked and done!โ€

    (Apologies for the horrific meter and incomplete rhymes! lol I didn’t intend for it to be poem-ish)

  3. Dawn Young says:
    Reply
    Dawn Renee Young's avatar

    week 6 EATING WITH GIGI 69 words

    Gigi loved food that began with โ€œPโ€.
    She would only drink sugary tea.

    Pizza, pomegranate, peas, and pie,
    eating in her treehouse way up high.

    Pretending to be a tiny bird,
    her friends thought she was quite absurd.

    Next weeks food would begin with โ€œIโ€.
    So much fun in the month of July.

    Gigi was happy, as happy can be
    way up high in her tall tall tree

  4. Genevieve Petrillo says:
    Reply
    Genevieve Petrillo's avatar

    Prompts: Never / Like a pig / 100 words

    Neater Eater
    By
    Cupcake the Dog

    I never eat like a pig. My tiny mouth has a bit of an overbite. I nibble at my kibble and sip at my water. When offered a treat, I delicately taste it and carefully consume it without making a mess at all.

    Certain humans might say my food flies, my water splashes, crumbs cover the couch, drool drips everywhere, and chewing is optional. But that is clearly not the whole truth.

    Send Help
    By
    The Roomba

    My bin is bursting, my brushes are broken, my rollers arenโ€™t rolling. Iโ€™m pretty sure thereโ€™s a cookie in my motor. Iโ€™m waving the white flag. Send help.

  6. ptnozell says:
    Reply
    ptnozell's avatar

    Susanna, I love your inspiring song, your entry, and especially this week’s prompts!

    Pollyโ€™s Peanut Butter Passion (97 words; like a parrot, peanut butter)

    Polly always pecked at peanut butter like the parrot whose name she bore. She began each day with peanut butter pancakes and preferred peanut butter pie each evening. Particular passions included peanut butter paired with pasta, pizza, popcorn, pretzels, and sometimes plum preserves. But never with pickles!

    Then one day, Pollyโ€™s parents searched the pantry and discovered that the last pint of peanut butter had disappeared. As Polly shrieked, โ€œPolly want peanut butter,โ€ her parents paused and proposedโ€ฆ
    pureed pumpkin.

    Now, Polly starts each day with pumpkin pancakes. And sometimes she pecks at pureed pumpkin withโ€ฆ
    pickles!

    True confession: I stocked up on peanut butter at the start of the pandemic, but I never eat it with jam or pickles or even pureed pumpkin.

  7. Brenda Whitehead (@BrendaW_Prof) says:
    Reply
    Brenda Whitehead (@BrendaW_Prof)'s avatar

    Love your limerick Susanna! I’ll be sad when these challenge prompts are over–so fun! ๐Ÿ™‚

    DRIP DROP PLOP (on the floor, 96 words)
    by Brenda Whitehead

    It used to be
    That I would eat
    Sitting way up high.

    DRIP. DROP. PLOP.
    It just made mommy sigh.

    Then I ate
    In a chair
    Just like mom and dad.

    DRIP. DROP. PLOP.
    It just made daddy sad.

    Then I ate
    Sitting at
    A table sized for me.

    DRIP. DROP. PLOP.
    I just canโ€™t help it, see??

    Now I eat
    On the floor
    (Thereโ€™s a wipe-clean mat).

    NO. MORE. DROPS!
    Mom and dad like that!

    But when I see
    My little pup
    Sad about no drops,

    DRIP. DROP. PLOP.
    (But mom, he cleans it up!)

  8. boyll says:
    Reply
    boyll's avatar

    Here we are on number six! Where did the pandemic time go? Thanks for pushing us into a little creativity.

    Doodle Dot
    (like Minnie Mouse, dots, everywhere)
    Cindy Boyll

    Doddle Dot always wore polka dots everywhere.

    Just like Minnie Mouse, even dot bows adorned Doodle’s hair.

    Artist Doddle doddled dots on all her creations. โ€œItโ€™s pointillism,โ€ she declared.

    And Doddle loved dot food: peas, carrot rounds, full moon cookies, hamburgers and M&Mโ€™s.

    โ€œThese are dots, not circles,โ€ she insisted, even though she was wrong.

    Yes, Doddle was committed to her dots.

    One day, however, she gasped as she spotted the houndstooth pattern.

    There was no going back.

  9. Deb Buschman (@DebBuschman) says:
    Reply
    Deb Buschman (@DebBuschman)'s avatar

    These prompts have kept me writing and focused. Thanks so much Susanna!!!

    CHARLIEโ€™S CHEESY CHOICES
    144 words, simile-like a cow, food-cheese, position-in the barn
    By Deb Buschman

    Charlie only ate cheese, in the barn, with Ester.
    His brother said Charlie ate like a cow.
    โ€œI donโ€™t eat like a cow. They donโ€™t eat cheese, they make it,โ€ said Charlie to Ester.
    Ester licked Charlie with her long cow tongue.
    Charlie ate gouda for breakfast,
    cheddar for lunch,
    cheese curds for a snack,
    and pepper jack for dinner.
    Then one day his mother presented him with broccoli.
    Charlie turned up his nose. Ester ate it.
    Hmmm! If Ester likes it? Charlie grabbed a hunk of cheddar and put it on the broccoli.
    โ€œYumm!โ€ said Charlie.
    Then his mother gave him an apple.
    Charlie turned up his nose. Ester ate it.
    Hmmm! If Ester likes it? Charlie grabbed a hunk of gouda and put it on the apple.
    โ€œYumm!โ€ said Charlie.
    Then Charlie sat down in the barn andโ€ฆ
    ate like a cow.

