WRITING POURQUOI STORIES

by Alexis York Lumbard

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

WRITE A SING-ALONG

by Laura Krauss Melmed

In previous Pencil Tips entries, Mary Quattlebaum blogged about crafting lessons based on fairy tales and nursery rhymes.  Traditional folk songs are another fun medium that can be used for sculpting a workshop.  As a child I was fascinated by an aunt’s big book of American folksongs.  I would pore over the lyrics, especially the sad love ballads like “Barb’ry Allen,” although, since no one in my family played an musical instrument, I could not hear the tunes.

For the purposes of this workshop, however, the songs should be as light and silly as possible.  Amazon.com lists many children’s songbooks of old American favorites, including The American Song Treasury, 100 favorites by Theodore Raph and I Hear America Singing: Folk Songs for American Families by Kathleen Krull, which comes with a 23-song CD.  In addition, individual songs are readily available for downloading from I Tunes and on YouTube.  For teachers who play guitar, this is a perfect opportunity to showcase your talent.

A lesson should start with listening to some tunes while encouraging a sing-along.  Then guide the children in figuring out what elements, such as rhyme, repetition, choice of silly words and absurd situations, have made these songs appealing to successive generations.  Have the students speculate, as I did when writing my picture book, The First Song Ever Sung, when and why people might have first come up with these songs:  to allay boredom or set a rhythm while working in the fields, to banish loneliness while herding cattle, to put a child to sleep, to provide entertainment while sitting around a campfire in the days before a click of the mouse or the remote could bring instant entertainment, etc.  

Then have the group sing “The Eensy Weensy Spider,” followed by reading The Eensy Weensy Spider adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.  In this zany adaptation, Hoberman comes up with all sorts of continuing adventures for the spider, including hugging a baby bug, going swimming, and shoe-shopping (now, that’s my kind of spider!).  Tell the children that they are going to take part in a similar effort, as a group, using another song.  

For the writing exercise, pick a song having many variations on a single theme.  It should be one in which only the chorus has end-rhymes, since requiring every line to rhyme would narrow the children’s choice of words as they devise their own verses.  For example, for “She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain,”  the students could select a protagonist of choice, such as a sports player, a super hero, or for the sake of this example, a dragon.  The chorus could still be “She’ll (or he’ll) be comin’ around the mountain.”

The verses might go,

“He’ll be breathing smoke and fire when he comes,

He’ll be breathing smoke and fire when he comes,

He’ll be breathing smoke and fire, he’ll be breathing smoke and fire, he’ll be breathing smoke and fire when he comes.

He’ll be roarin’ and a snortin’ when he comes, etc.

He’ll be stompin’ and a thumpin’ when he comes, etc.

For the “The Wheels on the Bus,” you could describe a venue other than the bus, such as your school itself or a vehicle like a firetruck or train.  For “We’re Going to the Zoo” by Tom Paxton, select a different destination, such as the forest or ocean.  For “I Had a Cat,” instead of barnyard animals, use jungle animals, woodland animals, animals found in your backyard.  These songs present many opportunities to make up sounds and devise creative descriptions of actions.  (Some research on your part or your own memory will no doubt reveal other songs that work well.)

Have the children create as many new verses for your chosen song as possible.  When your group’s new version is complete, join together in a rousing group rendition.  After this activity, older students may be given the assignment of choosing another traditional song and creating a variation all their own.  

http://www.laurakraussmelmed.com/