Children's story

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A/N -- Hey guys, i know this is like 4-5 months old, however i would like to make it even better!
I will give points and reviews to people who comment. I would like to get this published and i want to make sure there are no cracks in the way.

Thankyou


---Jon---
:D .


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the magical forest where animals could talk and play, Paddy, the friendly rabbit, hopped around with his friends. His friend’s names were Spot the Ground Hog and Tweet the Bird.

One day they were in a field of tall, green grass playing hide and seek. Once they had found one another, they became thirsty.

“Let’s go to magic pond and get some water,” said Paddy.

“Okay" his friends agreed.

As they walked down a path, Paddy stepped into a root.

“Help me” he cried

So they tried.

Tweet tried to break the root with her beak, but it didn’t work. Spot tried to dig him out, but it also, didn’t work.

They were too busy trying to get him out on their own that they didn't once think of working together.

“Go and find some help, Tweet,” said Paddy

So Tweet jumped into the air in flight, searching for help. She scanned the forest floor until she saw a turtle. She dived through the air towards the ground and the turtle, seeing a mysterious bird flying towards him, hid in his shell.

“Please Mr. Turtle, I could sure use your help” Tweet’s little voice said

Slowly, realizing she wasn’t any harm, the turtle came out of his shell.

“What can I help you with?” asked old turtle.

“My friend is stuck and I can’t get him out.” Tweet said “Neither could my other friend.”

“It seems you have a problem, then. Let me tell you a story.” Mr. Turtle said

“I don’t have time for a story, Mr. Turtle; I need to help my friend.” Tweet said

“This will help your friend, just listen,” Said the wise, old turtle

Back where Paddy and Spot were, Paddy was growing tired of being stuck, so he told Spot to go and get help too.

Spot used his claws and sped underground, searching for help.

As he dug, he broke through someone else’s tunnel.

“Who goes there?” A deep voice echoed.

“My name is Spot and I need help,” he said, getting frightened

A dark figure came walking through the shadows and into the little bit of light that came from the tunnel that Spot dug.

“Who are you?” Spot asked

“My name is mole. What are you doing in my tunnel?” the stranger replied, grumpily.

“My friend is stuck and I can’t get him out.” Spot said “Neither could my other friend. can you help me?”

“No, I can’t go into the sunlight, it hurts my eyes.” Said the mole “You did try teamwork, didn’t you?”

“What’s teamwork?” asked Spot

“Teamwork is when you work together to get something done.” Mole said

“So you’re saying if I work together with my friend, we can help Paddy?” Spot asked

“Yes, Now go on, help your friend.” Mole said

Back where Tweet was, Mr. Turtle was just finishing up his story.

“So you see, when you use teamwork, you can do anything.” Mr. Turtle said

“Really, I can?” Tweet said

“Yes. Now hurry along little one, help your friend get out from that root” Mr. Turtle said

“Okay.” she said with excitement

She jumped into the air once more, hovering over Mr. Turtle.

“Thank you,” she said, flying off into the sky.

She flew as fast as she could to get to paddy and when she got there Spot was already waiting.

“Hurry, Tweet,” Spot said “We have to use team work.”

“How did you know?” Tweet asked

“Mole told me.” Said Spot

“Well, then let’s get Paddy out” Tweet replied

Tweet started pecking the root and, at the same time, Spot started pushing on paddy’s side. After only a minute, with both friends working together, paddy’s foot slipped through the root, freeing him.

“I’m free, I’m free” Paddy shouted “Thank you, guys!”

“Don’t thank us,” they said. “Thank teamwork.”

They hopped, glided, and walked away, into the sunset.
Last edited by Jon on Sun Nov 23, 2008 9:51 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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A couple of silly mistakes such as capital letters in the wrong place and missed out words but I don't want to patronise you by pointing this out when a simple re-read will probably sort it out for you!

The moral of the story was perfect for your target audience and is an essential part of writing for the young and I think you'ved sussed that out straight away.

Once the simple mistakes are corrected I'd start some illustrations for this piece, if you can do them yourself or ask around and see if anybody is interested in doing them for you. If I could draw I would! Lol!

