Lit Kids is in a real pinch for Issue 8: Air! 🌪️ We still need writing pieces from 5 to 13 y/o creatives to curate this issue! Please send submissions by 11/14 for consideration. Thanks, and keep shining! ✨ litkidsmagazine.wixsite.com/lit-kids-mag... #parents #teachers #kidlit #submissions #emag

Our 3rd annual From Trash to Treasure #kidlit poetry contest opens on Thursday, November 13th! This year's special guest judge is last year's winner @tracierenee.bsky.social! Check out all the contest details and polish up those discarded darlings! www.littlethoughtspress.com/post/our-3rd...

A little over halfway through Franz Xaver von Schonwerth's collection "The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales," and I can't express how wonderfully strange and beautiful these stories are. Even tales similar to those found in Grimms' seem odd and new.

For no good reason, this week's poetry post is about robots. Enjoy! #poetry #poetrycommunity #kidlit shaunmjex.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/d...

Sure, you've heard of Sasquatch, but how about Sheepsquatch? Our Friday #folklore comes from West Virginia, near Point Pleasant (home of the infamous Moth Man). It is said to have the head of a dog, the horns of a ram, and a wooly body. In some tales he's skittish. In others, aggressive.

HELP! Know a talented 5-13 y/o kid? Please send their writing, art, or photos for LKM's Issue 8: Air! 🌪️ We have open submissions through 11/14 and can't wait to shine a spotlight on young talent. Please spread the word, subscribe, and keep shining! ✨ litkidsmagazine.wixsite.com/lit-kids-mag... #emag

It's Thursday. You know what that means. It's time for #folklore Behold, the Whiffenpoof. It can only be caught in the dead center of a perfectly round, frozen lake. Lure it with cheese & spit in its eye. It'll swell with rage, getting itself caught in the ice hole. After that, just scoop him up.

#poetry #poem #poetrycommunity

Calling #parents and #teachers! 📣 We desperately need WRITING SUBMISSIONS for Issue 8: Air! 🌪️ Please send us work from 5-13 y/o creatives by 11/14 for consideration. Our mentors can't wait to spotlight young talent. Keep shining! ✨ litkidsmagazine.wixsite.com/lit-kids-mag... #kidlit #emag #writers

Here's a Wednesday morning poem for your enjoyment. #poetry #poetrycommunity #kidlit #folklore #mythology

The AP has officially called NYC for Zohran Mamdani!

For today's bit of #folklore : In the tradition of the Penobscot Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Pamola is the Guardian of K'taadn, the highest peak in Maine. There is a cultural taboo against climbing the mountain. Storms, snow, and high winds are signs of Pamola's displeasure.

I tried to conjure up a fairy tale in response to the #wordoftheweek from @thetoypress.bsky.social . I hope you all enjoy it. #poetry #poetrycommunity #kidlit #poetryforkids #writingforchildren

In honor of holidays like All Saints Day, Dia de los Muertos, and Samhain, this week's poetry blog post is about poems of remembrance. #poetry #poetrycommunity #kidlit shaunmjex.wordpress.com/2025/11/02/a...

A bit curious to have never read Jill Murphy's "The Worst Witch" until now, but it was a charming and delightful little book. I can't wait to read more of Mildred Hubble's misadventures.

Watched Weapons tonight and, hoo boy, Zach Cregger is quickly turning out to be one of our best horror directors. Terrifying, funny, thoughtful, and plenty to mull on when the credits roll. This is incredible storytelling.

Wishing one and all a very happy Halloween. Here's a little haunted poem for your enjoyment. #poetry #poetrycommunity #kidlit #childrenspoetry

Down here in red dirt country, folks tell of the Oklahoma Octopus, a massive freshwater cephalopod known to drag swimmers to their doom. Some say she can even crawl out of the water and walk from lake to lake. The doomed swimmers always seem to have a curiously high blood alcohol level. #folklore

It's Thursday, so how about a bit of #folklore with another Fearsome Critter? Rather than slithering, the hoop snake rolls along. It has a stinger on its tail with incredibly deadly toxins. Luckily, you can confuse it by jumping through its hoop. Just don't miss. #folklorethursday

I've been doing this long enough to know that it's just part of the process, and is not necessarily a reflection of quality. That said, getting a flurry of rejections all at once is still not my favorite. Allowing myself a brief pity party before moving along.

For this week's #wordoftheweek from @thetoypress.bsky.social , I ventured into the world of Grimms' Fairytales. #poetry #poetrycommunity #kidlit #folklore

I just finished this modern translation of the "Classic of the Mountains and Seas" from the Han Dynasty in China. Portions are said to date as far back as the 4th century BCE. It's gorgeous & fascinating, equal parts bestiary, traditional medicine guide, ancient geography, and mythology. #folklore

There are just a few more days until Halloween. Let's celebrate with some poems that go bump in the night! #poetry #poetrycommunity #kidlit shaunmjex.wordpress.com/2025/10/26/p...

