The Mouse, The Bird and the Sausage

Cultural origins: This is a German folktale, akin to that told by the brothers Grimm, was first found in a collection titled: The Wonderful True Story of Philander von Sittewald by Hans Michael Moscherosch (136).

Intended audience: Late Elementary School (8-10)

Why this audience?: While this is a quick tale, it is also a sad tale that goes downhill fast. It is for this reason that it may be appropriate to tell to the older elementary school student. They will of course enjoy the image: a sausage cooking soup, swimming around in it to make it taste better. This story is easily paired with a classic Grimm tale like Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood that also have tragic elements. 

Characters:  Bird
                        Mouse
                        Sausage
                        Other Bird
                        Dog
                        

Scenes/Settings: A cozy cottage in the woods

Synopsis: The bird, the mouse and the sausage live happily in their home, each doing a portion of the housework. The bird collects kindling for the fire. The mouse gathers water from the well. And the sausage tends the pot of soup over the fire, which he seasons by slithering in it occasionally. One day when the bird was off collecting kindling he was talking with another bird about how great his life was. The other bird scoffed and said that the bird certainly had the raw end of the deal and was doing way more work than the sausage or the mouse. This idea festers in the bird's head for days until he finally confronts the mouse and the sausage and insists they switch jobs.

So the next day the sausage heads to the woods to find kindling. When he doesn't return the bird goes looking for him and found that a dog has eaten him. While the bird is out the mouse gets nervous that the soup won't be tasty enough and tries to imitate sausage and swims around in the soup until he drowns. When the bird returns to see his friend drowning in the soup she tries to pull him out with such force that the logs from the fire roll out and catch fire to the house. In her haste to pull water from the well to put out the fire she is pulled down and drowns, herself.

Story Climaxes/High Points: Trying to emulate the soups of the sausage, the mouse jumps into the soup to flavor it but can't get out. The bird tries desperately to rescue his friend by pulling him out of the pot. Instead, in his haste to help the mouse he scatters the logs of the fire, burning the house to the ground.

Special Chants/Phrases: None

Bibliographic Information:

Pullman, P. (2012). The Mouse, The Bird and the Sausage. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm; A New English Version (pp.133 - 137). New York: Viking. 

The Swineherd

Cultural origins: The origin of this fairytale is in dispute. Hans Christian Anderson and the brothers Grimm both publish similar tales around the same time (300). The version featured in the Opies' anthology of fairy tales is from Anderson.

Intended audience: Late Elementary School (8-10)

Why this audience?: This is a tale of greed. The princess in this tale is seduced by trinkets and will give anything to have what she wants. This is an theme that will resonate with young children who can identify with the "Gimme' Gimme's" as the Berensteins put it. There are two ways to finish the story: the older the audience perhaps it should take Anderson's punishing turn of an ending. If the audience is younger, then many picture books have doctored the end to have the Prince confirm that the Princess has learned her lesson and then reveal himself to her at the swineherd's hut.

Characters:  The King
                        The Princess
                        The ladies in waiting
                        The Prince/Swineherd
                        

Scenes/Settings: The court of the King
                                 Outside the hut of the Swineherd

Synopsis: There once was haughty and proud princess who was enchanted with toys and trinkets. A prince began to court her. So he sent the most beautiful rose bush, and a bird that sang the most beautiful song. The Princess, upon discovering that they were not machines, but real rejected them completely and would not even allow the Prince at court. The prince would not be deterred he disguised himself as a swineherd and worked in her court and made a pot that bubbles and generates the smell of every hearth in the kingdom. When the Princess passed his hut she smelled the scintillating aroma and decided she had to have that toy. The swineherd would only accept 10 kisses from the princess in payment for the pot and she reluctantly gave in. Next he made a rattle that played every song in the world. The Princess wanted it so badly she again gave in to the swineherd's demand of 100 kisses in payment. As she was kissing him and her ladies maids were protecting her honor by surrounding her in a circle the King noticed the commotion and went to see what was happening in his courtyard. He saw his daughter kissing the swineherd and banished them both. The Prince then revealed his true identity and shamed her for denying him, the prince for his regal gifts but gave a keeper of pigs kisses for toys and trinkets. He left her holding her magic rattle as it played a thousand tunes.

