Storytelling Week 14: Mother Friday's Revenge

Mother Friday's Revenge

It had been an abnormally long week. Summer was slipping into the past, while Fall was beginning to make an appearance with its cooler temperatures and bright oranges, dull reds and beautiful browns consuming the leaves and covering the town. Each day seemed to be longer than the last, with thoughts of a warm fire and cup of hot chocolate consuming the minds of the working people as it got closer and closer to each day's end.

Thursday was finally coming to a close. Thank goodness it was almost Friday...only one sleep away...

Mother Friday drifted off into a peaceful sleep only to be awaken abruptly at midnight by a startling feeling deep inside of her. If there was one thing that Mother Friday absolutely hated, it was when people took her day to work. It drove her insane and caused an anger to stew in her heart and mind. Furious, she took to the road to find the person who caused her to wake on her day off.

She arrived at a dimly lit cottage and peeked into the window. A woman was sitting inside, calmly spinning her flax and doing work that could wait until next week to do. How dare she! Does this woman know that it is Friday?

Woman spinning flax. Source: Flickr

Mother Friday angrily threw the woman's door open, walked up to her and put dust from the floor into her eyes. She then stomped back to her own cottage, still furious at the woman.

The woman was extremely startled and couldn't see a thing! She ran into town to try to tell others what had happened to her eyes, but couldn't. However, the town-goers knew exactly what had happened.
"You fool, you've brought this upon yourself!" They exclaimed. "Everyone knows not to mess with Mother Friday!"

Aggravated and distressed, the woman ran home. How could she fix this? She begged and begged for forgiveness from Mother Friday, hoping she would eventually hear.
The woman drifted off to sleep that night with the dust still in her eyes.

Luckily, Mother Friday heard her cries and in the night went to clear out the woman's eyes. She knew that the woman would never again dishonor the day that should not be used to complete work, but to relax.

The woman woke, able to see and never again used a Friday to spin her flax. She warned others to do the same and never again heard from Mother Friday.

Author's Note: I've been experimenting with other writing styles and wanted to continue that this week. The original story, Friday, is about Mother Friday and is not told from her perspective. There is a woman who decides to spin and weave flax on Friday instead of resting and Mother Friday does not take to that lightly. Mother Friday punishes the woman until the woman begs for forgiveness. I found inspiration for this story by thinking of ways I could retell this story and ultimately decided that it would be interesting to see this story told from Mother Friday's perspective.

Bibliography: Russia: Friday. This story is part of the Russian Folktales unit. Story source: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

Myth-Folklore Unit: Russian Folktales

Storytelling Week 13: The Golden Trick

The Golden Trick
There once was an old man that lived in a far off village.
Every morning he would wake and tend to his hens.

However, this man was not normal by any means. He was the grumpiest, most greedy man in the village. In fact, he was known as the meanest of men by his fellow villagers.

This did not bother the old man in the slightest. Every morning he would wake, sip his warm cup of freshly brewed coffee, watch the beautiful and bright rays of sunshine dance off of his land and tend to his hens.

The hens did not like him much, either. They were always running from him, trying to get away.
One hen in particular was particularly not fond of the man.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." the hen complained to her fellow friends one night, "I don't know what to do...I have laid a golden egg!"

The hens, frightened that the old man would show his greedy self and harm them to try to get more precious eggs knew that they had to do something.

They schemed all night long...thinking about how to alter the situation to benefit themselves. The old man would see the egg for sure. He's so greedy that he searches the entire place multiple to make sure he doesn't miss a single egg.

Instead of trying to hide the egg, they came up with the grand scheme to hopefully end their suffering for good.

The next morning, the man woke, completed his daily routine in his house and headed for the hens. He unlocked the door, entered their home and began placing the eggs in his basket. As he reached the end of the hens, he noticed something gold right outside of the back door. He walked outside and as he bent down to pick it up, he realized that he had come across a golden egg!

"A GOLDEN EGG!" He exclaimed. He would be rich! But only one?! How dare the hen only give him one to treasure...he would have more for sure. They must be inside the hen. Now only to find her and slay her for her golden eggs...

