Alexis O'Neill. (Meet the Author).

Writing a Story That Sings

When a good story is read aloud, it delights and surprises the listener. The words feel good in the reader's mouth and sing in the listeners ear. When I write picture books, I try to write for the ear. I imagine my words being read aloud by teachers and parents and kids, so I want my words to flow and feel just right on the reader's tongue.

Every writer has a different way of beginning to work on a story. As young writers know, getting the first idea rolling can be one of the hardest parts. All of my stories begin with a "wonder" question. For example, with The Recess Queen, I thought, "I wonder how a kid could get someone to stop being a bully?" When I wrote Loud Emily, I thought, "I wonder what it would be like to be a kid who was so loud, no one wanted to be around you?" Asking wonder questions helps me to come up with ideas that eventually become the plot of the story I am writing. I've found this really works for kids too. If you put a question on the board, and have students generate solutions, pretty soon you have all you need for a great story.

My second step when I am working on a new story is to play around with words and phrases. For example, I liked the sound of "Mean Jean," but I didn't have anything else for her character yet except the name. I wondered where Jean might be the meanest, and I immediately pictured a playground, of course! So, I wrote, "Mean Jean was Recess Queen...." Then I made up some action words to describe the sounds and motions of Jean bullying kids on the playground. This is where I had a lot of fun. There are no such words (as far as I know) as lollapoloosh or kitz and kajammer, but they sound like they might be "real."

Once my story sounds right to me, I look over my text for spelling, punctuation, and other pesky problems. Every writer, not just every young writer, needs to work on the mechanics of writing.

My favorite part of writing is the first time I read a story aloud to an audience. When I read The Recess Queen aloud, I have everyone say the repeating parts with me--the "push 'em and smoosh 'em" parts as well as the jump rope rhymes. That's the best part!

RELATED ARTICLE: Instructor Read-Aloud: The Recess Queen

Thanks to Alexis O'Neill for allowing Instructor to reprint The Recess Queen, her wonderful story about as she says, "a girl who's a playground bully and the little kid who tames her." With The Recess Queen, we are happy to introduce a new feature in Instructor--a read-aloud story, excerpt, or play to enjoy with your students every month!

Activities to Share

* Recess Rules With your students, identify the bullying behaviors shown in the story. Together, come up with a class definition of a bully and brainstorm ways to prevent bullying on the playground. Then create a list of recess rules your class can agree on!

* A Playground of Words Identify and list fun, neat-sounding descriptive action words from the story, i.e., smoosh, slammer, kit, and kajammer. Encourage them to invent their own action words based on playground play, and then invent physical actions to accompany these words. Record the words on chart paper for students to use in writing their own stories about school life.

Special Offer: Have Your Book Signed by the Author!

To receive a personalized bookplate signed to your class by Alexis O'Neill, send the original or a photocopy of your receipt for the purchase of The Recess Queen to:

Recess Queen Bookplate Offer Instructor Magazine 524 Broadway New York, NY 10012

(Note: If you already own the book, send a photocopy of the title page.)

Instructor Read-Aloud Story: The Recess Queen

By Alexis O'Neill

In this rollicking, rhyming, first-day read-aloud, Mean Jean, the reigning recess bully, faces a new challenge--irrepressible Katie Sue, who refuses to be bossed or intimidated and, instead, offers Jean friendship. Alexis O'Neill's new book The Recess Queen (Scholastic, 2002, available in bookstores) offers a fresh look at, and a fun twist on, an age-old problem-the playground bully. Share this story with your students as a way into this important topic.

Mean Jean was Recess Queen and nobody said any different.

Nobody swung until Mean Jean swung.

Nobody kicked until Mean Jean kicked.

Nobody bounced until Mean Jean bounced.

If kids ever crossed her, she'd push 'em and smoosh 'em, lollapaloosh 'em, hammer 'em, slammer 'em, kitz and kajammer 'em.

"Say WHAT?" Mean Jean growled.

"Say WHO?" Mean Jean howled.

"Say YOU! Just who do you think you're talking to?"

Mean Jean always got her way.

UNTIL one day ...

... a new kid came to school. Katie Sue! A teeny kid. A tiny kid. A kid you might scare with a jump and a "BOO!"

But when the recess bell went ringity-ring, this kid ran zingity-zing for the playground gate.

Katie Sue SWUNG before Mean Jean swung.

Katie Sue KICKED before Mean Jean kicked.

Katie Sue BOUNCED before Mean Jean bounced.

The kid you might scare with a jump and a "BOO!"

was too new to know about Mean Jean the Recess Queen.

Well, Mean Jean bullied through the playground crowd.

Like always, she pushed kids and smooshed kids, lollapalooshed kids, hammered 'em, slammered 'em, kitz and kajammered 'em as she charged after that Katie Sue.

"Say WHAT?" she growled.

"Say WHO?" she howled.

"Say YOU!" she snarled and grabbed Katie Sue by the collar.

"Nobody swings until Queen Jean swings.

Nobody kicks until Queen Jean kicks.

Nobody bounces until Queen Jean bounces," and she figured that would set the record straight.

She figured wrong.

Katie Sue talked back!

Just as sassy as could be, she said,

"How DID you get so bossy?"

Then that puny thing that loony thing, grabbed the ball and bounced away.

Oh! Katie Sue was one quick kid.

She bolted quick as lightning.

BOUNCITY

BOUNCITY

BOUNCE.

KICKITY

KICKITY KICK.

SWINGITY

SWINGITY SWING.

Mean Jean thundered

close behind.

BOUNCITY KICKITY SWINGITY.

The Recess Queen was NOT amused.

She raced and chased and in-your-faced

that Katie Sue.

No one spoke. No one moved.

No one BREATHED.

Then from her pack pulled Katie Sue

a jump rope clean and bright.

"Hey, Jeanie Beanie," sang Katie Sue.

"Let's try this jump rope out!"

Here's one thing true--

until that day

no one DARED ask Mean Jean to play.

But that Katie Sue just

hopped and jumped and skipped away.

"I like ice cream, I like tea,

I want Jean to jump with me!"

Jean just gaped and stared as if

too SCARED to move at all.

So Katie Sue sang once more.

"I like popcorn, I like tea,

I want Jean to jump with me!"

Then from the side a kid called out,

"Go, JEAN, GO!"

And too surprised to even shout,

Jean jumped in with Katie Sue.

"I like cookies, I like tea,

I want YOU to jump with me!"

The rope whizzed and slapped,

FASTER, FASTER,

the rope spun and flapped,

FASTER, FASTER!

Till it caught in a tangled disaster.

But they just giggled and JUMPED AGAIN!

WELL--now when recess rolls around

that playground's one great place.

At the school bell's ringity-ring

those two girls race zingity-zing

out the classroom door.

Jean doesn't push kids and smoosh kids,

lollapaloosh kids,

hammer 'em, slammer 'em,

kitz and kajammer 'em--

'cause she's having too much fun

rompity-romping with her FRIENDS.

Bouncity, kickity, swingity,

Hoppity, skippity, jumpity,

Ringity, zingity,

YESSSSSS!

Alexis O'Neill is the author of The Recess Queen (Scholastic, 2002) and Loud Emily (Simon & Schuster, 1998). Her most recent book is Estela's Swap (Lee & Low, 2002), available in September.