  10. rosecappelli says:
    Reply
    rosecappelli's avatar

    This is just silly (with some bad rhyme), but it was fun thinking outside the box. I appreciate the freedom to go with what moves us and get creative juices flowing, without having to make sure it’s polished to perfection.Thanks, Susanna!

    Lulu (83 words Lulu always ate things that started with “L”)

    Lulu only dined on lemons,
    A few lentils or a leek,
    And only in the lobby
    Of the Lakeview Park boutique.

    To expand her dining options
    Luluโ€™s mother tried a lime,
    Lemongrass and lobster
    Lightly seasoned with some thyme.

    Lulu would have none of it
    โ€˜Til one day she found out
    That a leek is like an onion
    With a little bit of clout.

    Now Lulu dines on octopus,
    Olive oil and okra,
    In Oberlin, Ohio
    Where sheโ€™s changed her name to Oprah.

  11. Colleen Owen Murphy says:
    Reply
    Colleen Owen Murphy's avatar

    I apologize for being a copycat, but I have another project on my mind, so I just wrote a limerick as well.

    There was once a young rider named Mable
    who would never eat meals at the table.
    Since her mom had the notion
    she had lost her devotion
    she would dine with her horse in the stable.

  12. Barbara Farr Renner says:
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    Barbara Farr Renner's avatar

    This was a hard assignment. That’s why this little ditty makes no sense at all:-)

    Penny Never Ate Upside Down
    By Barbara Renner
    71 words

    Penny never ate upside down.
    She tried it once; but she felt like a clown.
    The juice came out of her nose;
    The cookie crumbs got stuck in her clothes.
    Until one day her mother did bake
    A delicious pineapple upside-down cake.
    Whereโ€™s the pineapple; whereโ€™s the cherry?
    Penny didnโ€™t know, but mother seemed quite merry.
    For when she turned the cake upside down
    The pineapple and cherry became the crown.

  13. Deborah Agranat Sullivan says:
    Reply
    Deborah Agranat Sullivan's avatar

    Susanna – Your just for fun sample was awesome (and inspiring ๐Ÿ™‚

    Geometric Eating (32 words)
    food – things that are square

    I only eat things that are square.
    Itโ€™s a challenge, but I like a dare.
    So give me some bread,
    Or some Cheez-Its instead,
    Iโ€™ll eat โ€˜till the cupboards are bare.

  14. Ashley Congdon (@AshleyCCongdon) says:
    Reply
    Ashley Sierra (@AshleySierra06)'s avatar

    RALPHIE EATS LIKE A BIRD ON THE FLOOR
    (like a bird; on the floor)
    by Ashley Congdon
    WC:136

    My Dad always says, “Ralphie, you eat like a bird. Your little brother eats more than you.”

    My Mom always says, “Ralphie, why are you eating on the floor? There’s a chair right next to Ethan.”

    I get it! I always eat like a bird and on the floor! I just eat what I can and where I like to eat. But . . . I’ll let you in on a secret, little brother.

    I eat like a bird to save room for dessert. I eat on the floor just in case I don’t like the food too much and it “accidentally” falls on the floor. I can’t eat it off the floor!

    I’ll never eat like a pig or in a chair like my little brother. But He will learn some day and join me on the floor.

  15. Sue Lancaster says:
    Reply
    Sue Lancaster's avatar

    I do NOT eat like a bird
    (149 words, ‘like a bird’ and ‘in my treehouse’)

    Mum says I eat just like a bird,
    However, thatโ€™s not true.
    Iโ€™ve looked at how a bird eats,
    And thatโ€™s not what I do.
    A bird pecks down in dark brown earth,
    And plucks a juicy worm,
    Then takes the worm into the sky,
    All while it writhes and squirms.
    The bird flies to its birdhouse,
    So far up in the tree.
    Then gulps the worm straight down its throat,
    As quickly as can be.
    Oh wait, I hear mum calling now…
    Itโ€™s time to have my lunch.
    I take it to my treehouse,
    (The only place Iโ€™ll munch).
    I pluck a juicy noodle,
    From gravy, dark and brown,
    I hold it high up in the air,
    It squirms. I gulp it down.
    Yes, Mum says I eat like a bird,
    However, thatโ€™s not true.
    Iโ€™ve looked at how a bird eats,
    And that’s not what I do.

  16. susaninez0905 says:
    Reply
    susaninez0905's avatar

    Annabelle Always Eats Chips
    (WC: 90 ‘like a pig’, ‘upside-down’, ‘treehouse’)

    Annabelle always eats chips
    Like a pig, for thatโ€™s what she is.
    She points out her snout,
    And sucks a chip out
    Of the bag, then dunks it in dip.

    Sometimes she gets rather silly.
    She dances and prances around.
    When she finds the chip bag,
    to her treehouse, sheโ€™ll drag it,
    and eat those chips while upside down.

    Potato chips are this pigโ€™s favorite.
    Be it Lays brand or Pringles, who cares?
    A noise from the bag
    gets this pigโ€™s tail to wag.
    But sadly, she never does share.