But it was too late. While the man was outside, the hens ran off through the opened front door and off as far as they could go. While the man was busy admiring his new found egg, they had escaped out of sight and by the time he came looking for them, they were all gone. The man never had another hen again and was left lonely to finish out his days.

As for the hen that laid the golden egg, she went and lived happily ever after at a farm that cared for her and her friends and used the eggs for good.

Hen. Source: The Untextbook

Author's Note: I chose to write this story when reading Foolish People in the first half of the readings for this week. The original story, the Hen With the Golden Egg, is about a hen that lays golden eggs. There is a man ("the meanest of men") who takes an egg the hen lays, ends up getting too greedy and ultimately ends the hen's life. I always appreciate happier endings for stories, so I created this tale in order to make that a reality.

Bibliography: Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks by W. T. Larned and illustrated by John Rae (1918).

Storytelling Week 12: The Swing

 The Swing

 Swing. Image source: Pixabay

There once was a mischievous little boy named Tommy who always seemed to get himself into trouble.

One day Tommy decided to go play in the woods. It was a particularly hot day in the middle of the scorching summer they had been having and he knew of a little pond he could go to that would be the perfect way to cool down.

Before leaving, his mother told him not to jump from the swing by the water.

"For if you do...you'll fall and get all scratched up," she warned him.

Tommy brushed it off. This summer was the first that he was tall enough to even reach the swing, so of course he was going to jump from it. All of his friends were already tall enough and doing it and that's all they ever talked about. He couldn't stand being left out any longer.

And so he set off on his journey to the woods. It took him longer than he thought to make it to the pond and by the time he got there, he was exhausted. But of course, that wouldn't detour him from making the jump from the swing.

His eyes darted around, excitedly searching for his adventure waiting to happen...and then he spotted it. The swing. He rushed over and climbed up to the swing, barely making it on.

Despite his exhaustion, he swung. He swung for what seemed like hours. He was absolutely giddy, finally getting to do what he had been dreaming of for years. Back and forth, back and forth, slowly forgetting his tiredness and the heat of the day.

And then the time came...the jump.
He swung up to the highest of heights and let go, free falling to the pond below.

But right away, he realized that he didn't swing out quite far enough to make the cool water. Instead of hitting the pond, he hit the branches sticking up out of the ground.

Blood immediately began to seep out of the scratches on his leg. His mother was right...he should've listened to her advice. Scared and hurt, Tommy hobbled all of the way back home.

Once there, his mother took him in her arms, patching him up and caring to his wounds.

"I knew you would get scratched up," his mother sighed.

"Now I know to always listen to your advice...I'm sorry," Tommy replied.

Author's Note: This story was inspired by A Lion and a Man. It is about a little lion who does not take his father's advice to not fight a man. Instead of listening to his father, he goes to find and fight a man, and of course it does not turn out well. He ends up wounded, but understands that he needs to listen to his father's advice. The moral of the story was "Disobedience to Parents is against the Laws of Nature and of Nations, Common Justice, Prudence and Good Manners; and the Vengeance of Heaven, Sooner or Later, Treads upon the Heels on't." Instead of a lion I decided to make the story about a little boy and bring it into more modern day times.

Bibliography: This fable is part of the Aesop's Fables (English) unit. Story source: Story source: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange (1692).

Storytelling Week 11: The Moon Jump

The Moon Jump

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there lived a cat and a cow.
They were a harmonious two, always following each other and getting along in everything they did.

However, they weren't your ordinary cat and cow.
In fact, the cat knew how to play the fiddle!
Oh, how she would play that thing for hours. And the cow, being the gracious friend he was, would sit and listen to every second of it.

Not only was the cat talented, but the cow also had a few tricks he was proud of. One in particular was the height of his jumps. No cow had EVER reached the height he could reach. He trained day in and day out to reach his height goals and had much to show for it.

One day, the cow got really ambitious.

"I think I'll jump over the moon," he announced to his cat friend.
"You can absolutely do it! I've seen you jump high, and if you go a little further, there's absolutely no stopping you," the cat replied.
The cow truly appreciated his friend's support.

