Week 11 Reading Diary, Continued: Celtic Fairy Tales

Continued reading diary with highlights of Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).

King O'Toole and his Goose
The old King was no longer to hunt and fish and be outdoorsy like he so loved to do. This also meant the people didn't respect him as much. The kings old age required that he have something to fetch him his hunt and play game with, so he got a goose. Then eventually the goose aged as well and was no good. One day St. Kelvin came to his disguised as a boy and made a deal to made the goose young and new if King O'Toole gave him all the land under the goose. The deal was made and then St. Kelvin revealed himself to the King. The goose was eventually killed when he caught an eel instead of a trout.

The King holding his goose

The Shee An Gannon and the Gruagach Gaire
This was an extremely long story about a fairy of Gannon and the once laughing goblin. The fairy man wanted to win the kings daughter for marriage, but to do this he first had to find out why the goblin who used to always laugh loudly never laughs anymore. Should he fail his head would be put on a stake with the previous other 11 suitors who failed to solve the mystery. He went on a journey and become the cow herder of the goblin to find out why he no longer laughs. I couldn't tell you how it ended because it was so long and weaving that I couldn't bring myself to follow it consciously all the way through.

Beth Gellert
This was an incredibly sad story. The king had his favorite and best hunting dog, a great dane named Gellert. One day when he went outhunting Gellert didn't come so he didn't return with much game and he was angry. Gellert greated him happily at the gate but he was covered in blood, dripped from his mouth. The King though immediately to his baby so he went to check on him. Sure enough when he entered the room the baby was gone and the crib turned over. Without hesitation the King stabbed the dog. The the baby cried and he saw a dead wolfs body beside it. How sad.... he killed the dog who saved his babies life. And Gellert looked at him with such loving eyes. Now the dogs grave is in the castle yard and everyone must look at it when the pass by.

The Tale of Ivan
Ivan and his wife lived in a place with no work so he went off and became a farmer for a man and earned 3 pounds each year. At the end of a few years the man gave him advice instead of wages until finally Ivan wanted to go home to his wife. On the last day the bosses wife gave him a cake to give to his wife once they were happy again. On the way home he followed the advice and he was spared unlike his friends. When he got home he and his wife gave the king apurse of jewels they had been given. Then the king made him his servant. They then broke apart the cake and in it was all the wages from the years he worked. Honesty was the best policy for Ivan.

Andrew Coffey
This grandfather knew everyone and the land well so it was a surprise when one day he and his horse got lost in the woods. They came up a cabin in the woods and Andrew was sitting by the fire warming when a voice told him to tell him a story. He would not so a man who was thought to be dead jumped out from the cupboard. He ran and the man chased him. He climbed in a tree and four other men put the cupboard man on a stick on top of a fire to roast him. Andrew was put in charge of not letting him burn. He was thinking deeply when the cupboard man untied himself. Then Andrew ran again and ended back in the cabin. Again a voice told him to tell and story and this time he did- the story of that night from start to finish. 

Brewery of Eggshells
A mom left her twin babies alone one day and as she returned she saw blue elves crossing the road. Her babies were fine when she got inside so all was well. Until, neither of them ever grew, then everyone including her husband suspected something was wrong. She went to the smart guy of the village and he told her to made a eggshell brew for the reaper and to stand at the door to listen to see if her babies talked about baby things of adult things. She did this and heard mature things so she knew they weren't her babies. She threw them in the river as instructed and they turned blue. The other elves saved them and she got her real babies back.

Week 11 Reading Diary: Celtic Fairy Tales

Reading diary covering "Celtic Fairy Tales" by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).

Connla and the Fairy Maiden
Connla was the son of the king, Conn. One days fairy appeared and everyone could hear her speaking but only COnnla could see her. She loved COnnla and wanted him to come away to her land with her. The king didn't want this so he got his Druid to cast a spell in the fairies direction and no longer could they see or hear her, but she tossed an apple to Connla. He ate only that for a month, the apple kept re-growing. After a month the fairy reappeared to see and hear and she enticed Connla to be even more in love with her. He jumped in her canoe at seas and took off with her to her land to love her and never be seen again.

The Field of Boliauns
A man named Tom was walking home beside a line of bushes when he heard a noise up ahead. When he came to it he saw a Leprechaun and a dark pitcher of liquid. He asked what it was and the Leprachuan said beer made of heath not malt like Tom guessed. Tom wanted to try it but the Leprachaun was rude so Tom snatched him up but spilt all the beer in the process. Then since he didn't get to try the beer he demanded that the Leprachaun take him to his gold. He took him to a field of boulians (ragweed plant) and to the one that the gold was buried under. Tom tied a red fabric around the one and went home to get a trowel. He told the Leprechaun not to move the red bow and to go away, he said okay. When Tom returned all of them had red bows on them now. Tom was defeated and empty handed.

Leprechaun and his pitcher of beer

The Horned Women
One night a rich woman was carding wool by the fire while her family and servants slept then there was a knock at the door. One horned woman witch entered and she had a horn on her head. She sat by the fire and carded wool as fast ad lightning. This happened 11 more times until 12 witched were carding, weaving, using the wheel, each one had a horn more than the last until the final one had 12 horns. They put a spell on the woman to make her still and not able to speak and they told her to make them a cake. She went to the well and got water for the cake. The well told her to say something when she returned, she did this and the witched fled. While they were gone she took care of their spells to prevent them from coming back. The witche made a cake while she was gone, of the families blood, and she fed that to the sleeping people. She did other things and when the witched returned

The Shepherd of Myddvai
He always took his sheep to a lake and one day three beautiful maidens came out around him and danced and sang. He gave one the bread he had but she said it was too hard and went into the water. The next day he gave her softer bread but she said too soft. The third day he gave her bread from the lakes edge and she said shed marry him. They got married and she took cows/oxen from the lake with her to their home. They had three sons. The shepherd unfortunately tapped the lake bride three times too hard and she ended their marriage. She returned to the lake with her animals and they left a trail on the ground. She only came out once to give her sons the healing gifts and they became doctors.

The Sprightly Tailor
A king hired the tailor to stich him an outfit for a large bonus, but the catch was that he had to do it in a church at night time that was supposedly haunted. No one had even gone there at night and stayed. The tailor was sprightly and agreed to this. When he was sitting on a grave stone stitching inside the church the floor shook and huge ghostly head appeared saying "Do you not see this head of mine" and the tailor said "I see it but I sew this." This happened multiple times until finally the ghosts whole body was almost out of the ground and then the tailor finished with long stitches and ran out. The ghost was fully out of the floor now and was chasing him. The tailor made it safely into the castle and the ghost was mad. The tailor got his nice bonus from the king.

