Jojo’s Journey a children’s story to
share by Steve Boatright
Have you met
Jojo? Maybe you have or maybe you will but here is her story.
One day Jojo
asked a question. She asked her Grandad “Why doesn’t it snow at Christmas like
it used to? It is always snowy on Christmas cards but I’ve never seen snow at
Christmas”
“Well” said
her Grandad “well…. I don’t rightly know
so we shall have to ask. Let’s ask a Robin, with their sharp eyes, nothing
escapes them.” And Jojo said, just as you or I would, “But Robins can’t speak,
Grandad, they are birds! And anyway where can we find a Robin?”
And Grandad
replied with a twinkle in his eye,
“Well, first
we need to dig in the garden, for Robins are always there when you dig and
then……
Late at
night when the sky is clear and the moon is full but the dark is deep
When your
eyes are closed and you think you sleep, then you shall hear the Robin speak.”
Later that
night when the sky was clear and the moon was full but the dark was deep Jojo
and her Grandad began to dig in the garden. And soon a robin came to watch them
dig, stood just a few steps away, watching and watching. And by and by Jojo
began to feel sleepy, so she closed her eyes and she thought of sleep and just then
the robin began to speak.
“Jojo” he
said “ you want to know why there is no Christmas snow. I cannot say but I have
heard that of all the birds the seagulls might know.”
So Jojo
looked at Grandad and Grandad looked at Jojo then they set off to find the
seagulls. Together they walked ten thousand thousand steps and slept a hundred
hundred sleeps until they found themselves at the seaside where the seagulls
live.
“What do we
do now?” asked Jojo and her Grandad replied with a twinkle in his eye:
“ First we
need some fish and chips, for seagulls love fish and chips and then……
Late at
night when the sky is clear and the moon is full but the dark is deep
When your
eyes are closed and you think you sleep, then you shall hear the seagull
speak.”
Later that
night when the sky was clear and the moon was full but the dark was deep Jojo
and her Grandad sat by the sea with their fish and chips. And soon a seagull
came to watch them eat, stood just a few steps away, watching and watching. And
by and by Jojo began to feel sleepy, so she closed her eyes and she thought of
sleep and just then the seagull began to speak.
““Jojo” she
said “ you want to know why there is no Christmas snow. I cannot say but I have
heard that in the north the reindeer may know.”
So Jojo
looked at Grandad and Grandad looked at Jojo then they set off to find the
reindeer. Together they walked ten thousand thousand steps and slept a hundred
hundred sleeps until they found themselves at the cold green forest where the
reindeer live.
“What do we
do now?” asked Jojo and her Grandad replied with a twinkle in his eye:
“First we
need some reindeer moss, for reindeer love to eat reindeer moss and then……
Late at
night when the sky is clear and the moon is full but the dark is deep
When your
eyes are closed and you think you sleep, then you shall hear the reindeer
speak.”
Later that
night when the sky was clear and the moon was full but the dark was deep Jojo
and her Grandad sat in the cold dark green forest with a pile of reindeer moss
in front of them. And soon a reindeer came and began to eat, just a few steps
away, all the while watching and watching. And by and by Jojo began to feel
sleepy, so she closed her eyes and she thought of sleep and just then the reindeer
began to speak.
““Jojo” she
said “you want to know why there is no Christmas snow. I cannot say but I have
heard that of all the animals the white foxes may know.”
So Jojo
looked at Grandad and Grandad looked at Jojo then they set off to find the
white foxes. Together they walked ten thousand thousand steps and slept a
hundred hundred sleeps until they found themselves on the snowy icy grass where
the where the white foxes live.
“What do we do now?” asked Jojo and her
Grandad said:
“First we
need some chicken, for all foxes love to
eat chicken and then……
Late at
night when the sky is clear and the moon is full but the dark is deep
When your
eyes are closed and you think you sleep, then you shall hear the white fox
speak.”
Later that
night when the sky was clear and the moon was full but the dark was deep Jojo
and her Grandad stood in the snowy icy grass with some chicken in front of
them. And soon a white fox came and began to eat, just a few steps away, all
the while watching and watching. And by and by Jojo began to feel sleepy, so
she closed her eyes and she thought of sleep and just then the white fox began
to speak.
“Jojo” she
said “ you want to know why there is no Christmas snow. I cannot say but the Ice
Giants know.”
So Jojo
looked at Grandad and Grandad looked at Jojo then they set off to find the Ice
Giants. Together they walked ten thousand thousand steps and slept a hundred
hundred sleeps until they found themselves looking up at the freezing snowy
mountains in the far far north where the Ice Giants live.
“What do we
do now?” asked Jojo and her Grandad said:
“ First we
need a gift, for Ice Giants will need a gift and then……
Late at
night when the sky is clear and the moon is full but the dark is deep
When your
eyes are closed and you think you sleep, then you shall hear the Ice Giants
speak.”
So Jojo and
her Grandad gathered all the twigs and branches that they could find and chopped
and cut and wove and sewed to make a doll present for the Ice Giants.
Then later
that night when the sky was clear and the moon was full but the dark was deep
Jojo and her Grandad stood in the deep mountain snow with their gift of wood
and twigs made into a doll in front of them. And soon Ice Giants came and took
their gift and stood just a few steps away, so tall and cold and wide and wild
but all the while watching and watching. And Jo jo and her Grandad couldn’t
help but feel a little bit afraid but by and by Jojo began to feel sleepy, so
she closed her eyes and she thought of sleep and just then the Ice Giants began
to speak.
“Jojo” they
said “ you want to know why there is no Christmas snow. Hear it now and hear it
true, tell all you see and their friends as well; it is just too hot. When it
is cold we grow and grow and when we grow we will visit with our frost and ice
and snow.”
And the Ice
Giants breathed, and their breath was snow, and Jojo heard them say “We have
magic, simple magic, deep magic, magic as old life itself, here it is : Give
back what you take, eat what you grow,
make friends with wild, plant trees, and
now you must go…..”
As they said
that their snowy breath wrapped around Jojo and her Grandad and it began to
spin faster and faster, faster and faster until Jojo and her Grandad didn’t
know which way was up and which way was down and they spun and spun thorough
the freezing air until, suddenly as sudden they were back at home.
Then Jojo
looked at Grandad and Grandad looked at Jojo and they set off to spread the
magic of the Ice Giants. Together they have walked ten thousand million steps
and have slept a hundred thousand sleeps and they give their magic message to
all who they meet:
Give back
what you take, eat what you grow, make friends with the wild, plant trees.
Will you
spread it too?
One day I may
make this into a book but until then please feel free to adapt, modify, add,
subtract and make it suitable for you. Any illustrations would be great as
well! Steve