And so he started training more and more to get higher and higher.
However, not everyone was a fan of the cow's jumping skills. The cat and cow's next door neighbor was especially skeptical.
The little dog had only lived there about a year and had watched the cow training the entire time. When he heard about the cow's newest goals, he couldn't even believe his own ears. And everyone knows how much dogs trust their own hearing.

"Ha! There's no way that'll happen. Keep trying," the dog scoffed.
"Oh, I plan on it," replied the cow. He wasn't going to let some little dog get to him or interfere with his heart's desires.

The day finally came. The cow was as prepared as he was going to get.

"Wait! I'll grab my fiddle," the cat said right before the jump. She wanted to give the cow a send-off tune that she had been practicing since he announced the moon jump.

And so the cat started to play.
And then, WOOSH! The cow jumped right over the moon!

Of course the dog was watching and just chuckled to himself.
"He did it...to see such sport!"
He was actually impressed.

When the cow returned, all three celebrated the momentous occasion with a good meal and good company.

(Wikipedia: Hey Diddle Diddle)

Author's Note: I decided to write this story when doing the second half of the readings for this week. I was reading through the nursery rhymes and came across ones that I remembered from my childhood. I was inspired to rewrite one of the ones most familiar to me to see how far my creativity would take me.
"The original rhyme is Hey, Diddle Diddle:
HEY! diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laugh'd
To see the sport,
While the dish ran after the spoon."
I left out the dish running away with the spoon, but kept to and expanded upon the rest of the rhyme.
I chose this image because it accurately depicts the story.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Nursery Rhymes unit. Story source: The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).

Storytelling Week 10: The Jackalope

 The Jackalope

There once was a time in this world that the deer was antler-less. He had absolutely no horns growing out of his head.
One day, he saw some antlers and took great interest in them.
"Hmm... I wonder what those would look like on me. I'm sure they'd fit well and make me look majestic..." the deer thought to himself. He stood by them, admiring each grand curvature and great point.

Just then, a rabbit came up beside him. Te absolute beauty of the antlers stole the rabbit's attention. His gaze on the antlers was unfaltering. 
"Wouldn't those antlers look absolutely wonderful atop my head?" the rabbit asked the dear.
"Actually...I was thinking the same thing...but about myself," the deer replied.

Now, the rabbit was a sucker for a good gamble. Especially if it was over something as special as a beautiful set of antlers. He saw the opportunity to win the antlers fair and square - and he jumped on it.

"Let's make this interesting," the rabbit suggested. "We will race. And the winner gets the antlers. How does that sound?"

The deer thought about it. He could easily outrun the rabbit's hops. He knew that the strength of his legs would completely destroy any chance the rabbit had at winning their wager. All he could think about was the antlers atop his head and he knew that this was his chance.

"That sounds absolutely perfect," the deer replied, not wanting to give away his complete confidence. He thought that if he was too over-confident that the rabbit would recall his previous offer.

And so they raced. It was close, with the deer leading in the beginning.
However, as the race wore on, the deer began to become tired. His legs were failing him and his efforts were slowly declining. The rabbit, on the other hand, was steadily completing the race. His muscle was not betraying him, but instead it strengthened his lead.

The deer was utterly wrong-his legs weren't stronger and would not easily allow him to win.

By the end, the rabbit was clearly ahead and crossed the finish line way before the deer.

The deer finally completed the race, and while he was upset, knew that a deal was a deal and graciously let the rabbit have the antlers.

The rabbit put the beautiful antlers atop his head and never took them off.
And that was how the jackalope was created.

 Jackalope. Source: Wikimedia

Author's Note: The original story is about how a deer got his horns. There was a race between him and a rabbit in which the winner was awarded horns. The deer won the horns and thus the legend about how the deer got his horns. When I read the original story, I immediately thought of a jackalope. The possibility of the antlers ending up on the rabbit is what inspired me to write this story. Even though that's not what happened or how the story ended, that's what inspired me. I usually write my stories in a way that are closely aligned with the original one, but I have decided to try to expand my writing style in order to expand my creativity by writing stories that are inspired by but not extremely connected to the original story. The image is a picture of the animal I imagined.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Cherokee Myths unit. Story source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).

Storytelling Week 9: The Happiest Fish Under the Sea

The Happiest Fish Under the Sea

Oh my, oh my, oh my.
My life as a little fish has been awful up until today.
Let me just say...thank goodness for my Grandma.

