My countdown to Halloween begins with a retelling of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The tale of Ichabod Crane’s confrontation with the Headless Horseman has long been a classic amongst fans of the spookiest time of the year, and it has inspired countless adaptations. For my graphic novel retelling of this fabled tale,… Continue reading Book 10 to Halloween
Tag: retellings
The Muffin Man—Review
From the Tangled Tunes series of Cantata Learning, “The Muffin Man” is a delightful storybook/music/CD combo package that sets the scene for the song story about “The Muffin Man,” who bakes and sells delicious muffins, and lives on Drury Lane. Bright, comical, stylized illustrations reminiscent of the 50’s and 60’s decorate each page of treasured… Continue reading The Muffin Man—Review
Peter Pan — retelling
Every now and then, my editors send me teasers of the books I’ve written, whether it’s sketches of the illustrations or a mock up of the cover. I always enjoy seeing my books come to life through the art work, so it’s great to get a glimpse into how things are progressing. Early last year,… Continue reading Peter Pan — retelling
Tangled Tunes—She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain
When working on my adaptation of “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain,” I wanted to do something similar to my version of “On Top of Old Smoky.” I wanted to turn it into a fun, silly, and hopefully rememberable song. One kids will have fun singing. Now sometimes I don’t know where my inspiration comes.… Continue reading Tangled Tunes—She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain
Tangled Tunes—On Top of Old Smoky
Growing up, and given the choice, I’d sing “On Top of Spaghetti” before the traditional “On Top of Old Smoky.” The made-up lyrics were funny and silly and all about my favorite food—I could eat spaghetti and meatballs for every meal, including breakfast. Plus, the original version was all about courtin’ and losing a true… Continue reading Tangled Tunes—On Top of Old Smoky
Tangled Tunes—Oh, My Darling, Clementine
So the song Oh, My Darling, Clementine is about a miner who’s daughter drowns, and he sings about the tragedy. It’s a pretty morbid tale. In a cavern, In a canyon, Excavating for a mine, Dwelt a miner forty-niner, And his daughter Clementine. Oh my darling, Oh my darling, Oh my darling Clementine, You are… Continue reading Tangled Tunes—Oh, My Darling, Clementine
Tangle Tunes—The Chores We Do
This Tangled Tune is based off of Here We Go ’round the Mulberry Bush, a song in which children hold hands and go around in a circle. And it’s a pretty simple tune with one basic verse. Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, The mulberry bush. Here we go round the… Continue reading Tangle Tunes—The Chores We Do
Tangled Tunes—Three Blind Mice
So my first Tangled Tunes adaptation was Three Blind Mice. The original song is pretty simple, with one verse. Three blind mice, Three blind mice, See how they run, See how they run! They all ran after The farmer’s wife. She cut off their tails With a carving knife. Did you ever see Such a… Continue reading Tangled Tunes—Three Blind Mice
Tangled Tunes
Ever since I first strummed a guitar way back in middle school, I’ve been writing songs. The lyrics always came easier for me than the music, which could explain why I became a poet instead of a rock star, but that hasn’t stopped me from continuing to pluck away on my 6 string. Today I… Continue reading Tangled Tunes
Review — Treasure Island
Fun to see my Treasure Island adaptation up on LitPick, a site where kids (my readers!) are the reviewers. Check it out Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.