  17. matthewlasley says:
    Reply
    matthewlasley's avatar

    King Fredrick the Fair (Square)

    In a far off land lived King Fredrick the Fair
    Who only ate food in the shape of a square.
    His mother told him to eat three square meals a day
    And he listened to her and he tried to obey.
    Tiny green grapes were his favorite of food
    That the royal chef cut into tiny green cubes.
    Round pizza, not found in this land
    Only cobblers allowed, round pies were banned.
    Sandwiches were one of the favorites of the king
    For squares to him meant everything.
    When he walked about his kingdom people would stare
    And heโ€™d hear them whisper โ€œFredrick the Square.โ€
    He called on his mother who came right quick
    Because she thought her son might be quite sick.
    โ€œMother, I listened and eat three square meals a day
    But you should hear what my people say.
    They no longer admire me as King Fredrick the Fair
    Now they mock me and call me Fredrick the Square.โ€
    โ€œI know you love squares with four angles of right
    But is it still square after you take your first bite?โ€
    This advice gave him much to chew on
    And he stayed up all night until the break of dawn.
    Making everyone eat like him was rude and not fair
    So he removed the decree on foods that were square.
    But King Fredrick the Fair still liked his squared food
    So if you visit his court you will find grapes in a cube.

  18. Dorothy Dot Anson says:
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    Like A Bird. (83 words) things with the letter C

    I only eat things that start with the letter C.
    Luckily for me that includes chocolate, cupcakes, chips, cashews and cookies.
    Mum tries to get me to eat other things. She even tries to hide them on my plate.
    Tonight it’s chicken (which she knows I will eat) and an A-Z of vegetables.
    I’m “like a bird” she says, picking out the chicken, cauliflower, carrots and corn.
    She gets frustrated at times, but doesn’t complain too much. After all, she named me Prissy.

  19. marty says:
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    Limerick for Week 6 ( foods that are square; 32 words )

    I only eat peas that are square.
    They’re a treat and exceedingly rare.
    Keep your eyes open wide
    for the ones with four sides.
    Plain old round guys in no way compare!

  20. Sarah Meade says:
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    MILO SLURPS
    By Sarah Meade
    Word Count: 129
    (only, through a straw)

    Milo is always on the go!
    Sooooooo…
    he only eats from a straw!
    Not just any straw– his turquoise twisty straw!
    Breakfast:
    Miloโ€™s on the go!
    No time for eggs and waffles. Milo slurps strawberry smoothies through his twisty straw.
    Lunch:
    Miloโ€™s on the go!
    No time for sandwiches or mac and cheese. Milo slurps tomato soup through his twisty straw.
    Dinner:
    Miloโ€™s on the go!
    No time forโ€ฆ. mmmmmm. Tacos?
    Thereโ€™s always time for tacos.
    Milo sets down his straw and smiles.
    He picks up his taco and takes a big crunchy, munchy bite.
    Yuuuuuuuum!
    Milo devours two tacos, a bowl of beans and rice, and allllll his milk.
    Dessert:
    Miloโ€™s on the go!
    No time for cake or cookies. Milo slurps pistachio pudding through his twisty straw!

  21. Linda Schueler says:
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    Stop and Roll (foods that are square)

    All Circle did was roll, roll, roll. She never stopped unless she bumped into something.
    While she rolled, Circle saw the objects that didnโ€™t have to roll: the squares. If they wanted to roll, they needed a push, but at least they werenโ€™t dizzy all the time.
    Circle decided that to be more like them, she would eat the squares. First Circle consumed a small one, then she swallowed a medium one, and finally she gobbled a large one.
    Circle could feel herself changing. Pop! She becameโ€ฆSquircle.
    โ€œNow I can stop and roll,โ€ Squircle said.

  22. Jill Lambert (@LJillLambert) says:
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    There was a Young Lass
    By Jill Lambert (238 words/ like a pig/orange/upside down)

    There was a young lass who never ate carrots.
    I donโ€™t know why she never ate carrots.
    She just couldnโ€™t bear it!

    There was a young lass who never ate yams.
    Not even her Gramโ€™s. She never ate yams.
    She avoided the yams as she did the carrots.
    I donโ€™t know why she never ate carrots.
    She just couldnโ€™t bear it!

    There was a young lass who never ate apricots.
    Sheโ€™d never been taught to eat apricots.
    She shunned the apricots as she did the yams.
    She avoided the yams as she did the carrots.
    I donโ€™t know why she never ate carrots.
    She just couldnโ€™t bear it!

    There was a young lass who never ate cantaloupe.
    She couldnโ€™t cope with a cantaloupe.
    She shirked the cantaloupe as she did the apricots.
    She shunned the apricots as she did the yams.
    She avoided the yams as she did the carrots.
    I donโ€™t know why she never ate carrots.
    She just couldnโ€™t bear it!

    Her Gram concluded she hated the color.
    She roughed up an orange to make it look duller
    and helped her resist being a culler.

    There was a young lass who tried something new.
    She flipped upside down, changed her point of view.
    She DID eat an orange, got some vitamin C
    (and likely avoided developing scurvy).
    She ate like a pig and enjoyed every bite,
    expanding her palate and her appetite.

    Whew! Orange you glad?

  23. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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    POSTED FOR LESLIE

    Dahliaโ€™s Dilemma – Leslie Denkers
    (190 words)
    Pattern: ____________ always/only/never eats (food) like a (simile) (position).

