MAGAZINES
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I enjoy
writing stories and poems
for the Cricket
Group magazines.
One story, “Kotoshi the
Dragon Doctor,” was included
in the hard
cover anthology, Fire and Wings
(Cricket Books, 2002).
Hear storyteller Robert Topp
reading "Kotoshi the Dragon
Doctor"
https://readmeastoryink.com/stories/kotoshi-the-dragon-doctor/
(The story is printed below
the audio so you can read
along.)
Then check out the many
other stories on his
website!
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Instead
of being eaten by a
dragon, or killing it,
Kotoshi
not only heals a baby
dragon’s
wounded wing, she makes a
life
changing discovery.
The story continues in
“Kotoshi
the Love Doctor” (Cricket,
May 2007) when Kotoshi
treats a poetic patient she
can’t seem to
cure.
Art by Daniel Powers
for "Kotoshi the
Love Doctor"
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Here is a list
of more stories:
“Spider Soup,” Spider,
6/1995
A Liberian
folktale starring a greedy and selfish
spider.
“The Salted Mushroom,” Cricket,
11/2003
In 15th
century China a wealthy salt merchant
plans to live forever.
“Reina Sardina,” Spider,
3/2004
A magic fish
grants Pepe’s mother an unexpected
wish.
“Tukama and the Duppy,” Spider,
6/2005
Can Tukama
outwit a mischievous Duppy?
“Marco and the Magic Seeds,” Spider,
5/2004
Marco’s magic
beans turn out to be squash seeds, and
the weedwoman is not a
fee-fi-fo-fumming, treasure-hoarding
ogre.
“Love Leaves” & “Basket of Love,”
both in Cricket, 2/2003
Two Chinese
courtship festivals and how they
began.
“The Ox-Star,” Spider,
8/1996
When Shang Ti
sends Ox to Earth with an important
message, mixed-up Ox makes a big
mistake.
“The Moth Prince,” Cricket,
11/1999
A
spoiled Chinese prince
awakens from a dream
that he’d become a moth.
But maybe it wasn’t a dream.
“The Moth Prince” is one
of my favorite stories.
Among its inspirations:
a tour of a Chinese silk
factory
in 1990 and a famous dream
in the Taoist classic,
Chuang Tzu:
When the sage, Chuang Chou
awoke, he didn’t know if he
was a butterfly dreaming
of Chou or Chou dreaming
he was a butterfly!
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Art
by Linda S.Wingerter
for “The Moth
Prince” |
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“Hair and Feathers,” Cricket,
11/1996
How can bald
Bandong court Nanka, his true love, if
he has no hair for her to comb?
“Biscuit Boy,” Ladybug,
4/1996
With a bugle
and a song, shy Sidney sells Mama’s
biscuits in the marketplace.
“Princess Shen-ming and the Wise Man,”
Cricket,
8/1996
A practical
princess wisely interprets a simple
man’s comments.
“The Little-Like-Me Baby,” Ladybug,
4/2000
Who does a
baby platypus look like?
“The Bits-and-Pieces Platypus,” Ladybug,
4/2000
Facts about
the platypus.
“The Promise of Seged,” co-author,
David Gershator, Spider,
11/2000
The Jews of
Ethiopia celebrate the holiday of
Seged––and reach the land of their
dreams and prayers.
“Coyote’s Coat,” Spider,
4/1999
Will Coyote
never be satisfied with the color of
his fur?
“Kot kot kot kodatch...,” Ladybug,
7/2000
A boastful
Hungarian hen takes a ride on a bike.
“Tiyoro and the Kissing Bird,” Cricket,
2/2006
A tale from
Mali: stubborn girl meets stubborn
bird.
“Nu Wa and the Yellow Clay,” Spider,
4/2005; 9/2012
A Chinese
myth of creation featuring the snaky
goddess Nu Wa.
“Vive l’Artiste!” Cricket,
10/2005
When a
Haitian artist, inspired by the
spirits, paints his finest painting,
will he sell it?
“The Butterfly Test,” Cricket,
5/2006
If an
indecisive prince can’t make up his
mind what to wear or what to eat, how
will he ever choose a wife?
“Promises,” Cricket, 8/2007
A classic
tale from the Panchatantra,
in which a young woman marries a
snake.
