The Llama & Koala
- Leo & Koda -
Story & Illustrations © ‘For our Kids Someday’
It
has been raining cats and dogs,
the
skys’ been nothing but gray,
our
gigantic suns’ been hiding day after day.
Today
is so different, the storm clouds rolled away,
now
it's time for Leo the Llama to get out
and play!
Kid
Bud, Koda Koala, will be waiting outside.
Leo
is frantically fumbling with laces to get his shoes tied.
One
toe out, he gasped at Mama’s posted 'Fridge List'
Sadly grumbling
knowing he must not resist–
having
no choice but to enlist.
Leo,
{no going out} till your 'Chore' day is done.
He
turned into SadSack, so anxious to have fun.
Mama,
he said with his lip in a pout,
Koda
is waiting to run all about,
pllleeeaaassseee,
can I go, it's just so sun-shiny out.
I
know you’ve got ants in your pants to get out to play,
but
rules are rules, then you can be on your way!
Leo
moped in such a quandary,
yet
conceded and started with laundry;
folding
pants, tank tops, undies, and shirts,
matching
socks, folding jammies, jackets, and skirts.
Koda
knocked, asking what he could do–
chores
are more fun when done by two!
Mama
agreed to let Koda help out,
now
Leo and Koda were goofball twirling about~
running
‘round and
sliding on floors
wearing
fluffy dryer socks while stuffing the drawers.
Mama
got a whirl out
of their childish silliness
~still
a sock slider ~ even a grocery cart rider~
Next
on the list was cleaning up toys;
putting
away cars, trucks, and trains that make noise;
Legos
and blocks, bouncing balls and bats,
stuffed
animal giraffes and smiling Cheshire cats.
Toybox
is bursting
seams…
time
to move on to other things.
Zero
o’ dust, although no muss or fuss
mostly
just whiffing & wheezing!
They
shook out rugs while bagging the trash;
with
two, it was E-z/P-z.
Out
to the garden to pull up weeds,
mow
the grass and rake up leaves…
small
break to admire the flowers and bees. {viaKristenQueenBee}
Back
on kitchen tasks ~
snuck
'unnoticed' snax.
Washed
and dried bowls, pans, forks, and knives.
Carefully
wiped the stove so as not to ignite,
then
polished the counters, shiny and bright.
Up
to the bedroom to tuck sheets and fluff beds,
assuring
pillow fights between those two knuckleheads,
with giggles and feathers filling the air
~ no Goofs here ~ MamaLlama,
the white glove inspector will soon be upstairs.
Bubble
scrub the tub while de-toothpasting the mirror–
Just
make it clean; you know what I mean!
With
each soapy sponge swipe, their reflections got clearer;
dreams
of escaping drawing nearer and nearer.
Mama
was delighted ~ now that you’re done
just
promise me one thing ~ you’ll have tons o’ fun ~
Now
skip on out, and as always,
don't
let the doorknob hit ya
where
the good Lord split ya!
Tossed
hard balls - parched, sipping water from the hose.
Clipped
playing cards to their bicycle spokes
~clickety-clack~
annoying
neighbors with rambunctious boyish sounds
popping
wheelies single file all over town.
Paid
a visit to the candy shop ~
ate
junk food ‘till their buttons popped!
Stopped
by the river to take a Dip,
back
to race bikes as they “Schvitz”...
Drip,
Drip, Drip.
Off
to the merry-go-round for a spin–
faces
sore from their dizzy grins.
Shoveling
deep in sandbox piles,
polishing
treasures through gritty smiles.
Koda
taught Leo how to climb a tree,
found
shapes in the clouds, floating free.
Told
jokes and laughed till their bellies hurt.
Made
royal castles out of sand and dirt.
Hopscotch,
jump rope, and hula hoop,
tic-tac-toe,
and Rubix cube, too.
Knuckling
down marbles and magic tricks;
collecting
shiny rocks and cool wand-like-Schticks,
{j-amigo-ism}
Showing-off
somersaults and risky backflips.
Ears
perk up at the dinner bell,
noses
sniff skyward toward suppers super smells.
Totally
Buddy-Bummed to part ways,
hungry
rumbles bring an end to their play.
High-fives
~ fist bumps ~ secret handshake
wraps
up another Epic PlayDay.
Co-Creators, Ink - By: Kristen Balyeat & Jay Kantor
- Vocal Village Community -
About the Creator
Jay Kantor
Retired: Write for "The Kids Someday"
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Comments (38)
Fun work Jay and Kristen! 😁 Well done! Who did the cool drawings throughout?☺️ “ don't let the doorknob hit ya where the good Lord split ya!” - hahah. 😊👏
Congratulations on top story 🎉🎉🎉
Oh my goodness! How did I miss this?! This is so delightful, fun, and fresh. Wonderful story, Jay! 😊
I love the drawings of your stories, congratulations for top story.
Jay ~ This is another well-deserved Top Story! It is always a pleasure to take these journeys with you! Fantastic job collaborating. :)
Jay! This is such a sweet story! I love how much fun Leo and Koda had cleaning and playing! Also, you and Kristen made such cute art to go along with the story! Great job as always!!!
Mart: As your long time biz partner, and Life-Time Friend: Following an illustrious career as a writer of so many Franchise's. Who knew you would morph into an 'illustrator' and writer of Children's stories; Ah, progress. Can you get me a j.o.b. in this new 'Schtick' of yours. You can take the lead this time, "Probably."
So nice, it got TS twice!
Loved this from the two of you!! This brought back so many memories of my own childhood. What a wonderful nostalgic trip!! Kudos to both you and Kristen :) Congrats on TS! ~H
Back to say congrats that this got Top Story. It seems right as Kristen's got it too :) Well done, sir!
I love the drawings and the critters! Congratulations on Top Story!
You both submitted it! Like that idea! Currently in Greece, completely missed this being published. The same story making a top story twice by 2 authors got to be a 1st! Nicely done, and still smiling at this from the 1st read through. ❤️
I read this on Kristen Balyeat sight and loved it Congratulations on this
Read it, did not have time for a comment, not surprised it got the Top Story crown! Wonderful, wonderful, wonder... full !
Kathryn: Congratulations to both Jay and Kristen on their unique and entertaining cooperative work. The story is darling, and the illustrations capture the childlike fun of this rhyming adventure that is so evocative of the play we enjoyed as children. I am not surprised that this gained top entry designation.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Delightful children's story!!! Loved it!!!💕❤️❤️ Congratulations on Top Story too!!!
Such a beautiful and fun poem and illustration. I could see this as a children's book. Congrats on top story!
Congrats on Top Story!🥳🥳🥳
I love this so much. What a fun collaboration. Congrats!!!
Your perseverance is both admirable and motivating. Keep forging ahead!
Simply wonderful. Congrats, you two. Well done.
Congratulations on the Top Story!
Such a joyous poem -made me smile the whole way through, and the illustrations are whimsical and perfect! 🤍 Fab collab!
J, you have found your true calling! This brought back sooo many memories, especially cards flapping against bike tire spokes. Congrats on a well-deserved TS!