Come and Play! It's Children's Day in Japan





Original Chikanobu (1838-1912)

Japanese Woodblock Print Children Playing



Children’s Day, also known as Kodomo no Hi, is a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5, the fifth day of the fifth month. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948. Although it is not known precisely when this day started to be celebrated, it was probably during the reign of the Empress Suiko (593–628 A.D.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Day_(Japan)

Paper or cloth "carp" streamers are flown during the celebration. There is a carp for each child on the family's streamer. The carp on the top is the largest and represents the oldest child, with each carp getting smaller to symbolize the younger and youngest children. The carp, called koi in Japanese is a symbol of strength, courage and determination. The carp kites represent a wish for the Japanese sons and daughters to grow up to brave and strong.

STORIES

The Boy Who Drew Cats – Japan
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/045.html

The Cat’s Elopement

http://tinyurl.com/cllzb9b

The Snow Tomb

http://tinyurl.com/cydbgtb

The Two Frogs

http://tinyurl.com/y9ngkky

Moonflower
http://tinyurl.com/2v33wxt

Snow Woman
http://tinyurl.com/c9q397r

Japanese Legends About Supernatural Sweethearts

Seven supernatural stories from the land of the rising sun.
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/japanlove.html

Kids Web Japan - A number of Japanese folktales for your students to read. Later, they may explore the culture of Japan using different links.

http://tinyurl.com/bqjbur

BOOKS BRIMMING WITH ADDITONAL JAPANESE TALES

Aino Folk-Tales by Basil Hall Chamberlain, 1888 - The Ainu are an ethnic minority in Japan, living primarily on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō.
http://tinyurl.com/899tr6s

Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan by Richard Gordon Smith, 1918. A collection of “historical legends and folktales from Japan; themes include ghosts; unrequited love across social boundaries; Shinto landscape, tree and ocean spirits; and tales driven by Bushido and Buddhist ethics.”

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/atfj/index.htm

Child Life in Japan Child-Life in Japan and Japanese Child Stories by Matilda Chaplin Ayrton, 1909.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28979?msg=welcome_stranger

Green Willow and other Japanese Fairy Tales by Grace Adams, 1910 – Thirty eight stories from the Land of the Rising ballads told to children, complemented by the gorgeous illustrations of Warwick Goble.

http://tinyurl.com/4rzy5pg

Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales - Thirty-three folktales collected by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet and published in 1908. You can download the book for your own files. http://tinyurl.com/ckvg49

Japanese Fairy Tales by Teresa Peirce Williston, 1911; step into the world of fairy tales with these thirteen stories, including The Bamboo Princess, The Great Stone Bowl and The Dragon Jewel.

http://tinyurl.com/l5jjwyj

Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki, 1908. A collection of Japanese fairy tales based on a version written in Japanese by Sadanami Sanjin. According to Ozaki, "These stories are not literal translations, and though the Japanese story and all quaint Japanese expressions have been faithfully preserved, they have been told more with the view to interest young readers of the West than the technical student of folk-lore."

http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/72/japanese-fairy-tales/

Old-world Japan : legends of the land of the gods by Frank Rinder, 1895
http://www.archive.org/details/oldworldjapanleg00rind 

Tales of Old Japan by A.B. Mitford, 1910 
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13015/13015-h/13015-h.htm

The two books below are not available as a download but are available for purchase.

Folktales from the Japanese Countryside. (Fujita & Stallings, Libraries Unlimited 2008).

Stories to Play With (Fujita & Stallings, August House 1999) 

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Comparing Japanese Folktales with American Tall Tales

http://www.colorado.edu/cas/tea/curriculum/texts-and-contexts/momotaro/comparing-folktales-and-tall-tales-lesson.pdf

Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs by J.M.W.Silver, 1867

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13051/13051-h/13051-h.htm

Japanese Folktales Lesson Plans for K-8

http://tinyurl.com/btzck2

Kites in the Classroom - Kites can be a remarkably efficient teaching tool, allowing teachers to integrate many subjects-science and technology, reading, writing, social studies, visual arts, math-within a single lesson or sequence of lessons. http://www.aka.kite.org/docs/Handbooks/ki

