Possible Storybook Topics

Topic: Aesop’s Lions.  

Comments: I really love Aesop’s stories and the morals that go along with them. I’ve read a couple of sections of Aesop’s stories from the Untextbook, and I’m hooked! I already know quite a few of the stories about lions, so I do not think it would be too difficult to pull together a story about them! I think it would be fun to use the morals of a few different lion stories for the perspective of one, hopefully well-rounded lion by the end of it! I would like to gain a better, in depth understanding of Aesop’s stories as a whole, and better understand the morals associated with my stories.

Possible Stories: Fortunately for me, Aesop’s lion stories are all bunched together in the Untextbook, so it would be really easy for me to find four stories to go in my Storybook.  It just depends on what morals I want my lion to learn! I’ll have to read figure out exactly what direction I want to take the Storybook before I pick my specific stories, but once I do that, finding stories will be easy!

Sample Story comments. Androcles and the Lion.  I really like the moral of the story, “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” Also, I like that this shows the Lion in a good light, whereas in some of the other stories, the Lions aren’t the nicest of creatures. On wikipedia I found the original story by Aulus Gellius as well, for better background information.

Bibliography Information:

Title of the Story: Androcles and the Lion

Title of the Book: Attic Nights

Author of the Book: Aulus Gellius

Online Source: Wikipedia

(Androcles and his lion)

Topic: Cat Myths.

Comments:

I think it would be fun get different cat stories together to show how awesome cats are, and maybe even show their downfalls, too! I love cats, so expanding upon a cat’s perspective and point of view would be really fun! I can use my two cats as a good reference for the personality and mannerisms that I add to my cat stories. :) I’ve read a few stories about cats, but I would like to read even more myths about them!

Possible Stories: Wikipedia has a good section where it has a bunch of mythological feline stories!  There are some stories from Aesop’s fables about cats that I could use.  But there are multiple different options on Wikipedia as well!

Sample Story: Through Wikipedia I found a story called Cactus Cat.  I like that this shows the cat as a beast, described to have spines that it used to slash cacti at night.  Part of the myth is that the cat would shriek throughout the night, and I think it would be cool to give a backstory as to why he shrieked and maybe form a story of how, what could have once been a normal cat, transformed into the Cactus Cat.

Bibliography Information

title of story: Cactus Cat

Website Name: Wikipedia

Topic: Nursery Rhyme Songs.

Comments: I think it would be fun to expand upon the nursery rhyme songs that we’ve all heard growing up.  Also, maybe even expand upon the ones we have not heard! I’ve heard a few, but I have not heard them all, and I would like to know more about the nursery rhymes I’ve always been told! I think it would be really fun and interesting to get in depth with simple nursery rhymes.

Possible Stories: I think it would be fun to intertwine the characters of the songs from Little Bo-Peep and Three Blind Mice, maybe also mixed in with the songs London Bridge is Falling Down.  I’m not sure how I would intertwine them just yet, but I think that makes it more fun!

Sample Story: Three Blind Mice.  I liked this nursery rhyme song because It’s so common, everyone has heard it. It’s also simple and short, which leaves a lot of room for interpretation!

Bibliography Information

title of story: Three Blind Mice

title of book: The Nursery Rhyme Book

author of book: Andrew Lang

year of publication: 1897

Topic: Characters of the Brothers Grimm.

Comments:   I want to take the popular stories from Grimms fairy tales and put my own twist on it, while intertwining their stories.  I think it would be a fun and challenging storybook to make! I don’t know much about these stories, but I would like to better know the originial versions of most of the common stories we hear today.  It seems like currently, these stories are very popular in modern movies and TV shows, so this should be fun!

Possible Stories: Because there are so many versions of all of these stories, I  just used Wikipedia and the Untedtextbook to look up some of these stories! It would be fun to intertwine the stories of  Hansel and Grethel, Snow White, The Seven Dwarves, and Cinderella!

Sample Story: Snow White. I chose this story because it’s such a common one that has been twisted into so many different things over the years. I like the original story, and it should be fun to mix it into a story within the same universe as the other Grimm stories I’ve chosen.

Bibliography Information

title of story: Snow White

title of book: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm

author of book: Lucy Crane

year of publication: (1886)

Extra Reading Diary - Aesop for Children (Winter)

Reading Diary Extra: Aesop For Children (Winter)

The Tortoise and the Ducks.  All I keep thinking is how is this supposed to be for children? “...where he was dashed to pieces on a rock.”  I suppose it depends on the age of the children, but goodness!