Munachar and Manachar
These two Muna and Mana went out and picked raspberries each day, but just as they picked them Mana ate all of them. Muna was mad and wanted to end this by hanging Mana but to do this he needed a gad, which needed a rod, witch needed a flag, which needed water, which needed a deer, etc, etc. Until finally he got the end and was able to use a sieve to give someone water and they gave him what he needed so he could go through the chain and give each what they requested until finally he got him gad to hang Mana. But by them he discovered that Mana had burst from eating all the berries. What a tiring story, even to just read.

Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree
Silver tree was jealous of her daughters beauty, gold tree so she set out to eat her heart and liver. The trout in the well outside their castle kept telling silver that gold was prettier and so he caused all these problems. The dad wanted to keep Gold safe so he married her to a prince in another place. The mom sailed there and pricked her finger with poison. She laid dead until lock and key until the princes second wife pulled out the prick. Then the mother, Silver returned again but with a drink of poison. She had to drink first bc it was a custom so the second wife tapped it and it really went down Silver's throat and killed her. Then the prince lived forever with both of his wives. I liked this story. I also liked how the end ended with "So I left them" instead of "they lived happily ever after."

Week 10 Reading Diary, Continued: Native American Hero Tales

Reading diary continued for the Native American Hero Tales unit. Story source: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).

Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away
This was a really weird story. In the beginning a witch killed a woman and took her two babies out of her stomach throwing one in the river and one behind the curtain in the tipi. The father found the one in the house and raised him, then the two of them got the other one from the river. The boys became rebellious but also heroes; their father kept warning them of dangerous things that existed that they should avoid but each time the disobeyed and found the thing or person and killed it or destroyed it. I found myself saying how many more times will this happen... how many more times will this dad tell them not to do something knowing they will do it. Then, I didn't see much of a point to this story; especially because in the end no death or harm ever actually came to the boys and instead they lived happily forever as heroes. This story had some very weird things happen.

The Son-in-Law Tests
The title of this story definitely gives away what it was about. A father kept killing all of his daughters husbands by tricking them into doing tasks or they lost in competitions and were killed. All he killed except for one who kept beating him at the tasks or outsmarting him. They probably did around 10 different things, all very concisely told but again I was annoyed at how many there were. Finally the father-in law was killed out on the ocean by the son in law calling up the waves. Some weird aspects were in this story as well, the son had to pick and eat lice from the fathers head, etc.

The Jealous Father
Another story involving someone getting left somewhere while the other person paddled away in the canoe. Also another story where people transform between birds and people, it sounds like native Americans really have a strong connection with nature and especially birds. A man had two wives and one gave him a son. But this son fooled around with the fathers other wife so the father left him stranded on an island. A walrus rescued him and took him to the main land. The father sent lightning and other things to harm him but his mother sent the walrus and things to help him. He eventually made it back and he caught the forest on fire and made the sea boil. He burned up his father and saved his mothers. Then they decided to become birds, the son became a whiskey jack.

Whiskey Jack

Dirty-Boy
The sun and the star of the sky looked upon a village with 2 beautiful girls of the chief who rejected all their suitors. The sun and star decided to go down to earth and see what the two women were about/if the sun could marry them. They made themselves a poor persons hut and the sun became a dirty, sick boy, the stars his old grandmother. The chief had two competitions for his daughters suitor and dirty boy won them both. Finally the chief gave the daughters to him. The eldest disobeyed and married a raven man. The youngest tended to the dirty boy for three days, then on the fourth day the sun and star took on their true form and made a beautiful home, become young and healthy and handsome. The bride was pleased and they lived happily. He gave her stars on her body like they had.

Week 10 Reading Diary: Native American Hero Tales

This reading diary will cover stories from the Native American Hero Tales unit. Story source: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).

The Jealous Uncle
This was a pretty long story, three pages in length to be exact, but I enjoyed it. In this story the uncle who they called Unnatural Uncle would kill his nephews shortly after birth, his wife made a deal with the mother to say that the next was a girl to protect the baby boy from death. They did this until his teens but eventually uncle figured it out. Then uncle made four attempts at taking the nephews life but was unsuccessful at each. On the fourth he put him in a box out to sea, he washed up to Eagle land and the chief there married him to his daughter. He missed his family so he put on the eagle skin and flew home. The uncle was mistreating his parents so the nephew dropped him into the ocean knowing he couldn't swim. He then went to his parents and flew them with him to his new adopted land. I was glad that the uncle didn't win and that the nephew came back for his parents.

Bluejay and His Companions
A bluejay and his four companions would go out seal hunting and would share with Grouse, a quail, only the bad fatless parts of the seal. He never complained but instead made a big black seal out of wood and set it into the sea. The next day the men caught it and it pulled them far out to sea for a day and a half. When it stopped they realized it was Grouse's doing. They then paddled back towards land and came upon 3 or 4 villages of people. But each of these villages challenged them to some kind of task or battle and each time they won so they were free to leave and carry on. They finally made it back home with one less man and from then on they gave Grouse the biggest, fattest seal.

Grouse the bird

Dug-From-Ground
This story wasn't as entertaining or as easy to follow as the other two. From what I gathered from it, a daughter dug op plants from the ground and her mother warned her not to dig up any with two stocks. But she did it and then a baby followed her home and became her son. The grandmother raised him and the mother refused to look at him, she went out each day a picked acorns. He followed her and picked some and killed a deer and then she called him her son. He then left home and went to a village, he completed several tasks and won all of them and lots of money. After years of being away he went back for his mother and grandmother and picked up their house to move to where he had been.

The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle
Giant animals once ruled the earth and they killed humans. There was one human however that decided he was going to end the lives of the giant elk and giant eagle. He used the skin of a lizard and the burrowing of a beaver to kill the elk, but not before the elk created the mountains of the world. Then he took the antlers and killed the great eagle mother and father and her stunted the growth and power of the three baby eagles. A old bat helped him down from the eagles nest and in return he gave the bat the eagle feathers. She kept losing them so he gave her no more and she accepted this fate.

Week 9 Reading Diary, Continued: Eskimo Folk Tales

Continued reading diary covering the Eskimo Folk Tales unit. Story source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Papik, Who Killed His Wife's Brother
Papik went out seal huntin everyday with his brother in law, who always caught a seal when he never did. He got jealous and killed the brother in law. When the grandmother found out she threatened revenge and then allowed herself to get swallowed by the ocean. She came back as a bear and dismembered his body. Now this is a lesson not to kill for no reason or a monster will come back to get you like this.

Pâtussorssuaq, Who Killed His Uncle
Another story about men wrongfully killing another man and then getting killed by a ghostly creature. Again like in the last story the ghost came back as a bear and destroyed the body/ate it. Lots of common themes- fishing, seals, ice, ghosts, bears, eskimo kisses, karma, revenge.

