Gobolinks; or, Shadow Pictures for Young and Old

audiobook

Gobolinks; or, Shadow Pictures for Young and Old

by Albert Bigelow Paine, Ruth McEnery Stuart

EN·~24 minutes

Chapters

Description

A delightful guide invites readers to slip ink onto a blank sheet, fold it, and press, letting the unexpected shapes that emerge become the “Gobolinks” or “Shadow‑Pictures.” The pages are filled with quirky, often impossible creatures—elephants with endless tails, dogs with six legs, cats sporting two—each paired with playful verses that celebrate the surprise of imagination. With no brushes or pencils needed, the book turns a simple blot into a whimsical artwork that sparks curiosity in anyone who loves to see the world turned inside‑out.

Beyond the pages, the authors suggest a lively group game: participants race against a bell, create their own ink‑blots, compose short rhymes, and then share the results for friendly judging and prizes. The activity works equally well at a family gathering or a classroom, encouraging both young and old to revel in spontaneous creativity. It’s a charming invitation to pause, make something unexpected, and laugh together at the strange, beautiful monsters that appear.

Details

Language

en

Duration

~24 minutes (23K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Jason Isbell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

Release date

2011-03-02

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the authors

Albert Bigelow Paine

Albert Bigelow Paine

1861–1937

Best remembered as Mark Twain’s close friend and biographer, he also wrote lively travel books, children’s stories, humor, and verse. His work moves easily between literary history and a warm, adventurous storytelling style.

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Ruth McEnery Stuart

Ruth McEnery Stuart

1856–1917

Best known for vivid stories of Louisiana and the post-Civil War South, this American writer won readers with warm humor, sharp observation, and a strong ear for regional speech. Her fiction helped make local-color writing popular with magazine audiences in the late 19th century.

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