    Iโ€™m having a party and Iโ€™ve invited all my friends. Mom didnโ€™t know what to feed them.
    Sylvia only eats sundaes on Sundays, singing like a Saint Bernard, while sitting on the step in her Sunday best.
    Marnie only eats marshmallows over mangos on Mondays, while mounting her monkey bars like a . . . well, you know, . . . a monkey.
    Tucker only eats tuna and tomato pasta on Tuesdays, while tucking in like a turtle in a terrarium.
    Waverly only eats waffles-n-walnuts on Wednesdays, while waddling in the water like a Walrus.
    Thaddeus only eats thorns and thistles on Thursdays, while thundering into his thatch like a Thorny Devil lizard.
    Frida only eats French toast with fruit, frybread with frijoles, and frankfurters with French fries on Fridays, while frisking through the front room like a ferret.
    Stetson only eats strawberries, salsa and sorbet, while swimming in the sea like a seal.
    I decided. Itโ€™s my BIRTHDAY party. We will have Barbequed Bacon and Beef kabobs, Broccoli, Beans, Bananas, Blueberries, Boysenberries and Blackberries, and Brownie ICE CREAM CAKE! Now everyone can eat!
    Except Thaddeus. Donโ€™t let him loose. (Thaddeus is a pet goat)

  24. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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    POSTED FOR MICHELLE

    Mix Nโ€™ Match Challenge Week 6
    (Always ate / Like a bird / Seeds (nut-free alternative) / On the floor)
    By Michelle S. Kennedy

    A Bird Like Petunia (WC 265)

    Petunia the pig
    always ate like a bird.
    She loved to eat seeds.
    Itโ€™s what she preferred.

    Sheโ€™d peck with her nose
    like it was a beak.
    The other pigs knew
    her ways were unique.

    Sheโ€™d mimic bird sounds
    and sing out with zeal.
    Of course, all her chirps
    came out as a squeal.

    Sheโ€™d built her own nest
    with mud, twigs, and twine
    and sat on some eggs
    to hatch her new swine.

    The days passed on by.
    No piglets came out.
    The eggs looked the same.
    She started to doubt.

    The other pigs watched.
    Petunia looked sad.
    โ€œLetโ€™s give her a hand
    before she goes mad!โ€

    The pigs made a plan-
    Theyโ€™d have to be slick.
    โ€œWeโ€™ll switch out the eggs.
    We must do it quick.โ€

    Next day she arose
    to sounds, โ€œTap! Tap! Tap!โ€
    She looked underneath
    and watched, Crack. Crack. Crack.
    โ€œMy eggs are a hatching!โ€
    Petunia surmised.
    The pigs gathered โ€˜round,
    feigning surprise.

    Out popped some piglets!
    She counted all three
    then pumped up her joints
    and flew to a tree.

    Huh?

    Yep. She had wings!
    Didnโ€™t you know?
    Petunia could fly.
    And so, she did so.

    She peered down below
    and spied all the squirms,
    to feed her new brood
    some much-needed worms.

    Now back on the floor
    her nest and babes waited.
    Petunia was proud-
    In fact, just elated!

    The other pigs baffled,
    looked stunned in a haze.
    Petunia the pig
    WAS a bird in ALL waysโ€ฆ

    You think this is strange?
    Did you hear of the goose?
    He had antlers and hair
    and ate like a moose.

  25. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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    POSTED FOR KAY DiVerde

    Week 6: like a bunny, things that are orange, on the floor (word count 183)

    Paul only ate orange carrots. He ate orange carrots like a bunny, and he ate orange carrots on the floor.

    Paul loved orange carrots! He ate them for breakfast. He ate them for lunch. He ate them for dinner.

    The crazy part was, Paul would only eat sitting on the floor. Well, not really sitting on the floor. Paul squatted down, ate a carrot, hopped around and hopped back to grab another carrot to eat. Paulโ€™s brother Tommy called him a rabbit.

    No one knew why Paul liked carrots so much.

    Paul ate so many carrots, his hands and hair turned orange!

    โ€œThis must stop!โ€ Paulโ€™s mother yelled. โ€œYou are eating so many carrots, you are turning into a carrot! And you cannot eat on the floor. You must join us at the table.โ€

    Paul looked confused. He hopped over to the table and sat in a chair at the table.

    From that point on, Paul ate 2 baby carrots with lunch and 3 baby carrots with dinner. His hands returned to their normal color, but the orange hair was there to stay!

  26. Sara Ackerman says:
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    Meredith, Meal Time Scientist (always, eats like a scientist)
    (85 words)

    Curious Meredith eats like a scientist,
    testing experiments three meals a day.
    Sniffity, lickity, mashity, splashity,
    wonders what happens whenโ€”WHOOSHโ€”off the tray!

    Broccoli zooms like itโ€™s launched into space and then
    Meredith watches it spin twice around.
    Suddenly broccoliโ€™s no longer going up.
    SPLAT! Now the broccoliโ€™s down on the ground.

    Meredithโ€™s able to draw the conclusion that
    throwing plus gravity makes quite a pair.
    Data reveal if you make a mess big enough,
    you will be freed from your boring old chair.

