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Brothers Grimm: Rumpelstiltskin Once upon a time, there was a miller who was poor but had a beautiful daughter. Now it happened that he got into a conversation with the king.  To impress the king, he said, " I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold." The king replied, " That is such a great gift and art. If you say your daughter is as skillful as you say she is, then bring her to my castle and I will put her to the test. When the girl was brought to him, he led her to a room that was filled in its entirety with straw. He gave her a spindle wheel and a reel. He said, " Get to work now. Spin all night, and if by morning you have not spun this straw into gold, then you shall have to die." Then he locked the room, and there she stood all alone. The poor miller's daughter sat there and for her life, she did not know what to do. She had no idea how to spin straw into gold. Her fear grew by the minute and she broke down and cried. suddenly, th...

Looking-Glass: Queen Alice  Bibliography  This story is part of the  Looking-Glass unit . Story source:  Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There  by Lewis Carroll (1871). " Well this is amazing!" said Alice. I never expected I should be a Queen this soon- and Ill tell you what it is, your majesty." she went on in a serious tone. She often liked to scold herself. " It wil never do for you to be waiting time trolling about the grass like that! Queens have to be poise and dignified!"  She got up and walked about - stiffly at first, as she was afraid that the crown might fall off. She comforted herself thinking that nobody was there to see her and if she really is the Queen she will be able to manage it quite well in time.   Everything was happening so oddly that she didn't feel surprised that the Red Queen and the White Queen sitting close to her on each side of her. She wanted to ask how they got to be there =, but...

The sun was shining bright. Alice decided she better interrupt him. She tried to speak as politely as she could, "if it's VERY long, would you please tell me first which road-"  Tweedledee smiled gently and began again: The sun was shining upon the sea, Shining with all his might: He tried very hard to make The billows smooth and bright This was very peculiar because it was The middle of the night. The moon was shining sulkily Because she believed that  the sun Had no business being there After the day was over and done " It's very rude of him," she said, " To come and ruin all the fun!" The sea was wet as wet could be, The sands were dry as dry. You could not see a cloud because No cloud was in the sky: There were no birds to fly The Walrus and the carpenter were walking close at hand; They wept like anything to see Tons and tons of sand " If this were only cleared away" They said, " it would be gra...

Bibliography: This story is part of the  Alice in Wonderland unit .  Story source:  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland  by Lewis Carroll (1865). Tea Party There was a table outside in front of a house under a tree. March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at this table. A Dormouse sitting in between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it and talking over its head. The Dormouse must be very comfortable though, Alice, to herself As long as it is asleep I guess it won't mind.    Although there were only three people, the table was large and they were all crowed to one corner of it. "No room! No room!" they yelled out when they saw Alice approaching. Alice persisted, " There's plenty of room!" Alice then sat down in a large armchair at one end of the table. " Have some wine" the March Hare said encouragingly Alice looked around, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don...

Alice was getting tired of sitting by her sister on the bank. It was so boring doing nothing. She would sometimes peek into the book her sister was reading and see that it had no pictures or conversations.  She thought about how boring a book would be without pictures or conversations. She tried entertaining herself and thinking of something to do to not be so bored. It was hard to think of anything because of how hot it was, it made her think slower and sleepy. She considered if the trouble of picking up daisies is worth making a daisy chain. while she was pondering this, a white rabbit appeared out of nowhere and ran close by her. He had white fluffy fur and had big bright pink eyes. The Rabbit seemed in a rush and would say to itself " Oh dear! Oh, dear! I am running late! I need to hurry!"  He took out his pocket watched and his big pink eyes widened even more. Then he took off in a hurried manner. Alice looked at the rabbit and thought I've never seen a rabbit...

How Bluebird and Coyote Got Their Colors  A long time ago, the bluebird was a hideous color. Bluebird knew of a lake where no river river flow in or out and he bathed in this lake four times every morning for four mornings. Every morning while he bathed he sang the same song: There's a blue water. It lies there. I went in. I am all blue. On the fourth morning, bluebird shed all his feathers and cam out of the lake in his skin. The next morning, he came out of the lake and he was covered with blue feathers. Coyote had been watching bluebird the whole time.  He wanted to get in and eat the bluebird but he had fear of the water. On the last morning, Coyote said, " How is it that you lost your ugly color, and now you are blue and beautiful? You are more beautiful than anything in the skies. I want to be blue too." Coyote at this time was green. " I only went four times for four mornings," Bluebird told him. Then Coyote was proud of his blue color. He...

The Theft of Fire   There was no fire on earth so the karoks were cold and miserable. Deep in the lands of the east, hidden within a treasure box, that was where the fire was. Kareya made fire and given to two old hags, so the Karoks couldn't steal it. Coyote decided to help the Indians and steal fire. Coyote summoned a council of the animals and after the council, he stationed a line from the land of the Karoks to the distant land where the fire was kept. The lion was nearest to the land of fire, and frog was nearest to the Karok land. The lion was the strongest among the animals and frog was the weakest among them. The other animals took their place according to the power given to them by man. The Coyote took an Indian with him to accompany him and went to the top of the hill, but he hid the Indian under the hill. Coyote went to the tepee of the hags. " Good evening." , He said They replied, "Good evening." Coyote then replied, " It is cold o...

