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).
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Kotoshi,
instead of being
eaten by a dragon, or
killing it,
not only heals a dragon
baby’s
wounded wing, she discovers
that its mother much prefers
eating fish to sacrificial
maidens.
The story continues in
“Kotoshi
the Love Doctor” (Cricket,
May 2007) when Kotoshi
meets a poetic patient she
can’t (or perhaps doesn’t
really want) 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?
Art by Ponder Goembel
for “The Little-Like-Me Baby”
“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.
Art by Uma
Krishnaswamy
for "The Beggar Prince
and the Honest Princess"
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"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....
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:
"Down at the Pond," Ladybug,
5/2022
Art by
Kate Talbot for "Down at
the Pond"
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“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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