Riverstone is a quiet town where odd things happen as a matter of course — whether it’s an ant colony taking a banana to the moon, a raccoon trying to be a streetcar, or a chameleon finding his purpose in life.
The ten short stories in this collection are whimsical, calm, and a little off-kilter. There are no villains, no battles, and no dramatic twists — just strange, gentle happenings in a world that follows its own quiet logic.
It's a strange place. You'd want to stay.
Riverstone is a quiet town where odd things happen as a matter of course — whether it’s an ant colony taking a banana to the moon, a raccoon trying to be a streetcar, or a chameleon finding his purpose in life.
The ten short stories in this collection are whimsical, calm, and a little off-kilter. There are no villains, no battles, and no dramatic twists — just strange, gentle happenings in a world that follows its own quiet logic.
It's a strange place. You'd want to stay.
In a deep forest, in a big house upon a hill, lived Lynxe. She lived with her parents, brothers, sisters, and her old grandma. They all loved her very much, and called her “Princess Lynxe”.
From her window, Princess could see a huge mountain, behind which the Sun would hide every night.
When she was very little, Lynxe would look over to the mountain and think to herself, “One day, I’ll grow up and the mountain won’t be so huge anymore, because I’ll be a grown-up. Then I’ll see where the Sun goes every night.”
And so, Princess grew up and began going to school, but the mountain did not grow smaller.
“Well then, I’ll climb the huge mountain and see for myself where the Sun sleeps.” Lynxe decided.
She told her parents about her trip, took her knapsack, and set off one beautiful early morning.
Princess Lynxe walked for a long time. First, she clawed her way through many prickly shrubs. Then, she wet her paws in a cold mountain river. She was surrounded by large, majestic trees, whose names she did not know.
The next day, Lynxe arrived at the foot of the mountain, which looked even bigger up close.
“I could still go home,” Lynxe thought. Yet her wish to know the Sun’s secret was greater than her fear. Lynxe adjusted her knapsack and began to climb.
Up and up, she climbed, until she reached the very top of the mountain. It was cold. Snow fell upon the grey stones in big flakes. She shivered and looked around. Dusk had set in, and she could see nothing below. Lynxe found a small cave on the mountain, curled up inside it, and went to sleep.
“Tomorrow, I’ll find out what’s on the other side of the mountain,” Princess Lynxe thought before falling asleep.
But next morning, the whole mountaintop was covered in fog, which was so thick that Lynxe couldn’t see her own paws.
“Fine. I’ll wait until I can see!” The lynx stubbornly turned up her nose, and twitched her whiskers. She found a tasty snack deep in her knapsack, took it out and began to eat.
By midday, the mist began to clear up.
“Yaay!!!” Princess Lynxe whooped. “Now I’ll see what’s down below.”
Princess began to peer into the unknown, but all she could see was something big and blue. There were no trees or shrubs, and no fields. Just a large stretch of blue. Sometimes, little foamy tops would run across this strange surface, as though hundreds of small white bunnies were prancing about.
“Who or what is that?” Lynxe frowned.
The blue thing was slowly moving about as if breathing.
“I can see that you’re alive. I can see you breathing!” Princess Lynxe shouted down at it.
“Whoosh,” she heard in reply.
“Who are you?”
“Whoosh…”
Princess started thinking. She suddenly remembered one of her grandma’s tales about water giants who would travel for many, many years and then pick a spot to rest and sleep. When a giant had a good dream, its surface was smooth and blue like the sky, and when it had a bad dream, the water would darken and get covered in big, scary waves.
“So, you’re a sleeping giant?” Lynxe smelled the air. The chilly breeze brought with it a strange, fresh smell, just like her grandma had told her about.
“I know who you are!” Princess Lynxe shouted down at it once more. “You’re Ocean the Giant.”
The Ocean gave the princess a wave.
“Oh, sorry. You’re sleeping.” Lynxe covered her mouth with her paws. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I’ll just sit here on the mountain, to see where the sun hides.”
Princess found a nice sun-warmed rock and began to wait. Soon, the sun began to go down to the water’s surface. Lynxe stood up to full height, afraid of missing the main event.
The Sun let out its last ray, waving good-bye to the princess, and disappeared beneath the water.
“I get it now.” Lynxe smiled. “You hid in Ocean the Giant’s home to watch his dreams with him.”
Princess curled up and yawned happily.
“Tomorrow, I’ll go home and tell Grandma all about the Giant and the Sun.”
***
I go forth to seek the light,
Through the darkness, fog, and mist.
Let my heart help me go on,
The unknown I can’t resist.
The world is filled with possibility, especially for those with the imagination to consider what could be. Riverstone is a particularly magical place where humans, animals, and more interact in beautifully unique ways. Rich emotions are explored and memorable adventures occur around the town in myriad settings and circumstances, bringing residents together with frequency. Each day brings surprises and lessons to learn from, and the town becomes more detailed with every story that is shared.
This collection of stories investigates the natural world from the perspective of a creative reality in which everyday animals and objects have anthropomorphic characteristics. From friendly plants who do not wish to be locked up to ladybugs who eat nightmares, there is no limit to the potential of these tales. And each one connects young readers to the endless potential found in creative thinking.
Written for a young audience, this collection is approachable whether it is being read aloud to pre-readers or being read independently by elementary school-aged readers. Straightforward phrases are delivered in the style of a fable or fairy tale, which makes the tales particularly comfortable for young readers. Even though the actual stories are new to the canon of children’s literature, the succinct and familiar style of the delivery of these tales will resonate with readers of all ages. At the end of each short story, a brief poem is included that summarizes the plot in a playful and singsong manner.
Though the stories are told using very few pages, the messages within each narrative are clear and resonant. By celebrating the natural world, this collection offers young readers countless ways to connect with their surroundings and endeavor to protect them for generations to come. Computer rendered illustrations punctuate each story, further connecting young readers to specific plot points while making the book visually stimulating at the same time. Clever and well designed for short reading sessions, this collection of creative stories is a positive addition to libraries that embrace environmental conservation and creative imagination.