The Wife Who Lied
The wife from the cannibal tribe went for a visit back home and had mittens on her hands to make them think her new husbands tribe had harmed her. This caused a back and forth war and her husbands tribe killed her for her lie.

The Eagle and the Whale
A group of brothers gave their two sisters off to live with an eagle and a whale. The eventually grew homesick and missed their sisters so they got them back by killing both of them.

Umiak boat going whaling

Atdlarneq, The Great Glutton
Atdlarneq was a great and greedy fisherman, he came upon a cottage in a cape and three women outside of it. They received him well but were waiting for their master. He arrived and made atdlarneq eat until he was about to explode. Then he never traveled there again.

Ángángŭjuk
This boy^ disappeared from his home one day. The father wanted to immediately kill the mother for his death/disappearance but instead called a wizard to help find him. The found him in a mountain hut with people and the wizard cast them all asleep so they could go in and retrieve him. They never let him out of their sight again.

Âtârssuaq
A man taught his son^ how to swim really well for long distances underwater from the time he was just a baby. The father was killed and the son defended himself and his mother by killing all the people coming after them in canoes thanks to his swimming ability.

Tungujuluk and Saunikoq
One man had a son and the other did not so his jealousy caused him to take the form of a bear and try to kill the son. The dad stabbed him instead and then went to take the form of a walrus and let the other man harpoon him. But they both survived and the first man felt shame so he left and never returned.

Week 9 Reading Diary: Eskimo Folk Tales

This reading diary will cover stories from the Eskimo Folk Tales unit. Story source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).


The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago
This story told an interesting version of the creation story of the world and of mankind. In this tale there is no God... rather the earth and all of its contents and inhibitants rather fell into place just as they are now. In the beginning people only had nighttime, and the earth was over populated with people because they lived to old age. Then they agreed to trade the death of man in order to have daylight. The first man died and there was light; now when all men die they become bright things in the sky lights stars, moon, sun.

Nukúnguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak
This was quite a confusing story... I read it twice and I still really have no idea what it was about. All I know is Tupilak's are some creature made by man and the one in this story was eating his creators body. And also Nukú killed the creator by startling him but besides that I no nothing.. which is basically also what the story ends by saying.
 
The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son
A polar bear cub became the foster son of a lonely woman. When he was small he played with the kids of the town. when he was larger he played with the grown men, and when he was huge he went out hunting with men. The foster mom made him a collar as a mark to protect him from being hunted. One day a man from the north set out to kill the unkillable bear and instead the bear killed him. The foster mom wept and sent the bear away to hopefully be safe with his own family.  

The polar bear son

Qalagánguasê, Who Passed to the Land of Ghosts
A young boy, Qala, lost all of his family members to deaths. He was a lame boy and the lower part of his body didn't work. All of his family members came back as ghosts to entertain him while the people of his village left him to go hunting. One time his mother and fathers ghosts came and they told him they could take him away to a better place. Then he became a ghost like the others and no one in the village ever saw him away. This could be an interesting story to retell... Maybe from someone else perspective.  

Isigâligârssik
The town wizard would only let married men see the spirits performance, so Isig found a young girl who wanted to marry him. He went to the spirit thing but the wizard cast him out. He kept trying to get back in and eventually the wizard stabbed him, but luckily he fit into his baby outfit and it healed him to survive. He then shot the wizard with a tiny bow and arrow and he died. This Isig lived happily ever after with his wife. 

The Insects that Wooed a Wifeless Man 
The man was wifeless because he slept all night and day and was hopeless. Then one day when he finally awoke, far later than all the other men, he went out in his canoe. He rescued a man whos canoe had been turned over and this man granted him a wife and a cure for his sleeping as long as he never spoke of that day/how he got those things. HE went on the wake early each day and catch seals, and he got a wife but she was nosy. He told her how he caught the seals each day and he lost the gifts he had been granted. He left through winter, his canoe rotted, his wife left him. This could also be a good story to retell.

Makíte
Again another story I didn't really understand at all. I think the cultural barrier between things like items used in our daily life, and thing in nature is so intense that I just don't know what the heck is going on. All i know is Makite was a sucky fisherman and left his wife to go up the mountain to a better life but came across these houses with people living alone and there was a fight and a wave of water and then they all died? Still not really sure, these stories aren't very entertaining to me since I don't even understand them. 

Atungait, Who Went A-Wandering
This story was pretty weird. Atungait had a wife and killed a seal but went off to find a strong woman to knead the seal skin for him. He found one by playing football? and then they traveled on together up a mountain with their sled dogs. Along the way they came across groups of people with bodily deformations or they were cannibals and they stole things from them. Atungait returned home to see his wife kissing another man, he killed her but not him because he was honest about it. Then he married the strong woman.
 
The Giant Dog
A man owned a giant savage dog who would bring in whales and narwhales.... but one day it killed and ate a man so they had to move away to their own land. The dog was trained and the master ould ride it if they wanted. They dog would disappear very now and then and bring its master back a human leg of an inland dweller. The dog would snatch people from their houses and that is why the are all now still scared of dogs. Another man came one day with three dogs to kill the big one but instead it crushed all three of them. 

Week 7 Reading Diary Continued: Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang)

Continued from Japanese Fairy Tales unit. Story source: The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1901).

Schippeitaro
Young boys had to go off into the world to prove themselves so this one boy went into a forest to find some great task to conquer. He got lost and slept at nigh in the forest chapel, big cats woke him at midnight talking of Schippeitaro. The next day he found a village and a girl crying because the next day she would be eater by the forest spirit. He decided that was his task and he ask of Schippeitaro- the kings large dog. He begged to borrow the dog and put him in the place of the girl the next day in a box in the chapel. The cats returned and the largest one, the spirit opened it to eat the girl but instead the dog bit him. The boy cut off his head and killed other cats as well. Now all the girls are safe and they celebrate the boy and dog.

The Crab and the Monkey
The crab had a nice hole for a home and there was some rice outside of it. She was bringing it inside when a monkey appeared and asked for a trade- some rice for a kaki kernel. The crab agreed. Later the monkey came by again and the crab gave him permission to climb in her kaki tree if he dropped her some fruit. He dropped the bad ones so she tricked him into doing a somersault which dropped the good ones from his pockets. Seeing he had been tricked he pummeled the crab almost to death. But her friends saved her and made a revenge plan. When the monkey came to apologize they hurt him and eventually killed him. The crab lived happily under the kaki until she died.

The Magic Kettle
A kettle appeared in a mans house and when he filled it with water and sat it on the hot stove in morfed into a cute creature called a tanuki. He was scared and didn't want it so he sold it to a tradesman. He too discoved it was tanuki and was given advice to show it to people for a price once he got the tanukis consent. So he did this and the tanuki would appear from the kettle on command and dance for/with people. Once he had made a fortune he still wasn't happy so he returned the kettle with a 100 gold pieces to the original owner. They both lived a happy, great, well respected life. This would be a fun story to retell, maybe as a how did the tanuki first come to be.