“Ancestor Dog,” Cricket,
9/2008
A legendary
“Beauty and the Beast” story from
China.
“Barbarian’s Bride,” Cricket,
5-6/2009
Who will be
chosen to wed the Barbarian? Surely
not the Emperor’s favorite!
“Seek the Sun,” Spider,
9/2009
A true story
from Japan.
“The Beggar Prince and the Honest
Princess,” Cricket, 4/2011
A classic
tale, retold from the Panchatantra,
in which a disowned daughter is
married to a sickly beggar.
"The Lonely Goat," Ladybug,
2/2012
A goat looks
everywhere for his family. Where did
everybody go?
“Wu-tu,” Cricket, 3/2012
From the
ancient annals of Chinese history:
valiant soldier, precious stone,
greedy king, beautiful maiden....
"Frog Rain," Ladybug, 4/2013
A true story
about a very tiny, very loud, and very
special frog: the coquí. Read the
story!
"Bushi's Bullfight," Cricket,
3/2013
A legendary
tale in which the 19th century warrior
Sokon Matsumura engages in
hand-to-hand combat––with a bull!
"Bushi's Bride," Cricket,
9/2013
Young
Yonamine consents to marry on one
condition. Her suitor must defeat her
in a fair fight.
"The Water Bucket: a Chinese folk
tale," Cricket, 1/2018
Both
"Cinderella" and "The Porridge Pot"
come to mind in this traditional tale
starring the popular Chinese "Water
Mother," Shui-mu.
"Can I Borrow Your Burrow?" Ladybug,
2/2018
Mr. Tortoise
likes peace and quiet, but his burrow
is a busy place. One guest after
another stops by––and moves in! What
is our hero to do?
"Three Impossible Tasks," Part 1, Cricket,
1/2020
Can Pei, a
handsome, young, but very poor
calligrapher, win the hand of the
wealthy magistrate's daughter? No!
Impossible! Or so the magistrate
hopes. To be continued....
"Three Impossible Tasks," Part 2, Cricket,
2/2020
The first and
second tasks set by the scheming
magistrate seemed impossible, but the
third task––well, there is no way Pei
can succeed this time, locked in a
cell without ink or brush....
"The Silent One," Cricket, 3/2023
A mix
of fact, fiction, and legend to tell
the story of Mo Niang, a popular
Chinese deity, also known as Ma Zu
(Ancestral Grandmother), patron saint
of sailors, fisherfolk, explorers,
travelers....
"For the Love of Birds," Cricket,TBA.
Little
Crane loves birds, but she also loves
a young hunter who makes his living
selling the birds he catches. Is a
happy ending too much to hope for?
"Ambassador Nasrudin," Cricket,
11-12/2023.
A
trickster tale from Persia featuring
Nasrudin who, finding himself in the
wrong place at the wrong time, is
appointed Ambassador to India. What
more can possibly go wrong?
Highlights!
"The Tennin's Robe," inspired
by a classic Japanese tale,
appeared in a wonderful issue of Highlights
magazine in April, 2008. That
issue includes some amazing facts
about the brain, plus a
true story about the famous candy
maker Milton S. Hershey.
Poems in the
Cricket Group Magazines:
"A Good, Good Day," Ladybug
4/2024
Good things
to do on a good, good day--before a
good, good night.
"Down at the Pond," Ladybug,
5/2022
“At the Holocaust Memorial Museum,” Cicada,
5-6/2001
Where does
tolerance start?
“After the Storm,” co-author, David
Gershator, Cricket, 4/2000
Treasure on the beach.
“Mosquito catcher,” Spider,
6/2001
My
friend the lizard.
“Don’t call my name,” Cricket,
5/2000
Why not? Read on:
DON’T
CALL MY NAME
Please
don’t call my name--
I’m
reading a book.
Please
don’t call my name.
Don’t
ask me to clean up my room
and
take out the trash.
No,
I don’t want to go shopping.
I’m
not ready to play.
Please
don’t call my name--
I’m
reading a book.
I’m
far away.
I’m
busy.
I’m
making new friends.
I
know all their secrets
except
for a few,
so
please,
don’t
call my name.
I’m
reading a book
and
I can’t answer your call
till
I see how it ends.
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