First prize 10 and under
Danah Jang, age 10Westlake, OH
Finn, the Goat Picasso
I had a tawny-colored goat named Finn. I raised him after finding him in the fields. He was in poor condition, calling out with miserable, piercing wails.
The heart-melting scene convinced me to take him in. I fed him four times every day, and he grew up fast. Soon he was prancing around and greeting other goats with bleats. Sometimes he tried to eat my school assignments and my clothes, and every day he got more playful.
One day I had to make a painting for art homework, so I painted a picture of Finn, excited to show my class how I had a pet goat. I left the drawing in the barn, but I later found it with small bite marks in the paper and I looked up to see Finn chewing it! I yelled in frustration and told him that he wasn’t supposed to do that, but he just blinked in surprise.
Just then, I had a brilliant idea. I dipped Finn’s cloven hooves into my blue paint, then held a carrot across from him so that he would have to walk on the paper to get to me. While he nibbled the carrot, I glanced down at the paper. It was decorated with azure blue, and I could see the two cloves in each print! I then did that with colors red, yellow, and green.
When I showed everyone at school, they all marveled at my artwork, especially the teacher.