The kettle tanuki

How the Wicked Tanuki was Punished
Only a father tanuki and his son and his fox wife still lived in the forest but they were starving. The planned for the father to play dead while the mother changed to a human and sold him for food. He escaped later and they ate happily, but again they ran out. So they switched roles and the mother played dead while the father sold her. But he was greedy and didn't want to share with her so he told the buyer to really kill her. He got back to his son but now also didn't want to share with him. He survived on his own but sought to avenge his mom. He said he knew magic better than his father so he bet the father wouldn't recognize him if he changed shapes. Instead he hid and watched as the father accused the real king of being his son. His guards threw him into the river and he died. The son was happy and lived on in the forest.

The Slaying of the Tanuki
A man in the forest was tricked by the Tanuki a few to many times so he wanted to kill the Tanuki. He captured him and bound him in his house. But his kind wife freed him and the Tanuki instead cooked her up into a feast instead of him being the meal. He used his magic to take her shape and clothes and then when the man returned he ate the food which was his wife. The Tanuki changed back to itself and told the man what happened then ran away. The man wanted to avenge her so a hare helped him. He set him on fire but that wasn't enough so he took him out fishing a drowned him. Finally the wife was avenged and the man and hare lived happily together.

Uraschimataro and the Turtle
Ura was a daring fisherman and one day caught a turtle in his nets, he brought it aboard but it begged to be freed. Ura put it back and it said it owed him. Later on another voyage his ship was destroyed and he was almost killed but the same turtle came to his rescue. Instead of taking him straight home they went underwater for three days to find a palace. In the palace Ura met a woman who loved him from what the turtle told her. Ura stayed to live with her and she granted him to never die or age. Eventually he longed for his parents so she unwillingly let him go back only to return if he did not open the little chest she gave him. When he got back it had been 300 years and his parents had both passed away. He unconsciously opened the box and instantly became old, almost like a zombie. He waited for the turtle to come take him back but he never arrived and Ura die.

Week 7 Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang)

This reading diary will focus on the Japanese Fairy Tales unit. Story source: The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1901).

The Two Frogs
Two frogs from two different cities in Japan wanted to explore each others cities. They both set out on the road and the met in the middle and became friends. They stood up on their hind legs together to see if the other city was worth visiting but they forgot their eyes were on the back of their head. SO when they thought they were looking at the other city they were really looking at their own. Seeing it was no better they both turned around for home.

The Stonecutter
A stonecutter finally heard the voice of the mountain spirit who granted wishes. He was unhappy with his life and wished to have a nice bed, the wished to be a prince, then the sun, then the clouds, then the rock mountain, and finally again he wished to be a man. Each time he was unhappy and saw something better and more powerful he wanted to be until finally he realized that his job as a stone cutter man was the best and fine for him.

The Maiden with the Wooden Helmet
A young girl was so beautiful that the mother and father wanted to protect her from men so they told her to wear a wooden helmet. They were a hardworking family and so when the father then mother died the daughter went on to work to support herself. She was brought in to care after a mans sick wife and then one day the son caught a glimpse of the maidens beauty. He asked to marry her to his families displeasure and eventually she said yes. The helmet was stuck to her head before the wedding so she was married in it, later on it burst off into pieces. They lived happily ever after.

The Envious Neighbor
A mans dog lead him to treasure in his yard. The neighbor was envious and borrowed the dog, when he only dug up bones he killed him. The sad owners had a dream of the dog telling them to cut down a tree for mortar, they did this and it turned to gold pieces. The envious neighbor again borrowed the mortar but for him it created stinky berries, he burned them. Then the dog told the owners to collect the ashes and spread them on cherry trees in front of the king, they did this and he gave them rich gifts. The envious neighbor tried to do the same with the remaining ashes but they got in the kings eye. He bound and punished him and when he was released from prison his village would have him no longer.

The Sparrow with the Slit Tongue
A man saved a sparrow from a mean bird and let it live in a cage in his home, he loved it but his wife was quarrelsome and hated it. When he left on a trip she chased it around the house and at last slit its tongue. It was fearful and sad and flew away to the forest. When the man returned he was determined to find his bird friend so he searched many days. Finally he came to a house in the woods and a woman brought him inside. It was the sparrow turned into a woman. They ate and she served him & sent his away with a chest. He opened it at home and it was jewels. The wife was mad he didn't choose the bigger one so she found the house and chose the bigger one. When she got it home she opened it to find snakes which bit her and then she died.

The Cat's Elopement
Two cats fell in love but their owners wouldn't sell one to the other so they ran off to be together. They were in a park when a dog was about to attack Gon the male and the female Kona cried out for help. A man saved him and took him to the princess where he lived happily. He killed a snake for her and then one day he rescued the female from a mean cat in the park. The two went to the princess and she accepted the girl and treated them well. They had kittens and she got married and had babies and they were all friends.

The cats at the woman's feet

Week 6 Reading Diary Continued: West African Folktales

The second half of the reading diary is also from West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

The Moon and Stars
Anansi and his son were captured by a dragon and taken to his lair to wait with the other captives. A cock was supposed to be guarding them but he was distracted by picking up ride. The son threw a rope ladder to the gods and they hoisted everyone up to escape, the son fought off the dragon when he also tried to climb up. The gods were impressed and made him the sun, his dad the moon, and the others the stars. The son gave life/power to them all.

How the Tortoise Got Its Shell
The kings servant went out to fetch him some palm wine. He had to fight for it and winning he earned a pot of wine and the palm trees. He carried this back but when he returned the gate was locked and everyone was inside. He waited outside in the rain, it rained for two months straight so everyone stayed inside. He died from the pots weight on his back and it molded to him because of the mud... thus creating the turtle shell. I never see these stories turning out the way they do.

The Hunter and the Tortoise
A tortoise sang in the forest and the hunter was not content to visit her everyday so he took her to his home, but she would sing only for him. He spread her secret and was brought before the king. He said he would show them all her gift or he could be killed. So he bought her before the town but she didn't make a sound all day. At night they killed him and then she spoke. He had brought this on himself.

King Chameleon and the Animals
In a race to decide who would be made the king of the animals, the chameleon cheated and held onto the tail of the quick hare. The hare reached the winners seat first but the chameleon dropped off on the seat a second before he did. He became king but the animals didn't like this so they left the area. The chameleon now hides alone at the top of a tree calling for friends.

A king with no subjects is no king at all

Elephant and Wren
This spider, Anansi is the greediest, most evil, terrible excuse for a father/husband I have ever seen. Again in another story he gets food, a whole elephant enough to fee his family. But instead he ties it up to hide for himself and tries to catch a tiny bird for the others to eat. He fails and when he goes back to get the elephant its gone too. Now because of his selfish stupidity everyone starves. This would be a good story to switch up and teach Anansi a lesson.

