Tales from the Family Farm: Stories for Children
Over the years, so many people in Saskatchewan have been so helpful to me, that in return for their kindness, I present to the people of Saskatchewan three children’s stories that celebrate the experience and adventure of growing up on a farm in the province.
All three stories revolve around a little girl named Brittany, as she grows up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan in the 1970s and 1980s with her parents Allie and John. Through her eyes and of those around her, growing up on a family farm in Saskatchewan is depicted in ways that are both reassuringly familiar and surprisingly unique.
Each book is directed at a different age group and written in a different style or format.
The Wish that Made the World Round (Ages 6-8)
Written in homage to the story telling of Frank L. Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and a nod toward Anna Kemp’s The Worst Princess, The Wish That Made the World Round tells the story of how one little farm girl’s love for her father can literally and physically change the world.
(100% Complete, needs editing, pictures)
Part of funding submission.
The Great Egg Mystery (Ages 9-12)
Certainly a mystery, but not in the tradition of Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes. This story is definitely one inspired by Nancy Drew. The Great Egg Mystery tells the story of how one little boys’ visit to see his cousin Brittany on the farm in Saskatchewan, helps him overcome his timidity in life, while solving the mystery of why all the chicken eggs have suddenly gone missing.
This work is to be released 2 years after The Wish That Made the World Round is published.
(100% Complete, needs editing, pictures)
Not part of funding submission (available for reading upon request).
The Wurffle Whistle (Ages 13 and up)
The third and final installment of the series is set against the backdrop of the farming crisis of the 1980s. On top of all this external chaos and change, Brittany also finds herself in transition from child to young lady. With her stress level steadily rising by the week and possibly nearing a psychological breaking point, Brittany one day accidentally comes across the mythical bird known as the Saskatchewan Wurffle Whistle, that teaches her and everyone else how to come to terms with the idea of change.
The work is to be released 2 years after The Great Egg Mystery is published.
Not part of funding submission.
Publishing and Costs
I have always intended to make this a Saskatchewan based project. It is also my hope that when published, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these books is donated to the new Children’s Hospital located in Saskatoon. The purpose of this donation would be to help buy equipment.
The publisher I intend to use, Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing, is one that I have been associated with since 2007. Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing is a hybrid publisher of prairie books. It is owned and operated by Heather Nickel and is located in Regina, Saskatchewan. It has been helping authors publish books since 1998. The illustrator I hope to employ, would ideally be from Saskatchewan.
However, as with all things, I am willing to work with other publishers and illustrators located outside of Saskatchewan, all in the hope of creating the best children’s book possible.
Therefore, the funding requests associated with this project are general estimates provided by Heather Nickel, at Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing for the first book The Wish that Made the World Round.
Editing, layout and design $2000.00 – $2500.00
Illustrations $5000.00 – $6000.00
Printing and binding $4000.00 – $5000.00 (1000 colour copies)
Tax (5% GST, 5% PST) $1350.00
Contingency (10%) $1485.00
Total $16335.00
The following is an unedited excerpt from The Wish that Made the World Round:
(Page 6)
In unison they both shook their heads. The news was not good.
“Sorry Britt, you’re staying in bed,” her mom said. “You have a fever.”
“Well kido, I’ll check in on you a little later,’ her dad said, as he got up off the bed. “I’m off to plow the north 40 in the tractor next to Old Man’s Creek!”
“And you can look at my magazine about sailing Britt,” her mom said, handing Brittany the magazine. “And I’ll check in on you too from time to time.”
And so, Brittany found herself stuck in bed with Trixie quietly sitting just beyond her toes.
(Page 7)
After her parents left her room, Brittany spent some time flipping through the magazine looking at the pictures of all the different kinds of ships. As the evening went along, Brittany put down the magazine and drifted in and out of sleep. The fever had a good grip of her now. It was hard for her to focus. Once, she thought she saw the sun swallowed up by a menacing set of clouds. Another time, she thought she saw a heavy rain slowly creep toward the house. But she was not sure if it was real or a dream. But she was sure of one thing – each time she opened her eyes Trixie was still lying at the foot of her bed.
(Page 8)
There was a great noise.