Olivia
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wisemann210 wrote:In the magical forest where animals could talk and play, Paddy, The friendly rabbit, hopped around with his friends. His friend’s names were Spot, the Ground Hog and Tweet, the Bird.

You don't need commas in the last sentence. You're only saying two names, so the "and" is sufficient.

One day they were in a field of tall, green grass playing hide and seek and once they had found one another they were thirsty.

This is a run-on sentence. Try this.

One day there were in a field of tall, green grass playing hide and seek. Once they had found one another, they became thirsty.

“Let’s go to magic pond and get some water,[s]Paddy[/s] said Paddy.

“O.K.” his friends agreed.

I would generally just use 'OK' or 'Okay'.

As they walked down a path, paddy stepped into a root.

“Help me,” he cried.

So they tried.

This sentence is a little weird. Of course they're going to try, so you don't need to announce it like this. I would just delete this sentence.

Tweet tried to break the root with her beak, but it didn’t work, Spot tried to dig him out, but it also, didn’t work.

Remove the second comma and make it a period. You have to watch out for all these run-on sentences and grammatical errors. This seems to be the main problem with this piece, and you really should polish it more next time before posting it. It's very distracting to the reader, and it's nothing a few run throughs wouldn't fix.

They were too busy each trying to get him out by their own, that they didn’t think of working together.

Just a plain awkward sentence. Try 'They were each so busy trying to get him out on thier own that they didn't once think of working together.'

“Go and find some help, Tweet” Paddy said

You need a comma after dialogue, and change it to 'said Paddy' since it sounds better.

So Tweet jumped into the air and started to fly for help, she scanned the forest floor when she saw a turtle. She dived through the air towards the ground, the turtle seeing the mysterious bird flying towards him, hid in his shell.

This paragraph is really confusing. Your grammar is horrible, and you switch viewpoints mid-sentence. My brain hurts. xD

Maybe this would sound better?

So Tweet jumped into the air and flew, hoping to find help. She scanned the forest floor until she saw a turtle. She dived through the air towards the ground. The turtle, seeing the mysterious bird flying towards him, hid in his shell.


“Please Mr. Turtle; I could sure use your help” Tweet’s little voice said

Tweet says it, not her voice. And you need a comma in place of the semicolon.

Slowly, recognizing she wasn’t any harm, the turtle came out of his shell.

Realizing she didn't mean any harm, the turtle slowly came out of his shell.

“What can I help you with?” [s]the old turtle said[/s] asked the old turtle.

“My friend is stuck and I can’t get him out,” Tweet said “Andneither could my other friend”

“It seems you have a problem then," said Mr. Turtle. "Why don't you let me tell you a story?[s]Mr. Turtle said[/s]

Since when was his name Mr. Turtle? You need to be more consistent.

“I don’t have time for a story Mr. Turtle. I need to help my friend.” [/color][s]Tweet said[/s][/color]

You don't need to have a dialogue tag everytimes someone speaks, especially if it's only a two person conversation. Overuse of it causes distraction.

“This will help your friend. Just listen[/color],” [s]The wise, Old Mr. Turtle said [/s] Said the wise old turtle.

Back where Paddy and Spot were, Paddy was growing tired of being stuck, so he told Spot to go and get help too.

Spot used his claws and sped underground, searching for help.

As he dug he broke through someone else’s tunnel.

“Who goes there?” A deep voice echoed

“My name is Spot and I need help” He said, getting frightened

Instead of just saying he's frightened, why don't you try to describe his fear? Like by saying he was shaking or something along those lines.

A dark figure came walking through the shadows and into the little bit of light that came from the tunnel that Spot dug.

“Who are you?” Spot asked

“My name is mole, what are you doing in my tunnel?” He said grumpily

“My friend is stuck and I can’t get him out.” Spot said “neither could my other friend, can you help me?”

“No, I can’t go into the sunlight, it hurts my eyes.” Said the mole “You did try teamwork, didn’t you?”

“What’s teamwork?” said Spot

“Teamwork is when you work together to get something done.” Mole said

“So you’re saying if I work together with my friend we can help Paddy?” Spot asked

“Yes, Now go on, help your friend.”

Back where Tweet was, Mr. Turtle was just finishing up his story.

