Extra Reading Diary: Hans Christian Anderson

Extra Reading Diary:  Hans Christian Andersen

The Princess and the Pea:

If I’ve learned anything from this story, it’s that I’m definitely not a princess.  I sleep WAY too hard for that! Also, I doubt that this is a true story.  There’s no way anyone would be able to feel a pea.  They might as well feel the dust mites that live in mattresses! Also also, why is being that sensitive so important? Why is that seen as princess-like? It’ s an interesting concept.

(illustration by Dulac)

The Wicked Prince:

It’s interesting how some people want to hold all the power in the world.  I suppose I can’t relate, so the thought seems so repulsive to me.

This was such a weird story! I like it. Defeated by a gnat, heck yes.  At first I was wondering why God didn’t just kill him or defeat him early on, but losing the reputation he had wanted so badly, because of a gnat, did more damage than just killing him would have.  Awesome.

The Little Match-Seller:

I had already read a storytelling revolved around this story.  I like the storytelling better! This version was way more tragic.  :(

Reading Diary B: Grimm (LibriVox)

Reading Diary B: Grimm (LibriVox)

Twelve Huntsmen:  Why couldn’t the man’s wife go with him? Wait, but if he already has a wife, how would he marry again? Did the dad not know he already had a wife? wut.  

I love that the lion is the wise one! Why don’t they just confront the women? These are the weirdest ways to see if someone is a woman or not.

I feel like he should have kept his promise to his original wife the whole time… What a weird story.

Jordina and Jordinel:  This was a weird story, but I liked it.  I’m used to fairies being the good guys, so it was fun reading a story where that wasn’t the case.  

Twelve Dancing Princesses:  I wonder why a lot of these stories have 12s. Not only in these fairy tales, but in the other units as well.  I should google it.  

An invisible cloak?? What is this, Harry Potter? This is exciting!

The Turnip:  Okay, I really love that this story is about a turnip.  

(Illustration by Otto Ubbelohde)

Reading Diary A: Grimm (LibriVox)

Reading Diary A: Grimm (LibriVox)

The Frog Prince:  It is really awesome to actually read this story.  I’ve seen the disney version, and I’ve heard this story various times, but I’ve never actually read it for myself.  I love the introduction.  I never really thought about how the princess got near the frog, but I love that it’s something as light-hearted as playing with a ball.  

Being with someone in exchange for a ball seems a bit extreme, but hey, whatever.

Geeeez, I would have never guessed that the story would get this in depth with the details.  Ilike it!

If I was the frog, I wouldn’t want to marry the princess.  She lied and wouldn’t have helped the frog out if it wasn’t for her father.  She’s only into looks. Forget that.

Rapunzel: I really enjoyed reading this story.  There were many parts that this story elaborated on that I hadn’t heard in other stories.  It’s interesting how different stories can be based on what points and backgrounds the story teller elaborates on.  

(illustration by Walter Crane)

Clever Elsie:  I don’t even know what I just read… This story was ridiculous! I’m not really sure who is the clever one in this story.  Geez.  

Reading Diary B: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

Reading Diary B: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

The Fox and the Cat: I remember reading this story or at least a similar story about a fox using many different tricks to try and get away, but in the end failing.  I believe the other version of this story was better written, though.  With more details and everything.  

Simeli Mountain: I really liked this story.  I think it’s awesome that the poor brother, when he got rich, he gave to the poor and lived happily.  Also, he wasn’t extremely greedy and didn’t take all of the riches from the mountain.  I think it’s really awesome as well that the story had a semi-happy ending.  The rich, greedy brother ended up dying, which I think is fitting for a fairy tale.

The Duration of Life: This is probably one of my favorite short stories now.  Wow.  That’s kind of sad that the animals wanted a shorter life.  But it makes sense! I was definitely a fan of this story.

(illustration by Otto Ubbelohde)

The Peasant and the Devil: A peasant got the best of the devil? danggggg.  How is the Devil not smart enough to realize that different plants grow above and below the earth? That’s a little ridiculous.  But then again, I’ve always pictured the devil being more intelligent than that. Good for the peasant, though!

