Civil War dog stories available to NNA papers

Jan 4, 2012

COLUMBIA, MO—A serialized story for young readers is now available to National Newspaper Association member newspapers at no cost. “Patriotic Pals, Tails of the Civil War” is a nine-chapter historical fiction story highlighting pups with a purpose—dog mascots from the Civil War.
Newspapers have access to the story for six months through a special partnership with the Missouri Press Foundation. This is the fourth year NNA and MPF have offered newspapers a story to help them reach out to young readers in their communities. This year’s story commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War (1861-1865).

Each chapter in “Patriotic Pals,” features a canine that participated in, or witnessed, a fray or major Civil War battle, from St. Louis to Pennsylvania, concluding in Illinois with Fido, the beloved mutt Lincoln left behind when he was called to Washington to serve as president. 

To download the story, visit www.mo-nie.com and use download code: nnaread. NNA members have access to a promotional ad to let readers know when you’ll begin publishing the story, nine chapter features, a teacher guide and rules for publication.

“Patriotic Pals, Tails of the Civil War,” is written by Chris Stuckenschneider, an author from Washington, MO, who wrote the serial “Twist of Fate: The Miracle Colt and His Friends.” “Twist of Fate” was the NNA Reading Across the Nation serialized story in 2009. Stuckenschneider also writes monthly book columns, available free to newspapers nationwide, through MPA. Learn more at www.cstuckenschneider.com.

Each chapter in “Patriotic Pals, Tails of the Civil War” is provided in a print-ready format and includes a newspaper activity within the feature. The elementary companion teacher guide reinforces comprehension and other skills. The guide may be distributed to teachers or posted on your newspaper’s website.

Please read the full rules included in the download, but in summary:

l Your newspaper may access “Patriotic Pals” files from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2012.
l You cannot put the story on your website unless it is a secure site.
l You can’t change the story or the credits—but you may add your own credits to include your newspaper and sponsors.
l If you plan on publishing the story in more than one newspaper operated by your company, you must log in under each newspaper’s name so there is an accurate record of all the publications participating in the project.

For more information, contact Sara Dickson at saradickson@nna.org or 573-777-4980 or Dawn Kitchell at Missouri Press, dawn.kitchell@gmail.com or 636-932-4301.