Slimy Strawberry Kittens

Poetry and prose by the young writers from A.M. Winn Elementary in conjunction with 916 Ink

Slimy Strawberry Kittens Poetry and prose by the young writers from A.M. Winn Elementary in conjunction with 916 Ink

About 916 Ink 916 Ink is the only arts-based literacy nonprofit in the greater Sacramento region dedicated to providing creative writing workshops for youth, ages 5-25, to transform them into confident writers. We empower students to become the authors of their own lives, one published story at a time. Since 2011, we have served over 4,000 kids in the Sacramento Region, and published more than 200 publications. Our mission is to empower children and youth through creative writing. We envision a Sacramento region where every child and teen is given access to a creative writing program that leads them to believe in themselves and to understand the power of the written word. Learn more about us at www.916ink.org, or send an email to info@916ink.org to learn how to become involved.

DISCLAIMER

This is a work of fiction and poetry. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author and publisher hold exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Copyright 2021.

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Dear Reader, What you see is the hard work and dedication of a community of youth and adult writers working together to tell stories that inspire, entertain, and heal.

At 916 Ink, we teach young people how to write, listen, and support each other in the pursuit of creating literary art. The words in these pages are carefully chosen and crafted to reflect their unique voice.

This book is a celebration of “taking the yes,” which is a motto of 916 Ink students. “Taking the yes” means that students are unafraid to collaborate with each other and themselves. It might sound weird—how does one “collaborate” with his or her own self? By shutting down the inner critics in our head that tell us that we aren’t good enough, our stories don’t matter, or what we might say is stupid or unnecessary. Stories are how we create meaning and make sense of the world. What’s better than to teach young people how to tell stories, create meaning out of their lives, and understand the world?

Creative writing carves a path to a better life. Writers know this, but maybe the rest of the world doesn’t. A writer is someone who truly gets to live twice—once through their senses and once through the page. Everyone needs writers. Favorite television shows? Go thank a writer. News articles?

Thank a writer. Education? Writers wrote the curriculum. Business? Can’t happen without writers creating marketing tools and business plans. Writers make the world go around.

By reading this book you’ve supported the growth of a writer. Thanks. Please consider making a donation to this great cause on our website at www.916ink. org if you’d like to further our mission of populating the planet with youth who can “take the yes,” and lead a happy life.

Ink-tastically yours,

The 916 Ink staff, the Board of Dreamers, volunteers, and youth writers

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From the Wordslinger Dear Reader, This collection of majestic short stories and magical tales evolved from a group of amazing third through sixth graders of A.M. Winn Elementary. What makes this collection so magical? It’s not just the fact that these students have been learning virtually for the past fourteen months but also that they have the power to bring a smile to your face and joy in your heart. I have no doubt that you will be equally entranced as you read.

This compilation of student work will take you on a journey. The hero, Red, in “There Once Was a Dragon that Lived in a BLT” reminds us that obstacles can be overcome through mindfulness and community. There are even the beginnings of epics like “The Tale of Nauro” that will immerse you in the engaging and interactive character and setting development.

Slimy Strawberry Kittens will consume you with imagination, morals, and epic tales that will reinvigorate your inner child.

Nena Larieze

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Acknowledgments Nena Larieze