The Fairy Bride Bibliography: This story is part of the American Indian Fairy Tales unit . Story source: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921). Once there was a beautiful girl Neen-I-zu, the only daughter of an Indian chief who lived on the of the Lake Superior. Neen-I-zu mean "My Dear Life." It was plain that her parents loved her very much and did everything that they could do to make her happy and protect her from danger. There was one thing that made them worried. Neen-i-zu was a favorite with the other young girls of the village and joined them in their play.  Her favorite moments were when she got time for herself and walked in the forest or to follow some dim trail that led to the heart of the small hills. Sometimes she would go off on herself by herself for many hours and when she returned, her eyes had the look of one who has dwelt in the secret places and seen things strange and mysterious.  Some people would...

Bibliography: This story is part of the American Indian Fairy Tales unit . Story source: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921). There never was anyone who was so wise and knowing as Lagoo, the wise old man. No other Indian is known to exist who has seen or heard more than Lagoo. He was so wise he knew the secrets of the woods and fields and understood the language of birds and beasts.  His whole life he had lived outdoors, he would wonder deep in the forest where the deer would hide. He also would skim the waters of the lake in his birch-bark canoe. He knew much more than that what he solely knew on his own. He knew the stories that his grandfather would tell him that he learned from his grandfather, and so on. His grandfather would tell him the fairy tales and the wonder stories and he knew every word. These stories have been passed down from generation to generation since when the world was young, strange, and there was magic in near...

More Brer Rabbit: Mr.Fox Goes A-Hunting After Brer Fox heard about what Brer Rabbit had done to Brer Wolf, he pondered it and thought to leave Brer Rabbit alone. They would always see each other and there were so many instances when Brer Fox could have grabbed Brer Rabbit, but then he thought of Brer Wolf and he would change his mind and leave him alone. Slowly they became familiar with each other. So familiar that they Brer Fox would invite Brer Rabbit to sit and smoke their pipes, like if they never had their differences. One day Brer Fox asked Brer Rabbit to go hunting with him. Brer Rabbit felt lazy and told Brer Fox he had other things to do. Brer Fox felt sorry but he thought at least he tried. He was gone all day, and he had great luck, he bagged a sight of game. Brer rabbit would always stretch laid out under a tree, it was always when Brer Fox was heading home. Then Brer Rabbit he went and mounted a stump to see if he could hear Brer Fox coming. He wasn't waiting ...

once upon a time, Mr. man had a garden so beautiful all the neighbors would come and see it.  some would look over the fence, some through the cracks, and some would go and look at it by the light of the stars. One of the creatures that would go look at it was Brer Rabbit.  when morning came he was always out and about. Brer rabbit would be tempted by the planted vegetables and he would creep through the cracks of the fence and eat them. He would eat the vegetables and leave his tracks behind, this was especially apparent after rain. The man Gardner went to his garden and noticed there were vegetables missing of different types in areas of his garden and he would wonder why they went missing. He looked around and found brer rabbits tracks and what he couldn't take with him. Brer rabbit tracks were noticeable because he would leave his shoes and go to the garden barefoot. the Garder called his dogs, Buck, Blue, and Brinjer, and had them sniff the tracks and off they wen...

 Brer Rabbit: The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story  One day after Brer Rabbit fooled after the rabbit fooled Brer Fox he decided to start devising a plan and went to work. He got a hold of some tar and mixed with turpentine. His final piece of work which he called a Tar-baby who was the center of his mischievous plan. He sat her on the side of a big road and then he went to hide in bushes to see what the outcome would be. It didn't take long to hear the sounds of Brer rabbit hopping down the road. Every step was filled with such sass - Lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity and foxed remained hidden. The brer rabbit got a sight of the Tar-baby and surprised by this figure he sat on his hind legs looking at it. Meanwhile, Fox still remained hidden in the bushes. " Good morning!" said Brer rabbit to the tar-baby. " Pleasant weather we are having!"  The tar-baby stayed silent while the fox still remained hidden. "How are you doing today?" asked Brer r...

The Hare, the Fox, and the Wolf   A hungry wolf was passing through a wood when he ran across a Hare sitting up on her hind legs by an Oak tree. He was about to make her his prey when she spoke suddenly. "Sir wolf I know you are hungry but before you devour me I ask you to think of my size and see that I am just a snack for your highness. There is a fox who is so fat that he can barely walk. If you eat him you will surely satisfy your hunger.  If it pleases you I will entice him out of his hole and if he seems fine for you to eat then you can devour him." The wolf was convinced by her words and told her to proceed with her plan. she told the wolf to remain outside while she went in. The rabbit thought to herself " Ah! I am free from the wolf and I will also have revenge on the Foc who chases me all the time." When she approached the fox the fox acted courteous to her and asked her what fortune brought her there.  " only the desire to see you worship...