Story Climaxes/High Points: The King discovers his daughter kissing the swineherd a hundred times. Upon this discovery he banishes them from the kingdom.

Special Chants/Phrases: Swineherd: "A hundred kisses from the Princess or each one keeps his own."

Bibliographic Information:

Opie, Iona & Peter. (1974). The Swineherd. In The Classic Fairy Tales (pp. 300-307). New York: Oxford University Press.

The Man Who Bought a Dream

Cultural origins: This is a Japanese folktale. It has details that place the story in Japan but it is easy enough to remove those elements if you wish to make it a tale without a country to color it. However universal I think this tale is, I like the details of the road to Osaka and the description Kiibe-san's backyard, an image of a zen garden if ever there was one.

Intended audience: Late elementary School (8-11)

Why this audience?: This story is based on a thrilling idea. The idea that dreams are real seldom entertain reality, except perhaps by a Disney World commercial. This tale begs the question of destiny. Students will be certain of the gold appearing in the jar for the dreamer, but not for Kiibe-san. This generates follow-up questions for an audience of this age? Does the man deserve the gold because he bought the dream? How do you buy a dream?

Characters:  Young Man
                         His Wife
                         Kiibe-san

Scenes/Settings: The hut of the poor man
                                 The road to Osaka
                                 The Mansion and yard of Kiibe-san

Synopsis: A young man is captivated by the idea that a dream will lead him to a great fortune. He follows the clues to the giant mansion of the richest man in Osaka, Kibee-san. He tells Kiibe-san what he has seen in this dream he has bought for himself, that there is a jar of gold buried under the pine tree in the backyard of Kiibe-san's house. Kiibe-san digs up the jar that night and finds a jar full of nothing. The next day when the young man returns Kiibe-san allows him to dig the jar up again, knowing that the jar will be empty. When the young man opens the jar it is not empty. A small bee zips out and races away. Disappointed and undone the young man returns home thinking that dreams do not come true. When he arrives home though his wife tells him of their very good fortune. She went to the attic and found a bee zip out and when she reached the attic the place was brimming with gold coins.

Story Climaxes/High Points: As the man begins opens the jar the day after Kiibe-san has secretly opened the jar the day before there is a moment of tension. Will the jar be full of gold because the man's dream told him it would be?

Special Chants/Phrases: 

Beginning: There was once a man, and he bought a dream. His friend, the one who had dreamed the dream, tried to talk him out of buying it. After all, it was only a dream.

Bibliographic Information:

Abbell, Timmy. (2000). The Man Who Bought a Dream. In More Ready-To-Tell Tales from Around the World (pp. 202-205). Little Rock, AK: August House.

More Than Salt

Cultural origins: This is an Italian version of a very old European folktale. The English version is known as "Cap-o-Rushes" and was most certainly an inspiration for Shakespeare's King Lear (310). Whatever its origin it is clear that it is a folktale that has survived for centuries.

Intended audience: Late Elementary School (7-10)

Why this audience?: This is a tricksterish tale. While the youngest princess, banished from her father's sight in the tallest tower does not trick the cook, it's fun for young students to figure out how she rescues herself through logic. This story does not have chants or hand motions and therefore requires a little more attention. However, this King should be larger than life to captivate the children's attention quickly.

Characters:  The King
                        The Eldest Princess
                        The Middle Princess
                        The Youngest Princess
                        The Cook
                        

Scenes/Settings: The castle of the king

Synopsis: The King of the land knows that soon he depart this world and so he must decide which one of his three daughters will succeed him. To do this he decides to ask a question: How much do you love me? The first daughter professes to love him more than bread, the second more than wine and the third and youngest daughter gets cheeky and says she loves him more than salt. Saying that this is something that even the poorest people have he banished his youngest daughter from his sight and locks her in the tallest tower of the castle. Every day the princess sings in her tower and all in the kingdom ignore her until one day the King's chef, while peeling potatoes is so taken with her song he begins to sing along. They sing together everyday and form a friendship. The Princess asks the chef a favor: cook dinner for the king without salt. The chef does so and the King spits out his food. When the chef replies that only the most poor have salt and it is not regal to use what poor people use in cooking. The understands his mistake and releases his youngest daughter from her prison. She helps him rule the land until his dying day.

