Possible Storybook Topics

This week I started thinking about my final project for the class. We have the option of either an online story book or a portfolio of our best work for the semester. To get the ball rolling, I researched some topics and thought of four that I might like to make into my final project.

1. A Dogs Diary of Doing Things
In this story book, my four Pekingese dogs could become the main characters of the stories that I most liked to read. This would change the context of things and make all the stories happen in a dog's world. Furthermore, I think it would be interesting to tell the stories from the dog's diaries. This way there could be a lot more thoughts and feelings from the dogs. 
Research so far: My professor gave me this example of another student using his fish as the heros/heroines in his retold stories: Fishy Portfolio. I thought it was a pretty interesting idea. I have read some short fables already about dogs that I could retell from a dog's diary. Also I know there would be other stories where I could change the people to dogs and it would make for some really funny content.

2. The Magic Garden
This storybook could focus on some story/stories of garden gnomes, fairies, pixies, garden sprites, trolls, elves, etc. I remember movies about tiny creatures in a forest setting, like in Bridge to Terabethia, being really intriguing to me. Plus my mom is a florist and we always have beautiful gardens surrounding our house and in our backyard, which I think would be really cool to think of as the context for a story.
Research so far: I have searched for fairytales about fairys and gnomes and haven't had much luck locating them, but I know they have to be out there somewhere. If you have any guidance for finding these sources please let me know!.. I would like to pursue this topic further if I can find some great sources!

3. Brazilian Monkey Tales
I went to Brazil this summer to study abroad, and while there I saw monkeys pretty much everywhere we visited. I first thought about doing my storybook over Brazilian myths/folktales at the suggestion of my teacher. Then in a lot of Brazilian tales I researched, a monkey was the main character. I also thought about how when we see monkeys depicted in movies, etc, they are always pretty interesting and mischievous little characters. Therefore, I thought choosing tales about them would be really fun to learn about and then to retell. My idea is to have a grandpa monkey telling his grandkids how rebellious he had been using the themes from Brazilian folktales.
Research so far: I searched Fairy Tales from Brazil and found lots of interesting stories, quite a few of them were about monkeys. I also searched the previous storybooks from this class about found this one: Tales from the Bayou that was about a grandma telling stories of her time and interactions in the bayou... I thought something like this would be good to mimic for mine, but making it about a grandpa monkey telling of his adventures.

4. The Bachelor: Princess edition.
I am a big fan of the Bachelor/Bachelorette television shows, and I am also a big fan of Disney princess movies. Naturally I thought "why not combine the two?" I would like to discover some princesses that maybe I haven't heard of yet and have their stories come through in their contestant descriptions. I think it would be interesting to put the princesses all in a house together and see how they compete for a prince's love. Also, in the end of the series the bachelor (prince) visits the girl's hometowns, so it could be cool to do that scene and have him visit, for example, Ariel's home under the sea.
Research so far: I searched through mythology and folklore story book topics to the section about fairy tales and discovered lots of stories of princess I was familiar with and some I wasn't. I know there are quite a few beyond the reach that Disney could make into movies, and I think it would be interesting to learn about more princesses.

Screen grab of princesses from Shrek the 3rd movie

Storytelling Week 2: Gossiping Chickens and Naive Dogs

On a small farm out in the middle of the country, there was a farmer who had all kinds of animals. He had donkeys, chickens, pigs, cows, and rabbits. The animals lived in peaceful harmony, that is everyone except for the chickens. The chickens, there were a dozen or so of them, were exceptional at gossiping and they often made fun of the other animals and spread bad things about them.

The chickens would wake up each morning and search for the newest farm member to gossip about, they even talked behind the farmer's back occasionally. The other animals put up with it for some time but then they couldn't take anymore. They decided to shun the chickens and cut off all communication and contact with them. 

The chickens, having no friends to gossip about or pick on, were extremely bored now with all of their free time. However, the addicted gossipers that they were, they still made up things to gossip about, even things like the weather became hot topics.

They were approaching the 100th day of aimlessly gossiping when they heard something from beyond the farm approaching.

The chickens turned their heads and saw four large dogs crossing the pasture. The two eldest chickens had found someone new to gossip about.

"Look Beatrice, those hounds over there are getting closer and closer to our farm!"

"Who do they think they are!"

"I don't know... maybe they are here to steal our eggs or vandalize our pens!"

"They do look like quite wild, quick hens hide your eggs!"

Just beyond the animals cages was a stream, and the dogs made their way to it and stopped to drink. 

Image of the dogs lapping up the river, by Winter  

"That is just filthy, I guess we can't all be important enough to have a farmer bring us pails of water, right hens?"

The ladies agreed and laughed at the hounds drinking stream water.

The dogs stayed at the waters edge for quite some time, only pausing occasionally from drinking to take a breath.

"What on earth.... why wont they stop drinking?"

"I'm not sure... they appear to be verrrrry thirsty."

"No that's not it, there must be some reason"

"Maybe its because they have never had clean water before?"

The hens chuckled again at the dog's expense.

"No no... wait! I almost forgot, this morning the farmer laid some fresh hides in the river to tan them!"

"Oh yes! Those silly beasts must be trying to reach the hides"

"But how..."

The hens pondered for quite some time and continued to watch the dogs lap up the water.

"I've got it! They are trying to drink up our river!

At that remark every hen in the pen laughed so hard that the other animals nearby in their pens turned to see what was so funny.

They too saw the dogs lapping up the river and a few approached the hens to see if they knew who those strangers were.

"Why those four silly beasts are trying to drink up the whole river to get to the hides at the bottom... Isn't that just the silliest thing you've ever heard??"

The other animals laughed along with the hens, and then they started whispering and spreading the gossip amongst themselves about the ridiculous wild dogs who were silly enough to think they could drink up a river.

The whispers and laugher from the farm grew loud enough to where the dogs could hear them.

One of the dogs perked up and glanced in their direction.

"Oh no.. I hope they don't come any closer... those filthy animals probably don't even know how to communicate with classy hens like us"

The dog turned back and he and his three friends drank the last little bit until their bellies expanded to the max. Then the dogs laid down and gave up, they had no more room for water and they weren't any closer to the hides.

The farm animals laughed even more at their expense.

"I just knew they couldn't do it" said a hen

"Me too... I always thought dogs were stupid animals and that proves it" said the other hen.

The other animals chipped in with the gossiping. Eventually the dogs arose and walked back to the farms edge with their heads held low and their tail between their legs.

It's easy to forgive and join in when you're not the one the cruel act is against.

Author's Note: The Original fable by Aesop was about three dogs trying to drink up a river to reach the hides at the bottom. As you can tell, I did not alter the plot, but I did alter the way the story was told. I chose to tell the story from a gossiping perspective and created the chickens on the farm as the gossipers. I thought this would be a good way to convey a silly story like the dogs trying to consume a whole river. It seemed like an old task and like one other people would gossip about because it was so outrageous.

Bibliography: "The Dogs and the Hides", from Aesop for Children, illustrated by Winter (1919). Web Source: Aesop (Winter)

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!