The Princess and the Pea

The Princess and the Pea

The Princess and the Pea is a children's literally fairytale written by Hans Christian Anderson. The story is a in the danish language. The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A. Reitzel on May 8 1835. This was one of the most famous fairytales in the world, the more present versions of this story is more popular for children.

Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a  real princess. He was so determined to fine love he travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. So he came home from his travels very upset to find a young lady outside the gates of his castle standing in the pouring rain. It was thundering and lighting, the girl looks horrible from the rain, after a few minutes he let the girl in and she said he was a real princess.  

The Queen set up a bedroom for the princess and set up 20 mattresses with a little pea on the bottom. The Princess finally fell asleep after hours of tossing and turning. The next morning the Queen asked the princess how she slept and she responded “Oh, very badly!” said she. “I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It’s horrible!”. Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds. Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that. So the prince so very excited and took her in as his wife. Happy with his new wife,or now that  he knew that he had a real princess; they put the  pea in the museum, where it may still be seen by others.

Classroom Discussion:

1. Why do you think that the queen used that test to see if the girl was a young princess?
2. Why is the princess so desperate to find love?
3. How do you think that the young girl found the castle in the rain storm?

Classroom Activity:

1. Have the children make their own version of the princess and the pea by switching up the ending. It can have any type of ending they want 
2. Put the children in groups and have them act out the real versions of the story and some using alternative endings
3. Have the children put together the setting of the story using materials in the classroom. The main thing being the 20 mattresses', the pea, prince and princess
4. Make a chart using the 20 mattresses and stick stickers or crafts on them according to the number, to help the children learn how to count.

If you liked this book by Hans Christian Andersen check out this other books:

• The Snow Queen
• The Little Mermaid 
• The Jumper
• The Money-Box 
• A Leaf from Heaven 

Anderson, Hans Christian. "The Princess and the Pea." Hans Christian Andersen: The Princess and the Pea. C.A. Reitzel, 8 May 1835. Web. 23 July 2017.

James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach 

James and the Giant Peach was a children's literature fanastsy novel that was written by Ronald Dahl. This was the first of his novels to be for children. The first illustrations were done by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, over the years the book as reillustrated but serval different people including Michael Simeon for the first British edition, Emma Chichester Clark, Lane Smith and Quentin Blake. A few years later there was a movie produced in 1996. The novel is for children ages 9 through 12.

James and the Giant Peach is the story of a young boy who escapes an abusive home in a magical peach. Along the way, he makes new friends, and discovers the joys of freedom and friendship, which he never thought he would experience.

In summary, James is a young boy who lost this parents in a tragic accident at the zoo, upon the death of his parent he is sent to live with his two terrible aunts. Moving in with his aunts changed his life dramatically, the started to be abused but them immediately. His aunts treat him terribly, forcing him to work all day long, denying him any friends or schooling, and calling him names. He became very lonely and lost all hope. to his surprise  he finds a mysterious old man hiding in the bushes one day after work. The man gives James a bag full of magic beans and warns him to be very careful with them as they are extremely powerful. While he is running back to his house, James trips and spills the beans in his Aunts' garden. Shocked and scared he just sat there wondering how is was going to explain this to his aunts. Surprisingly, the beans immediately burrow their way into the ground and produce a massive peach at the top of the peach tree. When no one is around, James sneaks up to the peach and finds a magical tunnel there. Confused and interested he climbs inside and is greeted by a host of giant insects, including a Grasshopper, a Ladybug, a Spider, and a Centipede.

 

He encounters a lot of adventures with his new friends and the giant peach, fighting all sharks and other animals in the ocean. he magically arrives in New York City and starts a new life for himself. He starts a great future for himself, he made the giant peach into his home and told his story to visitors that would come through daily. He once had no friends, was lonely and scared but now is has too many friends to count and he is the happiest he has ever been.

Class Questions:

1. How long did James live with his aunts before he met the old man who gave him the seeds?
2. How did James parents die?
3. What were the names of Jame's aunts and how did he describe them?

Classroom Activity:

Have the class of students explore metaphors and similes in the descriptions of Aunt Sponge
and Aunt Spiker and the rest of the characters in the book.

If you liked this story check out more stories written but Ronald Dahl:

• Over you 
• Kiss Kiss
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• The Twits 

Dahl, Roald, and Lane Smith. James and the Giant Peach: A Children's Story. New York: Penguin Puffin, 1996. Print.

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. This picture book was first published in 1964 byHarper & Row. 

                                              

Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy.

It has become one of Silverstein's best known titles and has been translated into numerous languages for children all over the world. The illustrations in the book were done by Silverstein her self, Harper & Row stated that Silverstein had made the original illustrations "scratchy". The illustrations look like the writing from a scary stories which could catch the eye of a child.


In this book the little boy found a tree and they both adored each other. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, and slide down her trunk. This made the tree very happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave. The tree gave and gave to the boy throughout its life and eventually it realize that the boy was taking advantage of it. After the boy grows into an old man he comes back to the tree and asks to just sit in a quiet place and the tree became happy again. They were both happy to be peacefully sitting with each other, spending quality time together.


                                             


Discussion Questions:

1. What does the illustrations mean to you? 
2. Why do you think the tree still gave and gave to the young boy after he stopped coming around for a while? 
3. How do you think the characters in the story felt or felt about each other at certain points in the story? What makes you think so?

Classroom Activities:

One activity that the students could do would be to build a huge tree with construction paper and write thing that they were thankful for in life. Through out the year each student can add and add things then at the end of the year the teacher can read them aloud.


If you like this book from Silverstein check out these books:

• A Light in the Attic 
• Falling Up 
• The Missing Piece 
• ABC BooK 
• Runny Babbit 

Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. New York: HarperCollins, 2014. Print.

The Other Side

The Other Side is a multi-cultural children's picture book intended for ages 5 and up. This story was written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B Lewis in 2001. The author, Woodson is able to bring such a deep subject to life while the illustrator portrays such beautiful pictures to show the differences.

This book did a great job of showing children that get to you get to have your own opinion and own thoughts. This is such a deep subject to teach and tell children about, books like this make it easier from children to understand. Clover wanted to learn more about Anna and why she could not cross the fence, she was asking herself why? Just like any other child would. Clover knew that deep down Anna was just as much as a person as her and she wanted to be her friend no matter what her mother or other friends thought.

Clover was a young black girl who always wondered about why her mother refused to let her go on the other side the fence. The fence separated the black and the white. Clover met Anna, who was a young white girl and she would always sit on the fence and look across to the other side. Clover became very curious.The girls would still listen to their parents and would not cross the fence but they sat on the fence together and grow a friendship like no other. This book was very powerful and a must read to people who have not read it yet. 

Discussion Questions:

1. If you were in Clovers position, would you be friendly with Anna?
2. Why were the black and white separated but a fence? How does that make you feel?
3. Do you enjoy learning about other people's culture?


Motivational Activity:

How your student or child make friends with people with different cultures or interests. Have the children write a short paragraph or two on their new friends explain key things that learn about each other. At the end of the activity the student can come together in a small group and tell everyone alit about their new friends. This activity will help children open up with each other and not be shy. It will also help everyone understand where people come from.


**If you enjoyed this book, check out other books written by Jacquline Woodson!
Here are some of her most famous**

• This is the Rope
• Each Kindness
• Pecan Pie Baby
• Coming on Home Soon
• We had a Picnic This Sunday Past

Woodson, Jacqueline. The Other Side. N.p.: Weston Woods Studios, 2014. Print.