Dandelion

João Manuel Ribeiro (wrote) Soraia Oliveira (illustrated)

Do you know the plant known as dandelion? The one you blow on after asking if your father is bald or hairy?

When you blow on each of these 54 micro-tales, you have to decide:

– whether you’re bald enough to know that destiny is made of little tales

– or if you believe that, even if they are small, these tales can make your hair stand on end.

And then, bald or hairy, you can’t spare your eyes from admiring Soraia Oliveira’s beautiful illustrations.

Finally, to your hair and eyes you must add your mouth to blow (read aloud) these micro-tales to your friends, colleagues, parents and teachers.

These micro-tales were written in the context of creative writing workshops with pupils in Years 4 and 6 in the municipalities of Baião and Amarante. Whenever I asked the students to write a text on some writing topic or other, I would sit down and write my own version of what I had asked the students to do.

As time was short, the stories had to be short and fun to be read to the little writers from whom I learned so much.

Now they’re in this book so that you too can be inspired to write micro-stories like these (or completely different ones).

PNL recommendation: 3-5 year olds, 6-8 year olds and 9-11 year olds