The Boy and the Filberts.  I liked the moral, “Do not attempt too much at once.”  I have a tendency of jumping headfirst into too many things, which usually hurts me in the end.  This is a good moral to continue to learn! If only I had figured it out by trying to grab a fistful of nuts!

The Ass and His Driver. The moral is a long one, but a very great one! Pretty much, those who are too stubborn to listen to those wiser than them are on “the road to misfortune.” I’m a very open-minded person, and from now on when I run into stubborn close-minded people, I will want to share this story with them!

(Illustration by Winter)

The Gnat and the Bull. I love the quote, “We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor.”  Sometimes, especially during college, maybe even more so in high school, it’s easy to be extremely worried about what others think of you, when really, it doesn’t really matter.

The Farmer and the Stork.  The moral, “You are judged by the company you keep,” is too true! I think this one is a good story for children to read and learn early.

The Boys and the Frogs. Since this series of stories is for children, I really enjoyed the moral of this one. “Always stop to think whether your fun may not be the cause of another’s unhappiness.”  Especially with children, I see this a lot.  It’s easy to forget about others around you, but it is important to always think of everyone, not just yourself.

The Travelers and the Sea.  I love this for the moral, “Do not let your hopes carry you away from reality.”   Sometimes it can be easy to get lost in your hopes and dreams, especially in college when it seems like everything is possible.  Reality may be harder to deal with sometimes, but it’s important to remember.

The Monkey and the Dolphin.  I think it’s kind of sad that the monkey was left alone! Granted, he did lie, but who wouldn’t in a situation where you were trying to survive? Hopefully the monkey made it to shore!

Reading Diary B: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

Reading Diary B: Aesop’s Fables (Jacobs)

The Fox and the Crow.  I liked the advice the fox gave the crow after he tricked her, “Do not trust flatterers.”   I think that quote is extremely relevant to everyday life, especially in todays society.

The Crow and the Pitcher.  The moral of the story, “Little by little does the trick,” is an important thing to remember.  Especially with the everyday craziness of being in college, sometimes it can be daunting to look at a stack of homework or readings, but as long as you keep moving forward you will succeed.

The Swallow and the Other Birds.   I loved the moral, “Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin.”  This is so important.  Too many people just sit around and watch as evil happens, doing nothing about it, because it does not affect them.  This is so unacceptable.  If all people listened to the moral, I believe the world would be a much better place.

The Ant and the Grasshopper.  I think you wrote the moral of this story as a hint to get ahead on my homework. ;) “It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.”

The Belly and the Members.  This tale amused me, mostly because I love the human body, so to think of each of the parts as having a mind of their own is funny and intriguing.

Hot and Cold.  I enjoyed this tale! And I think the illustration is pretty cool, too :)

(Illustration by Walter Crane)

The Shepherd’s Boy.  I’ve always heard this story, but I had never actually read it! The boy who cried wolf!

Reading Diary A: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

Reading Diary A: Aesop’s Fables (Jacobs)

The Four Oxen and the Lion.  I  liked this story because of the quote at the end, “United we stand, divided we fall.”  I think this is extremely relevant in most aspects of life.

The Fox and the Mask. I love the quote, “ Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.”  This was my favorite quote from the readings.  I also think it’s funny when the fox, talking to a mask says, “You look very fine; it is a pity you have not got any brains.”

The Fox and the Grapes.  The moral of the story was, “It is easy to despise what you cannot get.”  I know even I am sometimes guilty of this, though I do my best not to.  It’s an unhealthy mindset that far too many take on.

The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.  I enjoyed this story, because I had always heard the expression, but never understood where it came from.  Awesome! Also, I like the moral of the story, “Appearances are deceptive.”

The Dog and the Shadow. I like that this story makes dogs look unintelligent.  Cats rule, dogs drool. =^. .^=  (It’s a cat face)

(Illustration by: Walter Crane)

The Ass in the Lion’s Skin. I enjoyed this one because the moral of the story was, “Fine clothes may disguise, but silly words will disclose a fool.”  It reminds me of the saying, It is better to be quiet and thought a fool, than to be loud and known as one.

The Ass’s Brains.  This one made me laugh! After the ass ate the brains of the fox, and the lion asked what he had done with the brains, the ass said the fox had had none, or it would have never fallen into the lion’s trap. Wit is indeed a valuable thing!

The Hare and the Tortoise. I’ve always heard this story, but I had never actually read it before.   I’m glad I got the chance to now!