You would think I would be living the life under the sea. I mean, up on the shore they work all day. Up in the sun they slave away! We get an endless supply of water and we get to swim around all day long. It's always clear and there's never any disruption from the world above. But let me tell you. It's not all happiness down here. We've been miserable since..well...forever!

Why, you ask?
Well...these awful and mean garfish have been absolutely horrible to me, my family and my friends. They've been terrorizing us all since we were born!
Who does such an awful thing?
I used to fear for my life daily - always wondering when one of them was going to be just around the river-bend, and even beyond the shore.

So finally us kids had enough. We cried out to our Grandma (who is the river) - she always knows what to do in any situation. Whenever we need her, she's always there...and this was no exception. She didn't like the garfish, either, so it was easy to convince her to help us. And help us she surely did!

Shortly after our talk with Grandma, it started to rain...and not just any kind of rain. It was a torrential downpour. The river got so extremely full in just a few hours! We had never seen anything like it. Sometimes we go through droughts and sometimes it rains a lot, but this was a totally different ball game. We knew that something strange was up.

Turns out Grandma had a favor called in to the rain cloud that she knows. Grandma has the best of friends that always come to her help since she is so helpful herself.

Of course when the water extended to new territories, the garfish got so greedy and wanted to see if there were any other creatures for them to feast upon and terrorize.

But the joke was on them! Right as they swam up the river, Grandma dried up her banks and showed the big garfish what it was like to feel terror.

So that's why today is so great. We all get to live fear free and don't have to worry about being eaten all day long anymore!

Cute, happy fish. Source: Pixabay
Author's Note: The original story tells the same story that I wrote, but from an outsiders perspective. I didn't change any details, but I changed the style of writing. I wrote this story in a diary-style because I want to practice for my storybook. My storybook entries and stories are written in the same style and I thought it would be good practice to keep writing in that manner so that the storybook can be successful. I chose this image to include because it really looks like a happy, little fish to me.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Tejas Legends unit. Story source: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936).

Storytelling Week 7: The Kind Monkey Turned Wicked

 The Kind Monkey Turned Wicked

There once was a monkey who lived in a tree in the middle of the forest. He was just like any other monkey; he ate his bananas, he went to school and he helped with tree chores.

However, there was something a little different with monkey. He didn't have many friends. In fact, he didn't have a single friend at all.

He would go home each day and cry out to himself, "How can I make friends? I'm so lonely."




There was nothing terribly wrong with the monkey. He was kind, handsome, smart, funny and charming. Yet no one would ever talk to him when he sat alone at school.

He had attempted everything in his power to engage in conversation with anyone. Every time he tried, he was shot down and ignored. Monkey was the loneliest creature on the planet.

One day, something finally snapped within him.

"If they won't be my friends, than they'll be my enemies. They'll learn how it feels to be on the outside," Monkey thought to himself.

And so his wicked ways began. His nice, friendly personality turned cold and bitter. He no longer attempted to make contact with anyone. Monkey decided that he had tried to long and hard and it was time for a drastic change.



He schemed and schemed for hours a day, training his clever mind. His evil plans floated through his mind during school, at home and even in his dreams. He eventually decided that he would trick people when they least expected it.

His trickery started small, by telling people there was no homework when there actually was, by conning people out of their lunch money and even by telling people wrong directions to places.

However, day by day the tricks got bigger and bigger. The monkey had many, many enemies.

"It's so much easier to get enemies than to gain friends," Monkey thought to himself.

One day he decided to trick a turtle and a crocodile. This was the worst one yet. They were starving after a long trek form their home, so he lead them to a farmer's patch of pumpkins to feast, knowing that would get them killed.

The turtle and crocodile met their fate and that's when Monkey knew his transformation was complete. He truly was a wicked being. He surely didn't have to worry about making friend any longer; all he made now were enemies.