  27. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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    POSTED FOR SHARIFFA

    Ayla always eats like a bird
    Although she is not a bird
    Why does she eat like a bird

    One day Ayla was in the desert
    She took some popcorn with her
    All that heat popped the popcorn

    It popped,popped into fluffy clouds
    To eat it she had to fly upside down
    So she eats like a bird upside down

    Clouds of popcorn can be seen
    In the desert if you are very keen
    Upside down and like a bird akin

  28. RebeccaTheWriter says:
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    SEAFOOD DIET?
    By Rebecca Gardyn Levington
    (only, Seafood โ€” 74 words)

    I only eat foods that come straight from the sea,
    or maybe its foods that begin with a โ€œCโ€?
    I cannot remember the rules of this diet.
    My friend said, โ€œItโ€™s easy! Come on now, just try it!โ€
    โ€œSeafoodโ€ or โ€œC-food?โ€ Iโ€™m in such a haze!
    I havenโ€™t had REAL food in 21 days!
    So hereโ€™s my new diet; I know Iโ€™ll complete it.
    Whenever I SEE food Iโ€™m just gonna eat it!

  29. LittleCornishWriter says:
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    I only ever Eat things Beginning with C โ€“ Tracy
    I only ever eat things beginning with C!
    Absolutely, only ever!
    Itโ€™s like a dream:

    Cookies
    Cream
    CHOCOLATE

    Canโ€™t you see Iโ€™m winning here?!

    Coco-pops
    Candy
    CUPCAKES

    Except Dad said I hadnโ€™t quite thought it throughโ€ฆ

    Carrots
    Cauliflower
    CABBAGE

    Cucumber
    Corn
    CONSUME??? – What? Cold soup???

    Letโ€™s start again shall we!

    I NEVER EAT things beginning with C,
    only beginning with…

  30. maryvb says:
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    Tink Eats Like a Bird
    Mary van Beuren
    134 Words

    I did not intend for this to rhyme, and struggled to turn the rhyming off, but my mind insisted. Please pardon that the meter is off and the rhyme feels forced. This is the first time a story idea came easier in pictures, than words. Fun exercise! And, it’s going to be fun to rewrite this.

    Tink ate like a bird,
    A blueberry here,
    A cracker, there,
    Gummies bears, everywhere.

    Tink loved to build nests
    She loved to climb trees,
    She climbed up, up and up,
    As light as a breeze

    From her perch
    She looked all around
    Then, she stood on her head and found
    She could not eat, upside down.

    She was a baby bird, learning to fly
    She learned dips and rolls and dives
    Tink tried to nip at her mother’s wings,
    Sometimes she collided with the other fledglings.

    Tink was rambunctious
    She gave her mother quite a fuss
    Until her mother flew fast away,
    Just fast enough, to keep Tink at bay.

    Tink alighted on a limb,
    And waited to be fed
    When a worm did not arrive,
    She ate a gummie worm instead

    Come nighttime
    Tink went inside
    Took a bird bath,
    And flapped her wings dry.

    She ate like a bird,
    She slept in a nest,
    No matter how far she flew,
    She liked home the best.

  32. lilyerlic says:
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    Peter Liked to Eat like a Pig (On the kitchen countertop) 114 words

    Peter liked to eat like a pig. Maybe because he was one. He lived in a pig house with pig

    things.

    His trough was on the kitchen countertop. Every morning, he put his snout into it and ate like a

    pig. His favorite meal was banana peels.

    One day, Peter invited all the farm animals to his Pig House for a party. He gave everyone a

    mini trough.

    โ€œWhatโ€™s the matter?โ€ he said.

    โ€œWell,โ€ said Goose, โ€œIโ€™m sorry but I cannot each this compost!โ€

    โ€œNeither can I!โ€ said Cow.

    Everyone in the room looked at Peter.

    Peter scratched his head.

    โ€œWell,โ€ said Peter, โ€œLetโ€™s order Take out!โ€

    The room roared with friends cheering ‘Hooray’!

    The End.

  33. Kristy Nuttall says:
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    I Always Eat Summer
    by Kristy Roser Nuttall
    WC: 65 (always, summer)

    I always eat SUMMER.
    PINK PINK
    Squirts and squishes of watermelon slices
    GREEN GREEN
    Circles of icy cold grapes
    WHITE WHITE
    Sโ€™more marshmallows so sticky
    BROWN BROWN
    Melty chocolate and crunchy crackers
    RED RED
    Strawberries taste like sweet sunshine
    ORANGE ORANGE
    Yum yum slippery ice cream popsicles
    BLUE BLUE
    Blueberries so tart and tangy
    I always eat SUMMER
    The best tasting season
    Of all

  34. Corine Timmer says:
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    I ALWAYS Eat Upside Down
    Corine Timmer (114 words)

    I spend most of my life
    upside down, but
    I never get dizzy.

    I have no bones,
    no heart and
    no brain.

    My dangling arms
    are situated
    around my mouth

    through which I eat and
    POOP!
    Yuck!

    When itโ€™s sunny
    Iโ€™m fed by
    photosynthesis. (That means solar powered.)

    When itโ€™s cloudy
    I float through the water
    catching prey.

    My favorite snacks are
    shrimp larvae and
    copepods. (A type of zooplankton.)

    My best friends are
    my family and
    Dino Flaggellata. (Heโ€™s a member of the Algae family.)

    We like to hang out in
    warm lagoons, mangrove swamps and
    turtle grass flats.

    My name is Cassio Pea Frondosa.
    Can you guess what I am?

    ษฅsฤฑษŸสŽืŸืŸวษพ uสop-วpฤฑsdโˆฉ

    Notes

    Cassiopea (upside-down jellyfish) is a genus of true jellyfish and the only members of the family Cassiopeidae.

