The Dog at the Well. One Flower in a Field. Snail Girl, a Navajo Story. The Stonecutter. Based on a wisdom tale of Japanese origin. Once upon a time, there was a stonecutter. He spent his life cutting up rocks for use in this and that and the other. He liked his work. He was a happy man. At least he thought he was, until one day he was cutting stone for the house of a rich family. "Wow! " Suddenly a mighty voice thundered through the air.
A mighty voice thundered through the air. A mighty voice thundered through the air. A mighty voice thundered through the air. A mighty voice thundered through the air. Then "WHAM! " A mighty voice thundered through the air. For more information contact web @ uua.org. This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and congregations. The Cat, the Rat and the Cock. Narrated by Imahoy Zewditu Wudineh Once there was an immature rat going out into the world, without the knowledge of her mother, alone. She admired everything she saw and came to where a cat was sleeping, a beautiful white one, coiled up on itself. She loved him the moment she saw him. “How beautiful is that creature, with white fur and nice whiskers. I must go and talk to him. I want to know him. While she was creeping up to the cat, the cock was there. The mother had been worried, missing her baby.
“I was worried. “Oh Mummy, I was in the world today for the first time and I was very happy. “Oh, what a pity that you are so small and innocent that you didn’t know all this. Two Monks. Amazing Grace intends to help sixth graders understand right and wrong and act on their new understanding. Its purpose is to equip them for moving safely and productively through the middle- and high school years, when they will be continually tugged toward both ends of the ethics continuum. Through their involvement in Amazing Grace, youth will come to recognize and depend on their Unitarian Universalist identity and resources as essential to their movement toward understanding, independence, and fulfillment of personal promise. About the Author Richard S. Kimball Richard Rick S. Rick has been an active member of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church of Portland, Maine, for more than three decades. Outside the church, Rick has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, the editor-in-chief of an educational publishing house, and a freelance writer and photographer.
Acknowledgments Polly Peterson wrote additional stories for the program. "How Much Does a Snowflake Weigh? " Goals. Mikku and the Trees | Spirit of Trees. A Tale from Estonia Retold by Margaret Read MacDonald One day Mikku went to gather firewood. He could have walked into the forest and gathered fallen branches. But that was a lot of trouble. Instead he decided to just chop down the first tree he saw. Mikku raised his axe and CHOP! But the tree screamed out. “STOP! “What . . . a talking tree? “Don’t you see what kind of tree I am? “You are right,” said Mikku. “Thanks, Mikku. So Mikku went on into the forest. He raised his axe and CHOP! “Stop! “Why not?” “I am a CHERRY TREE. “You are right. “Thanks, Mikku. So Mikku went on into the forest. “Stop! “Why ever not?” “I am a MAPLE TREE. “You are right, Maple Tree. “Thanks. Mikku went on through the forest, but every tree had a good reason why he should NOT cut it down.
Pine Tree gave its cones for Mikku’s fires. At last Mikku sat down to think. “I’ll just gather branches from the forest floor for my fire. No sooner had he uttered these words than a little man jumped out from behind a tree. “Mikku! Beautiful Hands. By Barb Pitman, in uu&me! Collected Stories, edited by Betsy Hill Williams ( Boston : Skinner House, 2003). She was bewildered. Bewildered and ashamed. The other hands in the classroom were smooth with nails cleanly cut. May hid her hands. Exclamations like, "Oh, how beautiful," and "I wish my grandma would make some mittens with stripes," stirred up hope inside May and for a brief moment she would tell herself she was one of them, for they would forget her hands and remember instead her beautiful mittens.
Back in the classroom, May would catch someone looking in her direction and shove her hands back under the desk. One day she was walking through the school hallway, with her hands shoved into her pants pockets. As soon as May got home, she sat her sister, Kate, at the kitchen table for a snack. May helped Kate with her bath, tucked her into bed, made up Mom's bed, and vacuumed the front room. When May woke up, she jumped out of bed, excited about the art class. Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom. An Ashanti story retold by Jessica York. Anansi, the spider, loves to spin a tale! He can regale you for hours with stories full of wonder, stories full of fun, and stories full of facts, too.
Because he is so nosy, Anansi knows almost everything about almost everybody. Almost. But Anansi wants to know everything! The Sun God says, "Anansi, I will put all the wisdom in the world here in this clay pot. Anansi takes the pot home. Anansi decides to climb to the top of the tallest tree. His youngest daughter is outside and sees what a hard time Anansi is having. Do you think Anansi is happy to get good advice from his daughter? All the wisdom of the world comes flowing out of the pot. For more information contact web @ uua.org. This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and congregations. Story 1: The Lion on the Path.
Compiled from a variety of West African and South African folk tales. Once upon a time two cousins lived side by side in a village. They worked together in the fields each day and returned home each night to share a meal and some fun in the evening. The young woman cousin's name was Nosa. She loved to play the mbira and to sing. The young man cousin's name was Tobi. "Oh, I will worry about you," said Nosa. "Of course my cousin, I will take the long path. " Nosa said "goodbye" to her cousin, and as she was waving she called out, "Remember, when you get to the fork in the road, go left to the long path.