Wordslinger

Jay Oatis

Wordslinger

Jenn Barton

Guest Editor

Katie McCleary

Founding Executive Director

Michael Spurgeon

Founding Board President

DJ Waldow

Board of Dreamers, President

Dr. Beatrice Tetteh

Board of Dreamers, Vice President

Shelley Blanton-Stroud Board of Dreamers, Secretary Kathy Flynn

Board of Dreamers, Treasurer

Chris Worden

Board of Dreamers

Daniel Kaufman

Board of Dreamers

Dr. JaNay Brown-Wood

Board of Dreamers

Lynn Lizarraga

Board of Dreamers

Michelle Warshaw

Board of Dreamers

Patrick Harbison

Board of Dreamers

Tigh Rickman

Board of Dreamers

Vince Wong

Board of Dreamers

Ian Hadley

Executive Director

Angela Tannehill

Creative Director

Allison Stelly

Director of Development

Nikki Cardoza

Director of Programming

Paulette Greenhouse

Find Your Voice Program Manager

Brenda Nguyen

Program Coordinator

Jay Oatis

Program Coordinator

Nena Larieze

Program Coordinator

Emma Hoppough

Production Coordinator

Maria Gavia

Office Manager

Christina Nelson

ReadOn! Program Manager

Tory Scott

Bookslinger

Will Evans

Outreach and Development Associate,

AmeriCorps VISTA

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Contents Group Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 There Once Was a Dragon Who Lived in a BLT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chloe Nick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Bear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Jacob Yakimchuk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Tale of Nauro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Kenny Dang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Ugly Witch and the Pretty Witch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 A Toy Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Mysterious Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Wordslingers & Inspirators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 The Color Green. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 My Riding Boots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Kitten Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Inhale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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Group Work

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There Once Was a Dragon Who Lived in a BLT Group Story

Red the dragon lives in a giant BLT made out of burger, lime, and Tapatío. He has been struggling with his fire-breathing abilities and he’s been skating on thin ice because of his grades. He is ten years old, kind, confident, and creative.

Red is incredibly interested in art, and he is very passionate about singing… but his weakness is food, and he is allergic to the BLT! But the BLT is his home.

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As he’s getting ready for the pool, his mother reminds him, “Don’t forget your towel, Red!” “I got it, Mom!” he replies and grabs the spare hot air balloon.

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“Just jump in!!!” his friends from school yell.

“See, I told you he couldn’t swim!” some random kid from another class screams.

His shadow covers the entire pool and all 50 lawn chairs. It even overshadows the No Dragons Allowed! sign posted near the neglected pool rules.

Red thinks to himself, I just want to swim with my friends this summer.

But he can’t. The water will put his fire out, which impacts his anxiety. His friends think he can’t swim because his parents didn’t teach him, but this is far from the truth. Nobody knows that Red struggles to control his firebreathing ability.

Red is a super big dragon; his shadow covers the entire pool area! If he were to splash, all the water would overflow. The kids at the pool who are taunting Red are intimidated by him.

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Suddenly, all his friends join him. The Jumping Flame hops in, then the Wizard flies in, and last but not least, the Yoga Princess floats down, surrounded by lavender-infused sparkles. They encircle Red for support.

“Don’t let these kids get you down; they eat booger lemon tacos for dessert!” the Jumping Flame whispers into Red’s ear. “You have to look within for motivation,” the Jumping Flame adds. Red smiles and tiptoes toward the diving board.

Next, the Wizard grants Red special powers like invisibility and time travel so he can teleport if needed.

“Use whichever powers sound right for this moment,” the Wizard nudges.

Finally, the Yoga Princess sprinkles fairy dust so that she can help Red believe he can control his fire powers and heal. Her fairy dust heals and soothes his emotions. It brings tranquility. Not only does her fairy dust calm Red, but it also calms all the other children at the pool. She dusts them with lavender, and all is well.

“Wait!” she yells as she sets up her aromatherapy oil diffuser.

“Everyone, let’s take a mindful moment and take some deep breaths...”

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Everyone is instantly soothed by the aromatherapy and mindful vibes. Red dips his toes in out of respect for the other kids.

Suddenly, the Yoga Princess picks up bad vibes coming from the direction of the ocean....They all fly that way!

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When they arrive, Red sees his parents struggling and battling the ocean waves in a sinking ship a few miles outside of their island. Again, he is forced to face his fear of water, guided by the advice of the Jumping Flame, the Wizard, and the Yoga Princess. He sees the anchor on the parachute and sends it toward the direction of his parents to save them from drowning in the ocean.

An emergency lifeboat is made from rubber. Red must hold the lifeboat with care so his claws don’t sever it. Red takes the boat to his parents.

“Jump in!” Red screams.

But the parents are scared to jump in. They are scared because they are older, and their world has gotten smaller.

“But it’s full of kids doing their homework, Mom and Dad,” Red pleads. This persuades his parents to finally jump in.

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As soon as Red’s parents get into the boat, they realize that there are no kids doing their homework. They were tricked so they could be saved!

Red’s parents have claws that could cause the lifeboat to deflate, so the Yoga Princess, Jumping Flame, and Wizard give Red a hot air balloon so he and his parents can travel home and he can free himself of his fears!