“So you see, when you use teamwork, you can do anything.” Mr. Turtle said

“Really, I can?” Tweet said

“Yes, now hurry along little one; help your friend get out from that root” Mr. Turtle said

“O.K.” she said with excitement

She jumped into the air once more, hovering over Mr. Turtle.

“Thank you” she said, flying off into the sky.

She flew as fast as she could to get to paddy and when she got there Spot was already waiting.

“Hurry Tweet,” Spot said “We have to use team work.”

“How did you know?” Tweet said

“The mole told me.” Said Spot

“Well then let’s get Paddy out” Tweet replied

Tweet started pecking the root and at the same time Spot started pushing on paddy’s side. In a minute of them both working to get him out, paddy’s foot slipped through the root, freeing him.

“I’m free, I’m free” Paddy shouted “Thank you guys!”

“Don’t thank us,” they said “Thank teamwork.”

They hopped, glided, and walked away, into the sunset.

Overall, it was a bit corny, even for a children's story, and I don't think you got the message of teamwork across as well as you could have. I think maybe if you spent more time explaining the concept instead of just bluntly saying 'use teamwork' it would have a much more effective moral that young children could learn from.

I hope that helped, and remember to work and your grammar and puntuation. ^_^


[s]BlackGhost[/s]




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Thanks to both of you for the reviews, I have edited the piece and I would still like to make it better, so more reviews please?
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Please Guys, I really want to make this better and ventually publish it.

If you are asking me for anything then ask away, do you want reviews, pm me, points?, pm me and they're yours after the critique of course. :smt089

Please.

---Jon---
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In the magical forest where animals could talk and play, Paddy, The friendly rabbit,

"The" should not be capitalized.

One day they were in a field of tall, green grass playing hide and seek. Once they had found one another, they became thirsty.

This is just a little too short. I know it's a children's book, but kids know how to play hide and seek. Give us a few sentences about the game.


“Let’s go to magic pond and get some water” said Paddy

Comma after "water" but before the quotation mark. Also, you're missing a period.


“Okay" his friends agreed

Ditto on both counts.


As they walked down a path, paddy stepped into a root.

"Paddy" should be capitalized.


“Help me” he cried

So they tried.

Tweet tried to break the root with her beak, but it didn’t work. Spot tried to dig him out, but it also, didn’t work.

Oh, I see, he's caught on the root. You might want to make that clearer in the previous quoted section. And I still don't really understand how he got so thoroughly trapped under a root in the first place.


they were too busy trying to get him out on their own, that they didn't once think of working together.

Capitalize the beginning of your sentence, and remove the comma.


“Go and find some help, Tweet” said Paddy

"Go and find some help, Tweet," said Paddy.


She dived through the air towards the ground and the turtle seeing a mysterious bird flying towards him, hid in his shell.

Comma after "turtle."


“Please Mr. Turtle, I could sure use your help” Tweet’s little voice said

AGAIN! You need a comma before the end-quote, and a period at the end of your sentence.


“What can I help you with?” asked old turtle said

Period. Also, remove "said."


“My friend is stuck and I can’t get him out.” Tweet said “neither could my other friend”

"My friend is stuck and I can't get him out," Tweet said. "Neither could my other friend."


“It seems you have a problem then, let me tell you a story.” Mr. Turtle said

"It seems you have a problem, then. Let me tell you a story," Mr. Turtle said.


“I don’t have time for a story Mr. Turtle; I need to help my friend.” Tweet said

"I don't have time for a story, Mr. Turtle; I need to help my friend," Tweet said.


“This will help your friend, just listen” Said the wise, old turtle

"This will help your friend. Just listen," said the wise, old turtle.


Back where Paddy and Spot were, Paddy was growing tired of being stuck, so he told Spot to go and get help too.

Back at the root, Paddy was growing tired of being stuck, so he told Spot to go and get help, too.


As he dug he broke through someone else’s tunnel.

As he dug, he broke through someone else's tunnel.

“Who goes there?” A deep voice echoed

Period.


“My name is Spot and I need help” He said, getting frightened

Comma before the end quote, don't capitalize "he," period at the end of your sentence. I'm getting tired of repeating myself. :P


“Who are you?” Spot asked

Period.


“My name is mole, what are you doing in my tunnel?” He said grumpily

"My name is Mole. What are you doing in my tunnel?" the stranger replied, grumpily.


