My Toddler has Mad Talent

In yesterday’s post, I listed off a number of responsibilities and difficulties I confronted last week.  In that list, I failed to mention that I have also been busy helping my three-year-old daughter compose and illustrate her own books.  Emily loves to tell stories, so we have been recording them and making them into small books for her friends and family.  She’s quite demanding with my time as I serve as her transcriptionist and illustrator.  Emily’s “published” books include such titles as “Puppy Time with Grandma” and “I Love My Daddy.”  Yesterday, we just finished a book she made for her cousin called “Dolphin Adventures with Emily and Paris.”  I record the contents of that book here: 

The proud author, Emily Jane

Once upon a time, Emily and Paris went to have many adventures today.  They went to see a dolphin at the swimming pool.

Emily and Paris played with the dolphin and swam with the dolphin.  They swam a lot and the dolphin was so big.

Emily and Paris met a baby dolphin and it was so cute.  Paris loves just dolphins, and puppies want to swim in the pool too.

Then the baby dolphin swam away.  A big eagle came by and troubled everybody in the whole water.  Another eagle hopped on the raft and drank from a teapot.  Then a bee buzzed by.

Emily and Paris call the dolphin back and it jumps.  Then a big lion comes by and stops everybody.  The lion says, “Stop! I need some teapots!”  But the lion leaves because that’s what I want.

Now there is just one dolphin and one puppy and the puppy sings, “I love my Mommy!” Paris chases the eagle and says, “Sing! Sing! Give me the teapot!”  So the eagle drops the teapot and goes away.

A whale comes by.  The whale played with Paris some more.  The whale had a magic cylinder and the train went by.  The puppy barked at the train.

Emily and Paris went home in the car.  Emily told Paris, “I had fun, my friend.”  Emily and Paris give each other hugs and hop around and that is the end.

Celebrated artwork "Eagle on Raft with Teapot" by Angela Ryan

I feel fairly certain that Emily will become an accomplished author far before I ever do.  At least I’ll have my kid to take care of me.  She can financially support me, change my diapers, wax my mustache, and refill my wineglass.  If I never succeed myself, I figure I’ll be set anyway given the talent of my offspring.  I would note that the only editorial assistance I gave Emily in creating the above story was to question, “And then what happened?” and comment “Do we really need to write about more teapots?  What’s the deal with teapots, kid?”