Little do Red and his friends know that this is a secret quest devised by his parents.

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Afterward, the parents appear after the secret quest at a surprise party.

“OMG, you did it!” they shout.

The parents had acted as decoys (as CGI parents) to teach Red and his friends teamwork.

“What???!” they all stare at each other in confusion.

Red, the Jumping Flame, Wizard, and the Yoga Princess all face their fears and daily battles each day.

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Chloe Nick

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Bear Chloe Nick

I remember when I was seven, I was on the trampoline. My dog was barking, so I turned my head. A deer was looking at me and I ran away from it and then I told my dad, “Did you see the deer outside?” My dad said, “Yes, I did, Dad,” so I went outside and fell off the steps I was on. Then I saw a bear coming, and then I ran SO fast. “BEAR,” I yelled loudly, so I went inside to tell my dad. Then my dog stayed outside so the bear was gone. I went back outside.

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Jacob Yakimchuk

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Tale of Nauro Jacob Yakimchuk

Characters: Nauro (main character) Kawara (Nauro’s kind-of girlfriend) Mazara (their ally) Betar (Mazara’s friend) Zalani (the Bad Queen)

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Long ago, both Zalani and Kawara were friends. But when Zalani wanted to expand her kingdom, Kawara tried to stop her. Zalani had the power of imagining things and making them appear, so she put Kawara in a prison cell. But luckily, Kawara had ice and water powers, so she used water to cut through the bars and escape.

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Later, Kawara started to find people to create a team to defeat Zalani. Together they were: Mazara, master of fire; Betar, master of earth; Kawara, master of water; and Nauro, master of air. Mazara, Betar, and Kawara taught Nauro all elements, and he became the first to evolve. Then they helped Nauro defeat Zalani. Through these defeats, they helped keep all Nations in harmony— water, earth, fire, and air.

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When the team journeyed to the Fire Nation, Mazara surprisingly got some sad news about her dad, who was the Fire Lord. The sages told Mazara that her dad died of great sickness. When they told her, it felt like her heart just stopped. Then she started running and crying.

Kawara ran after her and said, “Everything is going to be fine,” but deep down Kawara really doubted that. After Mazara got herself together, the sages told her that she was the new Fire Lord! Kawara was so shocked, and she knew things would be going uphill! Mazara was so happy! Soon the coronation for Mazara was held, and Kawara helped her get ready. When Mazara was crowned Fire Lord, Mazara had all the duties of the Fire Nation. But Nauro, Betar, and Kawara needed to go to the Earth Kingdom, and they went.

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When they arrived, the wall had a Fire Nation banner on the Earth King’s palace! Also, it was half on fire! They soon realized that Mazara’s army was burning the palace. Kawara noticed that Mazara was led in chains, followed

by Kawara’s brother, Satu! It was Mazara’s older brother, Kotuku! He ordered guards to arrest the Earth King, but Kawara and Betar lowered the fire until there was just a lot of smoke and ash. Then Kawara put ice on the chains and Nauro did an airbending slice and cut the chains. Mazara helped Kawara chain the outsiders.

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But Kotuku managed to escape, and Kawara went searching for him while Nauro, Betar, and Mazara went back to the Fire Nation. Then, to their surprise, Mazara’s brother beat them there. Before they entered, a teenage girl stopped them. She said, “Where do you think you’re going?” and then she smiled at Kotuku.

Continued on next page

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They were thoroughly confused! Why would someone so young know where the most dangerous criminal is hiding?

“What is your name?” Betar asked the girl.

“Junella,” she answered.

“That’s a beautiful name!” Betar added, and Junella blushed.

They noticed that Kotuku had nearly escaped, but Junella and Betar made an earth prison, so he only had his head out.

“You’re really good at that!” Betar said, amused.

“You’re not so bad yourself. Would you like me to teach you some of my moves?” she asked Betar.

“Eh, after I beat you!” he chuckled, and Junella punched him playfully. Then they looked for clues, and finally Kawara said, “Would you look at that!”

They rushed and saw that Kotuku had escaped and left a piece of paper that had a cursive writing “clue” and read: “I am at the Earth King’s palace. Meet me there in the evening...”

They agreed they would go but stay alert.