    Cassiopea jellyfish live in a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic dinoflagellate algae, the zooxanthellae (zo-zan-THELL-ee). The algae provide the jellyfish with energy (food). In response, they get the sunlight that is necessary for the photosynthesis.

    The genus Cassiopea includes eight species one of which is Cassiopea frondosa.

  35. Penny Adler says:
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    Never Eat/Like a Pig-140 Words

    Follow the Rules!

    I will never eat like a pig! Pigs have no etiquette.

    I cringe when I think about slop. That breaks my #1 rule: Never-ever let your foods touch.
    If your foods do touch, activate your 2-decibel howl. Continue to howl until a new plate magically appears with the required 10mm clearance on the sides of all foods. Make them promise that this will never happen again.

    Pigs gorge on anything. They obviously donโ€™t know about rule #2. If a new food appears on your plate declare loudly, โ€œI donโ€™t like it and I am not going to eat it.โ€ Be prepared to outwait your mom. She may threaten you with no dessert. She may not let you leave the table until you try it. If all else fails offer to eat just one bite. Then cover it with ketchup, scrunch your eyes, pinch your nose, gasp, gag and swallow…

  36. seschipper says:
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    ***I thought I had submitted this on Monday , June 15, around 10:30 am. I just searched and searched and did not find it??? So sorry if I just missed it and posted it twice! Yikes

    Susanna..Loved your sample as well as the opening โ€œsongโ€!!! Thanks for inspiring us!!! ๐Ÿ˜Š

    Like a bird, Things that are round, Upside down
    Word count 43
    Susan Schipper

    Henrietta

    Henrietta only eats things that are round
    And looks for them while she is upside down!
    It could be a cherry or even a berry
    Sometimes a guava will do.
    Peaches, Persimmons loquats too,
    Henrietta eats like a bird from Kalamazoo!

  37. Diantha Litwer says:
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    You Are Invited
    (325 words โ€“ pig, orange things, treehouse)
    by D. Litwer

    They always ate like royal pigs when J.D. invited them to the treehouse for snacks.

    J.D. being the oldest, the biggest, and the only one who brought treats, always ate first. Sometimes there was very little left for the guests.

    The treats were always orange because that was J.D.โ€™s favorite color. The guests never complained.

    Today their host appeared, licking an orange popsicle and clutching a bulging grocery bag. They watched J.D. struggle up the ladder into the treehouse and lay out the feast. They waited impatiently for J.D. to finish eating.

    The first guests to arrive hurried to the base of the tree and tasted what remained of the popsicle with their feet. โ€œDeliciouszzzz,โ€ buzzed the flies. J.D. paid them no attention.

    The next guests zoomed into the treehouse and hovered around the puddle of orange drink, slurping up the sugary goodness with their proboscisโ€™. โ€œThanks-ummm-ummm for inviting us-ummm-ummm,โ€ droned the wasps. J.D. didnโ€™t hear them.

    Two more guests peeked in the door, then bounded over to a scattering of candy. Cheeks bulging with the orange covered chocolates, the squirrels flicked โ€œthank youโ€ with their tails and skittered off. J.D. didnโ€™t notice.

    The last guest to arrive perched on the edge of the treehouse window. Below her, the ants were struggling to carry off the popsicle stick. Inside, the puddle of orange drink had dried up and the wasps were gone. The squirrels had carried off all the candy. All that remained was a half-eaten bag of orange cheese puffs. Cawing โ€œthank you,โ€ the crow plucked up the bag and flew off. J. D. didnโ€™t stir.

    โ€œJ.D.,โ€ yelled Mama, โ€œyou better not be up in that treehouse eating junk food. Itโ€™s almost time for supper.โ€

    J.D. sat straight up. Rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Looked around.
    โ€œI ainโ€™t got no junk food up here, Mama,โ€ she called back. And stuffing the plastic grocery sack in her pocket, she climbed down from the treehouse.

  38. bevbaird says:
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    Finally done! (34 words)

    No to Purple Food!
    I never eat purple food!
    Dis-gus-ting!
    Round squishy grapes โ€“ like eyes.
    Weird-shaped eggplant โ€“ so blah.
    Brain-shaped cauliflower โ€“ just no!
    Whoever heard of purple potatoes
    Or purple cabbage?
    No way! Just no to purple food!

  39. Elizabeth Meyer Zu Heringdorf says:
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    Week 6 Story
    Treehouse

    Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf

    Try It in Reverse

    250 words

    Simon only ate in his treehouse. He would pick up food in the kitchen, scurry outside and up the ladder, plunk himself inside and chew. If he wanted more, he would swiftly climb down, race into the kitchen, grab the next installment of food and be off to the treehouse again. It was like watching a bird flying back and forth between a birdhouse and a quiet branch where it could eat seeds in peace.
    One Saturday Simonโ€™s mother said, โ€œWhy donโ€™t you try this in reverse?โ€
    โ€œWhat do you mean?โ€ Simon asked.
    โ€œIโ€™ll hand you up some lunch and then you carry pieces of it into the kitchen to eat,โ€ his mother explained.
    Simon was intrigued, so they tried it. The first time he appeared in the kitchen with a quarter of an enchilada, Simonโ€™s parents were there eating their enchiladas. Simon ate his enchilada and then leaped off his chair to get more food in the treehouse. When he came back, his friend Ethan was sitting there eating an enchilada too. Ethan waved at him.
    Surprised, Simon finished his off and then looked longingly at the plate of enchiladas on the table.
    โ€œNo, no,โ€ his mother said, โ€œgo back and get more.โ€
    Needless to say, Simon lugged back the rest of his lunch and sat there eating it in the kitchen and discussing Pokemon Go with Ethan.
    โ€œI have a big desire for family mealtimes,โ€ said Simonโ€™s mother.
    โ€œFortunately, you also have a big imagination,โ€ said Simonโ€™s father.