(macaque, photo by thinrhino)

Author's Note: The original story is about a monkey, a turtle and crocodile. The monkey was very deceptive and tricked the turtle and crocodile into eating from a farmer's patch of pumpkins. The turtle and crocodile ended up being killed in the process because of the monkey's deceptive ways. My favorite part and why I picked this story was the moral, which was: Never trust a new friend or an old enemy. This made me want to write with this story as the inspiration. I then decided to do the backstory on the monkey and how he turned evil. I also chose this image because the monkey looked wicked.

Bibliography: The original story is part of the Filipino Tales unit. Story source: Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler (1921).

Storytelling Week 6: The Squirrel's Happy Ending

The Squirrel's Happy Ending

Squirrel. Source: Wikipedia

Gone.

Gone, gone, gone.

His crops, his income, his money, his future, his hopes, his dreams. All gone.

"That stupid spider," he thought to himself. "I can't believe he got away with taking my farm. How could everyone believe him?! I worked so hard for so long to get that farm to where is was. And now it's gone."

The spider, who managed to manipulate the entire town into believing that the squirrel's land was his own, was already halfway to riches. He not only stole the squirrel's farm, but also harvested all of the crops to sell.

All the squirrel had left was his family, whom he couldn't provide for anymore.

"It'll all work out, I promise," Mrs. Squirrel said.

"How could you know that for sure?" Squirrel replied.

"I don't, but we always make it work," sighed Mrs. Squirrel.

The next day, Squirrel made his way to town to look for work. On his way, he passed a large patch of land with many crops. This piqued his interest.

How had he never seen this before? He could've sworn that land to be empty just a few weeks ago.

Circling the magnificent display of crops was a crow. Squirrel waved him down to ask about the land.

"Yes, this is my field," the crow said.
"But how did you get the crops to grow so quickly?" inquired the squirrel.

"I'm not sure...it was quite odd, actually. One stormy night I found some crops on the side of the road. Once the rain passed, a strange spider came by and INSISTED they were his. But who would leave their crops out in the rain?! So I claimed them as my own and planted their seeds here," the crow explained. "It didn't take long until they were healthy and plentiful."

"WAIT...A SPIDER?!" The squirrel screeched. "Those were my crops that he stole! And I'll tell you what..he'll get these too if you're not careful...let me tell you how he got mine and show you how to prevent that from happening to you."

The squirrel explained everything to the crow and helped him to fight off the spider's attempts at his crops. Sure enough, the spider tried and tried, but the crow was prepared from the squirrel's advice.

The crow was so incredibly thankful that he let the squirrel have half of his crops, which actually made him richer than he was before. In the end, the squirrel won.

Author's Note: In the original story, the squirrel's fields get taken by the spider. The spider was a thief and stole the squirrel's hard-earned crops and went to sell them. In the end, the crops were taken by the crow because the spider left them out in the rain. This story frustrated me and made me want to tell the squirrel's story and for him to have a happy ending with wealth instead of a depressing ending with debt. The squirrel did nothing to harm or hurt the spider. The spider was just rude.

Bibliography: This story is part of the West African Folktales unit. Story source: West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

Storytelling for Week 5: From the Diary of the Fox

From the Diary of the Fox

Saturday, July 3rd.

Dearest Diary,

So I had the conversation with my husband. AGAIN.

I don't think we've gone a single night without him asking me how much wit I think I have and me returning the question back at him.

I also don't think he understands what the word 'wit' means. He always says he has SO much, yet isn't even smart enough to change our kid's diapers. He makes me do it! For ALL FIVE of them!

But I really do love him. He's great company to and from our local dining place we feast at every night and he is a wonderful father. He helps clean up, does the shopping and is incredibly sweet to me.

Well, time for bed now. Maybe our conversation tomorrow will be different (HA! One can dream),

Mrs. Fox





Sunday, July 4th.



DIARY!

Okay. First, no the conversation wasn't different (shock).

HOWEVER.

We ran into a tiger tonight! Can you believe that?! In our part of town!
They aren't even supposed to be traveling near our homes.

It's a good thing this tiger wasn't very bright (but are any of them?), because my husband cowered beneath me and left me to get both of us out of trouble.

And to think - he always talks about how much wit he has. Ha.

I talked the tiger into letting us go home, which wasn't very difficult at all. I made up some story about how my husband and I didn't know how to divide our children between us. If I got two and he got three or vice versa. I asked the tiger to meet our children and help us decide. And the tiger BELIEVED IT! How lucky.