Reading Diary A: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

Reading Diary A: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

Cat and Mouse in Partnership: This story is starting out really sweet!

Nooooo! I hate it when the cat is the bad guy in a story. That’s the way of the world?? really, that’s the ending? That’s terrible. I had gotten my hopes up for a sweet story.  sad day.

(Lying Cat)

Little Red Cap: This is obviously similar to Little Red Riding hood! Yep, it’s exactly like little red riding hood.  

The Elves: I think it’s kind of funny that the shoemaker isn’t freaking out more.

I could write a storytelling from the Elves’ perspectives on the matter.

The wife made them clothes. :) Oh man, this story is great! It’s almost like they freed a house elf like in harry potter.  Thank goodness the shoemaker continued to be successful!

Old Sultan: The dog sounds so sweet.  And the farmer is going to shoot him?? Why can’t the dog just die in peace since he had been so good to the farmer for his whole life? The heck.

Apparently the wife and I are on the same page.

Oh goodness. The wolf has such an elaborate plan.  It is brilliant, though.  

Extra Reading Diary: More English Fairy Tales

Extra Reading Diary: More English Fairy Tales

Since I only have to do half of the reading, I’m just going to pick 7 stories to read that interest me, and I’ll write about the ones I like the most.

The Three Wishes:  How sweet of the man to spare the tree for a little fairy. Three wishes? oh my goodness.  That’s awesome.  Hahaha, I love that he wanted pudding.  Seriously, I don’t know how I would feel if I wasted three magical wishes on pudding.  At least they seem happy, though.  And at least the pudding was tasty!

King O’ the Cats:  Of course I had to write about this one.  I can never say no to a cat story.  Hahaha, okay, this story was cool.  So sad that Tim died, but at least Tom gets the chance to become King o’ the Cats! What a title!

The Old Witch: I feel like the bread, if it had been baking for 7 years, would be super burnt and probably unable to talk.  But I suppose it isn’t that weird since the bread is talking to the little girl in the first place.  

Never look up at the chimney? Wanna bet that they do? She got money?? What the heck kind of chimney is it??

Well that was a happy ending for the first girl!

Dang! Karma at it’s finest.  

Reading Diary B: English Fairy Tales

Reading Diary B: English Fairy Tales

Molly Whuppie: They couldn’t feed all their children so they just left three of them for dead? What? Why wouldn’t they just send them to another family, or at least be humane about it instead of letting them just starve and suffer in the forest.  It’s weird how people exchange wealth for marriage.

Mr. Fox:  Lady Mary had two brothers and more lovers than she could count - I like her already.  

If she only cared for Mr. Fox, why have other lovers?

Mr. Fox is a serial killer? Wow, what a twist.  She pointed the hand at Mr. Fox? Geez.   That is pretty morbid.  Maybe I can make my storytelling about Mr. Fox’s point of view.  Or a re-telling somewhat of this story. -I married a serial killer story.  

(The Hand)

Mr. Miacca:  I could write a storytelling about a similar story of being kidnapped and escaping.  

Fairy Ointment:  Dame Goody got stolen! Whaaaat. Oh wow, ointment to make everything look perfect.  That is really cool and dangerous!

Well, at least he was nice enough to take her back.  People do really do anything for their kids.  

He blinded her! dang.  That’s what you get for stealing, I suppose.  

Reading Diary A: English Fairy Tales

Reading Diary A: English Fairy Tales

Tom Tit Tot: Hahaha, I like that the story is based off of miscommunication.  Also, if my mom started singing loudly that I had just eaten five pies, I would be so embarrassed.  I want to get married just based on the fact that I can eat a lot! What a catch.  Riddles to stay alive, gotta love fairy tales.  Why would he shriek and run? Just because he lost?  Weird.  

(Tom Tit Tot)

Binnorie: Shouldn’t the sister hate Sir William instead of her sister? It’s not the sister’s fault that he loves her! Though, maybe she shouldn’t have acted on his love. Hmmm.

