Valerie Connelly

Goosh Gosh from the Lilac Kitchen and Other Childhood Stories Valerie Connelly

When a child says to a grandparent, "Tell me a story," and adds the idea "from your childhood," the grandparent is blessed and (only gently) cursed at the same time. Suddenly, the young years of life flash in the mind, and the question is, ""How can I tell him about that? Well, nothing is more endearing. The challenge is to tell the stories with honesty, humor, and a gentle revelation about life. The window opens in the child's mind, and the grandparent is more human, more real, more loving than ever before. So, when my grandson asked me to write down the "childhood" stories ? which I had told him sitting in the back seat of the car with him on little excursions around town ? "So, Mommy can read them to me when you're not here," I practically flew to the computer and started writing. These eight stories are the beginning of a series of children's short story books. The illustrations are mine as well, and though they are childlike, that is only because my skills at drawing stopped with cartooning sometime around the age of nine or ten. I hope these stories are fun to read to your grandchildren, and that they get you started on telling your stories too!