Brittany looked around her room, and she could see that it had grown very dark as if night had fallen. When she looked down at the end of her bed she saw that Trixie was gone. Rain was pounding on the roof and window. There were strange sounds all around her. For a moment, she thought those sounds were her mom and dad talking. But the deafening sound of the rain on the roof and window made it impossible for her to make out what they were saying.
(Page 9)
Frightened and alone, Brittany quickly got out of bed. She put on her red slippers and headed out of her room and into the darkened living room. Hoping to finder her mom there, she was startled when she found the room empty. With a sense of alarm, she did not stop there. She quickly made her way into the hallway that lead to the kitchen, where she was sure her mom would be.
There was a light coming from the window at the top of the kitchen door which guided Brittany. As she slowly opened the door she could hear her mom talking. When she peaked around the door, she saw her mom in the far corner of the kitchen and talking to her dad over the CB radio.
(Page 10)
“How bad is the thunderstorm there John? We are getting tremendous amounts of rain here at the yard! Over.” Brittany’s mom said. “Do you think you can make it back to the farm yard with the tractor? Over.”
From the CB speaker came her dad’s answer. “No I don’t think so Allie. The rain is coming down so fast and hard I can barely see out the windows of the tractor. I’ll try, but the field is too mushy and the tractor is spinning in all the mud. Over.”
There was a long pause, and Brittany saw a look of worry fall over her mom’s face.
(Page 11)
Then came her dad’s voice again.
“Oh no! Allie, Old Man’s Creek just burst its banks! I have to go and I’ll call again when I can! Out.”
Incased in a sense of panic, Brittany wanted to run away…and that is what she did.
(Page 12)
Running as fast as she could, Brittany lost her right slipper in the hallway as she retraced her path through the darkened farm house to her bedroom. As she neared her room she thought it strange that the door was now closed, since she remembered leaving it open.
Stopping in front of the door allowed Brittany the chance to catch her breath.
Opening the door, she stepped into the pitch black darkness. But, insteaad of walking she found herself falling, it was as if her foot never found the bedroom floor. As she tumbled, she could feel her other red slipper come off her foot, and watched as it disappeared into the darkness. Disorientated, she finally focused on a small pinpoint of light in the distance that was racing toward her. As she continued to fall, the bright light continued to grow – until she was surrounded by the light.
(Page 13)
As Brittany’s sight returned to normal, she found herself sitting upon a great chair.
Her pajama’s had been replaced with a flowing white dress of frill and lace. And with her hands, she removed from her head a tiara made of rubies and diamonds. As she looked around, Brittany realized she was no longer in her bedroom…or on her family farm. The house was replaced with a castle, the black dirt she knew so well was also gone, her bare feet and toes now buried deep in sand.
Brittany thought aloud, “What a strange foreign land!”
The world for some unknown reason had turned upside down,
No longer a simple peasant, she was now a princess with a crown!
And when she asked the first person she saw, if she ruled alone,
The reply was ‘No Princes, there is another sitting upon the throne.’
(Page 14)
It was then that Brittany heard another voice coming from her right,
And sure enough there sitting next to her bathed in soft sunlight,
Was her father talking in his naturally soft and familiar tone.
Not to her, but someone on the other end of a CB-like-phone.
The instant he finished talking he turned and hugged Brittany tight,
Bringing to her face a smile, whipping away her worry and fright.
And she laughed out loud as he announced, “That he was the King,
Of this island nation, that water does ring!”
(Page 15)
In no time, with the guiding hand of her dad,
Brittany began to learn that her new home wasn’t so bad.
He introduced her to the tribe that lived in this paradise upon the sand,
Pointing out that they loved nothing better than singing and dancing across the land.
Wanting to know more Brittany one day decided to explore the island on her own.
It was during this search that she came across a strange little gnome.
He told her that he was part of a clan that were fit and slim at the hips,
All due to their days spent building tall sailing ships.
(Page 16)
Fascinated by this little gnome’s tale of wood and sail,
Brittany asked politely to see this construction in more detail.
Without hesitation the gnome said that he would,
“And it would be his honour to get the princess there as fast as he could!”