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When they arrived at the earth palace, a group of Yia-le soldiers surrounded them, and that’s when Kotuku appeared and said, “Glad you accepted my invitation!” He then bowed to someone in the shadows and ordered, “Arise, Prince Kotuku.”

A few seconds later, we screamed, “PRINCE KOTUKU!?!”

The person came into the light and Junella gasped, “Dad? Dad!” They hugged, and Satu asked, “Why was Kotuku bowing to you if he is the prince?”

Kawara punched him and said, “Don’t be rude, Junella’s dad said that his name was Akaal, the Earth King’s son!”

Akaal explained that he was walking around this corner a couple of days ago and saw Kotuku trapped and untied him. Then he asked us, “What do you know about Prince Kotuku?”

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We stared at each other for a few moments, and then a mysterious thing happened: we saw that a bunch of Yia-lee soldiers stood laughing at us! One of them said, “You have no idea what’s coming for you creatures!”

Suddenly, an earth wall appeared around us, and they arrested us. After they brought us to a house, we noticed that Nauro was gone!

“What did you do with our friend??!” we screamed.

The Yia-lee soldiers said that he was off to the new Fire Lord. We gasped, “New Fire Lord?!”

“Yes, Junella, the person you thought you could trust most!” they added. They went on to say that they had brainwashed Junella, so she did what they said.

“How could you do this?!” Betar said, and his cheeks turned redder than you could know! His anger pushed him out of his ropes, and he chucked rocks at the Yia-lee soldiers. Once he defeated them, he untied the rest of us, and we roped up the Yia-lee soldiers.

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They headed straight toward the Fire Nation, and when they got there, they saw Nauro in a boat. They arrived just in time! They sneaked onto the boat and got Nauro out of there!! Suddenly, they noticed that Junella was on the ship, and she was dressed in fancy Earth Kingdom clothes. We saw she had a staff, but Betar had no patience—he wanted to just grab her and un-brainwash her, of course!

They tried to stop him, but when Junella saw Betar, she kissed him, and they looked away when he did. Suddenly, Betar was now in the same kind of clothes as Junella, and he had a staff, which he used to knock us out. When we woke up, we were in a room with Betar and Mazara.

Kawara screamed, “Nauro!” but Nauro did not answer.

“Betar, come on, snap out of it!” Mazara said.

Betar slowly walked toward the Yia-lee soldiers and said, “This is for you, Junella.” He earthbended a hole beneath the ground the Yia-lee soldiers were standing on! Yia-lee soldiers screamed, and that is the last time any of them made a peep from the hole again.

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Betar roped up Junella, and thankfully we were able to un-brainwash her.

After, she said, “We must go to the Northern Water Tribe! The Fire Nation is taking Earth Kingdom troops. They are calling themselves the Mighty Force, and they are trying to defeat the Water Tribes.”

Kawara said, “Mom, Dad, and Kaara—they’re in trouble!”

Junella said, “Yes, also Kotuku is nowhere to be found. Some say he is building his own army, but he is low luck, so we must go to the Northern Water Tribe, now!”

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So we went, and thankfully we got there in time. Kawara went to her parent’s house, but only Kaara and her mom were there. Kawara asked, “Where’s Dad?” Kaara responded, “Who?” Then Kawara’s mom said that she had to brainwash Kaara.

Kawara’s mom said that a couple days ago, a man came and told us his name was Nauro. “He said he needed to take him, so I let him, and then he said, ‘I’ll be back,’ but we haven’t heard nor seen him since that day.”

Kawara started thinking; then she frowned. “I’m going after him,” she said.

Then, Kawara’s mom asked, “Who is he?”

Kawara answered, “A man we’ve been tracking down for weeks. His name is Kotuku.”

“No, that’s our neighbor’s name! We let him in to go to the basement every night to look at our old memories,” her mom added.

“Oh, no!” Kawara said when she realized what was happening.

“Mom!!!” she screamed as she disappeared. Kawara’s mom dropped to the floor, and then she waterbended herself to the front gate of their city. She saw Kawara on the top of the gate, talking to a guy with his hands tied.

Then Misaki went to Kawara, and Kawara said, “Mom?!” Misaki said she was so worried, then turned around. She looked into the man’s eye nearby and she remembered that he was the man who had taken Feln, Kawara’s dad.