Story Climaxes/High Points: The King spits out his food and demands to see the cook. When the King asks why his food tastes so terrible, the cook simply replies that he didn't use any salt and since even the poorest people have salt, as the King said, the cook decided that his food should not have salt for it was not fit for a king.

Special Chants/Phrases: 
Beginning: Long ago, a certain King was thought to be the wisest, cleverest man in the world. Even so, he once asked a stupid question.

End: And that was good, and it wasn't bad!

Bibliographic Information:

Ryan, Patrick. (2010). More Than Salt. In Storytelling; Art and Technique (pp. 310 - 313). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

The Story of the Not-So-Small Animal

Cultural origins: This is one of the many excellent stories from Tales Our Abuelita Told by Campoy and Ada. The particular region referenced in the beginning of the story is Basque country, which is located in the northern region of Spain. This location is important to convey as the animals flee to Idaho in the end. That is a powerful image, animals running across the Atlantic Ocean to flee swarms of bees, mosquitos and beetles. This tale also has a great many Spanish words deeply rooting it in this culture. The story is framed as a "true" story of how the mountains in Basque country were changed forever.

Intended audience: Early Middle School (11-13)

Why this audience?: This is a perfect tale to supplement a beginning Spanish class in 6th or 7th grade. There are plenty of standard animal vocabulary words plotted throughout the story to keep them engaged as well as a geography element by identifying Basque country on the map of Spain. They can also retell it or do a digital storytelling of a similar animal tale. While it's not essential for this story to be used in a language class it could also be told with an late elementary school crowd, it would be essential to take time explaining the language. Perhaps by asking the group, "Who knows what a Vaca blanca y negra is?"

Characters:  Don Borrego, the ram
                        Doña Cabra, the she-goat
                        Doña Caballo, the horse
                        Xixi, the shepherd
                        Patxi, the dog
                        Don Zorro, the fox
                        Doña Vaca Blanca y Negra, the cow

Scenes/Settings: The grazing hills of Basque country in the northern mountains of Spain

Synopsis: This is a story of the animals who graze on the mountains in Basque country. They greet each other every morning and speak of warmer weather. The last animal introduced is the formidable Doña Vaca Blanca y Negra. She almost steps on a beetle who declares war who is so offended on behalf of all tiny animals that she declares W-A-R! Don Zorro, the fox, goes to assess the situation in this war scenario and is chased away by a swarm of bees, beetles and mosquitoes. They chase all the animals across the ocean from Spain to the plains of Idaho where they are grazing today.

Story Climaxes/High Points: When the bees see Don Zorro scouting their whereabouts they begin to swarm and chase Don Zorro and the rest of the animals of the hillside. They run across an ocean to the other side of America they can't run far enough.

Special Chants/Phrases: 
Animal Greeting every time: "Good morning! Quite a brisk morning, eh?"
Animal Response every time: "A little cool, yes, but it'll get warmer."

Bibliographic Information:

Campoy, F. Isabel. (2006). The Story of the Not-So-Small Animal. In Tales Our Abuelitas Told Us (pp. 45-50). New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

The Magic Pomegranate

Cultural origins: This is a Jewish story. It can be told in tandem with the Turkish tale The Silent Princess as that tale includes a story very similar to this one, but with a different ending.

Intended audience: Late Elementary School (8-11)

Why this audience?: This is a longer story and requires the attention of older children. However, there are princesses and magic carpets involved so you cannot go wrong telling this story to elementary aged children. It's fun to stop and ask what brother the audience thinks should win the hand of the princess. 

