It’s a new book release…sort of. The stories in this book are not yet complete because it is your child’s job to write them. They get a small illustration and beginning prompt then have a few pages and more small prompts to create their own story. These books are called, Once Upon a Pancake and there are different books depending on the ages of your children.
This is the Once Up a Pancake book for ages 9-12. There is plenty of empty space for kids this age to make their own version of these stories. They can work on the stories alone or pass the pen with a sibling, classmate or friend. These will be such fun keepsakes to pull out one day and share.
Every few pages starts a new story idea. Some stories require a middle and end. Some allow your child to add their own illustrations and some offer a comic-style writing. Once Upon a Pancake has enough variety to keep them engaged in this book for days or weeks to come and the variety introduces them to different writing styles and genres.
True Story
When my teen was young he wrote a lot! He is the ideal child fro Once Upon a Pancake books. I have kept all of the composition notebooks he had laying around with pages and pages of stories. 3 years ago I actually took one of those stories and sent his words and drawings into a book bound and had it made into an actual (unpublished) hard cover book. I ordered 3 copies – 1 for his Teacher, 1 for us and 1 for a special event I was to surprise him with.
He was (still is) a HUGE R.L. Stine fan and I saw he was coming for a free, local storytelling event and we got in! He not only got to sit 4 rows up from R.L. Stine as he read to the kids, he got to hand him his own version of a Goosebumps book he wrote. That book I had bounded was called, Attack of the Killer Spider (derived from Goosebumps theme). He was so nervous, walked up with a Goosebumps book and asked for an autograph and almost forgot to hand his own ‘Goosebumps’ book over. Then R.L. Stine’s wife saw me signaling him and asked, “Honey! What is that book?” That is when he explained he “…wrote it, my Mom turned it into a book and ordered an extra copy for you” R.L. Stine’s wife took it from him, he glanced at it and says to her, take this one with us…to the hotel..” my son’s face just lit up as he heard that. He got his autograph, a hug and ran back to me almost in tears, “Did you hear what his wife said?”
Harnessing your child’s love of writing is meant to happen with books like Once Upon a Pancake. It will be shared and kept forever. If they are writing, they need this series. Find the book that is right for your child’s age at Once Upon a Pancake’s website or on Amazon at Rick Benger’s Author page.
Want to see me flip through a few pages and see inside Once Upon a Pancake? Visit my IGTV post here!