She killed her sister?? What? She would just leave her sister for dead over a man? That’s what family is all about, eh?

That had kind of a creepy ending.

Cap o’ Rushes: What kind of father compares how much his daughters love him? That’s terrible.  The poor daughter.  Dang, this totally is a cinderella story!

How does a story like this get a happily ever after? She just forgave her father like that? Dang, she must be really mature.

The Story of the Three Little Pigs: He ate the pig? What?? Is this what it’s like to have your childhood ruined?  I totally thought all the pigs hid out in the brick house! Alive! My heart hurts.  

Extra Reading Diary: Canterbury Tales

Extra Reading Diary: Canterbury Tales

The Wife of Bath’s Tale: The Unknown Bride:

What is it that women wish for most? Hmm.  Initially I thought of respect.  I’m curious to see how the Knight figures out the answer! And to see what the answer actually is.

Bahaha, “One even insisted that a woman would rather keep a secret than do anything else, but of course that is nonsense, for we women cannot conceal things.”  That’s the best line in the whole story.

(King Midas and his ears)

It’s noble that he’s going back.  Personally, I would probably hide out.  Especially back in those days when it was easy to hide away.

The Unknown Bride (cont.): What women desire most is to rule their husbands? What…??? That’s a bold answer I suppose.  

Oh man.  The old lady is going to make the Knight marry her! That’s perfect.  Though, since she saved his life, he should be more willing, I think.  Especially since if she’s that old then she won’t be around for too much longer.  

The Friar’s Tale: The Story of the Summoner:  What a weird way to start a friendship.

The Pardoners who went out to meet death: Honestly, that sounds like a pretty awesome life! or a typical night out for a college student.    Why do you keep living any longer when you are so old? What a terrible question.  This story took an interesting route.  

Reading Diary B: Alice in Wonderland

Reading Diary B: Alice In Wonderland

A Mad Tea Party: Isn’t Alice a kid? Shouldn’t she not accept wine so readily? I love the conversations in this story.

A Mad Tea Party (cont.): The song is the best part! I love the Hatter’s take on it. It would be so weird to live in a world where it’s always 6 o’clock.  Maybe I could write my storytelling over a modern day version of this.  

I could write a story based on the way Alice asks questions during the other story. Like, curiosity killed the cat!

Who Stole the Tarts: I like that the verdict is given in poem form.  That’s pretty fabulous.  “Take off your hat.” “It isn’t mine.”  That’s awesome.  Question everything!

Who Stole the Tarts (cont): “You may stand down.” “I can go no lower, I’m already on the floor” I like how realistically he’s taking everything.  

I know this reading diary isn’t very long.  Honestly, I like the story a little bit, but it’s not one of my favorites.  And it’s hard for me to construct a story-telling from this story.  It’s definitely different, if anything.  

(illustration by Sir John Tenniel)

Reading Diary A: Alice in Wonderland

Reading Diary A: Alice In Wonderland

Down The Rabbit Hole: Shouldn’t the fact that the rabbit is wearing a waistcoat in the first place be alarming?? Of course the rabbit seemed extraordinary - it had a waistcoat on!   

It’s weird how she isn’t even afraid of dying or getting hurt! I don’t know what kind of feelings I would have if I was falling for that period of time, but I’m almost positive terror would be one of them!

Down The Rabbit Hole (cont.):  I can relate to her missing her cat and wish her cat was with her! if anything I’m glad I read this story just for that part. :)

Advice From a Caterpillar: Bahah, this is a great conversation.  Also, I think it’s awesome that instead of causing more of a fight, Alice realized he was in a bad mood and began to walk away.  That takes a lot of maturity!

Pig and Pepper:  It’s kind of funny how they have this whole argument, and all Alice had to do was turn the door knob.

Pig and Pepper (cont.): The Duchess sounds awful!  Also, this is the strangest story.

Pig and Pepper (end):

“we’re all mad here” I really like that quote.  I love the cat’s explanation for why he’s mad.  That was fantastic.

