When
I visit classrooms to read my new picture book Hare and Tortoise Race Across Israel, I remind kids that one way
authors get ideas is by starting with stories they already know. I show various examples of picture books that
are adapted fables and fairytales, including Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson and The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen
Schwartz.
In
your own classroom, you might want to read out loud a few examples of adapted
fables and fairy tales. Then you can transition
to helping your students think about different ways of changing a known
story.
1)
Change the
characters
Ask students to fill in the blank. Goldilocks and the Three ______________.
Monsters?
Princesses? Basketballs? Other ideas?
How would changing the characters change the plot of
the story?
2)
Change the
setting
Ask students to fill in the blank. Hare and Tortoise Race Across ____________.
Washington D.C.?
The United States? Mars? Other ideas? Which landmarks would students choose
to include in each location?
3)
Change the numbers
Ask students to fill in the blank. The _____ Little Pigs
5?
10? 100? Other ideas?
If there were 5 little pigs, what materials
might the two additional houses be made out of?
How would one hundred little pigs work together to defeat the wolf?
Ask
your students—by themselves, in pairs, or in small groups—to choose one fable
or fairytale and change the characters, the setting, or the numbers. Then students can try writing up (and maybe
illustrating!) their own stories.
Another
fun activity for classroom writing is to create a mash-up. What if Goldilocks wants to race against Hare
and Tortoise? Or what if the wolf from
Little Red Riding Hood turns out to be the twin brother of the wolf from The
Three Little Pigs…and they decide to team up?
Encourage your students to brainstorm different combinations of fables and
fairytales, then to write up their favorite.
Starting with a
known story takes the pressure off of kids to “think of an idea,” which frees them
to be creative and, most importantly, to have fun!
Laura Gehl is the author of
One Big Pair of Underwear, a
Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title; Hare
and Tortoise Race Across Israel; And Then Another Sheep Turned Up; and the Peep and Egg series (hatching spring
2016). Laura also writes about science
for kids and adults. She lives in
Maryland with her husband and four children.
Visit Laura online at www.lauragehl.com and www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraGehl.
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