Whew.
Just taking a sec to catch my breath here.
The Texas Book Festival, which happens every October in and around the Capital in Austin, has come and gone and I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling like this year's was the best yet.
Partly because my girls are Just the Right Age to fully appreciate it. They had all their own events picked out and had us running from one hot number to the next, with the high point being a funny, honest, thoughtful and tender conversation between Kate DiCamillo and Rebecca Stead.
And partly because I had such fun things to do myself! A couple of lovely parties… a storytime reading of Noodle & Lou… and a really dynamite rhyme-and-story-making session in the Kids Activity Tent. I worked with author Kate Hosford and a whole bunch of kids to craft "The Owl That Used to Howl."
(Really, if the truth be known, Kate and I just took dictation. The kids were kind of crazy-brilliant and creative. For example, an owl raised by wolves. Perfection.)
So, without further nattering, enjoy their yarn:
The Owl That Used to Howl
The owl with gray feathers
was moving through the sky
He howled his wolfy howl
but it turned into a sigh. Why?
He flew a long way from home
His wolves shed a tear
The owl was very scared
without his wolf pack near
But on he flew
by the light of the moon
And the light, it helped
He was howling at it soon.
The wolves were listening
for their favorite bird
They recognized his sad, sad voice —
the sweetest sound they'd heard.
The End