Don't Touch The Woolly Mammoth

By: Robert Daniel
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:21:53
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Don’t Touch The Woolly Mammoth.

We created a few warm ups. Not for the body, because the kids had just had lunch and they were all thoroughly warmed up. These were warm ups for the imagination. The mind needs a warm up before working. The brain is a muscle and needs just as much help to get into exercise as any muscle in the body.

15 minutes into it I suggested they come up with ten house rules for living in a Stone Age cave. There were some beauties. The longer we went the more wonderful and bizarre the rules became. ‘Stomp out the fire before you go to bed.”

“Pick the nits out of your furs every day.”

“Sweep the floor.”

“Wipe your feet before entering the cave.”

“Grunt Properly.”

“Eat with your mouth closed if the food is still alive, otherwise it'll get away.”

Then a little girl timidly put her hand up. She’d been quiet so far, while everyone else had been getting more and more animated. I smiled. “Yes Ella.”

Dave McCleery, the cartoonist and a man I just love working with, turned his attention away from the white board he was doodling on and faced the Ella. The class was a year four group, fun, sharp, happy. Ella was the quiet one. She spoke so softly I nearly missed the words. “Don’t touch the woolly mammoth.” She said sheepishly.

Sometimes things are so funny the room explodes. Dave was on the floor, doubled up laughing.

It took a while to calm down, I couldn’t stop laughing and poor Dave was crying, while the class were clutching their stomaches and were temporarily lost to us.

Dave bounced over to the white board for a minute before moving away again. An enormous mammoth, gleaming sharp tusks and salivating mouth, glaring down with wild eyes at a tiny girl the spitting image of Ella, reaching up ever so gently to touch the mighty beast on the nose.

The moment is forever gratefully captured in my mind. It’s one of many I treasure.

Don’t Touch The Woolly Mammoth is soon to be a book, and there’s no prizes for guessing who it will be dedicated to.

Rob Daniel is a children's author, creative writing, memory and self-esteem teacher. He lives in beautiful Albany on the south west corner of Western Australia, has a passion for mangos, the Greek Islands and coaches three soccer teams. He sort of still plays himself!

Rob creates 'turn the page' children's e-books with illustrators from around the world. You can check out and if you like, buy his books from http://www.chocmint.com You'll also find an opportunity to join the chocmint adventure yourself, if you have a passion for writing and illustrating for children.

LATEST book published 'A Tail's Tale', illustrated by UK artist Elizabeth Stringer. Part proceeds from these books go towards sponsoring children at the Bear-Care orphanage in Kitgum, Uganda run by the extraordinary Murray Kidd.

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