Read Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul Online
Authors: Jack Canfield
What People Are Saying About
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
. . .
“Kids are lucky to have a
Chicken Soup
book just for them. As a son of a preacher I was expected to know the right choices to make. I could have used examples of how other kids were dealing with the pressure of growing up.”
Sinbad
actor, comedian
“
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
is filled with stories that restore your faith in humanity and open your eyes to the meaningful moments in life.”
Larisa Oleynik
star,
The Secret World of Alex Mack
“A great book for kids!
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
covers many tough subjects so well that every kid who reads it will be able to relate to some of the stories, and hopefully learn from the rest so that their souls—not just their bodies—will grow up big and strong.”
Lori Beth Denberg
actress, star on Nickelodeon’s
All That
“The
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series has provided stories that enlighten, encourage and inspire. I believe wholeheartedly that
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
will continue to reach out and provide our youth with an important motivational tool that will no doubt stimulate positive thinking.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
actor,
Malcolm and Eddie
“As soon as I read the book, I wanted to rush home and give it to my kids to read. The messages are so inspiring and encouraging that I’m looking forward to a second helping of
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul.”
Adrienne Lopez
vice president, talent development and casting, Nickelodeon
“Reading
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
with a child will help build and strengthen the love you share. And, since the love of children is the ultimate ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul,’ you may even want to read it again!”
Ann Pleshette Murphy
editor-in-chief,
PARENTS Magazine
“Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
shows our children that life is an amazing journey filled with accomplishment, failure, happiness and tears, but that within us all lies the ability to beat life’s challenges and to strive to achieve our dreams.”
Roxanne Spillett
president, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
“As a child, I was a member of a book club. My favorite stories were those that inspired me to dream.
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
is just such a book—these stories will inspire young readers not only to dream, but also to give their hearts, minds and souls to the creation of new possibilities.”
Larry Jones
president, Feed the Children
“The most delicious thing about
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
is kids talking to kids, sharing and relating both their joys and sorrows. Their stories will help other kids know that they are not alone in their feelings and experiences.”
Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson
founders, Childhelp
“When confronted with difficult issues, it is comforting for children to know that others have been there and survived.
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
does just that for readers: its stories relate to kids that they, too, can overcome hardships in their own lives.”
David S. Liederman
executive director, Child Welfare League of America
CHICKEN SOUP
FOR THE
KID’S SOUL
101 Stories of
Courage, Hope
and Laughter
Jack Canfield
Mark Victor Hansen
Patty Hansen
Irene Dunlap
Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida
www.hcibooks.com
www.chickensoup.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chicken soup for the kid’s soul : 101 stories of courage, hope and laughter
[compiled by] Jack Canfield . . . [et al.].
p. cm.
Summary: A collection of short stories, anecdotes, poems, and cartoons
which present a positive outlook on life.
eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9710-3 (ebook) eISBN-10: 0-7573-9710-7 (ebook)
1. Children—Conduct of life. [1. Conduct of life. 2. Children’s writings.]
I. Canfield, Jack, date.
BJ1631.C46 1998 98-16871
158.1'28—dc21 CIP
AC
© 1998 John T. Canfield and Hansen and Hansen LLC
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher.
HCI, its logos and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
R-10-07
Cover illustration by Larissa Hise Henoch
Book
Oh, look, it’s a book!
I’m sure it must be
A path of adventures waiting for me,
A yellow brick road to the Wizard of Oz,
A frivolous poem without any cause.
Should I open it and peek to see what’s inside?
What if it’s scary I might need to hide.
I’ll never know unless I dare.
I need a good laugh, a cry or a scare.
I’m sure it can wait—well, then I’ll never know
Maybe it’s someplace that I’ll never go.
But today is the day that’s been waiting for me
I’ll open this book, and I will see.
Jessica McCain, age 14
T
o the kids of the world who
need these stories, we dedicate this book.
We want to bring you hope, laughter, inspiration
and courage—and to let you know
that you are not alone.
Especially to our own kids—
Christopher; Elisabeth and Melanie;
Marleigh and Weston.
You are our heroes.
“My teacher says I can grow up to be whatever
I want to be. I want to be a kid.”
Reprinted by permission of Randy Glasbergen.
Contents
Kelly, the Flying Angel
Louise R. Hamm
The Tower
Robert J. Fern
Uncle Charlie
Patty Hathaway-Breed
The Game of Love
Lou Kassem
“Where’s My Kiss, Then?”