  40. Susan Krevat says:
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    Gabi the Dog Eats Carrots by Susan Krevat

    Gabi the Dog only eats like a pig. She especially loves any
    and all food, especially if it is orange. She absolutely adores carrots,
    which will always have a special place in her heart.

    Years ago, Gabi had a friend, Dillon the Dog. Dillon and his mother
    (Nancy) walked by Gabiโ€™s house every day. Dillonโ€™s mother always
    made sure to put carrots in her pocket. Upon arriving at Gabiโ€™s
    house, both dogs would sit down until they devoured all
    the carrots that Nancy has brought.

    Eventually, Nancy got early Alzheimerโ€™s Disease. Even as
    her memory deteriorated, she would walk Dillon over to
    Gabiโ€™s house to wolf down carrots ~ by now, the dogs were
    well trained and had high expectations.

    One day, the doorbell rang. It was Nancy and her helper.
    Nancy wanted to make sure to tell Gabi and me that Dillon
    had crossed the rainbow bridge.

    Nancy ~ even with an impaired memory ~ continued to
    remember and treasure feeding Dillon and Gabi carrots every day.
    Little things like carrots are important because it usually is the little
    things that make all the difference in our lives.

  41. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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    POSTED FOR LIZ

    Week 6
    Santa and His Beans- Two Limericks
    By Liz Kehrli

    Iโ€™m Santa and Iโ€™m here to say,
    I always eat beans on my sleigh.
    Theyโ€™re such a delight,
    the gas helps my flight
    if my magic should shrivel away.

    Or,

    Itโ€™s Santa here, and I must say,
    I never eat beans on my sleigh.
    They give me bad gas,
    I canโ€™t help but pass,
    that reindeer wonโ€™t come near my sleigh.

  42. Ugo Anidi says:
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    Ugo Anidi
    238 words
    I only eat things that are square.

    I only eat things that are square and everyone knows this. My bread is sliced, my yams are cubed and so are my plantains and potatoes.
    Well, one-day Mum and Dad and Cherry went to the hospital and I had to stay with Grandma Sunday.
    For breakfast she made croissants and not toast.
    โ€œI do not eat crescents; I only eat things that are square.โ€
    โ€œYouโ€™re not hungry my childโ€ Grandma said and she took the food away.
    For lunch she made fried yam chips and not cubed yam porridge.
    โ€œI do not eat rectangles; I only eat things that are square.โ€
    โ€œYouโ€™re not hungry my childโ€ Grandma said and she took the food away.
    For dinner she made gari balls and soup and not gari squares and soup.
    โ€œI do not eat circles; I only eat things that are square.โ€
    โ€œYouโ€™re not hungry my childโ€ Grandma smiled and she took the food away.
    The next day she made beans and plantain with carrots and cabbage, some chicken and mango and pineapple slices.
    I gobbled it up and sang thank you; you see by then I was starving.
    When Mum came back and saw me eating akara balls, she jumped almost up to the roof.
    โ€œWhat happened to โ€œI only eat things that are squareโ€? โ€
    I smiled. โ€œNow I eat circles and crescents and stars and rectangles โ€˜cause thatโ€™s the best way to get a square meal.โ€

  43. ejessmurray says:
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    Jim?! JIM! (Always, like a bird; word count 62, Jess Murray)

    Jim always ate like a bird.
    Sometimes he ate seeds,
    sometimes he ate worms.

    He adored frog spawn.
    He noshed among the weeds.
    He chased the squirrels
    across the lawn

    for the tastiest bits
    from the feeder.
    Gulp, slurp! Goodbye squirrel,
    goodbye vulture.

    Goodbye vulture?
    Yuck, Jim.
    We really like you,
    but if you keep this up
    itโ€™s back to the breederโ€™s.

  44. amyflynnnd says:
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    Carl Eats Like A Pig (137 Words)
    By Amy Flynn

    Everyday Farmer Tea poured slop into Carlโ€™s trough.

    Everyday Carl trotted calmly over, a napkin tied neatly around his neck.

    A delicate bite.
    A dab to his snout.
    Bite.
    Dab.
    Bite.
    Dab.

    One fateful day, Farmer Tea hosted a picnic and Carl overheard a woman scold her child, โ€œDonโ€™t eat like a pig!โ€.

    Carl was appalled to discover the child had ketchup on his face, ice cream on his chin, and, macaroni in hisโ€ฆ.hair?

    Eat like a pig?!

    Heโ€™d show her.

    With a running start, Carl bursted through his pen, napkin billowing like a flag.

    Once free, he calmly trotted over to the picnic table.

    A delicate bite.
    A dab to his snout.
    Bite.
    Dab.
    Bite.
    Dab.

