The Basketball Tree (And Other Stories)

By Shawn J. Wells

Six amazing children's stories, all in one place. Remember the great stories our parents read to us when we were kids? Here are tales to enjoy together as a family, over and over. Laughter and good memories all in the palm of your hand:

Apples and Bananas: Ever have your food fight over you? Little Johnny needs to decide what fruit to have for a snack. Maybe they'll choose for him!

The Basketball Tree: George loves basketball more than anything else in the world. When he loses all of his basketballs except one, he thinks his days of shooting hoops are over…until he comes up with an idea. No one thinks it will work, but George won't give up. What does happen when you plant a basketball?

I Heard Nothing: A brother and sister argument that gets sillier and sillier, right down to the last word.

The Amazing Family Automobile: Time to take a trip. With a lot of things getting in their way, will this family ever make it to Grandma's house? Their unusual car just might make the impossible happen.

The Kid Over My Bed: Look at the world through the eyes of the monster living under Katie's bed. Sometimes life is hard for everyone.

Larry The Pigeon: Meet a very special pigeon who lives in a park in the big city. Everyone loves Larry, but Mister Zumza the pet store owner thinks Larry is special enough to make him a lot of money. Will Larry ever get back home to his nice, big park?

Children are sure to enjoy the whimsical imagery on every page and remember these stories for a lifetime. There might just be a little hidden meaning in each one, too.

Bring a smile to a child's face by reading to them today. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shawn J. Wells
• Release date: May 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781498990189

Shawn J. Wells

Living in rural Northern New York, Shawn J. Wells divides his time between writing and a "real" job, although it's easy for him to say which one gives him more satisfaction. Wells looks at writing as a gift, and one meant to be shared.  He is married and together with his wife, Heather, raises three boys all similar in age.  Some days it's a toss-up which holds more adventure, the world he creates while writing or his own living room.

Book preview

The stories in this book are meant to be read out loud.  Parents reading to children, kids reading to their parents.  Tales that are silly, or stories of incredible things, and a few that are just plain fun.

Stories, in other words, that are meant to be enjoyed.

A quick word about the last story in this selection, Larry the Pigeon.  I'm more proud of that one than all the others.  My son Connor, who was just nine years old at the time, wrote that story.  Oh, my wife and I added a few things to it, but the story is all his.  The words you hear Larry speak are words that he wrote.  The people you meet in the story are ones that he created.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

Good job, Connor.  I figure there's a Larry the Pigeon trying to make his way home in all of us.  I'm glad you found yours.

These stories are works of fiction.  The people, places, and events in them are not meant to represent anything real (I mean, a monster under your bed?  If you have one under your bed, I promise it's not the same one you'll read about here).  Any similarity to any person living or dead, or any places or things is purely coincidental.  (Do you have a flying car?  If you do I'd love to hear about it.)

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form either by print or electronic means without the express written consent of the author.  Please do not participate in or encourage the stealing of this copyrighted material in violation of the author’s rights.  However, if you enjoyed this book, feel free to lend it to your friends and encourage them to buy it as well.

And, of course, read these stories as often