Wow! We had so many wonderful submissions for our April Break Word Walk. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did.

Congratulations to our prize winners: Leighton Barber, Campbell O’Neill and Bernard Boivin.

Here are all the words:

The, Fox, Rocks, Truck, Squirrel, Mud, Log, Frog, To, Perth, Sky, Boat, Bubbles, Ice cream, Jump, What, Why, Sister, Brother, Exuberant, Forest, Path, Snack, Curl, Cycle, Time, Travel, Mystery, Seeds, Snooze, Drool, End, Colourful, Splendid, Neon, Sunshine, Meander, Splatter, Once, Welcome, River, Run

PS We have another word walk coming soon!

Frog was enjoying a snooze on a log, that was wedged in the rocks on the bank of the Tay river, just upstream of Perth. The sun shine was a welcome relief after winter had so recently run it’s cycle.

A much too exuberant squirrel leaped down beside the frog. The suddenness made frog jump, right into the mud. As the bubbles and the frog resurfaced the squirrel incessantly chattered on about the travel through the forest it had undertaken that morning in search of seeds to snack on. How “sparse spring can be if you haven’t been careful with your winter stockpile!”

After Frog returned to his perch he tried staring at the sky and nodding occasionally, to feign interest in this meaningless blathering. What he really wanted however was to curl up in a toasty spot and rest after a long night of croaking.

He was about to make an excuse to move on when he noticed the squirrel must have run out of things to say. The droning on that had started to ingrain a headache in the poor frog had ceased.

He was just settling back in when a splatter of drool fell from the mouth of a fox standing right over him.

Frog had no time to think. He jumped from the shore, but hadn’t seen the boat on a lazy meander down the river. He landed with a splat right in a little girl’s neon ice cream.

He slipped with a slurp off the cone leaving a colorful path of rainbow stain down the front of her once splendid summer dress.

Her brother let out a howl of a laugh at his sister’s misfortune.

That was brought to an end however when muddy paw prints covered his shorts as the fox chased the now sticky frog about the boat.

Once the frog managed to find it’s way back into the river the fox also thought a swim would be preferable to sharing a boat with three less than happy looking humans.

The father made them all agree that once they got back to the truck they would never speak of this again. At least not when mom was around.

That is why the mystery of the rainbow frog print dress and the muddy fox print shorts was never told to mom. She’d never have believed them anyway.

Written by Jearim Woodall

My boat meanders down the river

as I wonder what mystery would meet me around the next turn?

Would I need to run rapids

where the water makes its exuberant way over the rocks

splattering water over the edge of my boat

or will I float to a calm cove where once frogs jumped with a splendid splash

into the muddy water and birds whose tails with curling plumage of neon colours

snack on seeds at the edge of the forest.

Reaching the end of my journey I travel up the path into Perth

to welcome my sister and

walking to the store she buys a colourful ice cream cone

and a soda full of bubbles.

Under a blue sky we sit in the park

where we wonder as we try not to snooze

about why the sunshine is so bright.

Written by Sheila Kroetsch

‘WELCOME TO OUR TOWN’

WRITTEN BY JESSE BARBER

Welcome to our hometown Perth,

Where soft, warm sunshine glows

Where forests are colourful and exuberant

And splendid rivers flow.

Why, a path may lead to mystery

From time and time again

So bring your brother, sister and a snack

And see how your day will end.

You may travel by truck or boat

But take your time through our town

The last thing you want to do

Is run a frog or squirrel down.

Run along the Tay meander

Or cycle through the park

Dodge the logs & jump over the mud

Stay for ice cream after dark.

THE ADVENTURE OF A SINGLE DAY

Written by Danielle Turner

My brother, sister and I had been sailing our boat down a river, when we noticed a path that seemed to meander nicely along the bank and through the forest. Thinking that this would be a splendid spot to stop for lunch, we pulled in to shore and tied the boat off with our bright neon ropes. After eating our lunch, which was very welcome after our exercise, we blew some bubbles and chased after them to try and pop them. Then we admired some little fish and talked about how colourful they were in the sunshine. Then my sister noticed a squirrel that was gathering some nuts and seeds. She laughed when she saw its cheeks puffing up and how its tail made such a cute curl. As we watched, we heard somebody calling out “No, come back!”, and looked at each other in surprise. Who it could possibly be was a mystery.