“Why were you talking to him?” her mom asked.

“Sorry, Mom, but I have to do this!” Kawara answered.

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Before Masaki noticed anything, there was a loud trumpet from the middle of the city. Kawara noticed that Kotuku was with Feln, Kawara’s dad!

Kawara was looking at her mom, and her mom nodded her head. She knew what that meant. So Kawara and Misaki made an ice plate, and then they used it to go to the ship Feln and Kotuku were on.

When they arrived at the ship, Misaki inched closer and closer to Kotuku.

“Enough, let’s finish this!” Kotuku yelled and made a firebending plate to throw at Misaki.

Misaki fell into the water and sank. Kawara started crying, and it felt like her heart would burst out. To respond, she made icicles of water and aimed them at Kotuku. Kawara threw them at him until he took his last breath.

Feln asked, “Kawara, what happened?”

“Kotuku is a dangerous criminal that we are trying to capture!!!” Kawara informed.

Then, out of nowhere, Nauro popped out from the door of the engine room.

He was limping badly, and he looked terrible, with scratch marks the size of twenty pistachios lined up!

Inspired by the television series Avatar: the Last Airbender

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Kenny Dang

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The Ugly Witch and the Pretty Witch Kenny Dang

Once there was a witch. She was very nice but ugly. There was another witch.

She was very mean but pretty. Everyone LOVED the pretty one but HATED the ugly one.

One day, the pretty witch wanted to kick the ugly witch out of town. She dressed up as the ugly witch and cast a spell on someone, but then the real ugly witch gave him a healing potion and he was fine again. So, they kicked the pretty witch out of town, and now they treat the ugly witch nicely.

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A Toy Story Kenny Dang

Today I found out that my toys have come to life, the ones on Jurassic World Island. Maybe the T. rex breaks out every night? Maybe the raptor packs and the ASUs stop it every night. Maybe Owen and Claire and some other scientists take care of the baby T. rex?

Inspired by the film Jurassic World

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Mysterious Package Kenny Dang

There is a mysterious package.

You find a package at your front door, but you didn’t order anything.

There was no return address, so you couldn’t return it.

The box looked like a crate.

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Wordslingers & Inspirators

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The Color Green Ms. Hali

Green for me represents all of me.

All the shades of green can mean anything.

Neon green would be me on Friday, ready for the weekend.

Olive green would be me most of the week because I am calm but happy.

Forest green would be me waking up on a Monday morning.

GREEN FOR ME IS EVERYTHING!

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My Riding Boots Ms. Kirsten

I’m not home, but I’m thinking of my riding boots. I got them when I was a senior in high school in 2014 to replace the pair I had previously. I got them from a store in Chico, on the Esplanade.

They are old, weathered from the sun.

Over the years, they have been creased beyond belief. The inside of them is torn up, and most of the traction on the bottom has been worn smooth. There are permanent indents on the heel from spur straps, and the color is no longer uniform due to being left out in the sun to dry countless times.

They have traveled through fields, rivers, Paris, London, Mexico, and an unimaginable number of miles in the stirrups of saddles. They have been thrown from horses and landed in mud when I’ve been bucked off, banged the sides of barrels during races, and have brushed the sides of cows during herding.

These boots have seen mud, bonfires, mountains, gravel, famous historical sites, and so much more. Though old and worn down, they fit as if they are a pair of comfortable slippers.

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Kitten Speak Nena Larieze

Mom, did you know that this— cute, scrappy, spunky, something spectacular, weighs less than a pound?

That translates into, “You won’t even notice her.”

She doesn’t even meow, only purrs.

She doesn’t even scratch, just cuddles.

I even gave her a name! BIANCA! She’s Siamese, with eyes bluer than all the spring days combined!

Isn’t that fancy?

Isn’t she precious?

Shouldn’t she be ours?

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Inhale Nena Larieze

Spring, forever eternal, reminds us that hope can bloom anywhere.

There is a universe underneath the difficulties that momentarily bury our perspective, oxygen within an ocean of outlook, We just have to remember to breathe it all in.

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THIS BOOK WAS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

WITH MAJOR SUPPORT FROM

AND FUNDED IN PART BY

The Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation

The Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture, with support from the City of Sacramento.