One of my favorite stories resulted from research I was doing for a column on local history for a weekly newspaper. As I read about the lives of the early pioneers who settled the region where I lived, I wondered, “What was it like for youngsters to live here during that time?”
As I pondered upon this, the story of Sarah Jane evolved. She and her family settled in the 1760s or thereabouts far from their city home. Because I live in New Hampshire and my research was focused here, the story, in my mind, took place here.
The story was published in four church school magazines for youngsters. Possibly it appealed to editors all over the country because I didn’t name the town or state where Sarah Jane lived and encountered Little Fawn. Therefore it could have been set in many areas where blackberries grew. (In the opening scene Sarah Jane is picking them.)
When I was asked to compile an anthology of my children’s stories, Tales of Adventure & Discovery, I chose this one as the lead. It’s a story I’ve always enjoyed and children do when I visit schools and libraries. My daughter even made dolls of Sarah Jane and Little Fawn to accompany me to school.
©2006
(If you have questions or information to share, e-mail me: me.allen@juno.com; type “children’s story blog” in the subject line. Learn more about the anthology, Tales of Adventure & Discovery by visiting my web site: http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/jetent/mea )
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