It didn’t take long to solve it though! A very exuberant dog came bounding up, barking like mad. It clambered over the rocks headed straight for the poor squirrel, making it jump and run up the nearest tree. From there it chattered at the dog angrily, and the dog splashed through the water to reach it. “Buster! Come!”, called a man coming towards us from along the shore. The dog barked again, then turned and ran towards the man. When he reached him, he shook himself thoroughly and sent water droplets and drool flying to land around us in a splatter.

“Eeww!”, laughed my brother. “Can I pet him?” “Sure. His name is Buster, and it seems as though he doesn’t want to end our walk yet and go back to the truck!” “I don’t blame him”, I said. “It is so nice to be spending some time out under this gloriously clear sky after all the rain we have had.”

After visiting a little bit longer, the man and Buster wandered off and I told my siblings that it was time for us to go. “Why?”, they both said. “Because I was thinking that it would be great to finish our trip with some ice cream! What flavour would you like?” While they discussed their choices, I gathered up our belongings so that we would be ready to travel on. It had been a wonderful day, but now I was almost ready to have a nice snooze!

GOING FOR ICE CREAM

Written by Alison Ball

Fox trotted through the forest, looking for his friend Squirrel. He found him sitting on a pile of rocks in the sunshine, munching on a handful of sunflower seeds.

“Hey, buddy. Have you still got that loonie you found last week? I fancy an ice cream,” said Fox.

“Sure,” replied Squirrel. “Just let me see if I can find it.”

He jumped up into a maple tree and rooted around in a hole in the trunk.

“Got it!” He called down exuberantly. “Let’s go!”

The two friends meandered down a path to the river, where they spied their friend Frog, snoozing on a log.

“Hey, Frog, we’re going over to the truck stop for an ice cream. Want to come? It’s Squirrel’s treat,” said Fox.

“Why not?” said Frog, and hopped into the water.

Fox turned to Squirrel, and said, “Climb aboard!”

Squirrel jumped up on Fox’s back and curled his tail up to keep it out of the water. Fox waded in and swam across, with Frog blowing bubbles alongside him.

“You make a fine boat, my friend,” said Squirrel. “This is a splendid way to travel!”

Once they had crossed the river, the three friends trotted, scurried and hopped their way across the parking lot, dodging a man on a motorcycle, and headed towards the neon sign advertising the snack shop. Inside, Sister Anna Maria was behind the counter, fingering her rosary.

“Welcome! “ she said with a smile. “What can I get you?”

(Now this may be the first time you ever heard of a nun working at a truck stop, and how she ended up there is a bit of a mystery. But honestly, is it any weirder than a fox, a squirrel and a frog buying ice cream?)

Squirrel put the loonie on the counter. “Ice cream, please!”

“OK. For a loonie, you get one scoop in a sugar cone. Now, what flavour would you like?”

“Chocolate!” said Fox.

“Vanilla!” said Squirrel.

“Strawberry!” said Frog.

“Oh, dear…” said all three.

“No worries,” said Sister Anna Maria, “I’ve got just the thing for you: Neapolitan!” And she put a big scoop of colourful ice cream in a cone and handed it to Squirrel, who was already drooling at the sight of it.

Once they were safely away from the truck stop, the three wandered back towards the river, happily licking away. Fox worked on the chocolate end, Frog tackled the strawberry end, and Squirrel, who was walking between his two friends and holding the cone, munched on the vanilla in the middle. Fox and Squirrel were giving little yips and squeaks of pleasure, but Frog was quiet – he found the flavour a bit disappointing. It just seemed to be missing something.

By the time they reached the river, the ice cream was almost gone and getting a bit runny. Squirrel hopped up on Fox’s back for the crossing, but as he did so, the remains of the ice cream went flying out of the cone and splattered in the mud.

“Oh, brother!” he cried. “Oh, well, there wasn’t much left, and we’ve still got the cone to eat.”

Fox and Squirrel said goodbye to Frog and crossed the river, then wandered back down the path into the forest, finishing off the sugar cone as they went. Frog waited until they were out of sight, then hopped back over to the mud patch and licked up the remaining ice cream.

“Much better!” he chuckled. “It just needed a bit of mud mixed in with it to make it absolutely perfect!”

THE PICNIC

Written by Vivian and Evelyn Woodall

Once upon a time there was a dragonfly who lived with her sister and brother in the forest. The dragonflies set out for a picnic snack near Granny’s house in Perth.