Characters:  Oldest Brother, with the magic glass
                        Middle Brother, with the magic carpet
                        Youngest Brother, with the magic pomegranate
                        Magician
                        Carpet seller
                        The King of the sick Princess
                        The sick Princess

Scenes/Settings: A certain country in the East at a magic show
                                 A certain country in the West at a grand bazaar
                                 A certain country in the south deep in a forrest
                                 The palace of the sick Princess

Synopsis: There are three brothers who seek adventure and fortune. They leave for different parts of the world and agree to return in a year's time with an unusual object. The oldest brother travels west and buys a magic spy glass. The middle brother travels east and buys a magic carpet. The youngest brother travels south and encounters a magical pomegranate tree, there one moment popping fruit into his hand, gone the next. When they reconvene they spy a sick princess in the eldest brother's spy glass. They race off to her castle on the middle brother's flying carpet. The King offers her hand in marriage to anyone who can make the princess well, who is knocking on death's door. The youngest brother slowly feeds the magic pomegranate's berries to the sick princess who is soon well. However, the three brothers argue about who should be the one to marry her as they all had a hand in making her well. The princess solves this by asking a simple question: How much did you sacrifice from your magical object to make me well? The youngest brother sacrificed the most of his object as most of it was gone. He married the now well princess and they lived happily ever after.

Story Climaxes/High Points: The Princess ends the brother's quarrel on who should be allowed to marry her by asking the who sacrificed the most of their magical object to save her life. 

Special Chants/Phrases: None

Bibliographic Information:

Schram, Peninnah. (1994). The Magic Pomegranate. In Ready-To-Tell Tales (pp. 179-183). Little Rock, AK: August House.

The Magic Mortar

Cultural origins: This is a Japanese folktale explaining how the salt got into the sea. It is also known as "The Magic Listening Cap" in other Japanese variants (146). However, every country by the sea has a version of this story: a magical item that produces the owner's desire, making its way to the sea, making salt and never stopping.

Intended audience: Late elementary (8-11)

Why this audience?: This is a fun story that asks many questions: What would you do if you had a magic mortar that would give you anything you desired? Would you be greedy? If you had all that you wanted would you leave your family? All these questions wouldn't necessarily come up in a follow up discussion, but they could. 

Characters:  Younger Brother
                         Younger Brother's Wife
                         Older Brother
                         Old Man
                         Little Magic People
                        

Scenes/Settings: The shack of the younger brother. 
                                 The house of the older brother.
                                 A back alleyway hidden behind a hole.
                                 The bay

Synopsis: It was once New Years day in Japan and a poor man didn't have a single grain of rice with which to celebrate. He goes to his older brother's big house to beg for some rice, with the promise of repayment. His brother swats him away like a pesky fly saying that he has no rice. The younger brother, alone and depressed, walks home slowly and bumps into a wizened old man. "What's wrong, my son?" he asks. When he tells him about his own brother denying him food on New Years the old man offers him a rice cake with a bead of honey. He instructs him to climb through the hole in the wall to the alleyway. There he should negotiate with the men there for a mortar.

Once through the hole the younger brother is shocked to see dozens of tiny men running around. He almost squishes one of them. He apologizes and offers them the rice cake with honey. The tiny men are ecstatic and offer him gold in return. The younger brother refuses and asks for something else. Then they produce a mortar. They instruct him to turn it to the right and ask for whatever he wishes. The mortar will produce whatever he wishes until he turns it to the left and says, "stop." The younger brother quickly trades his rice cake for the mortar and leaps home in triumph.

His wife is disappointed he has not returned with rice. "Who cares about rice when we can have anything we want." He turns the mortar to the right, "Cake, cake, let us have cake!" And as soon as the words have left his lips cake appears on the table until he turns the mortar left and cries, "Stop!" This goes on for quite some time. The younger brother asks for wine, a mansion and a banquet for a party. 

His neighbors quickly arrive to share in his good fortune as well as his brother. The neighbors do not ask where this new found wealth is from. That is not polite. The children ask, but the younger brother swats them away and goes to the kitchen get the mortar to make him some bean candy for them. Eying his younger brother, the older brother follows him into the kitchen to uncover his brother's secret. As soon as he sees his brother create the bean candy he is determined to possess this magic mortar himself and become the most powerful man in Japan.

The older brother swipes the magic mortar and climbs into a boat back to row back to his house. In his haste to leave the party with the magic mortar he forgot to eat anything so he scrounges up a rice cake from the bottom of the boat. He decides it's too dry and needs salt so he turn the magic mortar to the right, "Salt, salt, let me have salt." Immediately salt comes pouring out of the mortar and onto the rice cake. Delicious! But as the older brother continued to row to his house, the salt continued to pour out of the mortar until the boat became so heavy it sank to the bottom of the bay. 