The Ungrateful Man
A hunter rescued a man, a tiger, a snake, and a rat from a hole that they had fallen into. They each repaid him except for the man who mooched off of him and wanted to ruin his god fortune. The king had his jewels stolen and the man blamed the hunter. When the hunter was about to be killed the kings son was bitten by a snake and the hunter used the anti venom given to him by the snake and mixed it with his traitors blood, who the king had killed, and was able to save the kings son.

Why Tigers Never Attack Men Unless They Are Provoked
A man and tiger became great friends and they visited and stayed at each others homes. Then later the man died and the tiger and his son went to pay their condolences to the mans son. On their way back home two other men shot the tiger but didn't kill him. To see if the tigers friend had anything to do with this the tiger played dead to test the man's son's reaction. He cried and the tiger promised never to hurt a man unless provoked.

Farmer Mybrow and the Fairies
A farmer started to plant crops in a field but fairies lived there and they were eager to help. He got a great crop going but then his wife begged him to know where to field was so she could go pick one item to eat. He told her not to answer the fairies questions when she was there but she didn't listen and she told them she wanted to pick a crop. Naturally the fairies jumped right in and helped her but they picked every single item making them useless because they were still green and ripe.

Week 6 Reading Diary: West African Folktales

This week I read West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

How We Got The Name "Spider Tales"
A very jealous spider made a deal with Nyankupon to have all of the future stories men tell be about him instead of about Nyankupon. To complete the transaction the spider had to fetch him a jar of bees, a boa constrictor, and a tiger. He got these three animals by tricking them and then Nyankupon declared all future stories to be Anansi stories, the spiders name is Anansi.

How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race
In this story Ansansi is the giver of wisdom to men, but the men make him mad so he decides to take it all away and hide it where they cant reach it. He tries to hide it in a tree but has trouble because the pot of wisdom keep getting in his way. His son sees his struggle and says father wear it on your back instead, this made Anansi mad and he threw the pot down. It busted and spread all the wisdom across the world.

Anansi and Nothing
I definitely thought this story would be way more boring than it was- the title Anansi and Nothing turned me away. The end caught me off caught when it said when you ask children why they are crying they often say they are "crying for nothing" because Nothing is a king who was killed by Anansi in this story.

Thunder and Anansi
Anansi selfish characteristics really showed in this story. His family was starving so he went to a palm tree to get nuts but that failed and he ended up in the water at Thunders cottage. Thunder gave him a magic pot that made food. He ate and then hid it from his family while they starved. When they found out about it they made everyone in town food but the pot melted from overheating. Anansi went back to the cottage for another pot but instead got a stick that beat him. I think that is exactly what he deserved.
 
Why The Lizard Moves His Head Up and Down
Another story involving Anansi's evil ways. This time he wanted to win the kings three daughters by finding out their names. So he dropped fruit and got them to say their names, he then hired a lizard as his servant to say the names for him to the king. At this the king gave the lizard his daughters. Anansi wanted revenge and so he framed the lizard for killing the kings cock. THe king in turn gave him his three daughters. I could see this tory going differently; maybe the fruit Anansi drops is actually poison and the king hunts him down.
 
Tit for Tat
A battle between father and son for the last meat in the forest. Anansi tried to take away his sons hunting spot but the son got him back by being a god very angry at Anansi and demanding the meat. Later when the son was rich from all the meat he threw a banquet and at it he told the story of his fathers antics. He was ashamed and promised not to do anything like that again.

The Squirrel and The Spider
The squirrel sowed a grand farm, but he got there by the trees. Anansi found and and his family built a road to it and began to harvest it. The squirrel was mad but the law said the road creator was the owner meaning Anansi even though the squirrel planted it. Then a storm came and the spiders abandonded the crops. When they returned a crow was blocking them from the rain and he took off with the bundles that were now claimed as his. This is an example of karma.

Why We See Ants Carrying Bundles As Big As Themselves
The spider families crops weren't growing so the son got a jester to bring his rain by tapping him with small sticks. Anansi learned of this and brought two huge sticks, when he found the jester and tapped him he accidentally killed him. He put his body in a tree and the son knocked it down so Anansi blamed him. The son lied and said that killing him meant a reward so Anansi backtracked and claimed the murder. When he went to get a reward from the king he was doomed to carry the dead jester in a box on his head forever. Until one day he tricked an ant into carrying it on his head.

The Grinding-Stone that Ground Flour By Itself
Anansi's cousing found this stone and food by it and took only enough for himself and his family each day. Anansi say them getting plump and demanded to be taken to the place where the food came from. Again he put ashes in someones bag to make a trail, this time his cousins. He followed him and found the magic stone, instead of taking some he picked up the whole stone. Later he was tired and wanted to put it down but the stone wouldn't allow it. And that is why now we see lots of spiders always under rocks.

The magic grinding stones

Week 5 Reading Diary Continued: Arabian Nights

This is the second half of my reading diary for the Arabian Nights unit. Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Aladdin kneeling before one of the two genies he had when trapped in the cave

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 1 and 2
I haven't watched the Disney movie Aladdin in quite some time but now reading this makes me want to watch it right now. I do remember some parts, and this tales has quite a few different aspects than the movie I know and love. I was surprised that the man who pretended to be Aladdin's long lost uncle was actually a magician who left Aladdin trapped underground. I also thought it was interesting that he had one of the genies retrieve both the bride that he wanted and her new bridegroom, why not just have him killed? It seems kind of crazy that he expects the princess to now just fall in love with him when he had his genies steal her.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 3
Aladdin commanded his genies to disrupt and torment the newly couples sleep each night until the groom wanted to end his marriage. Upon this Aladdins mother went back and reminded the king of his promise of Aladdin to marry his daughter and he requested an insane amount of jewels and slaves. Filling this request, Aladdin and the princess were married and went to his newly created palace. I didn't realize slaves were a part of the story of Aladdin, but in this story they are spoken about as objects not people and its very disturbing. I am glad the kings vizir is catching on to Aladdins magic.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 4 and 5
The magician came back to retrieve the lamp and did so while Aladdin was on a hunting trip. He commanded the genie to transport him and the palace and the princess to a deserted place in Africa, they were in China. The king almost killed Aladdin but gave him 40 days to find his daughter. Aladdin found her in Africa and the two devised a plan to get the lamp back so they could go back home. I like that the princess never gave up on Aladdin's return even in the face of the magician constantly telling her he was dead. It was kind've evil to put drugs in his drink, I wish they would have had a dual or something for the lamp rather than taking it in this way.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 6
What a surprise to learn that the evil magician had an even more sinister younger brother. This younger brother disguised himself as a healing woman and planted an idea in Aladdins wifes head. She wanted a Roc's egg and so Aladdin asked the genie for it, little did he know this was a grave insult. Then Aladdin had to kill this evil brother and from there on out the couple leaved with no more problems. I liked that this ending wrapped everything up and that it ended in favor of the good people instead of the evil. I now really want to watch the Aladdin movie to see how these compare.

