Sitting on the stone bench near the pear tree in the courtyard, Ronduin noticed a low branch that was just a stick. Unlike the rest of the branches, it had no leaves. “You know, ” he said to the chickens, “if the castle gardener were still here, he would have pruned that branch.” Ronduin stood on the bench. “Maybe I…
“Up to the tower or down to the courtyard?” This is what Ronduin asked himself as he opened the curtains in his bedroom at the first glimmer of light. He dressed and then took Apple and Pear from his pillow and walked over to the window and sat them on the windowsill where they too could survey the fields. …
By Karah Pino with Kim Allsup In the purple darkness of early morning, Mirabel quietly climbed down the ladder and made her way through the barn. She opened the small door and noticed an orange glow coming from the kitchen. Her legs felt bouncy and alive as the dream of running with Ronduin still lived in her. Walking around the corner of the barn,…
Roland led Mirabel and Rowan into the the great barn. The glow of the sunset still lingered in the sky, yet the barn was already a place of deep shadows. Mirabel blinked, but she could not blink away the darkness. Then, as her eyes got used to the dimness, she saw heavy wooden beams above, a dirt floor and cows…
Simone St. John continues her video series reading chapters five through seven of The Secret Prince in period costume. New videos are added to this post as they become available https://childrengrowing.com/2020/08/13/introducing-the-secret-prince-read-aloud-by-simone-st-john-chapter-one/ In these chapters the rain stops and all make ready to send the workers back to the village so they can help their families. How will Ronduin find important…
Simone St. John continues her video series reading chapters two through four of The Secret Prince in period costume. New videos are added to this post as they become available https://childrengrowing.com/2020/08/13/introducing-the-secret-prince-read-aloud-by-simone-st-john-chapter-one/ In these Chapters a flood grows around the castle and inundates the first floor. While workers carry all the furniture from the first floor to the second floor, and…
The Secret Prince is an ongoing story meant to support the inner journey of children in this challenging time. It is now available in a series of You Tube videos by Simone St John who reads the story in Medieval costume. Scroll down to access the videos “My two daughters have been enthralled for 3 days” For a text version…
Ronduin stepped out onto the balcony. It was strangely quiet now that the chickens had moved to the courtyard. The last glow of the evening sky provided enough light for Ronduin to find his old, gray blanket lying in a heap near the railing. A cool breeze brought Ronduin a sudden chill, so he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders.…
Preface to Chapter 41 New posting schedule: Find a new chapter each week on Tuesdays Children have endured a time of increased solitude. They have had their daily lives changed and still face an uncertain time as the world moves through the end of the pandemic and back to health. I am a retired teacher developing the story The Secret Prince to…
Preface to Chapter 40 New posting schedule: Find a new chapter each week on Tuesdays Children have endured a time of increased solitude. They have had their daily lives changed and still face an uncertain time as the world moves through the end of the pandemic and back to health. I am a retired teacher developing the story The Secret Prince to…
Growing Children 