Happy April! Spring is here and so is the Spring Fling Kidlit Contest hosted by Ciara O'Neal and Kaitlyn Sanchez!
Here are the basics of how this contest works: get inspiration from a GIF and write a story for kids 12 and under - in 150 words or less!
I'm digging these contests! Each is a great exercise in brevity, helps with idea generation (hello, why didn't I ever look at GIFs for inspiration before?!) and of course, I love the endless support of the kidlit community!
Here's my GIF! I was inspired by (and a little jealous of) Cat and Bear taking a long nap.
I sprinkled some interesting bear hibernation facts into this fiction piece! I hope you enjoy it!
WAKE UP, BEAR! (145 words)
Spring has sprung, but…
SNORE!
Bear has not.
And Cat is DONE waiting.
“Wake up, Bear! It’s Spring!” Cat purrs.
Grumble.
“Please let me sleep. I’m exhausted,” Bear groans.
“But… you just hibernated. All. Winter. Long.”
“Hibernation is not restful,” Bear replies.
“I worked hard keeping myself warm through winter, with no food or water. Goodnight, Cat.”
ZzzZzZZZ…
No food?
Bear must be starving!
A fresh-caught salmon will wake him up.
“DINNERTIME!” Cat yowls, waving salmon under Bear’s nose.
Sniff, sniff.
“I’m not hungry.”
“But Bear, salmon is your favorite!
“I lost half my body weight hibernating. I can’t eat a large meal yet. Goodnight, Cat.”
ZzzZzZZZ…
Cat yawns.
Trying to wake Bear up is exhausting.
A catnap won’t hurt.
ZzzZzZZZ…
Later…
“Wake up, Cat! It’s Spring!” Bear sings.
“Are you in the mood for salmon?”
“Please let me sleep. I’m exhausted,” Cat groans.
ZzzZzZZZ…