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South American Tales |
How the Beetle Got Her Colors |
Mouse Fairy |
Magic Orange Tree |
Being Greedy Chokes Anansi |
How the Beetle Got Her Colors (Brazil) Background In this story, Rat is always teasing Beetle about how ugly she is. Parrot overheads this day after day and tires of it, so he proposes a race between Rat and Beetle. The parrot promises that the winner will get to choose a coat of whatever color he/she wishes. Rat is so happy and thinks about what color he wants while racing. Knowing Beetle has six thin legs, he feels he is a "shoe-in" for winning the race. But, Beetle is already at the finish line; she has flown, something Rat didn't know she could do. Beetle chose green and gold as her colors, and so she is this color to this very day (McCarthy). This tale is from Brazil and is similar to other tales about why animals are certain colors. It falls under several motifs, including A2411.1.4.3.1, which deals with the color of animals, A2411.3.3, and K11.10 (Sourcebook). Other "color" tales include ones about the color of giraffes, birds, and other animals. There are also a variety of tales about the general appearance of animals, such as why giraffes have long necks, why rabbits have long ears and short tails, and why spiders have eight legs. Suggested Lessons and Activities 1. Read and discuss other animal "pourquoi" tales. Write your own tale about why an animal is a certain color or has a certain characteristic. 2. Compare & contrast this tale with other animal "pourqoui" tales. 3. What is a MORAL? What is the moral of this story? This could lead to a discussion of fables. 4. Make a game spinner with many colors. Spin the spinner. The color that the spinner lands on is the color you must tell a story about. Think of one animal who has that color and use your imagination to make up a story about this animal. 5. Make an insect or animal ABC book. 6. Discussion: What is your favorite color? Why do you like this color? What effect does color have on things? For example, would you want to eat green eggs or blue toast? 7. Design color books. Citation McCarty, Tara. Multicultural Fables and Fairy Tales. New York: Scholastic, 1992. Mouse Fairy (Costa Rica) Background This Costa Rican story is the counterpart of our American story of the Tooth Fairy. It tells the tale of a young Costa Rican girl who was upset she lost her "milk tooth" (baby tooth) because she didn't think she could eat fruit and sugar cane anymore. That night, she goes to sleep, with the tooth in her hand. The mouse-fairy came and turned it into fruit, and the next day, the girl's mother explains to what happened to her daughter (Ahmed). Suggested Lessons and Activities 1. Use this story in conjunction with Dental Care Month/Week. Discuss proper care of your teeth. You may wish to invite a dentist to come talk to your class about proper dental care. 2. Compare & contrast this story to our "Tooth Fairy." Citation Ahmed, Naseem. Rainbows: Stories and Customs From Around the World. Parsippany, NJ: Good Apple, 1996. Magic Orange Tree (Haiti) Background This tale is the tale of a young girl whose mother has died. When her father remarries, he marries a woman who hates the little girl. One day, the girl comes home and sees three oranges on the table. Since the step-mother does not give her enough food, the girl is famished and eats all three oranges. The step-mother is furious, and the little girl runs away to hide. She prays for her real mother to help her. Out of her dress falls an orange which she plants. When she sings, the tree will do whatever she wishes. The girl uses this to her advantage. Suggested Lessons and Activities 1. COMPARE and CONTRAST to... - other stories about step-mothers - other stories with plants that grow (ex - Jack & the Beanstalk) - other stories about food 2. Use this story when studying seeds, gardens, etc. Plant your own seed (of a type that will grow in your climate) and watch it grow. 3. Plant vegetables and watch them grow. When they are ready, make vegetable soup. You may wish to read Lois Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup or similar stories. 4. Learn about Haiti. What types of crops are common? What is the country like? What would a typical school day be like? What do children do for fun there? Citation Cole, Joanna, ed. Best-Loved Folktales Around the World. New York: Anchor Press, 1982. Being Greedy Chokes Anansi (Jamaica) Background Anansi lives in a country where the Queen is a witch. Her secret name is Five
and so she does not want anyone to say this word. Anyone who says it will drop dead.
Anansi, the trickster, is very lazy, and the times are hard. There is a famine, and he does not want to work
for food. So, he decides to go by the river and ask other animals to count how many yam hills
he has. Things do not work out quite as Anansi plans, and instead he says the forbidden word.
This story is of motif type C 496, "tabu using words" (Sourcebook). It is one of
many Anansi tales from Haiti and West Africa. |
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c. 1998 by Deborah Angiolieri Comments to: debbi@csonline.net Deborah M. Angiolieri Elementary Library Media Specialist Franklin Area School District Franklin, PA 16323 United States of America Address, main page: www.oocities.org/Athens/Agora/8623 Addrees, this page: www.oocities.org/Athens/Agora/8623/samer.html c. 1998 to present |