Matt and "The Big Fish"

(Kit: Write On, a new kit from Laura Banasiak/simply.scraps which is available 5/17 here)

Back on April 23rd ...., we had a celebrity among us....our very own, award winning author, none other than, Matt! Matt's short story, "The Big Fish", was selected  by the Brainstormers as one of 5 stories to be performed by the group, in front of his classmates.

The school called that Monday, and let us know his story had been selected and instructed us not to tell Matt. Yep, it was a BIG secret - he couldn't know until the very moment his story was performed, that he was a chosen author! We all gathered, as his entourage, in the conference room at the school, so he wouldn't see us until it was time for the show --Me, My Guy, Stepmom (on Dad's behalf, as he was stuck in Canada), Grandma and Bubba, and I even sprung Ana from school a little early, so she could be there to celebrate Matt.

The Big Fish

by Matthew Erickson

Once there was a bear that was really good at catching fish. One day, it saw a really big fish. But something else was trying to catch it. It was an alligator.

And the bear went up to the alligator to ask, "Want me to help you catch that big fish?" And the alligator said, "Yes. So the bear told the alligator all his way of catching fish: using a fishing pole, using a fishing net, and using a trap.

So first, they tried using a fishing pole. But when they tried casting the line, it got stuck in a tree. And the tree was too weak to climb. So they left it there.

Then, they got the fishing net. But the bear had it for a long time, so it had a hole in it. And when the fish came, it just went through it.

Next, they used the trap and the trap was to get some logs and put them behind and in front of the fish, then jump in the water. So they did and they caught it.

But they had to decide who would eat the fish. And they decided they would both have a half. So, they split the fish and ate it. And that's how the alligator and the bear worked together to catch the Big Fish.

Couldn't be prouder!!!

My son, the author....and just one week later, Ana found out she took second place in a writing contest! Oh, they make their former English teacher mom proud!!!