When they were halfway there they saw a fox walking on a rock path. “Welcome!” Said the fox, in an exuberant voice.

“What are you doing fox?” The dragonflies asked.

“I was having a snooze,” said fox, wiping from his mouth, “but now I have to run off and hunt for some food – but I don’t eat dragonflies. In fact, I prefer ice cream.”

“We eat ice cream too!” Said the dragonflies.

So the new friends went off together to eat some ice cream, before meandering along the river on a hike.

The end.

Written by Alan Hayward

What splendid sunshine splatters the neon sky! I cycle the river path to greet the exuberant day. A fox once jumped out at me here, chasing a squirrel across the path and into the forest. Water bubbles over the river rocks and I hear a frog squelching in the mud on the bank. A memory from a far away time comes flooding back. My brother, sister, and I on a mission for ice cream, travelling the very same path as it curls around the Tay on our way into town. The promise of a drool worthy snack spurns us on, so that our walk turns into a run. Passing the “Welcome to Perth!” sign, we meander through town until we reach our destination – a small window beside town hall that holds the promise of a cool, colourful treat. Why anyone would order a flavour other than Tiger Tail has always been a mystery to me. We wander into Stewart Park to enjoy our reward, balancing on rocks to get to the island. We follow a trail of sunflower seeds to a flat rock looking over the river. Below us, a turtle is taking a snooze on a log that juts out into the water. A perfect summer day unfolds before us. We are happy participants in the adventures she has to offer. The blaring of the train whistle brings me back to the present moment. I’m almost at the end of the path. I push hard to get up the last gravel incline, turn right onto the 43 and cross the bridge toward home.

Written by Jean Hébert

Saturday in the Park

Written by David Kroetsch

Today was splendid in the sunshine,

The sky was brilliant blue.

A good day to meander down the park path,

along the rocks beside the exuberant river,

as it bubbles along.

It was good to stop at Peters in Perth.

to pick-up an ice cream for a snack,

with neon red and green sprinkles.

As it melts it leaves a colourful splatter in the mud.

We follow the path to the end.

Once there we ask what now?

Why should we go back now?

The day welcomes us to explore the mystery of the land.

A large Labrador runs up to us to give a sniff and a lick,

and leaves some drool behind.

We watch a boat travel down the river,

as the wake curls behind.

We jump across a small drainage ditch,

and startle a frog having a snooze.

We wonder what the forest looked like,

that once covered this land.

Seeds of grasses and flowers drift in the wind.

We take pictures for my sister,

who says what a great town we live in!

Written by Scarlett Warner

The Healing

Written by pauline gauthier

In the National Healing Forest

I stand by the plaque

read the account of

missing women

and children

brothers and sisters

With care I trace each letter

tenderly as if it were a child

I travel to another time

one as dark

as the sky above me

I envision

children in a forest

scrambling to escape

residential school

curled up under a tree

they huddle together

for warmth

a short snooze

the oldest on lookout

they cast aside their number

The one assigned them

go back to their

given names

each chosen

with meaning and care

In the pitch-black

they whisper

Their names

to each other

the sound of each name

melodious

maple syrup smooth

warm as the moccasins

they once wore

here

in the Perth Healing Forest

I ask why

what made people so cruel

a mystery

still

before long

the rain pelts down

bubbles form in puddles

the earth is crying

I jump

at a sudden bolt

of thunder

the healing just begun

What a glorious day! There was not a cloud in the sky, so I decided to hop on my bike and cycle in the sunshine. I rode along the path near my home, which meandered along the river and passed through forests and fields. I saw some frogs sitting on a log and croaking exuberantly. They jumped into the water when I stopped too close to them.

I passed a farm and watched a girl blowing colourful bubbles with her bubble wand for her sister to chase. Their little brother was throwing small rocks into a mud puddle and watching the mud splatter. They were having a splendid time!

Suddenly movement caught my eye. Luckily it was just a fox running across the field, and not something bigger, like a bear!

I stopped to watch a boat travel through the locks. This was a good time to enjoy my snack of peanuts and pumpkin seeds. I dropped a few bits and all at once a squirrel ran up and ate them.

As I rode into town, I spotted a food truck with a neon sign advertising ice cream. My mouth started to drool, so I thought, “Why not?” The cool treat was a welcome way to end my ride.

When I returned home, I curled up to read a new mystery book that I had picked up at the Perth Library. But after all that fresh air, I snoozed instead!