We got back to our home and my nice, courageous husband fled to the door without me. I was left alone with a tiger.

Alone.
With a tiger.
Thanks, Mr. Fox.

Lucky for me I had my wit with me and convinced the tiger to let me step inside for a bit and made absolutely sure not to turn my back on him.

Once I got inside, it was all over. The tiger could never fit through our door (though he sure tried)!

From now on I will NEVER let my husband say he's courageous or full of wit. Though he is full of something.

Until next time (because Lord knows there will be a next time),

Mrs. Fox

Foxes. Source: Wikimedia

Author's Note:
In the original story, a fox and his wife travel to find food every night. On their way back, they have the same conversation in which the wife says she doesn't have much wit and the husband says he has plentiful. One night, they were faced with a tiger. The husband cowered and showed no wit, while the wife's wit saved both of their lives and their five children. In the end, not one of them was eaten and the tiger left frustrated.
This story was my inspiration because I truly adored Mrs. Fox's character. She had wit but did not brag about it. She saved her family's lives and she put up with her boastful and cowardly husband.
I chose this writing style because I have used the same one for each of the past week and wanted to try something new. I plan on using the diary style for some of my storybook and wanted to test it out here first.
I picked this image because it is exactly how I imagined Mrs. Fox and her husband looking. Mrs. Fox is on top, looking annoyed, and her husband is cowering beneath her as the original story describes.

Bibliography: 
Folklore of the Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas (1909).

Storytelling Week 4: Lil Croc's Birthday Surprise

Lil Croc's Birthday Surprise 
Once there was a crocodile who loved to throw parties. She was the best party planner in town! Other crocodiles would come from miles away just to attend the parties she put on. From New Year's to birthdays, Christmas to anniversaries, she knew how to do them all and how to do them well.

When it came time for her own son's 10th birthday, she knew she had to throw him the party of the decade. Mamma Croc would do anything in the world for her son, whom she loved so dearly.

Mamma Croc wanted this party to be a surprise for Lil Croc. He always got to attend the parties she threw, but never had one for himself. She knew he would absolutely love it.


She planned everything perfectly and precisely, down to the color of the sprinkles on the cake. Mamma Croc invited everyone; friends, family, neighbors, and even her co-workers. She wanted everyone to celebrate Lil Croc's 10th birthday!

Finally the day of the party came and all that was left to do was to distract Lil Croc while the guests arrived.

"I don't know how I'm going to do this..." Mamma Croc thought to herself.

And then an idea hit her!

She had been watching the monkeys frolic near her home for days, long enough to know that they are mischievous and clever little creatures. She would send Lil Croc after one of them.


"Lil Croc, come here!" Mamma Croc yelled.

"What is it, mom?" Lil Croc replied anxiously. He was hoping it would be a birthday surprise.

"I need you to fetch me a monkey. I am craving monkey heart and must have it," she said, trying to hide the anticipation she felt for the party.

Lil Croc thought this was a strange request, but set out to do it anyway.
He tried and tried, but the monkey was too clever for him.

Saddened and discouraged, Lil Croc returned home empty handed and worried over the disappointment he knew his mother would have for him.

Instead, Lil Croc was greeted with the biggest surprise of his life!

Banners, balloons, crocodiles, presents, food and drinks filled his home. Freshly baked cookies scented the air while everyone burst out in singing happy birthday to Lil Croc.

Happiness filled his heart as his mother came to greet him.

"I'm sorry I sent you out on an impossible mission, but I didn't know how else to get you away while I set up your party! I hope you like it," Mamma Croc said excitedly.

"Like it?! I LOVE it," Lil Croc exclaimed, "this is definitely the party of the decade."

Crocodile with balloon. Source: The Whizzer


Author's Note:
In the beginning of the original story, the mother asks the son to fetch him a monkey's heart that she can feast on. The son tries, but in the end the monkey tricks the crocodile multiple times and is never caught.

When I first read the tale, the mother's request shocked me. I wanted to believe that there was more to the mother's character than her wanting the monkey's heart to eat, so I decided to tell the backstory behind the original one. I enjoy positive stories and thought this was the best way to turn a violent tale into a happier one.

