Tag: children’s fairy tales

Who, What Inspires your Writing? (part 2)

chilren's theatre, children's plays, fairy tales, inspiration, actors    You find inspiration in the strangest places.   I was dedicated to writing scripts for the stage.   A few years back, I attended this production of my children’s play, Emma and the Lost Unicorn, outside of Boston .

After the actors had their curtain calls, the Director told them that if they changed out of their costumes and did their assigned tasks back stage, they could ‘have some time with  Trisha’.

So I found myself holding impromptu stage craft classes with these adorable young actors (age 5–18).  I was struck how serious they were about their craft.  Their questions were very sophisticated.  And then it happened……the inspiration to dare to write something completely out of my comfort zone…..a book.

The  youngest ones begged me to write the stories from my scripts in storybook form.  They wanted to have Emma, Stare, Cheets, and Stanley in their personal libraries.  Three children’s books and one novel later I have found a new outlet for my story telling.  These children, who knew no fear, gave me enough courage to try chapter books, poetry, and a novel. Experimental at times, risky at times, scary, but so rewarding.   So step out of your comfort zone and try writing in a different format… it’s very liberating and you might surprise yourself.  I did!children's theatre, plays for kids, writing, stage plays,

Does anyone out there love “Stanley, the dragon….”?

Two great kids are ‘professional reviewers’ with their Mom. They loved Stanley so I thought I would reprint it here for you to enjoy.  Or click below and read it in its original location:

http://www.readerviewskids.com/ReviewSugarekStanleyStalwartDragon.html

READER VIEWS, Reviews by kids, for kids  Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon: The Fabled Forest Series (Volume 1)  Reviewed by Sophia (age 6.75) and Madeline (age 8.5) McElroy for Reader Views (12/09)

Sophia: I liked this funny story about a dragon named Stanley. He ran away from home, because he couldn’t breathe fire. He found himself in a forest full of creatures – fairies, elves and animals. He made a lot of new friends, until one day when a bad raven came along named Slick; he talked Stanley into going to join the circus. After his friends found out he had run away again the Queen sends them on a mission to rescue poor Stanley.

My favorite part is when Cheets the elf yells “dragon breath!” and starts running around and keeps yelling. My favorite picture is when Stare is on top of Stanley’s head with big saucer eyes!

My favorite characters are Stare and Stanley. Even though Stare only knows the word “Who?, or Who!, or Who! Who! Who!,” I really like him because he is cute and funny. I like Stanley, because he was a kind dragon who didn’t like to burn things up. I think this would be a really good movie!

Madeline: This is an amusing story about Stanley the dragon. This story will take you on many adventures, including some with a nutty little elf named Cheets, a Queen named Cleo who rules over the faeries in the forest, and Stanley who will be the cause of all these exciting tales. Stanley is not your ordinary dragon; he is quite interesting and friendly. Stanley decided to run away from home, because he wouldn’t breathe fire and this was a big disappointment to his parents, especially his Father. Stanley finds himself in a magical woods filled with farires.

The happiest moment in the story was when the Queen ordered the rescue of Stanley. I enjoyed this part of the story, because of the plan his friends had to save him from his trouble again.  My favorite character is Cheets the elf, because he is crazy and funny. He always talks about himself in the third person! When he gets too carried-away the Queen “snaps” him into a time-out, of which he had many. This is a very enjoyable fairytale.

Parent: What a delightful story! I loved reading this with the kids. At times I was tempted to copy the pages so we could read it as a play. The characters are really sweet and it has a running dialogue of positive messages. I would highly recommend “Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon” by Trisha Sugarek to all parents.

 

 

 

Do you like free stuff? Read “Stanley, the Dragon” FREE

fairy tales, dragons, books for children, children's new fiction,fables          Offering a promotion to read “Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon” for FREE August 10, –August 14, 2012.  Go to Amazon.com’s Kindle KDP Select  Don’t miss this opportunity. Go to Kindle’s “Lending Library” at the link above.