“My friend is stuck and I can’t get him out.” Spot said “neither could my other friend, can you help me?”

"My friend is stuck and I can't get him out," Spt said. "Neither could my other friend. Can you help me?"


“No, I can’t go into the sunlight, it hurts my eyes.” Said the mole “You did try teamwork, didn’t you?”

"No, I can't go into the sunlight. It hurts my eyes," said Mole. "You did try teamwork, didn't you?"


“What’s teamwork?” said Spot

"What's teamwork?" asked Spot.


“Teamwork is when you work together to get something done.” Mole said

"Teamwork is when you work together to get something done," Mole said.


“So you’re saying if I work together with my friend we can help Paddy?” Spot asked

"So, you're saying that, if I work together with my friend, we can help Paddy?" Spot asked.


“So you see, when you use teamwork, you can do anything.” Mr. Turtle said

"So, you see, when you use teamwork, you can do anything," Mr. Turtle said.


“Really, I can?” Tweet said

"Really? I can?" Tweet said.


“Yes, now hurry along little one; help your friend get out from that root” Mr. Turtle said

"Yes. Now, hurry along, little one. Help your friend get out from that root," Mr. Turtle said.


“O.K.” she said with excitement

"O.K," Tweet said with excitement.


“Thank you” she said, flying off into the sky.

"Thank you," she said, flying off into the sky.


“Hurry Tweet,” Spot said “We have to use team work.”

"Hurry, Tweet," Spot said. "We have to use teamwork."


“How did you know?” Tweet said

"How did you know?" Tweet asked.


“The mole told me.” Said Spot

"Mole told me," said Spot.


“Well then let’s get Paddy out” Tweet replied

"Well, then let's get Paddy out," Tweet replied.


Tweet started pecking the root and at the same time Spot started pushing on paddy’s side.

...root and, at the same time, Spot started pushing on Paddy's side.


In a minute of them both working to get him out, paddy’s foot slipped through the root, freeing him.

After only a minute, with both friends working together, Paddy's foot slipped through the root, freeing him.


“I’m free, I’m free” Paddy shouted “Thank you guys!”

"I'm free, I'm free," Paddy shouted. "Thank you, guys!"


“Don’t thank us,” they said “Thank teamwork.”

Almost.
"Don't thank us," they said. "Thank teamwork."




Look, Wise, I'm sorry to say it, but you have some serious problems with punctuation and capitalization in this story. It's just the same problems, over and over and over. Once you get those straightened out, maybe we'll have a story to work with, but I honestly had a hard time even finishing this review. I really don't mean to be too harsh, and I hope you'll forgive me for it, but you'll keep having this problem until you resolve your punctuation. I'd suggest picking up a book from the library and studying up on the correct way to write dialogue, especially. It will help you a lot.
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Well, wisemann, this has some good points and some bad points. Good points first. I can say that a child would be interesting in the basic story that you're telling here. And it's got morals in it, perfect for those young budding minds, haha.

Bad points. I noticed some grammar issues here. You really need to go through and get those fixed. If I noticed them, then they need some attention. Other than that, there really isn't anything wrong with it. But those grammar issues are going to mess with your story and make it hard to read. I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm saying this to help you. I hope that you make the necessary changes and that your story turns out well. Good luck.
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Hi wisemann, here as promised. Sorry it took me so long.

“Okay"
Period at the end.

“Help me”
Period.

“Please Mr. Turtle, I could sure use your help”
Period at the end.

Slowly, realizing she wasn’t any harm,
No comma after Slowly.

“My name is mole.
In most cases, Mole doesn't need to be capitalized but since it's a name, it needs to be this time.

can you help me?”
Can

“Yes, Now go on, help your friend.”
Period after Yes.

help your friend get out from that root”
Period.

paddy’s foot slipped through the root,
Paddy's

There may be more concerning commas but I'll have to look it up so I don't give you any wrong information.

As everyone said, your main problem is grammar. Once you fix that, it'll be great. :)

PM me for anything at all.

-alwaysawriter
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That awkward moment when you jump out a window because your friend jumped out a window, then you remember that your other friend can fly.
— Rick Riordan, The Ship of the Dead