I used this story to create my own because I felt that I had the ability to make that backstory something positive, creative and fun to read.

I chose this image because of how happy, young and innocent the crocodile looks. He is holding a balloon, similar to how I would imagine Lil Croc holding a balloon at his birthday party.

I want the reader to take away a positive feeling after reading this story. I want them to see the love the mother had for her child and how she really wanted a special party for him.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Jataka Tales unit. Story source: Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, illustrated by Ellsworth Young (1912).

Storytelling Week 3: A Mended Friendship

A Mended Friendship

Long ago, a man by the name of Adam housed a dog and a cat. The two animals, Doggie and Pussie, did not get along very well. They had quite the history. Once inseparable, the two now could not stand being in the same room together. 

One day, Adam called Doggie and Pussie into the living room.

"You have both lived here for two years. I have given you everything. Shelter, food, love, care, and more. You have lives here others can only dream of having. Yet, here we are, two years later and you both cannot function being around each other. I have served you and all I have gotten in return is bickering," Adam said. He was devastated, disappointed and tired of living with bickering animals. 

With shame, Doggie and Pussie listened to everything Adam had to say. Once he was finished, Adam left the room. It was clear that he wanted nothing to do with them the rest of the night.

"He's right, you know," Doggie sighed. He missed having his best friend by his side. His partner in crime had become but a stranger.

"Yes, but we have a lot to work on. Especially you," Pussie replied. Even though she would never admit it, her rude words masked her hurt feelings. She truly missed Doggie as well.

And so they worked at mending their friendship. Day after day they tried to fix things back to the way they were.

In the beginning, every day was a struggle. Doggie and Pussie would attempt to be in the same room as each other, but they would bicker nonstop. They could not get through a single conversation without frustration.

However, slowly but surely, they got comfortable with each other again. They could be together for small amounts of time without getting angry. Sometimes they would even have fun and laugh like they used to.

The small amounts of time grew bigger and bigger, until finally, they went an entire day without an argument.

"As much as I absolutely hate to admit it aloud, I have truly missed your friendship," Pussie sighed.
"I know. I feel the same way," Doggie replied lovingly.

At that moment, Adam came into the room.

"I am proud of you two. As tough as the process was, you mended a friendship and brought peace back into this home. Thank you," Adam said.

And so from that day forward, Doggie and Pussie lived in harmony as best friends, never to split again.

 

(etching by Hendrik Hondius)

Author's Note:

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog

I chose this story because of how interesting the original one was to read. The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog focused on the relationship between the two and I wanted to expand upon that and give it a happier ending, which is why I wrote the story I did.

Bibliography: 

This story is part of the Jewish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).

Storytelling for Week 2: A Mother's Love

 A Mother's Love

One day, late in the summer, a group of monkeys gathered to celebrate the birth of the newest addition to their family; baby Justin. There was much joy, love and partying, but no one's excitement compared to that of Mother Monkey's. Everyone at the gathering could feel the amount of love Mother Monkey had for her son. She thought he was the absolute prettiest, sweetest, dearest darling in the entire world. Her affection showed through everything she did. From her holding him, to bathing him, to simply being around him. Mother Monkey never let baby Justin out of her sight.

A few weeks after baby Justin's birth, Mother Monkey went to town to get her family bananas. While in town, she stopped to talk with her best friend, Tina.

"Have you heard about the contest Jupiter is holding?" Tina asked.
"No...what are you talking about?" Mother Monkey inquired.
"Jupiter is awarding a prize for a baby show," Tina replied.
"Oh, I must enter! Justin will win for sure," Mother Monkey declared.

With that, Mother Monkey began planning her trip to the competition. She absolutely adored her baby and knew the rest of the world would, too.


"Jupiter will be so impressed by baby Justin," Mother Monkey said to herself.

The day of the contest finally came. Mother Monkey and Justin made the long trek out to the city very early that morning. Mother Monkey was so excited that she could not wait any longer to leave. They were the first to arrive, getting there 2 hours earlier than any other contestant.

As others started arriving, Mother Monkey noticed how the other contestants were looking at her dear baby Justin. They were laughing ad giggling. Pointing and gawking.
"Surely that's not at my baby," Mother Monkey thought to herself.