Synopsis:  Stanley, a very young dragon, has run away from home. He feels that he is a failure. As dragons go, he probably is. He’s kind, soft spoken, a good friend and can’t for the life of him, breathe FIRE! The story is full of wonderful characters. A lady bug, named Persnickety is Stanley’s best friend and side kick. Emma, an earthling girl who lives on a farm and plays in the forest, with her magical friends. The loveable villain is a raven named City Slick, the Third. Thomas, the pedantic, sea turtle, and Cheets, the elf, are just a few of Stanley’s new friends.

One dark night Slick lures Stanley away from the forest and sells him to the circus. He is left chained, alone in a tent, until he breathes fire. The Queen of the Faeries gives Donald and Emma a quest; to go and find Stanley and rescue him.

While this is an adventure story full of laughter, it teaches children that no matter what, it is never a good idea to run away from home and is frequently very dangerous. The fable addresses bigotry, greed, loyalty and kindness to others. Ages: 2–12

 

 

“Must Read” rating for “Stanley, The Stalwart Dragon”

BookReview.com gave the first in the Fabled Forest series, “Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon” a wonderful review.  Head over to their site to see it, or read on below!

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Children’s Books 
Title: Stanley, The Stalwart Dragon
Author: Trisha Sugarek
Rating:  Must Read!
Publisher: CreateSpace
Reviewed by: Eric Jones

Trisha Sugarek is often known for her stage plays for children which take on a fun, but instructional tone and lend children an eye-opening narrative on the problems and decisions that come with growing up. Her first novel, “Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon”, is an extension of her stage work. Fully illustrated by Mitchell Lamar Larkins, it is a collection of life lessons rolled into a single journey, with a loveable protagonist who finds friendship and hardship out in an unfamiliar world. Stanley is very different from other dragons because he doesn’t blow fire. No, he blows bubbles. This leads him to feel ostracized with the dragon community and in a fit of anger he runs away to the woods where he’s greeted by a band of mixed races; elves, pixies, animals, clowns, and faeries all gather to remark on Stanley’s mysterious condition. What’s remarkable about Sugarek’s fiction is in her ability to draw depth into what might have simply been cartoon characters. City Slick is, without a doubt, my favorite. He has the sly veracity of a huckster, but appears genuinely friendly. He’s also illustrated to resemble Woody Wood Pecker, and although he’s not quite the villain, he plays the role of a trickster who gets Stanley into his predicament by convincing him to join the circus. Stanley moves then from a nice group of misfits to a bad group of misfits, and learns a strong lesson in comparing the two. There is no shortage of fun and interesting characters to grab children’s attention and engage their imagination. Being a playwright, Sugarek comes from a medium that’s heavy on dialog, and that transitions well into children’s fiction, making “Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon” a great book to read out loud to children. Parents can change voices to represent different characters, or they can highlight character’s lines that the children themselves can play. This is a novel, so there’s a slight issue of length. It’s best read as a serial over a number of nights rather than straight through, although the appearance of the book can be deceptive since it’s about the same height and width as children’s books like “Polar Express” or “Green Eggs and Ham”. However, Sugarek makes no bones about it being more advanced. She uses big words to stimulate her young readers such as ‘effervescent’, or ‘rhetorical’, which is a method reminiscent of the works of Roald Dahl. “Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon” is a captivating children’s novel from start to finish, a cartoonish romp through a fantastic world that’s full of jokes and lessons that will ensnare any child’s ear.

 

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New Web Site Launched for Writer!

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Announcing the LAUNCH of my new and improved web site. A new and interactive look with an easy to use on-line store!  You can buy my scripts, fiction, children’s plays and books, and my poetry.

Please leave a comment and let me know how you like my new look!

 

Best regards,  Trish

 

PS: My web designer and consultant is: Leon Adato,AdatoSystems