Avocado the Penguin
I decided to enter the KidLit Chuckle Challenge. I had 200 words to make someone laugh. In addition, I was required to use two of the six writing prompts given. I chose ‘Avocado the Penguin’ and ‘Broccoli.’ My entry is below. The italicized illustration note does count toward the total 200 words.
Illustration: Penguin and Poodle are drawn like fruits/vegetables with faces. As their names change, they change.
Avocado groaned. “Why would anyone name a penguin after a squishy green tropical fruit?”
“Or a dog after a vegetable?” Broccoli the Poodle said.
“I hate my name,” said Avocado.” My penguin friends all have wonderful names like Big Wing and Small Wing, and Medium-sized Wing, and Slightly-Smaller-than-Big-Wing, and A-Touch-Bigger-than-Small-Wing.”
“Isn’t that confusing?” Broccoli asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. What name would you like?”
“Pear. It has such a nice sound: Pear the Penguin, or Pear-with-really-humongous-wings, or Pear-Penguin-with-wings-bigger-than-a-Killer-Whale’s-fin, or—”
“Stop! I can’t take it anymore.”
“You don’t like Pear?”
“No.”
“How about Butternut Squash Penguin or Eggplant-with-gorgeous-wings or—”
“How about Waddles,” Broccoli said.
“I don’t waddle.”
“What about Stands-all-day-with-tired-feet or Doesn’t-know-to-go-south or Has-anyone-seen-my-egg?”
“NO!”
“Well, those names are way better than large-bottomed-fruit-of-the-happy-wing.”
“Wait, that’s close, real close.”
“Really? You’re so frustrating.”
“What would you like your name to be?” Penguin asked.
“Udon Noodle Poodle. Notice how it rhymes.”
Penguin nodded, “Sophisticated.”
“I know.”
“Oh! Oh! I’ve got it,” Avocado shouted. “Cheese Curd Bird.”
“Wow, that’s FANTASTIC.”
“Udon Noodle Poodle, can I really change my name?”
“Yes, Cheese Curd Bird.”
“Thanks.”
Happy Writing!
Kidd
Some of Kidd’s stories are in the following anthologies:
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The Lyrical Language Lab is having a Rhyming Poetry Contest for kidlit.
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I decided to enter the KidLit Chuckle Challenge. I had 200 words to make someone laugh. In addition, I was required to use two of the six writing prompts given. I chose ‘Avocado the Penguin’ and ‘Broccoli.’ My entry is below. The italicized illustration note does count toward the total 200 words.
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My entry won an honorable mention.
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Obsession is my natural state.
As an undergraduate in Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M University, I was required to take a Mechanical Engineering course where we analyzed the forces in a truss.
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I love poetry. I relish language that paints a picture in my head, leaves a song in my heart and gently touches my soul. But how do I incorporate poetic methods into my writing? And more importantly, how do I train my ear?
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