Just then, she overheard the other parents talking.
"How ugly!" One exclaimed.
"Agreed. That baby has such a flat-nose," another said.
"He's such a hairless, pop-eyed little creature," chimed in another.

Mother Monkey was hurt. How could someone treat young Justin in such a way? She had had enough. Mother Monkey turned around, looked the parents straight in they eye and said, "Laugh if you will. Though Jupiter may not give him the prize, I know that he is the prettiest, the sweetest, the dearest darling in the world."

The other parents quickly shut their mouths and walked away embarrassed. Though baby Justin did not win the prize from Jupiter, he would always have his mother's love.

Monkey and his mother. Source: Wikimedia.

Author's Note:
Jupiter and the Monkey
My main goal for this story was to show the mother's blind and absolute love for her son. My mother loves me unconditionally, which is why I became attached to this story and wanted to write about it. I changed the original to create my own version by expanding the original story. I also added the unconditional love to the story. I feel as though the original story only had blind love and not unconditional love, but sometimes they go hand in hand.

Bibliography:
This story is part of the Aesop (Winter) unit. Story source: The Aesop for Children, with illustrations by Milo Winter (1919).

Week 1 Storytelling: Johnny's Birthday

"PAT-A-CAKE, pat-a-cake, baker's man! (So I will, master), as fast as I can: Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T, Put in the oven for Tommy and me."

(traditional nursery rhyme)

The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897). Web source: Project Gutenberg.

There once was a little boy named Johnny who lived in a small, quiet town. All those living in the town knew Tommy to be extremely impatient. Everyone knew that his birthday was coming up in less than a week, because he did not let a moment pass by without announcing it for all to hear. He absolutely could not wait to be seven!

Even his best friend, Tommy, was getting tired of hearing about it. However, Tommy knew that he only had to hear about it for another week and then would be free of hearing about Johnny's birthday for at least another 8 months. Also, how could Tommy complain when he knew that he would get to eat some of Johnny's birthday cake?

Ah, birthday cake; the local baker's specialty. Golden, baked to perfection. Topped with delicious frosting. Each bite leaving you wanting more. Knowing that one would be able to eat the baker's  cake in less than a week was something anyone would be impatient about.

The days went by, each seeming to be longer and longer. Johnny was still as impatient as can be, which of course got worse by each passing moment. However, the day finally came and Johnny turned seven!

He woke up in the morning, eager to get out of bed and celebrate with the world. But first, he had to meet up with his best friend, Tommy. He and Tommy spent the entire morning together, laughing and celebrating Johnny's birthday. All they could talk about was the baker's cake they were going to have that night. It had been on their minds for the past month. Waiting for the bakery to open felt to them like an eternity.

Noon finally rolled around, and of course Johnny was the first in line.

"You made it! I was worried you wouldn't be here," the baker joked as Johnny rushed into the store.

"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man," Johnny screamed with excitement, "pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T, Put in the oven for Tommy and me."

The baker gladly agreed and made the most delicious birthday cake Johnny had ever tasted.

Tommy and Johnny finished off the night celebrating Johnny's birthday with the last bite of cake.
"I can't wait until next year," Johnny sighed.

Photo of a man using a balance to measure a mass of flour. Source: Wikipedia

Author's Note:
This nursery rhyme was one I had heard growing up. It is about someone demanding a cake from a baker. The baker complies, agreeing to make the cake as fast as he can.

I got the idea for my story from the words in the nursery rhyme. The quickness of the baker reminded me of impatience, which is why the person in the story requesting the cake is young and eager to get his cake. I decided to make Tommy his best friend so they could share in the delicious cake together, because I believe that enjoying cake with friends always sounds better than enjoying cake alone.

I used this image because it is of a baker diligently making the perfect cake, which is how I imagined the baker in my story making his cake. He's measuring out everything necessary to ensure the success of his masterpiece of a cake.

I chose this nursery rhyme because I have been craving cake for the past few days; enough that I was inspired to write a short story about it. The delicious cake described in the story is exactly what I have wanted to eat. Hopefully soon I can taste a great baker's cake!