Kamishibai (kah-mee-shee-bye) Kamishibai is a form of Japanese street storytelling dating back to the 1920’s. If you would like to know more about this charming art of storytelling, or incorporate it into your lesson plans, visit these sites:

Integrating Japanese Folk Tales into the Classroom Using Japanese Kamishibai

Addresses grades 2- 6 in the areas of social studies, language arts, and art http://www.grandviewlibrary.org/pdfs/IntegratingJapaneseStorytelling_Kamishibai.pdf

Teachers Guide to Kamishibai
This unit addresses the themes of Love of Family, Compassion, Courage and Sacrifice.

http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/outreach/educators/storytelling/kamishibai.shtml

Teacher’s Resource Guide: Japanese Art and Culture Outreach Kit - Although you may not be able to borrow the actual kit, there are many helpful curriculum ideas in this guide you may duplicate on your own.
http://jsma.uoregon.edu/sites/jsma.uoregon.edu/files/PDF/JapaneseArtandCultureKit.pdf

CRAFTS

Activity Village – Make your own carp kite or origami to celebrate Kodomo no hi (Children’s Day). There are many other crafts, activities and printables to make this Japanese national holiday shine!
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/childrens_day_japan.htm

Enchanted Learning – Japanese Activities and Crafts: Lots of wonderful crafts, including easy origami, and classroom activities.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/japan/

Japanese Fans made with paper plates.

http://arteascuola-miriampaternoster.blogspot.com/2013/04/oriental-fans-with-paper-plates.html?m=1

Storybug.net – If you are interested in learning more about origami, visit my previous blog post with additional resources.

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/03/celebrating-akira-yoshizawa-grandfather.html

CHILDREN’S GAMES

Traditional Japanese Games

“Japan has many games that have been passed down through the generations. Rules and materials may change over time, but even today Japanese children are fond of pastimes from the old days. Some of the games introduced on these pages are probably similar to those in your own country.”
http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia26/en/topic/

Japanese Games

http://www.k12connections.iptv.org/documents/Japanese_games.pdf

Karen Chace 2014 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Slow and Steady: Stor e Telling November December 2011

Tortoise and Hare
from
Children's Illustrations, 1880

I have penned the Stor E Telling column since January of 2002 and the articles from 2002-2006 are the publications page of my website found here http://tinyurl.com/llnn47y . I will be adding the columns from 2007 to 2012 to that page as well. However, I am in the process of checking what link URL's have changed or are now defunct. It is a time consuming process so I am taking the “slow and steady” approach via Aesop and will post the individual columns on my blog for now.

I will not be adding current columns until the following year, so if you want immediate access to the newest websites, consider becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network.Please feel free to comment on the blog and let me know if you find this useful.

 

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2011

I offer you some sites to complement this issues theme.

CHINA

Chinese Wonder Book - Meet The Nodding Tiger, The Man Who Would Not Scold, among others in these fifteen stories from Norman Hinsdale Pitman, c. 1919.

http://tinyurl.com/3jzdjmf

Chinese Fables and Folk Stories – Download this free book by Mary Hayes Davis, Chow-Leung, published in 1908.

http://tinyurl.com/yda28q4

Storybug.net – This link will lead to a blog post I wrote in 2008 to Celebrate the Chinese New Year. You will find additional stories and resources there.

http://tinyurl.com/yfqejbk

JAPAN

Kid’s Web Japan - “Folk Legends of Japan… boy heroes, terrible ogres, animal antics, and more.”

http://tinyurl.com/3zzy3w2

Children of the Camps – Internment History – From the Public Broadcast System (PBS)
http://tinyurl.com/3eejcrk

Smithsonian Education: Letters from the Japanese American Internment –A children’s librarian in San Diego gave stamped, self-addressed postcards to Japanese American’s sent away. She urged them to write to her. In 1993 more than 250 postcards and letters were donated to the museum.

http://tinyurl.com/3ptbp6a

Smithsonian Education – A set of lesson plans for grades K–12. Historical documents, information on the camps and a timeline tell this tragic tale.

