Cod Fish

The cod fish has been the state fish of Massachusetts for 200 years. If you look around Massachusetts you will find the decorations using codfish in many places.

In one period of time, this species of fish almost got wiped out. The Vikings fished for the cod in Massachusetts. They used the codfish and dried it to make food. This way the codfish wouldn’t spoil, and the Vikings could go on longer journeys. A group of people named the Basques used the codfish as well for the same purpose except for the fact that the Basques added salt to the Vikings’ recipe. Since the Basques added salt, they could travel to hot places without spoiling the fish. The codfish was plentiful at that time. John Cabot reported that the water was so thick with codfish that they only had to dip baskets in the water to scoop them out. The cod also helped the New England colonies to survive and thrive because they could use it as fertilizer, eat it, and sell it. Cod also had an important role in the triangular trade routes and slave trade. New England exported high quality salted cod to Europe. New England exported low quality salted cod to the Caribbean where the slaves working there were forced to make sugar which was made into molasses. Boston merchants bought the molasses and out of that they made rum. Then, the rum produced in Boston was sold in other parts of America and Africa. In Africa, the rum was traded for enslaved people. The enslaved people were brought to the Caribbean to work. But then, technology in the 1800s and the 1900s affected the cod. People made fishing lines with many many hooks, and created boats that could go faster with bigger nets. Soon there was less cod. This was bad. As the cod grew scarcer, people fished more and more. Soon the cod could not be “scooped out of the water in baskets.” And if the cod dies out, what will happen to the fish that the cod eat and the fish that eat the cod? What will happen to the cod’s food web and the cod’s history?

I made my fish jumping because I didn’t want the cod to wander on the bottom of the sea hiding from nets any more. I wanted people to know that in my picture a border of humans did not surround the trapped cods. This picture represented a world that I wanted all codfish and maybe all fish to be in.

No longer hiding. Finally free.

Berry Sue's Brother and the BELL

(A Chinese tale retold)

There once was a man who loved to take a little something he liked here, and a little something he liked there. He might take a gift card with a decoration he liked while visiting a friend's house, or cut himself a little piece of chocolate cake when there was a birthday party going on in the bowling alley down the street. Anyway, you get the point.

One day he was taking an afternoon walk, strolling around, in the neighborhood and he heard something jingle in the wind.

" Ah... what a nice sound!" he thought.

The man followed the sound and soon came across a house with a bell dangling from a nail right above the door.

"Oh, how beautiful that bell is, and what a melancholy sound it makes!" He said aloud. The man felt eager greediness rise up through his body and sway in his throat.

"I could just take the bell. It is just a little tiny thing! It would be worth it. Right?" the man asked himself. He made up his mind and went home. Not to get ready for dinner, but to get ready for his midnight bell robbery.

At night, the man tiptoed through the stillness of the neighborhood. This night was a perfect night! There was absolutely no wind, unlike the afternoon. He soon found the house he was looking for, the house with the wooden stairs and porch. The man slowly climbed up the stairs to the door and placed his feet gently on top of the welcome mat. The moonlight settled atop the bell and gave it an eerie glow.

Right before he plucked the bell from its nail, he suddenly realized something, "since it is such a silent night, if I take the bell, it ought to make a noise! Then the people in this house will discover me! What am I going to do?"

The man took a while to think. "Ding!" He thought of an idea! The man took out his pocket notebook and ripped two pages out. (by the way, he stole this notebook!) Then he scrunched each entry into a ball. The man stuffed one ball into each ear using his paper inventions as earplugs.

"Now nobody will hear my bell!" He thought, "I can't even hear myself!"

Bliss, the man plucked the bell off of the nail. It jingled very loudly. Not realizing his foolish mistake, the man got caught.

You might think this man's mistake was very obvious, but if you pay attention closely, many of these mistakes happen in the world around you!

Old Friends

Friends
old friends
did they Forget me!?

Times
good times
do they Remember!?

Gone
so gone
Forever!?

Pi (a funny poem)

I can square pi
in the blink of an eye!
Said one smart guy
under the bright blue sky

Me too!
said a guy with one shoe
that was blue
he said he could do it before you said moo

The smart guy scribbled furiously nonstop
The other went chop chop chop

the guy with one shoe
threw his answer before you could say moo

it landed on the smart guy's face
leaving a trace

that is why
we put an 'e' at the end of pi!

Snowy Street

Gold street lamps glowed

Downy flakes swept with the wind

Footprints disappear

Creativity Gives Us Wings

Creativity shapes the world,
Giving us wings.

If there is no creativity,
The world is a barren field without color.

Raccoon

I called this one "The gaze".

Timothy Basil Ering

Last Friday, an illustrator named Timothy Basil Ering came to our school. He showed us how he became an illustrator starting from when he was 1 year old! He said he drew everywhere. He told us that he even drew on his homework then quickly added that he still paid attention in class.

After a while he started telling us about the books he made and illustrated. I was surprised at how much an illustrator payed attention to the world and the things that are going on. I think a very funny thing happened in his presentation. He showed us his first detailed sketch of Despereaux and everybody went "aaaaaaawwwwwnn" with admiaration for the cute and adorable little mousy and Timothy Basil Erring said,"Every time! The same reaction! I can remember the pitch and tone of that sound! Every time!" In the background. Some of the kids and teachers started laughing. But, I have to admit, that Despereaux was cute! He was fluffy and looked so shy! When Timothy was done with presentation we had a raffle. Two people won and they both got a free book with Timothy Basil Erring's signature.

I can tell that Timothy is a nice guy and I hope he enjoyed his visit. I certainly DID!!!

The Raining of Leaves

When the wind blows
it rains
Not cold droplets
Not gray beads
It rains
colors
mighty leaves

When the wind blows
it rains
The skies are clear
The birds still fly
It rains
fire
burning near

When the wind blows
it rains
The roads are dry
The cars are dull
It rains
Autumn
rustle,
sigh.

Snow

Flowers were falling from the sky
So delicate, so soft, so bright,
Is this a gift
From heaven?

I took a walk on the snowy path
Snowflakes were whispering
to the trees
I stopped, listening.