Inspired by the nursery rhyme “Rock-a-Bye Baby”
Since Mae was little, Nana’s house had always been more home than anywhere else. Standing tall and proud against the broad Midwest fields, Nana’s house was built on rules that were known but not spoken and ways that were right because Nana said so. The house was sturdy, holding in generations of life and death and only creaking with the effort of it. Mae had come to live there as a child but now that she was grown she could feel it all deep in her bones, stored like a future inheritance: Nana’s house and all the secrets that held it together.
Part of Once Upon a Rhyme, an anthology of original stories inspired by nursery rhymes from the authors of Snowy Wings Publishing.
About the Anthology
Once upon a time, there were rhymes.
Nursery rhymes have been a part of childhood around the world for as long as we can remember, passed down through generations. But what if we could see them in a new light? What if we could explore them from a different perspective, or in a time and place we never expected?
In ONCE UPON A RHYME, twelve young adult authors reimagine the verses we thought we knew for a brand-new audience. Whether it’s an enchanted rainstorm portending an unwelcome gift, a collapsing sky-bridge over a world cast in darkness, or a magic horn that causes mischief and mayhem, each fantastical tale offers a fresh perspective on the songs and poems we’ve heard a thousand times.
What happens when old rhymes are brought to life in new ways? The stories in these pages are just the beginning of the answer.
Publication Information
Snowy Wings Publishing (October 6, 2026)
Young Adult Short Stories
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-963870-28-2
Edited by Lyssa Chiavari