And that is where salt comes from in the ocean.

Story Climaxes/High Points: The younger brother is having a party and his older brother spies how the magic mortar gives him whatever his chants for: "Bean candy, bean candy, let us have bean candy." With this, the older brother is determined to possess the magic mortar and become the most powerful man in Japan.

Special Chants/Phrases: Chant to the magic mortar: "Rice, rice, let us have rice." 

Bibliographic Information:

O'Callahan, Jay. (1994). The Magic Mortar. In Ready-To-Tell Tales (pp. 146-150). Little Rock, AK: August House.

How Hare Drank Boiling Water and Married the Beautiful Princess

Cultural origins: This is a West African folktale from Benin. It originated in oral storytelling by the Fon, a large majority of the people residing in Benin. 

Intended audience: Late elementary (8-11)

Why this audience?: While this is clearly for a younger audience there are slightly more mature elements that might appeal more to an older group of elementary school students. This isn't a laugh out loud trickster tale but one of drama, suspense and marriage. There is more food for thought for older grades. They can guess how Hare drank the water. They can figure out the trick, which is definitely a question for discussion after.

Characters:  Beautiful Princess
                        King
                        Suitors: Princes, noblemen, warriors, hunters
                        Lion
                        Other Animal Suitors: Eagle, Elephant, Leopard, Monkey
                        Tortoise
                        Hare

Scenes/Settings: The realm of the King of Benin in the castle's courtyard.

Synopsis: There lived a beautiful princess. Everyone in the kingdom adored her, and her father had to decide how to choose someone worthy enough to marry her. He finally decided the best way was to challenge any and all brave enough to drink from a pot of boiling water would have the princess's hand.

The clay pot is set over a roaring fire in the courtyard of the king and suitors come from far and wide. They approach the pot, bring the scalding water to their lips and then have to set the pot down it is so overwhelmingly hot. Many try and fail: Princes, noblemen, warriors, hunters, Lion, Turtle (the great diviner), Eagle, Elephant, Leopard, Monkey, but no one was brave enough. 

Just when it looked like no one was brave enough to suffer the pain for the princess Hare emerged from the crowd. He saw the bubbling water on the fire, covered his hands with cloth, lifted the pot from the fire and began to TALK:

He turns to Lion and says, "I have come to do what no one has done in living memory so tell my story to your children and your children's children, lest I die in vain. For when we are gone, only our stories remain." Lion agrees and wipes a small tear away with his paw.

But this is not enough for Hare. He then turns to Eagle, Monkey, and Leopard in turn and pleads, "Tell my story to your children and your children's children, lest I die in vain. For when we are gone, only our stories remain." The animal suitors agree, "We will!" They are so moved by Hare's speech they are shouting!

But this is not nearly enough, Hare then turns to the other suitors who have also failed the princess and understand the task, "Tell my story to your children and your children's children, lest I die in vain. For when we are gone, only our stories remain." They all nod with desperate approval, "Absolutely we will!" 

The crowd is whipped up into a frenzy. There is nothing they would not do and they are so enamored with Hare's bravery. Slowly, Hare bows to the King and princess. He bows to the crowd and slowly, ever so slowly, he brings the pot to his lips and drinks the whole thing! 

The crowd roars with approval. Surely, this is the most brave suitor in all the land. That very day he and the princess were married. And Hare was a just and fair King to the people of Benin. And he and his princess were very happy. 

One day she asked him how he managed to drink the boiling water that fateful day. He replied with a smile, "But my love, it wasn't boiling at all, it was warm at best."

Story Climaxes/High Points: Hare implores all to remember his story. He pleads with them in such a dramatic fashion before he drinks the water.

Special Chants/Phrases: "Tell my story to your children and your children's children, lest I die in vain. For when we are gone, only our stories remain." 

Bibliographic Information:

Mama, Raouf. (2000). How Hare Drank Boiling Water and Married the Beautiful Princess. In More Ready-To-Tell Tales from Around the World (pp. 71-75). Little Rock, AK: August House.