"Do children know how to make up stories anymore?"

That's what my friend, Miriam, said to me in an email this morning. It gave me pause for thought.

I'd told her that I'm taking a wordless picture book with me today when I read with first graders at a local elementary school, and then with children at a community center later in the afternoon. The book is Fox and Hen Together by French author/illustrator Beatrice Rodriguez. I found it yesterday when I went looking for different and funny and potentially-engaging books to read with these children.

The illustrations tell a funny story about a chicken who lives with a fox and who goes fishing because there's nothing to eat in their refrigerator. Before she goes, she leaves her unhatched egg in the care of the fox.

There's plenty of potential there.

The fun part was that I was wrong about the first part of the story, and very pleasantly surprised by the ending. But in order to get to the ending, I had to tell myself a story as I went along. Some wordless picture books are simple, straight-forward stories. This one is more sophisticated. I thought it might be fun to read with the groups today and let them make up their own group stories.

Then Miriam asked if children know how to do that anymore.

I don't know.

Some do, I would guess. Others may not. Whenever I visit schools these days, I talk to the children about using their imaginations and keeping their eyes and ears open because stories are in the air around them. The teachers always thank me afterward for having said that. Their students don't use their imaginations anymore, they tell me. There's no need.

No need. That's pretty incredible to contemplate. People have been making up stories and telling, singing, drawing, and dancing them since time began. And now, at the height of civilization, we no longer need to do that?

I hope to be surprised today. The two reading groups are quite different, yes. But they're all children. Children are the people who sing to themselves and wear odd costumes, imagining themselves to be super heroes or princesses, or any other imagination-created character. It will be interesting to see what they make of Fox and Hen Together. I will let you know.

And, hopefully, I'll be able to email Miriam and say, "They sure do!"