eReads podcast - Unleashing Imagination and Empathy: A Journey with Tabletop Publishing
Prompt: Dinosaur & Down the Rabbit Hole
Original work by Liz Bullard
Dinosaur & Down the Rabbit Hole
"Kimmi!" called Kevin, the long-necked dino, who stomped through the forest on the hunt for his friend. Splat! Went something gooey and smelly under Kevin’s foot. "Ewww," he groaned and tried to wipe the brown goop from his toes.
"I’ll have to be more careful," he said as he stepped deeper into the forest.
Kimmi, his friend, was very tiny, while Kevin was very big. But that didn’t stop them from having a blast of a time. As Kevin searched for his friend, he got a little hungry, so he took a chop off a branch. "Yummy, and very leafy," he said.
"Give me one, please!" called a tiny voice down below. Stretching his long neck to the ground, Kevin nose-bumped Kimmi, his long-eared rabbit friend.
Kevin was a dinosaur and Kimmi was a rabbit. Even though playtime was sometimes different than when playing with their other friends, it was always their special time.
After a quick nose bump, Kevin swung his tail and knocked it against the tree. Bang! The tree rattled like it was in a windstorm.
"Yay!" laughed Kimmi, dancing as the leaves fell like snowflakes. Kimmi munched on some tasty green leaves and Kevin took some from the top.
When Kimmi’s belly was full of healthy treats, she said, "I can’t play today, Kevin. I have to go home and clean my room."
Kevin’s eyes drooped and his smile went away when Kimmi said she couldn’t play. Kimmi’s ears flopped as she too got sad.
"Hey!" Kevin said and his eyes brightened as he smiled. "What if I helped you clean your room?"
Kimmi didn’t know about this idea. She had been to Kevin’s house and her home looked very different.
"I don’t know," she said as her nose twitched nervously.
"It will be okay. I am a good helper. Show me the way," he said.
Kimmi was glad Kevin wanted to help and she really wanted to play, so she hopped on Kevin’s tail and he placed her on his head.
Kevin stepped forward and Kimmi led the way. When they got to her home, she slid down his long neck, across his back, and around his spiral tail.
"Weee!" Kimmi laughed.
Kevin laughed too as her furry body tickled his skin. Kimmi hopped to the hole and jumped in. When Kevin leaned his eye to the hole, all he saw was a dark space.
"Come in!" Kimmi’s voice echoed.
But seeing her home, Kevin wasn’t so sure this was a good idea.
"Umm," he said down the rabbit hole. "I don’t think I can fit."
Kevin placed his eye to the hole again, but then he jumped back when Kimmi’s body rushed to the top. Kimmi popped her head out, then wiggled her body out. She looked from the tiny hole to Kevin’s massive body. "Hmm… If you can’t help me inside, maybe you can help me outside?"
This made Kevin smile wide, so wide that all you could see were his shiny white teeth. "I can move back these broken logs and bite back some of these trees so you can have more light," Kevin said.
Kimmi’s ears fluttered excitedly. "Thank you! And we can talk to each other through the tunnel," Kimmi said.
With a nose bump, their plan was made. Kimmi slid down the hole and Kevin ate away at some of the branches, with both of them singing along the way.
Episode Highlights
- Tabletop Publishing champions children's books that spark literacy and emotional intelligence.
- They enrich young minds with engaging activities linked to their stories.
- By embracing traditional publishing methods, the company invests in authors' works while creating a supportive environment.
Learn more about Tabletop Publishing
Tabletop Publishing was founded in April of 2020 during the pandemic by two moms, former educators, and best friends, Kate Kropp and Jessica Senesac. Their children and former students inspired their journey to create books, journals, and educational activities that spark a love of reading and learning. At Tabletop Publishing, we believe in bringing joy back to reading for every learner ages 2 to 18. We bring parents and educators social-emotional books, workbooks, and journals for kids filled with learning opportunities; activities kids can engage with, and critical thinking practice for all ages. Our educational resources include digital learning and engaging projects that instill a love of learning. Our personalized instruction tips for teachers and homeschool parents create a dynamic classroom that allows teachers to cultivate a student-led curriculum.
In school, many kids are faced with reading challenges that diminish their love of learning and the love of reading. As former ELA teachers in Secondary Education, our Co-Founders, Kate and Jessica, constantly fought to find materials that engaged their students. Through years of falling behind in reading, their students often would see a book and immediately disengage. Today the reading gap in kids is only growing. Thankfully the problem has a simple solution: get kids to read more without pressure and provide them with books they are actually interested in. At Tabletop Publishing, we create books that engage kids and have real-life learning opportunities. We are dedicated to bringing stories that matter to kids of all ages. Tabletop strives to bring the neurodiverse community reading materials that spark creativity and joy.
We may be small today, but every day brings us new opportunities to give kids the content they want that parents and educators can trust. We welcome you to join us on our journey and watch us grow. Jessica and Kate are on a mission to help parents and educators alike spark the joys reading can bring to kids whether they are just learning to read or almost all grown up.
Connect with Tabletop Publishing
Website: tabletopteachingllc.com
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