Young Contributors
If you have a story to tell, then tell it, and never give up until the world hears it.
-Esabella Strickland, Award Winning Author, 15 years old
If you told me at age 10 that I would write and have a novel published by the time I was 15, I would have laughed at you. When I was 10 years old, I hated reading because of my Dyslexia; also, because I was being bullied and socially alienated at my old school because of the way I learned. I was often separated from the class to get “extra help”. As a result, my confidence was so low, and I felt so alone and sad.
Created by Young Adventurer, Oliver, Aged 9
From ice hockey to snowshoeing, tobogganing to snowboarding – today a young adventurer named Oliver shares with us how his winters are not unlike any of his other childhood experiences – full of wonder and adventure. Oliver is so excited to speak to us as our young adventure ambassador, sharing with other kids all the ideas he came up with using his imagination, thoughts, and even his own creations. He does all of this with the encouragement and support of his family, who so eagerly follow his lead with skis and show shoes, sleighs and ice skates – through the snowy landscapes of Kelowna’s winter wonderland.
So, let’s take this winter adventure with Oliver as he leads us through his recommended winter activities with his family by his side, and the extra support of our story sponsor – Play It Again Sports.
Written by Sammie Vance, Youth Change-Maker
When I think of Christmas I think of family and traditions. This year will be a little bit different with the pandemic. There are some traditions that we will not be able to do, like big family gatherings, going to see the Christmas Carol, and watching a new movie in the theatre on Christmas Eve.
Written by Sammie Vance, Jr. Columnist
Hi! I’m Sammie Vance, and I’m so excited to be introducing myself to you today as the first-ever columnist for Kids News & Reviews! I was honoured when this was offered to me because of all of the work that I have done for my community through my own initiative with sammiesbuddybenchproject. I was also proud that their editor thought I had a voice strong enough to represent this blog as their first ever regular writer – especially considering that I’m 11 years old!
– Written by Justin Sather
My name is Justin Sather. I am 10 years old and I live in Los Angeles, California. Frogs are my favourite animal. I know a lot about frogs. Frogs are amphibians. They live on land and in water. There are over 5,000 different types of frogs that live around the world. I also know that frogs need our help.
Justin Sather, International Youth Changemaker
In Kindergarten I learned that frog populations are on the decline. Herpetologists discovered one-third of amphibian species are disappearing all over the world. They are shocked that so many frogs are dying. Frogs are indicator species. They breath and drink through their skin and this makes them sensitive to the environment. Sick frogs are telling us that the planet needs our help. Frogs have been alive for thousands of years. It made me sad to hear that frogs could go extinct. Frogs are interesting animals. It’s amazing that frogs start off as tadpoles. Also, I like all the bright coloured frogs. My favourite frogs are strawberry dart frogs, mossy, frogs, and the glass frog. All these frogs make the world more magical! My goal is to tell the world about the frogs. I want people to know frogs are telling us the planet needs our help. I want to teach people to take take of our planet. I started to sell toy frogs to my friends, family, classmates and neighbours, to raise awareness.
Written & Illustrated by Saraa, Age 12. Saraa lives in Vancouver, British Columbia
My name is Saraa and I am twelve years old. I’m really excited that my story will be shared on Kids News and Reviews. It’s about how I feel about this Thanksgiving. I am excited about this because I think that a lot of other kids might be feeling the way I do too, and that is why I’m writing this story.
I think a lot of other kids might be feeling like me this Thanksgiving even if they do not have to write an assignment about it.
-Saraa
Let’s make kindness contagious!
Written by Sammie Vance
Hi I’m Sammie Vance. I’m eleven years old and I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I love to spread kindness and encourage others that they can too! In 2017, when I was 8 years old, I heard about buddy benches at a church camp. A buddy bench is a place for when someone is lonely, shy or bullied, where they can sit on it and others will know to ask them to play. I had been lonely and knew other kids were too, so I knew my school needed them. I drew a comic explaining how a buddy bench worked and spoke to my principal. He said we would try and get one in a year since collecting 400 pounds of caps needed for one 6 foot bench may take awhile.
Being the go getter that I am, I did this project differently because I collected lots of plastic caps and lids myself to make the buddy benches! I spread the word by asking lots of friends, classmates, pharmacies, coffee shops and other businesses to help me collect caps. With the communities help, we collected 1,600 pounds of caps in only 2 months! This was enough for 3 buddy benches for my school with plenty of leftover caps to help other schools get started.
Advocacy has no age limit.
Written by Kate Gilman Williams, Youth Author & Animal Advocate
My name is Kate Gilman Williams. I am 10-years-old and live in Austin, Texas. I will be in 5th grade this school year. When I was 7, I traveled to South Africa and met an incredible safari guide named Michelle. Michelle taught me so many things about animals. She also told me that humans were the biggest threat to animals, causing many of them to be endangered and even face extinction!
Us students are growing up in a world that faces some of its biggest environmental challenges ever, and we will be the ones living with the consequences of all of the problems the planet is facing.
Written by Shalise Leesfield, Eco-Warrior

Every year, on Earth Day, it is a great reminder that we need to show our gratitude to Mother Nature. It’s a day where we come together to help protect our home, not just for our generation but also for those still to come. Earth Day began in 1970 and this year it turns 49, so ‘Happy Earth Day’ to our awesome planet. I hope we can all use this year’s Earth Day as a starting point for great change, and make every day an Earth Day. We can do this by looking at what can be done through the whole year and make taking care of the environment a regular part of how we all live. For me personally, I think it’s so important that my generation make sure they know exactly how to take care of the Earth, as we will be the caretakers of our planet in years to come. It is important that we all know what Earth Day means, and what we can do; not just one day a year, but every day so we can work together to keep the fragile environment free from further damage.
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