Been meaning to write those bedtime stories for your grandchildren?
A reminder from Grumps' wife; “Since you managed to publish with all those national magazines and have written numerous reminiscences about your childhood for Sports Illustrated and been published by Sports Illustrated for Kids, don’t you think this might be a good time to write those bedtime stories you’ve been promising our grandkids?”
Grumps did and you can too.
My grandson Jack is seven. Julia is four. They call me Grumps! When my kids were little I loved creating bedtime stories, featuring everything from my childhood to Santa and his “hilarious” elves. I could go for weeks on my childhood pets. Don’t get me started on that $40 donkey Mr. Bones!
So, I decided to give Stories by Grumps a whirl and wish you would too.
The bad news is that my grandkids live six hours away. The good news is that we didn’t need Covid 19 to kick-start Stories by Grumps, which has proved to be a wonderful family connector. Here’s how Stories by Grumps works---and how they can work for you.
I call my daughter and ask what Jack and Julia are focused on these days.
“We’ll, lately they’ve been obsessed with Star Wars.” and that inappropriate book called Captain Underpants,” she says.
So, knowing what a seven and four- year-old might find entertaining, I knock out a little bedtimer called:
May the Farts Be with You!
Now, they don’t all have to be poop and toot centric (their parents will edit out inappropriate jokes) practically any themes in Stories by Grumps will work---again, pets, favorite toys, holidays---Santa and those elves can entertain the little beggars for the entire month of December.
So, why did someone who has enjoyed the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in basically every genre the publishing industry has to offer, finally decide to go with Stories by Grumps?
Well, I’m not only playing to a very loving, meaningful and encouraging audience, as I got into the writing I realized that if I can get this big a kick out of writing for my grandkids (a bit out of hand here but more than 50 now) then why not share the experience by encouraging other elders to write for their grand offspring.
Not a writer you say, don’t need to be, you have a natural loving and attentive audience. Oh, for bedtime they are a win-win! The parents have that “Now, off to bed if you want to hear tonight’s Story by Grumps!” And the kids? Well, they get to stretch out bedtime and stay up a few extra minutes with their loving grandparent.
Now, to get started just go to our links: Stories by Grumps, Stories by Grumps Writing Tips, and Grumps’ Additional Ideas.
Read Stories by Grumps
Stories by Grumps Writing Tips
Grumps’ Ideas for Add-ons
Bob’s Page Turners From the Past
Grumps’ Classics for Kids
A new kids’ book with a rare ‘double your pleasure double your fun’ twist.
It was written by your old friend Grumps, and boy, does he have some stories for you! You know, when he was about your age, Grumps and his parents read some of the best kids’ stories ever. Some of his favorites were The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; The Wind in the Willows; The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit; Winnie- the-Pooh; Curious George; and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.
And he knows you have some favorites stories today, ones that came along long years after Grumps was a little kid, stories like Mary Poppins; The 101 Dalmatians, and the serial stories in the worlds of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park. All of these are what we call “classic stories,” which are just really, really good stories that we keep reading and sharing over a long period of time.
So old Grumps has let his imagination kick in a bit, and has written some very special ‘Grumps’ Classics’ for you and for his grandkids. Some of them are about how those favorite stories he read when he was a kid became a big part of his childhood, and some are about more recent stories that he’ll bet are already favorites of yours.
In Chapter One we see how Tom Sawyer painting a fence encouraged Grumps to pull off a little paper route deal that perhaps he shouldn’t have.
In Chapter Two, recalling Mr. Toad’s wild rides in The Wind in the Willows, Grumps gets himself in a bit of trouble driving an electric cart in a big warehouse store called Costco.
In Chapter Three Grumps recalls how that old rascal Br’er Rabbit in a classic book called The Song of the South helped Grumps to finally get even with Blaine Benedict, a kid who had been tricking young Grumps for years when he was growing up.
In Chapter Four you’ll meet Eeyore (inspired by a character in the book Winnie-the-Pooh) who was the donkey Grumps got as a present for his birthday after he’d wished for a pony.
Chapter Five will introduce you to Slim, Pete and Mr. Mullens, three tramps who turn Grumps’ bow and arrow game (inspired by The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood) into an unfortunate Thanksgiving Day. Chapter Six is all about Grumps’ pet owl named Al, a bird that delivered mail long before readers would meet Harry Potter’s Hedwig.
In Chapter Seven, called “Monkey Business”, a stuffed monkey named Jeffery, pulls off some rather bad behavior in Grumps’ grandkids’ house; that reminded Grumps of Curious George, one of his favorite kids’ classic books.
Chapter Eight is a story Grumps wrote about his grandchildren, Jack and Julia, two kids who decided that they might just want a babysitter like Mary Poppins.
In Chapter Nine Grumps takes Jack and Julia to watch a movie being made that they think is another about dinosaurs, because it’s called “Jurassic Park.”
In Chapter Ten Grumps, as a kid, writes a play for a Cub Scout competition. Because he’s read the classic The Jungle Book and knows the characters, he has a very special part in his play for a little Cub Scout, a foster child who could use some love and attention. Grumps wants you to enjoy the classics he read as a kid and of course hopes you’ll enjoy his fun stories. So, Grumps is ready to round up a publisher for Grumps’ Classics for Kids and looking forward to hearing those pages turning and…bookstore cash register’s ringing.
