To Andre, Ehsan and Mange, the ones who heard the story first.

One stormy night, in a grassy field in Africa, Father Lion wakes from the sound of thunder. Rain gently splatters down, covering Father Lion with a coat of water. The sun has been swallowed by dark rain clouds.

While a starving leopard searches for food, a dizzy tornado attacks land. Crimson lightning strikes. Splash, splish, splosh. Leopard hops in puddles of water. Father Lion searches for his pride, but doesn’t know he’s not alone.

Hungry Leopard spots a baby lion off in the distance, and knows he has his meal. Baby Lion doesn’t realize he’s in great danger. The ground rumbles. Wind blows. Thunder roars. Grass dances. Leopard stands, paralyzed, waiting for the right time to attack.

Mother Lion finally finds Baby Lion. He is covered with mushy brown mud. Zap! Leopard is struck by lightning. He is helpless. The sun is reunited with his land. The dark black rain clouds fade away. Wind howls, “Whooooooo.” The tornado has been scared away by the sun. Baby Lion is safe.

At last, the pride can have their feast. Father Lion prepares to eat the leopard, while Mother Lion tears pieces of food for Baby Lion. A colorful rainbow forms in the turquoise sky.

Before long, the feast ends. The sun uses a fluffy cloud for a pillow to sleep. Father Lion roars. The ground shakes. Baby Lion yawns. The fiery red leopard lies, helpless. Day is done.

About the Author

Nick is a nine-year-old boy. He loves to play Mozart and Beethoven on the piano. He really enjoys the collage book process.

This is one of the many books that came to life while students in Mrs.

Mattson’s 3rd grade class explored the rich relationship between visual

imagery and the written word. This book was created as a part of Image-

Making Within the Writing Process, a dynamic art-and-literature-based

approach to writing developed by Beth Olshansky at the University of New

Hampshire. Image-Making uses hand-painted textured papers as the raw

materials for creating collage stories and poetry. Unlike a more traditional

writing process, within Image-Making the pictures always come first. This

offers students with diverse learning styles essential visual and kinesthetic

tools for rehearsing, drafting, and revising their ideas long before setting

pencil to paper. Image-Making was validated by the US Department of

Education as an “innovative and effective literacy program” in 1993. Today

children around the world use this process to create books in many

languages.

Spring, 2010