Reading Diary Week 5: Arabian Nights

This reading diary will cover half of the Arabian Nights unit. Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Scheherazade
This is the introduction section of the Arabian Nights tales. It begins with an evil sultan who marries a new bride each night and has them killed in the morning. The servant doing his bidding/killing has a daughter of his own and she requests to be married to him to try to save others from the fate. Just before she is killed her sister has her tell a story, and then the story continues in the next section. I recalled the princess in Aladdin telling stories but I didn't really know why until know. What a terrible thing to be so powerful that you command a wife and death each and every day.

The wife telling her first story to her sister and her new husband, the sultan.

The Merchant and the Genius
These stories are utilizing stories within stories, which is kind've hard for me to wrap my brain around but also are really interesting. I was surprised that the same plot that was happening between the wife and the sultan is happening between the merchant and the genie- the genie lets him live to finish telling his stories just like the sultan lets the wife live to finish telling hers.

The Hind
In this story one of the three old men told a miraculous enough story to save the merchants life from the genie. I was surprised in the end when it was over but then the next old man stood up and began to tell yet another story to the genie. Its pretty interesting that these old men who didn't even know the merchant when working on his behalf to save his life.

The Two Black Dogs
In another of the wife's stories the second old man told the genie of how he got the two black dogs following him around. The dogs are his brothers who plotted against him and who were turned to dogs by the husbands fairy wife. The genie was again intrigued and spared the merchant and also again the sultan was impressed with the story. Then it was time for the story of the third man but she didn't remember it so she changed to a better story.

The Fisherman
This story got a little complicated because of the number of layers in it. In simplest terms the queen was at first telling the story of a genie telling a story to a fisherman, then it switched and the fisherman was telling a story to the genie.

The story of the Fisherman
It goes like this, the fisherman caught the genies bottle in a net and instead of the genie granting him wishes he would only grant him the choice of his way to die. The fisherman was cunning and tricked the genie back into his bottle and returned him back to the sea. This could be a fun story to retell, perhaps I could add on to the end. Also it could be told as a warning to future fishers in the area.

The Greek King and the Physician Douban
Another level of storytelling was added to this by the fisherman telling the story of a king who would then tell a story to his grand vizir. So now at this point the wife is telling a story of a story of a story. I bet the sultan is having a hard time wrapping his brain around it all and in this way he'll never let the story end.

The Story of the Parrot
The physician Douban was a character in the Kings story and he bought a parrot to watch over his wife when he had to leave for business. This story was interesting because the physician trusted the parrot but then in the end he thought he was lying so he flung him on the ground and actually killed him. Not a very happy story.

The Physician's Revenge
 Now the fisherman continued to tell the story of the Greek King, and this story began to take shape to represent the situation that the fisherman and the genie were in. It showed that if the king had spared the physician then they both could have lived, but since he did not the physician go his revenge. This is just like if the genie had spared the fisherman, the fisherman wouldn't be about to throw him back into the ocean.

The Sultan and the Fish
The fisherman ended up releasing the genie so he could tell him a story in return for the story about the Greek king/physician. This story was about some magical fish a naive sultan who went to the lake but found a man half made of marble. This is some very complicated stuff, I thought I would like layered stories but they are so hard to follow.

King of the Black Isles
This story had a happy ending for the sultan and for the man made of stone. As well as this the fish were turned back to people and the evil enchantress was killed by the sultan. This tangled web of stories was finally over and I was entertained but so glad.

Week 4 Reading Diary, Continued: 22 Goblins

This reading diary covers the stories from "Twenty-Two Goblins", translated by Arthur W. Ryder, with illustrations by Perham W. Nahl (1917).

The Snake's Poison
The kings answer this time was really interesting, he said that no one was guilty of poisoning/killing the man except for the man himself. That was along the same lines that I was thinking, especially since the thought of the charitable woman being accused for poisoning him made me sad. The poisoned man claimed it was her so she was shunned by her people anyways, how sad.

The Girl and the Thief
A girl refused to love or marry anyone, except when she saw a thief on his way to be executed she fell in love. She was going to kill herself but the God Shiva granted her wishes for her devotion- she rose the thief from the dead and made his a nobleman. My first thoughts were, what a miraculous story, and what a stupid girl. It reminds me of how today some girls are attracted to bad boys when they really shouldn't be.

The General's Wife
When the king answered this time, something was different. The goblin asked him "why?" almost as if that was the wrong answer but he wanted an explanation. Then once the king explained, the goblin liked his reasoning so he again ran away. The moral of the story he told was "actions of devoted men are blameless." Then the moral presented for the kings actions was "No great man stops in the middle of the hardest undertaking."

The Four Brothers
The brothers brought a lion to life and then the lion killed them all. I easily guessed that it was the final brother who breathed life into the lifeless lion was the one responsible for getting them all killed. This story was interesting because it involved animals instead of just people, like almost every other tale before this one did. I like that it wasn't about winning a woman for once... those can get a little old.

The lion that killed the four brothers

The Old Hermit
The old hermit was a magician and so he took over the body of a deceased boy, leaving his old body now deceased and he became reborn again in the youth's body. Again the king guessed correctly as to why the man was both weeping and dancing. I could see this story unfolding beyond the transformation and the old hermit living a really interesting life in the boys body.
Father and Son, Daughter and Mother
On this final riddle, the King was stumped, and so finally the goblin ended his games. He told the king about the other guys evil plan to kill him once he returned the dead body, and then the goblin left the body. Finally the king headed to the monk to give him the body. I really didn't expect this to be the reasoning behind all the stories. I thought of the goblin as so evil when in reality he was stalling the king so he wouldn't get killed by the monk. He did a good deed by telling all these stories/riddles.

Conclusion
The king did as the goblin told him and he tricked the monk and cut off his head. This was pleasing to the goblin and to Shiva, so he became king of the fairies and received a magic sword. The goblin promised him that these 22 stories would become known around the world, and when they were told people benefitted and monsters suffered. This ending couldn't have been any further away from what I expected. I think it may be interesting to do a retelling of the goblin stories but to talk more about the goblin, instead of his stories.

Week 4 Reading Diary: 22 Goblins

This reading diary covers the stories from "Twenty-Two Goblins", translated by Arthur W. Ryder, with illustrations by Perham W. Nahl (1917).

