Recently, I was delighted to receive the following email through my website: -
Hi - I work at Upperby Primary School Carlisle and one of our classes has been reading ‘TheWolf’s Footprint.’ Their class teacher has asked them to write their own ending to the story and the children would like to email you theirs. I do appreciate you may not be able to answer them all, but I would be grateful if you receive them could you possibly reply to one or even reply back to me.
Thank you.
Mrs Denise Cannon
I sent back a reply saying that I would be very happy to see the children’s endings. I enjoyed writing ‘The Wolf’s Footprint, and I love reading it in schools, so I was curious to see what the children had to say, and how they would have ended the book themselves.
For those who don’t know the book, it’s a fairy-tale, set in that familiar old-fashioned fairy-tale land. It begins like Hansel and Gretel with two children, a girl, Elka, and a boy, Daw, being abandoned in the forest by their parents. They are rescued by wolves, who show the children how they can shape-change by drinking water from a wolf’s footprint…
I enjoyed reading the email’s so much, and was so struck by the inventiveness, that I asked if I could put them on my blog and email, and received this reply:
Hello SusanThank you so much for your reply. I have just read this out to my first group of children and in fact Mrs Lancaster, their class teacher, just happened to be here also. They were all really happy when I told them you had replied. Mrs Lancaster, myself and the children are very excited to hear that you would like to put their endings to the Wolf's Footprint on your website so of course the answer is yes we will certainly be looking forward to seeing them on there.Best WishesFrom Denise Cannon (ICT teacher) and everyone in Fantasia Class
The children’s emails follow: -
Message: our class heve been reeding wolfs footprint it was amaising elka and daw most be brave we have nilly finnisht it and this is my ennding is hear it gose i woud like elka and daw to live whith the king and the hunters to find find the mother and father and all live in the kins castel so they will help evrybody and the poor people not poor and live happly eaver after hope you like it but not as good as yours. from your biggest fan chloe
Message: Our class has been reading The Wolf's Footprint.It is a very awsome book.I's beter than my story's I love.oh we have done our own ennding .Here's my'n.Daw loocked for Elka and took her to the Man's footprint but all there fammily died .However the King died to and all of them had a funrell. The end.
Message: this is my ending to the wolv's footprint story when daw walk up he went to the fire, the king said wear gouwing to find your sisster then daw asked cane we find my mum and dad to ok, declade the king.they fownd daw's sisster,mum and dad they where so happy to see each other they went to the fun fair together they had a good day out. and as for the wolve's they stade in the forest they all lived happy ever after.
Message: My ending to the wolfs footprint story is When Daw was hunting they came accross Elka.She wined "Daw how are you a human again?"
Come with me,"ansewed Daw
He lead Elka to the mans footprint.Unfortunetly,there where no water it had all absobed into the mud...Luckily by looking into Daw's eye's she turned into a human
Message: my ending to the wolf's footprint is The King takes Daw to Elka. Daw prswaids Elka to drink from the man's footprint. Daw and Elka live happily however there parents starve to death.
And, I also recieved this one, from EmilyRuddock -
Message: Dear Ms Price,
I just wanted to let you know how much pleasure your work has brought me. When I was maybe 10 years old I read The Horn in Gene Kemp's compilation Ghouls, Ghosts and Other Nightmares. A few years after I left primary school, that story kept coming back to me but I couldn't remember its author. I tried Google, other authors, and various other websites, to no avail. For years I searched. Finally I found it again. I'm 23 now, I bought Kemp's compilation, and The Horn is still one of my favourite stories within it. It must have affected me in a big way when I was ten years old. Thank you for that. I just wanted to let you know that you made a big impression on a little girl, and an adult won't ever forget that. Emily
And thank you, Emily! One of the joys of writing for children is that you get letters and emails like that, and although writers for adults get fan mail, and doubtless enjoy it, I don’t think they can ever get quite such a thrill as your email gave me!
I must go and look ‘The Horn’ up myself!