http://tinyurl.com/3rgkomt

Tales of Japan: Sharing Their Stories – A blog post I wrote in reaction to the devastating earthquake in Japan, containing seven public domain books of Japanese folktales. Each book is a free download.
http://tinyurl.com/42rt96x

 

MIDDLE EAST

Ali Cogia & the Merchant of Baghdad – A folktale from Iraq.
http://tinyurl.com/44enm82

The Bronze Ring – From the Middle East or Central Asia. http://mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/325.htm

The Enchanted Storks: A Tale of Bagdad - Retold by Aaron Shepard
http://tinyurl.com/3ka43do

The Gifts of Wali Dad – A Tale of India and Pakistan retold Aaron Shepard.

http://tinyurl.com/3ot3945

The Three Princes – Saudi Arabia

http://tinyurl.com/3uzufjq

Kashmiri Folktales -Folktales and information on culture, religion, customs and music of the Kashmir people.
http://www.koausa.org/folktales/

Nasreddin Hodja - A collection of stories from the Middle East would not be complete without Hodja! Contains a historical introduction and bibliography.

http://tinyurl.com/3nd6brq

 

November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Below are four sites filled with legends and myths from many nations.

The Algonquin Legends of New England by Charles G. Leland, c. 1894.  “This work contains a

collection of the myths, legends, and folk-lore of the principal Wabanaki, or Northeastern Algonquin,
Indians…”
http://tinyurl.com/3d2b5nk

The Encyclopedia of Hotcâk (Winnebago) Mythology - The most comprehensive site I have found on Native American folktales.  There is an extensive index of stories by subject matter, myths, maps, and legends.

http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/

Myths and Legends for American Indian Youth

An extensive list of Native American tales from various tribes that "represent large themes of human existence: where we came from, how we should live, reconciliation to the tragedies of life. There are smaller stories: teaching, humorous, answering "Why?" questions about natural phenomena and behavior."
http://tinyurl.com/3jlobp6

And if you missed any of the previous “Slow and Steady…” blog posts here are the links to the series so far.

2007

January February 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/06/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
March April 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/06/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_30.html
May June 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
July August 2007
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_15.html
September October 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_20.html November December 2007
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_29.html

2008

January February 2008
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
March April 2008
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_11.html
May June 2008
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-may-june-2008.html Summer 2008
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_25.html
Fall 2008
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html

2009

January February 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_10.html
May June 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_14.html
July August 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_21.html
September October 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_29.html
November December 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/10/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html

 2010

January February 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/10/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_13.html
April May 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/10/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_28.html July August 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-july.html September October 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling.html
November December 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html

2011

January February 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-january.html

April May 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-april.html 
July August 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-july.html
September October 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling.html

 

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

 

 

Public Domain VI : Ballads, Folktales, Fairytales and Legends

The Golden Slipper
from
Serbian Fairy Tales

It has been awhile since I posted a collection of public domain books. Here is the sixth in the installment that will continue to for who knows how long! This one offers a collection of ballads, poetry, prose, folktales, legends and fairy tales. I hope you find something delicious to tell among these tasty offerings.

 

A Book of New England Legends and Lore in Prose and Poetry by Samuel Adams Drake 1901. Delve into both these imaginative tales from the New England region of the United States.

http://tinyurl.com/amjox2u

Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan by Richard Gordon Smith, 1918. A collection of “historical legends and folktales from Japan. Themes include ghosts; unrequited love across social boundaries; Shinto landscape, tree and ocean spirits; and tales driven by Bushido and Buddhist ethics.”

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/atfj/index.htm

Czechoslovak Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore, 1919. “The old king reached into his pocket, drew out a golden key, and handed it to the prince.” So begins the story of Longshanks, Girth and Keen, one of the many tales that await you within.

http://tinyurl.com/baw8ysh

Fairy Legends of the French Provinces, 1883 – Thirty-four lovely stories filled with charm and enchantment.

http://tinyurl.com/be5ly4j

Mighty Mikko: Finnish Folk and Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore, 1922. Trolls, princesses, animals and a sixteen part nursery epic await you among the pages of this book.

http://tinyurl.com/acj7atk

Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney, 1903. Myths, Wonder Stories, Historic Traditions and Legends will whisk you away.