Introduction:
A monk gave the king 12 years of gifts consisting of fruits with jewels in them, and then the king returned the favor by doing a task for the monk. He was to cut down a body hanging from a tree and carry it to the monk in the cemetery. That body turned out to be inhabited by a goblin and the goblin wanted to tell the king stories as they traveled. The stories are riddles and require an answer from the king in the end. This intro was short and to the point. I'm glad it exists because otherwise I would have had no context for why the goblin was with the king and telling stories.

The Goblin hanging from the tree, the king approaching to retrieve him.

The Three Lovers: 
This is the first story told by the goblin, three men bring a dead girl back to life and the king must decide who should be the husband. If he is wrong the goblin will tell another story, if he is right the goblin escapes and hangs on the tree again, if the king knows but pretends he doesn't his head will explode. The king ultimately answers correctly. I couldn't guess what the answer would be or how the king would answer so it was an interesting story.

Brave, Wise, Clever
Another story about who a woman should be given too.. I'm not sure I like this theme. This time three men, one brave, one smart, and one clever, defeat a giant to get a woman and again the King guesses correctly which one should get her. This tale seemed too similar to the last one so I didn't like it.

The Girl, Her Husband, and Her Brother
A woman mixed up the heads of her brother and husband when attaching them back to their bodies. The king said the head matters and that one is her husband. Again the goblin escaped. I'm starting to think the king will never make it back with the goblin. The stories are all very weird.

Food, Women, Cotton
Three men were said to be specialists in food, women, cotton. The king decided it was the cotton specialist who was the cleverest after hearing of how the king in the story tested them. This seemed pretty far fetched, I don't think that man actually felt the single stand of hair through seven cotton quilts.

The Four Scientific Suitors
Four men made their case for the hand of the princess and the king chose the warrior swordsman as the one who should get to marry her. This story had a lesson at the end- "Discouragement never enters the brave heart of a resolute man." I could see this being turned into a dating show, and furthermore the gender roles could switch. The suitors could be women and the princess would turn to a prince.

The Three Delicate Wives
The three wives in this story were injured by either a falling lotus petal, the beams from the moon, or the sound of pestles grinding. The king said the one bruised by sound was the most delicate and he was right. The tales in these stories are so odd, I wonder where the goblin got them. You would think after running after him so many times the king would just give up. I'm ready to see what finally happens.

Week 3 Reading Diary, Continued: Jewish Fairy Tales

A continued reading diary post about "Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends" by Gertrude Landa (1919).

The Sleep of One Hundred Years
I didn't really understand the purpose of the story, but I do know it made me sad. Rabbi Onias, who was saddened that Jerusalem was desolate, fell asleep for 100 years and awoke to the reborn Jerusalem. I thought he would be happy to see the place resurrected, but instead he felt like an outsider to these new people and ways of life. It broke my heart that all he wanted was Jerusalem to be alive and then when it was he didn't fit in there anymore. I wish there could have been some other happier ending, maybe if I retell this story I will switch it up.

King for Three Days
This story focuses on the first crusade by Godfrey de Bouillon and the Rabbi Rashi's prediction. It was interesting to see Godfrey accomplish his goal of becoming king but still to remain sad an empty. I feel like this can relate to a lot of things in our lives, we set our sights on something but once we get there we realize it really wasn't what we wanted in the first place. The character of Godfrey is not one that I liked, he was an evil man and he had no respect for Rashi. He demanded Rashi give him a blessing and threatened to kill him if his prophecy was wrong.

The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace
What an interesting title. I did not like the beginning of this tale when the Pharaoh purchased Sarah from Abraham, but then when the spirit came to save her I really enjoyed it. At one point I even laughed because the spirit was tormenting the pharaoh; he had laid down on his bed and then the spirit lifted it and dumped him out of it. I love seeing the Lord always protecting his people. This tale could be retold as a tour guide taking people through a haunted house.

The Bogey Man
The Boogeyman is a very familiar name today, but the creature and legend is totally different than this tale. The Bogey man in this story is a scary robot like creature that Rabbi Lion built to obey him, and that the children called the Bogey Man. Today it is a monster that is said to live under the bed of children, and many movies/tv shows have featured depictions of him. It's interesting to know where the character originally came from and then to see how it changed over time. This could be a great bedtime story to retell.

The Bogey man trying to break into a synagogue to free himself of the Rabbi's control.

The Fairy Frog
This story made me think of the Shrek movie where the king is a frog and he dies, except this one is a little different in that the king and queen die and the frog is purchased by the son. It made me happy to see the son and his wife following the fathers last will so unwaveringly. I'm sure it was hard on them to give the frog all their food while they were starving. I didn't expect it to turn out this way but I'm glad the son was repaid many times over for caring for the frog. With the frog shrinking and hopping into the river at the end, I could continue the story and have some kid pick up the frog from the river in present day. I think that could be quite interesting to see the frog grow and the kid care for him in todays setting.

 

The fairy frog leading the son and wife to the forest to receive their gifts.

Week 3 Reading Diary: Jewish Fairy Tales

This weeks reading diary will cover stories from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).

The Giant of the Flood
In this tale of Noah's ark and the flood, a unicorn and a giant are added to the story. I thought it was interesting that this traditional bible story could be twisted in another culture and that would be the version they believe. I like that Noah helped the giant and in return the giant had to help Noah and his descendants. I did not see the story turning out with the giant going back on his word like he did and I liked that I couldn't predict the story.

The Beggar King
What a humbling story. A cruel and boastful king was turned into a beggar by a genie who took his place as king. I really liked the lesson this story taught, and I was shocked when the king turned beggar returned to the palace and wanted to continue guiding the blind instead of retaking his throne. This story shows the good in people just takes the right circumstances to bring out. I wonder how the kingdom will be different now that this more humble and gracious king is in charge.

The King falling prey to the genie boy who would take his place for a while as king.

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog
This was a fun story to read. It explained the incidence that caused cats and dogs to never be friends. The biggest thing I enjoyed about this story was that the characteristics, the words, and the actions of the story animals are spot on with the behaviors and characteristics of dogs and cats that I see today. This would be an interesting story to see retold from the point of view of the dog, maybe in the diary format like I have talked about before. Or also to continue the story to see what things the cat attempts to get rid of the dog.

The Water-Babe
This is a tale about what Moses childhood might have been like, since the bible was lacking in these details. I love the story of Moses being retrieved from a basket in a river and brought to the royal palace. It was interesting to see the Jewish idea of what may have occurred in his childhood; I couldn't believe anyone would ever put a bowl of burning coals in front of a child to grab as a test, but then again it was biblical times. I couldn't recall ever learning how Moses got his staff, just that he used it to part the Red Sea, so it was cool to learn how that may have come to be as well.

