When
I stumbled upon the fable Why Trees Lose
Their Leaves in an old collection of Native American stories, I hadn’t yet
developed an appreciation for the pourquoi form. As many of you know, a pourquoi tale is a
specific kind of fable, one that explains “why” or “how” something in the
natural world came to be.
According
to the old storytellers, the reason deciduous trees lose their leaves each
winter is that long ago a poor sparrow injured his wing and couldn’t migrate
with his family as winter approached. Seeking
shelter from the cold, sparrow hobbled from tree to tree begging for help. Only Pine, who has the least to offer, shows
compassion. For this reason Pine alone
remains green against the snow, evergreen evermore. The bareness of trees, according to this
pourquoi fable, reminds us how terribly empty selfishness can be. Thanks to this pourquoi story, I now view
the winter landscape in a fresh and thoughtful light.
Seeing
with an eye of wonder is what children do best. Why does a chameleon change
color? Why is the sky blue? Why do zebras have strips? Ask a child such questions and you will see
their bright eyes widen with possibility.
Many will whip up hilarious answers. The more fun
something is, the more inclined children are to do it. This exercise will show them how fun creative writing can be.
Creative Writing
with Pourquoi Stories—Five Easy Steps
1)
Define the
Genre-Pourquoi
stories are traditional stories that explain “how” or “why” something in nature
came to be.
2)
Read Several
Examples—There
are many traditional African and Native American pourquoi stories. Ashley Bryan has several, so too does Joseph
Bruchac.
3)
Review the
Three-Act Structure—Pourquoi tales generally share a few common
characteristics. Firstly, they begin “a
long time ago.” Secondly, someone misbehaves.
This someone is often an animal and their bad behavior causes problems
for everyone. Thirdly, a higher being or
magic force steps in to solve the problem, punishing the naughty animal by
changing forever their outer appearance.
4)
Animal
Selection-Ask
the children to chose an animal to write about. They may choose any animal that
arouses their curiosity.
5)
Pen Your Own
Pourquoi--Ask
your kids to use all the creative powers they can muster to come up with an
imaginative explanation for why their animal looks they way it does. Make sure they follow the 3 Act Structure. Perhaps the will enjoy acting out or
illustrating their new fables. If there
is time, they might enjoy comparing their explanation with a scientific one.
I
hope this exercise gives everyone a good laugh!
Alexis York
Lumbard grew
up in Northern Virginia where she eventually received a B.A. in Religious
Studies from George Washington University.
She currently lives in Natick, Massachusetts with her husband, three
daughters, two hairless cats and a book-eating bunny rabbit. She has five picture books with Wisdom Tales
Press including, The Conference of the
Birds, Angels, Everyone Prays: Celebrating Faith Around the World, Pine and the
Winter Sparrow, and the upcoming, When
the Animals Saved Earth. For more
about her work please see www.alexisyorklumbard.com
