Week 12 Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales Part B

The characters in Henny-Penny are too naive to beware the fox. They pay for it with their lives, except for Henny-Penny, but she never gets to tell the King that the sky is falling. The fox is the classic trickster, convincing everyone that a shortcut to the King's castle runs through his dark cave.
Molly Whuppie is a story of harrowing circumstances that call for a young hero to rise to the occasion. Molly is the youngest of the three unfortunate sisters, but she is the one who is most clever and does all the work. She also has no problem sacrificing other people for her benefit. She is an interesting character to say the least.
Mr. Fox is a classic horror story with a happy ending. The tension builds very well when Lady Mary is in Mr. Fox's castle. The writing on the wall is very creepy, and I could use that idea in my story. Maybe Aaron could stumble upon a mass grave of all of the dissenters the Mind of Six ever took away and killed. At the end, I imagine the masses breaking down the door to the palace of the Mind of the Six to tear them apart, just like the guests did to Mr. Fox at Lady Mary's wedding.
Johnny-Cake, or another version of the Gingerbread Man, describes overconfidence biting you in the butt. It teaches readers not to boast or gloat, because someone, usually a fox, is always cleverer than you.
Mr. Miacca strikes me as the kind of story with which parents scare their children into obedience. However, Tommy gets away without any issues, which makes the story less effective. Tommy needs to get boiled and eaten to really scare kids into obeying. I almost empathize with Mr. Miacca; the man just wants to eat and feed his family.
The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh is a really great story with magic and tragedy and a happy ending. I like that the rowan wood is resistant to the witch's magic spell. I could write about Aaron finding a special tool or element that can bring down the Mind of the Six.


Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh,illustrated by John D. Batton, found on Wikimedia, here.


Bibliography: Part B of the English Fairy Tales Unit by Joseph Jacobs, found here.

Week 12 Reading Notes: English Tales Part A

Tom Tit Tot is nearly the same story as Rumplestiltskin, with a few differences. I like that the King was the one who overheard Tom Tit Tot sing his name, and he accidentally revealed it to his wife. It is interesting that she had two different plot lines to follow, one with the King, and another with Tom Tit Tot. It ended happily enough.
The Rose Tree is a good story of jealousy and revenge. It shows how the family is torn apart, and jealousy makes people do crazy things. Luckily, some sort of magic turns the dead girl into a tree and dove, and that dove has immense strength. How strong she must have been to carry a millstone and drop it on her murderer.
The Old Woman and Her Pig gave me some anxiety. I thought that old woman was never going to get home. I guess all of the extra characters just needed a little motivation. Thanks to the cat and the cow for working with the old woman to help set off the chain.
Binnorie is a wild tale of two sisters trapped in a love triangle. Jealousy gets the better of them, and one kills the other. Love is a powerful emotion, and it can lead people to do crazy things to the important people in their lives. In the end, they are reminded of her existence, but everything else goes on as normal.
Mouse and Mouser was a little confusing. I guess the cat just played along to be the mouse's friend, but really he just wanted to eat the mouse all along. Look out for people that are sneaky liars. I could use this as a character inspiration for part two of Aaron Discovers the World. Someone could lead Aaron to the Mind of the Six, only to have guards waiting for him.
Cap O' Rushes was a long-winded story about loving your family and misunderstanding. At least it had a happy ending.


Photo of Tom Tit Tot, illustrated by John D. Batton, found on Wikimedia, here.


Bibliography: English Tales Part A by Joseph Jacobs, found here.