From Shepard-Boy to King
Another example of an extra biblical legend from the Jewish. This tale focuses on Kind David as a shepard boy and his incidence of finding a unicorn, riding a deer, and escaping a lion. In the story David was able to hear animals speaking to each other and to him. I thought is was really inspiring in the end when the deer revealed that he had been commanded to save David from the lion for he was to be Kind one day. I got the idea that David was a pretty mischievous boy so this story made a lot of sense.

The Magic Palace
I am familiar with Ibrahim, but not with this tale. In the tale, a poor Ibrahim goes out to find work but instead finds a man who wants to be sold as Ibrahim's slave. The mysterious man turned out to be Elijah, and he earned Ibrahim enough money for all his days and built a palace overnight. The feat completed by Elijah to build the palace was truly magical and I now know why the story is titled as such. I found the story a little confusing to follow because of some of the dream aspects, but overall it was pretty interesting.

Week 2 Reading Diary, Continued: "Aesop for Children (Winter)"

A continuation of fables from Aesop for Children, illustrated by Winter.

The Wolf and the Goat
I like how in this story the goat was not outsmarted by the wolf like it is in many other fables. In another version I could see the goat coming down from the cliff but having lots of friends with him, enough to make the wolf flee.

The Cat the Cock, and the Young Mouse
What a great way to relay the lesson of not judging a book by its cover. The naïve mouse thought the cat was his friend and the cock was his foe, when it was actually the other way around. I like that it was a young mouse who was learning this lesson from his mother.



Illustration for The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse by Winter

The Fighting Bulls and the Frog
This fable told a lesson I hadn't thought much of before- when the great fall out the weak must suffer for it. When reading I saw how this could be related to government and people and events of day. The frogs were quite wise to know what fate was coming upon them.

The Fox and the Crab
I liked that the crab was adventurous and searched outside of his comfort zone for a new home. The sad fate that awaited the crab was immediate and I wish there were more to the story that just his demise. Perhaps the crab could become friends with the crab.

The Eagle and the Beetle
I liked how this story ended with an explanation for how things are now- the bird eggs lie in nests in the spring and the beetles sleep in the ground. I also liked seeing how a tiny beetle was able to avenge his wrong doing to such a great extent. In another version the tables could turn and the bird could go after the beetle eggs.

The Quack Toad
A good lesson comes from this story- Those who would mend others, should first mend themselves. I enjoyed the tenacity of the toad to think he could be a cure all doctor. It kindve related to how people should solve their own problems before meddling in other peoples.

The Animals and the Plague
This is the first fable I have read so far by Aesop that has made me sad; most others have made me giggle or feel content with the outcome, but not this one. In this fable the ass is wrongly chosen to suffer the pain of all for his deed which was minuscule and not deserving of such a fate. To right this wrong, I may choose to twist the end of bring the donkey back to punish the others. The weak are made to suffer for the misdeeds of the powerful.

The Cat and the Old Rat
I thought the cats guises were pretty clever, all to get a meal. Then I also enjoyed the old rats wise advice to the younger rats. I am sure this old rat has quite the story to tell, after all he was duped before only to learn his lesson and not to be tricked a second time.

The Ant and the Dove
This story warmed my heart; I enjoyed seeing these unlikely friends helping each other out. It was cool to see the initial kindness of the bird then be turned back to also benefit the bird. I could see a life long friendship forming from these initial small encounters. Its good to learn that a kindness is never wasted.

The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle
I liked that the cocky cock was knocked off his pedestal. It just goes to show that being too prideful can be a downfall. It is better to be modest and feel proud than to boast; because you never know when an eagle may be waiting to strike, like in this fable.

Stay tuned to see which fable I choose to branch off of for my next story!

Week 2 Reading Diary: "Aesop for Children (Winter)"

For my first reading diary I will share some of my thoughts and favorite things from reading Aesop for children, illustrated by Milo Winter.

The Tortoise and the Ducks
My grandmother is obsessed with turtles; she has around 20 of them in an enclosure in her back yard, some that she has had since my dad was a little kid. Since I've grown up around turtles and turtles as decorations, this story was quite intriguing to me. I liked that the ducks were kind enough to carry the turtle on a stick up into the sky to help him see the world. I could envision the turtle falling from the sky and landing, maybe in an ocean? This could be how seas turtles were created... maybe an idea for my story!

The Boy and the Filberts
I had heard this story line before- of children getting their hands stuck in the cookie jar- but had never thought of the greater life lesson behind it. "Do not attempt too much at once." It might be interesting to see what a future would be like if the boy never let go of the nuts in this case, just like some of us find it hard to let go of the things in life that weigh us down or keep us trapped.

The Plane Tree
This was a very short fable but it had a great lesson to be learned. I get how important it is to be thankful for the things in our life, even the most miniscule of things can be blessings- like trees. When reading, I pictured a speaking face in the tree like the ones I have seen in many movies before. What if the tree stood up and moved to take his shade away from the ungrateful men, and what if other trees followed suit?

The Farmer and the Stork
This fable features a situation that I encounter very often in my life, avoiding falling into the wrong crowd. I like the farmers character, he is an unwavering individual. I feel like there could be a lot more to this story, either in events leading up to it or in what happens after the farmer catches the birds. The cranes are kind of like the mischievous bad kids and the stork is the A+ student who got dragged down.

The Boys and the Frogs
Yet another great lesson from a fable- Always stop to think whether your fun may be the cause of another's unhappiness. I am guilty of skipping rocks over many a pond and I thought it was interesting that the author thought beyond our fun actions to their consequences. In a spin off the boys could be helping the frogs out by throwing rocks at the top of the frozen pond so the frogs can get into the water.

The Lion and the Gnat
I enjoyed that the tiny gnat was able to conquer the fierce lion king. A spider also came into play at the end, catching the gnat in his web. I think it would be interesting to focus on more on the spider if I were to write my story from this story. The ending lesson was a good reminder to never get too big for our britches.

The Wild Boar and the Fox
The actions of the boar when he could have been simply relaxing were inspiring, he is a very smart animal. I liked that the boar had a good answer to give the fox when he asked what he was doing- and it quickly shut him up.

The Mice and the Weasels
What an interesting thought to have mice wearing headdresses and armor. I thought for sure that the mice would win and was surprised to see the weasels win the food. Their headdresses became their demise- greatness has its penalties.

The Monkey and the Dolphin
First of all, what an unlikely pairing. I thought it was interesting how loyal the dolphins were to the humans, and it made me sad to learn that they were so loyal that would leave the monkey in the water to fend for himself. Maybe in another story that monkey survives at sea?

The Monkey and the Dolphin by Winter

The Dogs and the Hides
I love that the silly dogs thought they could drink up an entire river just to reach the hides at the bottom. Any one can see that would be an impossible task to begin with but the dogs were overwhelmingly optimistic about it.

Part two to be continued tomorrow!