If you’re looking for an activity that will get your kid writing, Breakfast on a Dragon’s Tail, by Martin Springett, is a new and interesting concept book.
Dragon’s Tail gives you the beginning of a story, and your kid writes the rest.
There are 13 book bites in all, each one an intriguing start, whimsically illustrated, to a story that your child will finish.
Here’s my favourite:
Dracula and Son
“Wake up, son! It’s time to terrify the neighbourhood!”
Papa Drac stretched and yawned, flexing his long, white hands and testing his bright, white fangs with a handy fork.
Ping! They were solid and scary–ready for all the terrifying stuff he had planned for the surrounding countryside, the lonely farmhouses, and the craggy castles.
“Nah, I’m tired,” said Drac Junior. “I wanna sleep in.”
“You’ve already slept in for nine months! It’s Hallowe’en–time to sharpen those pearly whites and to practise blood-curdling screeches, climbing down walls, and flapping about in a creepy way!”
It goes on, but you get the idea.
Dragon’s Tail would be great for homeschooling, for teachers and for parents with kids who are keen to write but need a bit of inspiration.
And best of all, kids can go to the book publisher’s website and upload the endings they’ve written for any of the stories. Fun!
