Nicky Fifth at the Jersey Shore Contest Winners

Nicky Fifth at the Jersey Shore Stamp Stops

Guest Young Author Contest Winners

1st Place Guest Young Author – Claire Ernst,
Walter C. Black Elementary School, Hightstown, NJ

Stand Out

On the Sunday of Harvesting, Farmer Clank was out in the fields finding the best crops for his vegetable soup. His daughter and wife were around the corner sewing and stitching dresses for the fancy store on Mulberry Drive. Then, a flock of crows started flying down to the rows of carrots. Farmer Clank was on the other side of the farm so he didn’t see it.

While the crows were grabbing crops, three of the nine birds that went there were laughing at one crow. That crow’s name was Bob. I know that it’s a silly name, but that’s not why they were laughing. They were laughing at his one orange feather. He tried to fit in, but it was just impossible. He even tried to impress all of the other birds but it just didn’t work. So when the farmer noticed this, he came up with a machine. That machine was an invention that could turn regular feathers into orange colored feathers. So he put all of the birds, except Bob, in the machine. Suddenly, they noticed that the feather wasn’t that funny at all!

Soon, the birds and Bob became great friends and they found out that Bob was a very nice bird. They learned not to judge a bird by its feathers. And then they had some vegetable soup.

2nd Place Guest Young Author – Brielle Eike,
Katharine D. Malone Elementary School, Rockaway, NJ

The Journey of the Lost Penguin

One chilly day, a little Penguin named Pete was playing with his friends, Jesse, Alex, and Pablo. They went belly surfing on a very steep glacier near the North Pole. Pete went down first, he slid and slid until nobody could see him. When Pete stopped sliding he found himself in a gigantic cavern in the middle of nowhere! The cold cavern was too dark and too deep to get out. Pete had no food and no water whatsoever.

In about an hour, he began to get scared and miss his family and best friends. When Pete’s friends could not see him, they went back to their penguin village to tell Pete’s parents that they could not find him anywhere. As Pete worried and pondered, his family and friends were contemplating a plan to save him. Pete started wandering around to take a good look at the mystical place he was in. He saw crystals and diamonds and rubies! Pete couldn’t believe his eyes.

Meanwhile, back in the village, Pete’s family and friends slowly retraced Pete’s trail. They noticed some sparkly objects flying out of a hole in the slippery snow. It was Pete throwing the jewels. After he threw the diamonds, rubies, and crystals, they magically transformed into a glistening staircase. Pete was able to climb the stairs out to his family and friends!

With the magical jewels, the penguins were able to create an incredible sliding park for everyone to use. Now, the penguins had a safe place to play where no one would get hurt or lost ever again. Pete learned to be more careful in slippery areas and to always know that someone is there to help you.

3rd Place Guest Young Author – Kathleen Kelly,
Clearview Regional Middle School, Mantua, NJ

The Answer To Autumn

Summer comes to a close in September, but have you ever thought about how the leaves change color? How they fall from the wooden branches? Well, the answer may surprise you.

Chilly winds whispered through the leaves as autumn fast approached. They tried harder than ever, but the autumn leaves just wouldn’t fall. By the time sparkly snowflakes fell, the leaves rested on the frosty grass. You are probably wondering how the leaves got there. The answer is… Goblins.

Goblins are funny little reptile-like creatures that live in the trunks of trees. They’re very grouchy, and their brains are the size of the nuts they drop on little boys’ heads. So, let me tell you a nice story.

One autumn night, a village of Goblins gathered in the center of the tree trunk. King Goblin stood and got the other goblin’s attention.

“Goblins, autumn is here! We must paint the leaves warm colors to make us warmer!” he shouted.

Goblins scrambled in many directions, carrying cans of paint and brushes. They do this because they believe that if they paint the leaves warm colors, they will represent the sun and keep them warm during the chilly winter. All the goblins helped. By morning, every leaf was painted, and everyone slept.

After a few days, the Goblins felt no change. In fact, the Goblin Village seemed colder than ever! The Goblin King became very angry. He was so angry, he made the entire Goblin Village move to a new tree. He closed the front door with a THUMP!

That night, they painted the leaves, but it did nothing. And every day, they moved into a new tree. After painting every leaf, the King moved the Goblins back to their original tree. He tried to think of another way to become warmer, but nothing came into his tiny brain. So, until spring came, the Goblin Village was chilled to the bone. They shook in the icy weather, and so did the trees and every single leaf fell. So remember to watch out for their “nutty” tricks!