(illustration by Sir John Tenniel)

Extra Reading Diary: American Indian Folk Tales

Extra Reading Diary: American Indian Fairy Tales

How the Summer Came: I love how wise he is.  Iagoo knows everything! And he’s so patient, which is an awesome quality. I like how the stories are informative AND interesting. Another example of how important nature was to them.  He could change into an animal! So, is he actually human?  

How the Summer Came (cont.): That boy put a lot of trust into a talking squirrel.  I’m not sure I could have done the same. It’s weird to me that the squirrel knew he had to go through Manito’s boy to get what he wanted.  If there’s so little to eat how have squirrels been surviving so far? Surely they would have died out or adapted a new eating habit by then.  

How the Summer Came (end): It’s been a long time since I’ve read a story with a wolverine in it! and the fact that he’s the one that made the first dent is awesome! And he was the first to make it through the sky, whaaaat.  That was a sad ending!

The Fairy Bride: Evil fairies… how terrifying.  It sounds pretty typical that they play tricks, though.

The Fairy Bride (cont.): This story says that she went to the forest, and disappeared before a wedding she didn’t want to have.  But then she was seen as a fairy bride.  I will probably write my story over what happened in between, and how exactly she became a fairy bride.

(Enchanted Forest)

Reading Diary A: American Indian Fairy Tales

Reading Diary A: American Indian Fairy Tales

Iagoo, The Story-Teller:

I wish I knew the secrets of the woods and fields.  That sounds amazing. “There was magic in almost everything.” I LOVE that so much.  I do hate the fact that boys get bows and weapons and girls get necklaces… I want a bow.

I love how this is the start of the stories.  This was a really creative way to start the series of stories.  

The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds:

I love that the children are happy and they aren’t in danger, but where the heck are their parents? Though, I’m pretty sure that would be the best childhood ever. Just being able to run around in the fields and stuff.  Jealous. Honestly, I think this place is my personal heaven.  

Part 2:

Ohhhh, so they DO have parents.  Awesome! “...my brains were given to me to think with.”  I love that quote! Baha, I love that the coyote said they asked the wrong question.  The worm was the hero! That’s fantastic! It kind of reminds me of the tortoise and the hare story.

(Children Playing)

The Child of the Evening Star:

I like that all of the stories put the most emphasis on the outdoors.  I wish the world now was a little more like that. I love that she says it’s the heart of men that matters, not their looks.  How wise!

The Child of the Evening Star Cont.: This is seriously a beautiful story.  

The Child of the Evening Star Cont,. Again: Eating food to undo a spell sounds great! but maybe that’s because I’m really hungry right now…

The Child of the Evening Star End: This was a really beautiful story.  I liked it so much that I don’t even know what I would do make a storytelling from it. I don’t think I could.

Extra Reading Diary: Pacific Northwest

Extra Reading Diary: Pacific Northwest

How Silver Fox Created the World:  I love creation stories! It’s interesting that a silver fox and a coyote are the ones to create things. Silver-Fox is such a sly guy.  

Dang.  Silver-Fox is assertive! But the ending wasn’t a very good one.  It left things way too up in the air.

How Kemush Created the World: Another creation story! Nice! maybe they made another one because they didn’t like how Silver-Fox created it either.  This was a pretty good one in comparison to the others.

How Old Man Above Created the World: The title alone makes me think of the christianity creation story.  I’m loving all these creation stories, though! Apparently I picked the right section to read.  I like how this one deals with creating a hole as well. I think it’s funny that the earth started out as flat when that’s what it was believed to be for so long. The ending was weird, but so far I like this creation story the best.

How Dog Stole Fire:  It took forever for the story to actually involve a dog.  I was almost worried. I don’t understand how the dog could have hidden fire in his ear, but I suppose it’s not too far off from his ability to talk, so I can’t judge.  Also, dogs can’t sweat.  Plot hole.  

The First Totem Pole:  I would be unhappy too if I didn’t get a dance.  Poor guy.  All the animals joining in kind of reminds me of cinderella.  How sweet of them! I like how the totem pole is known as the pole that holds up the sky.  Super cool.

(Kwakiutl dance)