 The King, the Falcon, and the Drinking-Cup There once was a king who liked hunting very much. The king had a falcon which he valued as one of his most precious treasures. The king valued this falcon so much he fed it himself from his own hand and the falcon would be carried on the king's wrist during hunts. One day when the king and his court were on a hunt a deer crossed their paths and the king started to pursue him. The rest of the court could not keep up with the king's speed and the king somehow became separated from the group completely and could not conquer the deer. The king became hot and thirsty from his pursuit and he got off his horse and went in search of some water. After a long time, he encountered a hill with a small stream trickling down over the rocks. The king pulled a drinking cup from his sash and set it in under the stream until the cup was filled with water. When the king raised the cup to his lips to drink the hawk swooped over and knocked the cup...

 Odyssey: The Cyclops Defeated When dawn came, the cyclops did his morning tasks. He milked the goats and put the goats in order along with their young. When he finished his work he took another two men and ate them as breakfast. After his meal, he took his healthy flock out from the cave. He lifted the gigantic stone door as if it had no weight at all and put it back just as effortlessly leaving us trapped in his lair. As he left to the mountains whistling and guiding his flock. As we were sure he was leaving for the day we had to devise a plan to escape this murderous beast stomach and take vengeance to my follow comrades killed by this beast. I prayed for Athena to grant me a plan to escape the cyclops and inspiration struck me. The best escape seemed to be: Looking around to see what materials I could gather I saw the cyclops huge club laying next to the sheep pen. It was so big it could be the mast of a twenty-foot ship. I cut off a sixfoot length portion of the club. I ...

  The Rousing of Achilles  Story source: The Iliad,  retold by Alfred J. Church (1907). The fight grew more when they fought for the body of Patroclus. Many men of both sides fell at this time. When hector approached the ship of Menelaüs he thrust his spear at him but he did so in vain. Hector stood over the body of Patroclus and Menelaüs knew he could not win in a battle against Hector. Hector then spoiled the armor that Achilles let Patroclus went and did Patroclus a great dishonor. When Hector then attempted to drag the body back to the Trojans when Ajax put his shield before it defending it from Hector and his men. Ajax with great courage and strength defended the body of Patroclus. Like a mother defending its child from harm so fearless did Ajax the Greater fight. Hector seeing his great resolve drew back. Glaucus in great anger spoke to hector saying" Have you no shame, Hector! You let the Trojans leave freely with Patroclus's corps. You were a coward ...

Iliad: How the War with Troy Began  These stories is part of the Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church (1907). There once was a great king of Sparta who had the most gorgeous daughter named Helen. Every prince in Greece who knew of Helen's beauty wanted to marry her. The king asked something of these princes: " You must all give your word to me to be kind to the man my daughter chooses to be her husband. Give your word to me that if there ever is a man who does wrong and steals her from her husband, you must help him get her back from the thief." They all give their word to do so. The beautiful Helen chose a prince to marry who went by the name Menelaüs and who was brother to Agamemnon. Agamemnon was the chief of all kings of Greece. Time had passed and Helen's father died, and Menelaüs reigned as king of Sparta. Helen and Menelaüs lived a pleasant life in Sparta until a young Prince, Paris, arrived. Prince Paris who was the son of the king of Troy, Priam, stole He...

I chose the following stories because they seemed the most interesting to me. I really liked Pygamlion, I am a sucker for stories that include the gods like venus. I also really liked the moral of the man in the moon story. Origin Stories: the moon  The Man in the Moon   Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson (1899) - a blacksmith complained that he was not well and that his work was too warm. He said he wanted to be a stone on the mountain and that the mountain is cool because the winds blow and the trees give shade. - a wise man told him to be a stone on the mountain and he became a stone on the mountain. - unfortunately, a stone cutter came to the mountain searching for stone to cut and when he saw the stone that was once the blacksmith he knew that was the stone he wanted. So he began to cut it. - The stone was in great pain and wailed that the cutting hurt and that he no longer wanted to be a stone but thought it would be nice to be a stone-cutter. - The wis...

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche Week 4: Bible Women  Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Tutinameh or Tales of a Parrot Week 6: Twenty-two Goblin's  Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7:   The Monkey King Week 9:  Brer Rabbit Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: Native American Hero Tales Week 11: Native American Marriage Tales Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: Robin Hood Week 13: Alice in the Wonderland  Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Librivox Week 15: Ashliman Rumpelstiltskin I am pretty excited about the European and British Unit! I am specifically excited for Robin Hood, Alice in the Wonderland, Librivox, and Ashliman. I am excited for them because they are stories I grew up on. I use to have a...