M. A. Urquhart
The Visit
Debbie Herman
The Fire Truck
Lori Moore
Merry Christmas, My Friend
Christa Holder Ocker
There’s an Alien on the Internet
Joanne Peterson
Seeing, Really Seeing
Marie P. McDougal
Kim Li, the Great
Berniece Rabe
Edna Mae: First Lesson in Prejudice
Sandra Warren
The Connection
Joel Walker
The Favorite Vase
Belladonna Richuitti
A Friend . . .
Danielle Fishel and friends
Best Friends
Mary Beth Olson
All I Would Ever Need
Kerri Warren
My Friend Anthony
Katie Short
No Dad?!
Jason Damazo
Terror on Route 83
Mary Ellyn Sandford
Watching for the Miracle
Korina L. Moss
Daddy’s Girl . . . At Long Last
Candace Goldapper
From the Heart
Marcia Byalick
A Brother’s Love
Diana L. James
Secrets That Made Paul Special
Judy M. Garty
Goat’s Tobacco
Roald Dahl
My Grandfather’s Gift
Rider Strong
Silent Night, Crystal Night
Lillian Belinfante Herzberg
Green Salami
Patty Hansen
Going, Going, Gone
Martha Bolton
Your Name in Gold
A. F. Bauman
Father’s Day
Taylor Martini
Mom’s Duck
Page McBrier
4. ON ATTITUDE AND PERSPECTIVE
The Bobsledder’s Jacket
Tim Myers
Things Are Not Always Black or White
Judie Paxton
What’s Wrong with a B+?
Donna M. Russell
Just Ben
Adrian Wagner
The Green Boots
Linda Rosenberg
Showing Up
Julie J. Vaughn with Tyler Vaughn Marsden
The Pest
Judy Fuerst
A
Good
Reason to Look Up
Shaquille O’Neal
Close Call
Diana Parker
The Flood
Adam Edelman
The Man Who Had Plenty
Reverend Mark Tidd as told by Jerry Ullman
The Perfect Dog
Jan Peck
To Be Enormously Gorgeous
Carla O’Brien
The Purple Belt
Chuck Norris
B. J.
Nate Barker
The Perfect Angel
Stacie Christina Smith
Someone to Hold Onto
Ann McCoole Rigby
Rebecca’s Rainbow
Tara M. Nickerson
One Rainbow Wasn’t Enough
Matt Sharpe
A Nightmare Come True
Damien Liermann
Lessons from God
Jennifer Rhea Cross
Believe in Yourself
Jillian K. Hunt
The Little Girl Who Dared to Wish
Alan D. Shultz
The Playground
Audilee Boyd Taylor
Dreams of the Children
Jody Suzanne Waitzman
Batgirl
Dandi Dailey Mackall
G-o-o-o-a-a-a-a-l-l-l-l!
Heather Thomsen
With Every Footstep
Shannon Miller
The Rock Club
Vanessa Clayton
Socks for Kerry
Barbara McCutcheon Crawford
Just Ask
David Levitt
Grandfather Learns to Read
Karen Beth Luckett
School—Moving Up
Ben Carson, M.D.
In Control
John D. Troxler
The Sandbox
Lucas Parker
What a Year
Robert Diehl
Dear God, This Is Charles
Charles Inglehart
Missy and Me
Glenda Palmer
The Miracle of Life
Lacy Richardson
Goodwill
Cynthia M. Hamond
Putting My Best Foot Forward
Kathy Ireland
Understanding
Jessica Stroup
Nine Gold Medals
David Roth
Without a Nightlight
Jessica Harper
Nobody Knows the Difference
Deborah J. Rasmussen
The New House and the Snake
Christine Lavin
I Found a Tiny Starfish
Dayle Ann Dodds
Get Help Now!
Tia Thompson
The Big Director
Kel Mitchell
I Love Her More Than Ever
Amber Foy
Dear Momma
Darnell Hill
My Dad
Aljon B. Farin
Smoking Is Cool. . . . Not!
Valeria Soto
DARE Rap
Shelly Merkes
I’m Not Dana
Sabrina Anne Tyler
No Home
Elizabeth A. Gilbert-Bono
Baby’s Ears
Valerie Allen
Kindness Is Contagious
Kristin Seuntjens
Do You Have Your Wallet?
Laksman Frank
Small Talk
Multiple Authors
The Day I Figured Out That No One Is Perfect
Ellie Logan
The Little Notice
Kenan Thompson
Teenagers
Melissa Mercedes
My Guardian Angel
Travis Ebel
Grandpa’s Bees
Barbara Allman
The Flying Fish
Megan Niedermeyer with Killeen Anderson
Mother Says . . .
Martha Bolton
What I’ve Learned So Far
Multiple Authors
Reading Stories: An Act of Co-Creation
James Elwood Conner, Ed.D.