" All morning the Nosa worried. She ran as quickly as she could and it wasn't long before she came to a bend in the path. "What can I do? " Then she thought. My mbira plays music so pretty My mbira plays music so sweet My mbira plays music so pretty Oh dance to my music with me. Lion was distracted. To Nosa's surprise and delight, Lion began to dance just as she was dancing. Story 1: The Bundle of Sticks. Adapted from an Aesop's fable. Once upon a time, an old woman lived on a beautiful farm in the country. From her window, she could see pasture land, fields of grain, barns filled with animals, orchards and forests beyond. The farm was special to the old woman because it had been in her family for many generations. She had lived there her whole life, and grew up to be a mother, and raised her family of ____ (Leader — Count the number of children in your class). Now her husband was dead, and she too was in the last days of her life.
The old woman should have been content after such a fortunate life, but she was not. She lay on her bed worrying about her grown children. The old woman tried talking to her children about living in peace, yet they seemed to grow increasingly bitter by the day. Then one day as her strength waned, she had an idea. The children did as she asked and came to her room the next day, with two sticks each. "Thank you children," the old woman said. Story 1: It's Not My Problem. Adapted from a Thai folk tale. Once upon a time, a queen sat on her balcony eating rice cakes and honey with her chief advisor. As they ate, they gazed down at the busy street below. The Queen pointed to something in the distance, and as she did a drop of honey from her rice cake landed on the balcony railing. "My Queen, you have spilled a drop of honey," observed the advisor.
"Shall I call a servant to come and clean it up? " But the queen laughed, "A little drop of honey is... They went on eating and talking as the drop of honey warmed in the sun and began to slowly drip down the side of railing until it landed in the street below with a plop! "Your Highness," the advisor said, "that drop of honey has now fallen into the street, where it is attracting flies. But again the queen yawned lazily and replied, "A little drop of honey and a few flies are... Soon a lizard darted out from underneath the palace wall and began to catch the flies on her tongue. In fact the baker did see to it. Story 1: Mussa and Nagib. Adapted from a story by Malba Tahan (pen name for Julio Cesar de Mello e Souza, 1895-1975), a mathematician from Brazil who also wrote The Man Who Counted (Editoria Record, 2001), which was first published in Brazil in 1949.
Once, two friends named Mussa and Nagib made a journey through the mountains of Persia on camel back. (Leader — If you have fashioned clay camels, you can start with the characters on camel back outside of the theater.) They came after a time to a place where a stream flowed by a sandy bank and trees gave shade. (Leader — Walk the characters down to the river's edge.) There they had a discussion, which turned into an argument. Nagib grew angry, and for the first time ever, he slapped Mussa across the face. Mussa was stunned. Then he and his friend stood in silence and watched as the desert wind blew the words in the sand away. By the time the writing had disappeared Nagib had said that he was sorry. This time the two friends decided to take a swim. Fearing the Wind | Spirit of Trees. A Tale from IndiaRetold by Jack Maguire Long, long, long ago, before the Buddha was the Buddha, a beautiful baby elephant lived in the forest of India.
Her skin was as white and silky soft as the feathers of a swan. While she was growing up, all the people who ventured into the forest and happened to see her there were amazed at her beauty. When she was fully grown, her size and strength were so great that the people who saw her were even more astounded. Word spread across the land about this great, big, strong, white, beautiful elephant. When the king of that land heard about the elephant, he wanted it for himself. The king wanted to be sure that the elephant would obey his every command, so when the elephant didn’t do what the trainers told her to do – and often she couldn’t understand what they were asking – they jabbed her with their training sticks.
One day the elephant went crazy with fear. But the elephant did not forget about them. Now at this time the Buddha was this tree. Step 1: Read and Listen to Folktales | Folktale Writer's Workshop | Writing with Writers. The Collared Crow. Key Words: Africa; South Africa; generosity rewarded; childlessness; gift of children Once upon a time there were a man and his wife who had lived together for years, but they had no children to look after them in their old age. This was very sad for them, but they had no idea what to do about it. You can neither make nor order children, nor do they grow on trees. So, the only answer was to wait for a miracle which, in stories, still may happen. Now listen, one day as they were sowing their fields, they saw an unusually large flock of birds swoop down to pick up the seeds.
The farmer said to his wife: “We shall have to keep these few remaining grains and wait till the birds have gone. The poor people accepted the proposal. So the farmer opened his sack, took out the grains and scattered them all for the hungry birds. The good farmer and his wife did everything exactly as the crow had instructed them. Suddenly a gust of wind broke into the hut, then all was quiet again.
