Here in the south, a snowfall is a rare and much anticipated
occurrence. Most of the time (at least where my family lives), when the weather forecast says there’s a chance
of snow, we don’t see a single flake. And it is so very sad to see the disappointment
on my boys’ faces when they wake up and realize that—once again—the snow has
passed us by.
But when it does snow—watch out! It's party time in our
neighborhood! So when I learned the topic of Susanna Leonard Hill's Third Annual Valentiny Contest, I knew right away what I wanted to write about. The rules
were simply to write a children’s Valentine’s story (214 words or less) in
which someone is hopeful. Here is my entry:
HOPING FOR SNOW
by Becky Shillington (214 words)
When Dad says, “There’s
a chance of snow!”
I dance around
and whoop and cheer.
But just as I
begin to hope,
I think, “We
never get snow here.”
My Valentines
are neatly stacked.
I’ve made each
friend a special treat.
So if it doesn’t
snow tonight,
at least school
will be fun and sweet!
When Mom and Dad
tuck me in bed,
I toss and turn
and sigh all night.
As minutes tick-tock
off my clock,
I peek outside
and look for white.
Then suddenly, tomorrow’s
here.
Mom sings, “It’s
time to rise and shine!”
I look outside
again. No snow.
But here’s a
lovely Valentine!
At school, my
friends have sleepy eyes;
it looks like no
one slept last night.
“No snow—no
FAIR,” they all complain.
“There goes our
epic snowball fight!”
“Cheer up!” I
say. “It STILL might snow—
the news guy said
so on TV.”
I hand each
friend an envelope.
“Now here’s a special
treat from me!”
They open up
their Valentines
and smile when
they see what’s inside:
a cookie heart
for everyone
and heart-shaped
snowflakes made with pride.
“Let’s find some
string and hang these up.
We’ll make it
snow ourselves,” I say.
But as we work,
I look outside.
“It’s snowing
now for real! HOORAY!”
I hope you all have a very happy Valentine’s
Day!
So many kids want those snowy days, especially when it's unusual. Fun story, Becky! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jilane!
DeleteIf I could, I'd send you some of our snow after it has piled 9 feet high!
ReplyDeleteI wish you well with this story.
Thanks, Lynn. 9 feel of snow--I can NOT even imagine!
DeleteIt never snows here either. Great story. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :-)
DeleteSuper cute. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Johnell!
DeleteI get excited with Larry Sprinkle says that it might snow, too!
ReplyDeleteVery cute story! Good luck!
My kids were thrilled to get our few inches this year, Maria! :-)
DeleteDear Becky,
ReplyDeleteI love your poem! Good luck in the contest!
Never Give Up
Joan
Thank you so much, Joan! <3
DeleteLove the rhyme! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy!
DeleteYou really captures that snow day anticipation. Love the way the MC made heart-shaped and real snow! Best of luck.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! :-)
DeleteHi Becky - oh yes at times ... it's lovely when it snows and I remember as a kid wishing it would snow in England ... not too often. But white cookie shaped hearts and then it snowed - clever imaginings ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeletehttp://positiveletters.blogspot.ca/2018/02/the-robin-who-hedges-her-choices.html
Thanks, Hillary! I think we appreciate it more when we don't have to deal with it all the time! :-)
DeleteGreat job, Becky! Fun, hopeful, Valentiny and a good story! You perfectly captured that childhood wish for snow and snow days! Thanks so much for a very enjoyable entry!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susanna, and thanks SO MUCH for hosting the Valentiny contest! It is so much fun reading all of the entries!
Delete