http://tinyurl.com/awx8gmj

The Russian Story Book by Richard Wilson, 1916. Fifteen tales, several featuring the hero Ilya, others with Nikita the Footless, the Cake-Baker and more.

http://tinyurl.com/awqvoe2

Serbian Fairy Tales by Elodie L. Muatovich, 1918. Seeking some longer stories to share? This book offers a number of tales in three, four and six parts.

http://tinyurl.com/aqer7bc

Silesian Folk Tales (the Book of Rübezahl) by James Lee and James Thomas Carey, 1915.In legends Rübezahl is a giant, gnome or mountain spirit. He is friendly with good people but if you ridicule him he will take his revenge. Sometimes he is the trickster in folktales.http://archive.org/details/silesianfolktal01caregoog

  

Stories from the Ballads Told to the Children by Mary Macgregor, 1923. The stories of Young Tamlane, Thomas the Rhymer and others await you.

http://tinyurl.com/aguwxro

 

And if you missed the previous blog posts of public domain story collections here are the links for posts 1-5.

• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/public-domain-folktales-myths-legends.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/06/public-domain-ii-folktales-myths-and.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/09/public-domain-iii-folktales-fairy-tales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/10/public-domain-iv-folktales-fairytales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/07/public-domain-v-folktales-fairytales.html

If you found this post useful please take a moment to leave a comment* on the blog. It is always lovely to know that I am not “shouting down a hole.” :)

 

*Please note, if you do leave a comment it will not immediately appear until I have hit the publish button on my side of the Internet street to prevent any spam messages.

  

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

Tales of Japan-Sharing Their Stories



Kitagawa Utmaro (Japan 1752 – 1806)


I know our hearts are heavy with grief and worry for the people of Japan. With so many miles between us it seems the only things we can offer are prayers and donations for their recover. But perhaps we can also offer stories, in our programs, libraries and classrooms. Let’s bring their tales into the world and maybe our words will travel and help sustain their spirits during these challenging times.

I have faith that the Japanese people will survive but until they are ready, let us carry their stories for them.

“When love is deep, much can be accomplished.” ~ Shinichi Suzuki



The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Flower

Long, long ago there lived an old man and his wife who supported themselves by cultivating a small plot of land. Their life had been a very happy and peaceful one save for one great sorrow, and this was they had no child. Their only pet was a dog named Shiro, and on him they lavished all the affection of their old age. Indeed, they loved him so much that whenever they had anything nice to eat they denied themselves to give it to Shiro. The word Shiro means "white," and he was so called because of his color. He was a Japanese dog, and very like a small wolf in appearance.

The happiest hour of the day both for the old man and his dog was when the man returned from his work in the field, and having finished his frugal supper of rice and vegetables, would take what he had saved from the meal out to the little veranda that ran round the cottage. Sure enough, Shiro was waiting for his master and the evening tit-bit. Then the old man said "Chin, chin!" and Shiro sat up and begged, and his master gave him the food... For the rest of the story go to
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4018/4018-h/4018-h.htm#trees


More stories from the Land of the Rising Sun: All of the books are in the public domain.

Fairy Tales of Old Japan by William E. Griffis, 1923 – From the Baldwin Project
http://tinyurl.com/6de2ano

Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales by Grace James, 1912 – Free, downloadable book from Google Books.
http://tinyurl.com/6kzywql

Hundred Verses from Old Japan (The Hyakunin-isshu) translated by William N. Porter, 1909
http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/hvj/index.htm

Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki, 1908
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4018

Japanese Fairy Tales by Teresa Peirce Williston, 1911
http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/jft2/index.htm

Old-world Japan : legends of the land of the gods by Frank Rinder, 1895
http://www.archive.org/details/oldworldjapanleg00rind

Tales of Old Japan by A.B. Mitford, 1910
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13015/13015-h/13015-h.htm

Additional Resources

Storybug.net - These two blogs posts offer additional stories, curriculum and craft resources on Japan.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2010/12/folding-cranes-finding-peace.html
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2009/04/fools-tricksters-festivals-and-spring.html