Stories of Kwanzaa: UJIMA. Rainbow Crow. (Lenni Lenape Tribe)retold byS. E. Schlosser It was so cold. Snow fell constantly, and ice formed over all the waters. The animals had never seen snow before. "We must send a messenger to Kijiamuh Ka'ong, the Creator Who Creates By Thinking What Will Be," said Wise Owl. The animals were pleased with this plan. It was an arduous journey, three days up and up into the heavens, passed the trees and clouds, beyond the sun and the moon, and even above all the stars.
The Creator was drawn from his thoughts by the lovely sound, and came to see which bird was making it. "What shall we do then? " "You will not freeze," the Creator reassured him, "For I will think of Fire, something that will warm all creatures during the cold times. " The Creator stuck a stick into the blazing hot sun. Rainbow Crow nodded his thanks to the Creator and flew as fast as he could go. By the time Rainbow Crow landed among the freezing-cold animals of Earth, he was black as tar and could only Caw instead of sing. The Bear Trainer and His Cat. Folktales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 1161 (also categorized as migratory legends of Christiansen type 6015) translated and/or edited by D.
L. Ashliman © 2000-2013 Contents Return to D. L. Peer Gynt and the Trolls Norway In the olden days there lived in Kvam a hunter, whose name was Peer Gynt, and who was always roaming about in the mountains after bears and elks, for in those days there were more forests on the mountains than there are now, and consequently plenty of wild beasts....
Shortly before Christmas, Peer set out again on another expedition. When he came to the farm he went in and asked for lodgings. "God help us! " But Peer thought he should be able to clear the trolls out -- he had done such a thing before; and then he got leave to stay, and a pig's skin into the bargain. Shortly he heard the trolls coming. During this some of the trolls found the shoe Peer had made. "Will you have a sausage, pussy? " "Scratch them, pussy! " "We'll never come to you any more, then," said the troll. Top Ten Jewish Folktales: The Rabbi From Pinsk. Note: This is an adaptation of a classic tale that I wrote for a friend's son's bar mitzvah...it is one of my favorite tales.
The Rabbi of Pinsk and the Wise Wagon Driver The Rabbi of Pinsk was a man of moderate wealth, so he had enough money to hire a servant to drive his horse and buggy to Pichniev. The servant was a very poor man, who dressed only in rags, his feet wrapped with burlap because he had traded his shoes for food during a moment of destitution. The servant was hungry, and the rabbi noticed that he had nothing to eat for the long journey. Most wagon drivers would sing or hum a tune to pass the time, but this wagon driver was quiet, a sad look on his face.
When they pulled over to give the old horse a rest, the rabbi shared his bread and jam with the servant. The rabbi thought for a moment and then said: “I have an idea!” The rabbi took off his fine coat and hat and gave it to the servant. The rabbi of Pinsk drove the wagon into Pichniev. West African Folk-Tales by William H. Barker. Haitian Folk Tale by Anna Suranyi. Fire, Water, Truth and Lies. The Boy in the Land of Shadows - Native American folktale. The Buried Moon - English folktale. The Man who Grew Feathers. Durga Puja. Tom Hickathrift - English folktale. Rainbow and the Autumn Leaves - Native American folktale. Chusok. The Soothsayer and the Fox. Cruel Creditor and the Judge's Wise Daughter. The Magician and the Sultans Son - African folktale. Abba Bollo and the Necklace. Why the Sky is So High - a folktale from Bengal, India. Japanese Folktales. The Rich Man's Vessels [Folktales for kids]
The Lion and the Monkey. Sparrow's Search for the Rain - Native American folktale. The Two Sisters-in-Law - a folktale from India. Sheikh Nasreddin at the Fork. The Secret of Dreaming. Earth Cakes, Sky Cakes. The Elephant and the Rooster. The Offering - a story about ancient India's Emperor Ashok. The Pigeon would Save Me. The Mouse Catchers. Robert Bruce and the Spider - a story about Good King Robert of Scotland.
The Song-Bird and the Healing Waters - Native American folktale. The Ungrateful Friend [Folktales for kids] Japanese Folktales. Folktale21. The Wee Bannock - English folktale. The Fish And The Ring - English fairy tale. Holi. Sheikh Nasreddin in the Rain. The Hedley Kow - English folktale. The King and the Squirrel [Folktales for kids] The Mouse Who Lived in the Lion's Cave [Folktales for kids] How the Old Woman Got Her Wish - a folktale from India. p.2/2. Sample Story: The Half Blanket | Reclaiming Judaism. Tattercoats - English folktale. Waves from the Ocean of Joy - A Contemplative Journey into the World's Wisdom Tales.
North American Wisdom Tales. Stories in a Nutshell. Folktales from Around the World | TOPICS Online Magazine | ESL/EFL | Sandy and Thomas Peters. Welcome to the South American folktales page! Mythology. African Wisdom Tales. Jewish Wisdom Tales. Hindu Wisdom Tales. Buddhist Wisdom Tales. Nasruddin. Indian children's magazine with stories on mythology, culture & tradition. Storytellers. Generosity of Spirit: Myths and Folktales By Wisdom Tradition.