    The picnic-ers looked on in amazement, each one vowing to never again utter the phrase โ€œEat like a pig.โ€

  45. Alicia Meyers-Kelly (@aliciamaekelly) says:
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    Alicia Meyers-Kelly (@aliciamaekelly)'s avatar

    Alicia Meyers Kelly
    WC: 76 words
    I ONLY eat things that are square

    I only eat things that are square.
    I like for things to be fair.
    Four corners, four sides,
    the number applies
    when I cut it in half to share.

    I only eat things that are square.
    Babysitters—beware!
    Bread, crackers, cheez-its, galore–
    waffles, brownies, I want more!

    I ONLY EAT THINGS THAT ARE SQUARE!
    I know my request is rare.
    Stop bringing me food
    Iโ€™m NOT in the mood.
    So, Mom uses her knife to repair.

  46. Katie Schwartz says:
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    Katie Schwartz's avatar

    Oakley only eats quirky food. WC – 135

    Ma calls out, โ€œOakley, rise and shine.
    Itโ€™s time for breakfast, nigh to nine!โ€

    โ€œIโ€™m hungry for a big, fat, bug!โ€
    Ma just laughs, gives me a hug

    Same old oatmeal, with a plop
    of brown molasses on the top.

    Lunch is next, โ€œOak, what sounds good?โ€
    I brighten up, โ€œA piece of wood!โ€

    Ma rolls her eyes, sets down my plate
    โ€œBrussel sprouts, thereโ€™s no debate!โ€

    The sun is setting, dinner time!
    โ€œMama, please, a bowl of slime,

    jade or amber, fuschia, mint,
    With a razzle-dazzle tint!โ€

    โ€œWeโ€™re having salty boiled potatoes,
    Ham and yams and stewed tomatoes!โ€

    โ€œTake one bite, and donโ€™t you fret
    What you see is what you get!โ€

    โ€œLittle Oakley, so unique!
    A bit quirky, so to speak.โ€

    โ€œAh, Mamรก thank you, donโ€™t you fret!
    What you see is what you get!โ€

    • susaninez0905 says:
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      susaninez0905's avatar

      This is so cute. I love the quirky items she requested. You made mealtime quite fun, even if she didn’t get what she asked for. The character’s personality and her Ma’s definitely come through.

  47. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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    Susanna Leonard Hill's avatar

    POSTED FOR MIA

    Week #6
    Afternoon Snack
    By Mia Geiger
    49 words
    (words used: eat, bird)

    Liam and Lucy
    each grabbed a sack.
    They wanted to fill them
    for an afternoon snack.

    They ran to their yard
    and searched all around.
    “Let’s look,” said Liam,
    “right here on the ground.”

    Lucy suggested
    they eat just like birds.
    “Snatch up some seeds …
    But not any worms!”

  48. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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    Susanna Leonard Hill's avatar

    POSTED FOR KETAN

    Mix and Match Week #6
    by Ketan Ram
    word count 148

    Up-side down Blu eats things that are orange.

    Blu was a sloth always hanging around.
    His favorite way was up side down.
    His next most favorite thing of all
    was eating orange things, large or small.
    Carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes too,
    apricots and persimmons is all that he knew!
    Could Blu the sloth be any duller
    for eating things only orange in color?
    His friends told him, โ€œBlu, this is enough!โ€
    โ€œIt’s time you ate more colorful stuff!โ€
    Blu gave it some thought and decided he would
    try new food because he knew he should.
    His friends brought apples, acorns, beets and kale.
    He munched upside down holding tight with his tail.
    His friends sat watching as he chewed and chewed.
    They wondered how Blu liked these new colored foods?
    While chewing and hanging, Blu fell fast asleep.
    Leafy kale hanging out of his teeth.
    Then suddenly when he awoke he outright said,
    โ€œI’d rather eat orange food instead!โ€

  49. Lauri Meyers says:
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    Lauri Meyers's avatar

    Jay the Bird Boy (This has a touch of quarantine insanity I think!) 256 words

    Jay only ate like a bird. It started innocently enough when he loved a trail mix of almonds and sunflower seeds. But then he wanted seeds and nuts every day.
    Next, he wanted his food cut up in small bites, so he didnโ€™t have to chew it. Mom agreed, thinking this was only a phase.
    Then, he stopped eating with a fork, and started to peck his food off his plate. This was fine for home, but they couldnโ€™t go out to eat anymore.
    But then things got weird. Jay wanted his food served under a layer of dirt so he could pull it out of the ground like a worm.
    When he asked for a bird feeder to perch on while he ate, his dad built a giant one in the yard.
    The parents fretted about this new turn of events, but went along with it.
    But when Jay asked his mother to chew up his food and spit it in his mouth, she decided things had gone to far. She refused handing him a plate with noodles and a fork.
    Jay was so upset, he flew off.
    Jayโ€™s mom cried at the window each day. Jayโ€™s father kept the bird feeder filled, in case Jay returned.
    Months later Jay returned with an eagle. His mom watched in astonishment as the eagle chewed a worm and dropped it in Jayโ€™s mouth.
    But she missed him too dearly to say anything harsh. Dad built a nest for the bird and boy, and they are living there still.

  50. lilyerlic says:
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    lilyerlic's avatar

    The boy wanted to be what he wanted to be despite what the parents wanted for him. A great theme as we often try to in-still our own wants for our children. We need to listen more to their needs especially when they are adult children and they make their own decisions. Thank you for an eye opening story. ๐Ÿ™‚

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