BOOKS

Folktales from the Japanese Countryside - A collection of 46 of Hiroko Fujita's traditional stories edited by Fran Stallings. The book includes a brief summary of Japanese history by emeritus professor Harold Wright, an overview of Japanese storytelling by Miki Sakurai, and a section of games, recipes, and crafts as well as facinating background notes on the stories.
http://www.abc-clio.com/product.aspx?isbn=9781591584889

Children’s Books on Japan K-8
http://www.ceas.ku.edu/outreach/documents/children-lit-review-japan.pdf 


Karen Chace  2011 ©
This blog post was painstakingly researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my newsletter via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Folding Cranes - Finding Peace

                                                          

Statue of Sadako Sasaki in Seattle Peace Park
Photo by Scott Butber

PEACE ON EARTH

Essay by Steve Goodier
Shared with his permission"

In the midst of a world at war, Eleanor Roosevelt captured the mood at Christmas 1942. "How completely the character of Christmas has changed this year," she wrote in her newspaper column. "I could no more say to you a 'Merry Christmas' without feeling a catch in my throat than I could fly to the moon!"

In September 1945, U. S. Navy chief radioman Walter G. Germann wrote his son from a ship anchored in Tokyo Bay to tell him that the formal surrender of Japan would soon be signed. "When you get a little older you may think war to be a great adventure -- take it from me, it's the most horrible thing ever done.I'll be home this Christmas..."  Home. To a world at peace.

In 1955 a thirteen-year-old Japanese girl died of "the atom bomb disease" -- radiation-induced leukemia. Sadako Sasaki was one of many who suffered the after-effects of those bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Japanese myth has it that cranes live for a thousand years, and anyone who folds 1000 paper cranes will have a wish granted. So during her illness, Sadako folded paper cranes, and with each crane she wished that she would recover from her illness. She managed 644 cranes before she left this life behind. Sadako's classmates folded the remaining 356 cranes so that she could be buried with a thousand paper cranes. Friends collected money from children all over Japan to erect a monument to Sadako in Hiroshima's Peace Park. The inscription reads:

This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on earth. Each year people place paper cranes at the base of the statue to recall the tragedy of war and to celebrate humanity's undying hope for peace. In some places around the world, people fold paper cranes each holiday season to use as decorations and as a symbol of their deep desire for lasting peace.

I, too, have a deep desire for a day when war will become a relic of the past. I yearn for a day when we join hearts in union with one another, while beating swords into plowshares and folding paper into cranes.

Peace on earth. The generation to accomplish it will truly be the greatest generation ever."

~ Steve Goodier

Some websites to help you continue your journey...

The Story of the Peace Crane
http://www.buddhistcouncil.org/bodhitree/Books/Story_of_the_Peace_Crane.pdf
 
Three D Video on How to Fold a Peace Crane
http://origami.org.uk/origamicrane
 
Instructions: How to Fold a Peace Crane
http://www.planetpals.com/IKC/peacecrane.html?d4dab930
 
New Songs for Peace - This UNESCO-endorsed "New Songs for Peace" project is intended to encourage people to think about peace, talk about peace, and write a new song that we will collect and self-publish in a book. These new songs will promote peace, cultural acceptance and understanding for those who work towards peace throughout the world. http://www.newsongsforpeace.org/

Storybug.net - Teaching Tolerance/Promoting Peace - Websites I have collected through the years.
http://www.storybug.net/links/peace.html


With deep appreciation and thanks to all of our service men and women. May they all be home soon, home to a world of peace.


Karen Chace  2010 ©
This blog post was painstakingly researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog or newsletter via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Fools, Tricksters, Festivals, and Spring!

Hodja in a Yellow Caftan
by
Osman Hamdi Bey, 1905

"Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb
like the sun, it shines everywhere. "
William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

On the first day of the month, known as April Fool's Day, we are given free reign to play good natured jokes on friends and family. Many different cultures shared days of foolishness around the start of April. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html

Hodja is one of our favorite fools, and there are many stories associated with this interesting character from Turkey.

Nasreddin Hodja - Information and stories about the beloved character of Turkish tales, including reading comprehension exercises. This website is also a portal to many other Hodja sites.
http://www.cs.biu.ac.il/~schiff/Hodja/index.html

A well-known Trickster in Oral Tradition is Anansi. Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. He is also known as Anase, Kweku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the Southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy. He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a man. The story of Anansi is akin to the Coyote trickster found in many Native American cultures.

The Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti tribe in Ghana. (The word Anansi is Akan and means, simply, spider.) They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi

Jamaican Anansi Stories - Tricksters are universal figures in folkore and Anansi is one of our most beloved. This site offers a wide variety of Anansi tales as well as trickster folklore from various cultures. The text also includes transcriptions of folk music, and a large collection of riddles, all cross-referenced with folklore studies from other cultures. There are also musical notations in some of the texts for the musical among us! http://tinyurl.com/6huzob

And what would April Fool's Day be without some laughter?

Tales of Laughter – What better way to jump into the month of fools than reading Tales of Laughter from 1908? A collection of familiar and not so familiar tales from Russia, Ireland, Spain, France and many more countries from around the globe. They are sure to have you smiling with delight!
https://archive.org/details/talesoflaughtert00wiggrich


The first day of spring this year was March 20 and soon, colorful flowers will be blooming here in the east, which calls for some stories about spring and the sun!

Apples4theteacher.com - Fourteen stories to celebrate the wonderful season of spring. http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/spring/short-stories/

How the Sun Was Rescued - Siberia
https://tinyurl.com/2976yx7x

Saving Spring – Scandinavia
https://www.thehindu.com/children/saving-spring/article17578551.ece  

The Spring Beauty - Native American/Chippewa
http://tinyurl.com/2tkbl2

Why Cats Sit on the Doorstep in the Sun - Rumania
http://tinyurl.com/2xga8h

Earth Day is April 22. What better way to celebrate than sharing stories about our beautiful planet?

Earth Cakes, Sky Cakes – Folktale from Vietnam
http://tinyurl.com/dy6dsv

When The Earth and Sky Were Married - Folktale from Muria/India
http://tinyurl.com/cw34y8

Earth Care – World Folktales to Talk About
A limited preview of this excellent book by Margaret Read MacDonald. You can read some of the folktales online, but I bet you will want a copy of your own.
http://tinyurl.com/aap7ug

After we leave the month of April it will be time to celebrate and explore the cultural celebration of Japan's Children's Day or Kodomo no Hi.

Woman Playing with a Child
with a Tengu Mask

by Kitagawa Utamaro
1795-1802

Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales - Thirty-three folktales collected by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet and published in 1908. You can download the book for your own files.
http://tinyurl.com/ckvg49

Kids Web Japan - A number of Japanese folktales for you students to read. Later, they may explore the culture of Japan using different links. http://tinyurl.com/bqjbur

CURRICULUM

Fables and Trickster Tales From Around the World – From Edusitement, lesson plans, information and stories, everything you need to introduce your students to those globe-trotting tricksters, Anansi, Brer Rabbit, Fox, and Rabbit. 
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/fables-and-trickster-tales-around-world 

Leap into spring with ABC Teach.com Counting games, math facts, printables, word searches and more.
http://tinyurl.com/bqmmvc

Flowers in the Classroom – Grades 5 to 8 Language Arts: Legendary Flowers lesson plan including myths, folktales and legends of flowers. http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=46597

Planet Pals.com - This is a colorful, fun and information filled website on all things Earth: Lesson plans and activities for both teachers and parents, the history behind Earth Day, coloring pages, puzzles, clip art and so much more. http://www.planetpals.com/index.html

Japanese Folktales Lesson Plans for 3-6
https://www.clevelandart.org/sites/default/files/documents/lesson-plans/cma_lesson_ao_japanesefolktales.pdf 

Teacher’s Resource Guide: Japanese Art and Culture Outreach Kit - Although you may not be able to borrow the actual kit, there are many helpful curriculum ideas in this guide you may duplicate on your own.
http://jsma.uoregon.edu/sites/jsma.uoregon.edu/files/PDF/JapaneseArtandCultureKit.pdf

Activity Village – Make your own carp kite or origami to celebrate Kodomo no hi (Children’s Day). There are many other crafts, activities and printables to make this Japanese national holiday shine! 
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/childrens-day

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2009 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.