This evening's bit of #folklore: The slide-rock bolter lived in the Colorado mountains, clinging to the mountain peaks with its tail hooks. It would watch for groups of tourists and then launch itself down the mountainside with its mouth wide open, swallowing up multiple people in one go.

Our next door neighbor regularly brings us homemade posole. I strongly recommend this for anyone creating a life plan.

Halloween is just around the corner, and ghosts have taken over the blog. Enjoy some haunted poetry! #poetrycommunity #kidlit #poetry shaunmjex.wordpress.com/2025/10/19/p...

Reading through the Newberry Award winning novel It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville and thoroughly enjoying it. Neville really brings New York City in the mid-20th century to life and her ear for dialogue is impeccable.

Reposting this video from the summer because every now & then it's important to remind yourself what is at stake. Have a great weekend!

Today's #folklore critter is the moskitto. A mosquito and bee hybrid big enough to straddle a creek. It has a stinger in front and one in back and can drain a logger dry of blood in one go.

Spooky Poems to suit the time of year, by top children's poets. brian-moses.blogspot.com/2021/10/spoo...

Daily poetry prompt: All the things I'm hoping to see less of..... Mosquito bites, playground fights, flashing lights. Rainy days, misty haze, traffic delays. brian-moses.blogspot.com/2024/04/all-... @fhalliday.bsky.social

I've been reading lots of folklore and tall tales lately, which got me thinking about Alaska. Here's a pic of the Red Dog Saloon, a popular Gold Rush spot in Juneau. Stop inside, and you can catch a glimpse of a pistol owned by Wyatt Earp. You can also buy a drink called the Duck Fart.

Thanks to @thetoypress.bsky.social for their word of the week: Sub! Here's my little offering. #poetry #poetrycommunity #kidlit #poetryforkids #writingprompt

I'm in love with this bold jumping spider that we found on our window. #spiders

Inspired by @shaunjexauthor.bsky.social's prompt, my poem is a reimagining of the fairy tale “The Twelve Months." #poem #poetry #fairytales #stories #amwriting #prompt

Today's bit of folklore are the Dark Watchers said to inhabit the Santa Lucia Mountains in California. They're nothing but shadow, though they appear to wear a hat and cape. They watch silently, and if they are acknowledged will promptly fade away. #folklore

Halloween is just around the corner, and ghosts have taken over the blog. Enjoy some haunted poetry! #poetrycommunity #kidlit #poetry shaunmjex.wordpress.com/2025/10/19/p...

This morning's creature from American folklore is the Gumberoo. It's a bit like a black bear, but completely hairless (save for its bushy eyebross and a few whiskers). And it's skin is so elastic that bullets bounce off of it. Oh, and if it gets caught in forest fire, it explodes. #folklore

A little bit late, but we've just started watching #CriticalRole campaign 4 this evening. We're about an hour in and I'm already hooked. Every incarnation of this show is so good. Hooray for storytelling.

Today's mythical American creature is the Luferlang. It's described as an animal with a blue stripe on its back which has a bushy tail in the center. Its legs are triple-jointed and can run equally fast in any direction. One bite means death, but it only bites one time a year, on July 12. #folklore

My current folklore read is Rebel Folklore by @icysedgwick.bsky.social

shaunmjex.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/s... @shaunjexauthor.bsky.social #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity

Just finished my read of Jorge Luis Borges and Margarita Guerrero's "The Book of Imaginary Beings." An exquisite book that somehow manages to feel scholarly and fun at the same time.

The ultimate timeline cleanse.

This morning's creature of the woods is the "hidebehind" : "Whichever way a man turned it was always behind him. From this position it sprang upon its human prey, dragged or carried the body to its lair and there feasted on it in solid comfort." - Charles E. Brown #folklore

This evening, I'm reading a bit about the Squonk, a creature from the hemlock forests of Pennsylvania who is known for his unpleasant appearance and constant weeping. #folklore

Here's a poem for your Tuesday morning about a curious critter that roams the woods of Minnesota and Wisconsin. #poetry #kidlit #poetrycommunity

I recently stumbled upon a PDF of this delightful little pamphlet, "Paul Bunyan Natural History: Describing the Wild Animals, Birds, Reptiles and Fish of the Big Woods about Paul Bunyan's Old Time Logging Camps." It's only a few pages, but loaded with fascinating critters like the Hodag. #folklore

Shaun Jex: "Once Upon a Time: Fairytales, Folklore, and Poetry" kennn.com/ABUps1 #ChildrensPoetry #Poetry4kids @captainquisp.bsky.social‬

I know I read it years ago (over 20 at my best guess), but "The Juniper Tree" from Grimm's Fairy Tales certainly maintains its ability to shock. Most of the Grimm's stories are...well...grim...but this one takes it to a whole different level.