The Fisherman and His Wife - With Props

This post is part of a series of posts about "Telling One Story Five Ways." It is also my Flannel Friday contribution for this week.

Next up - using props to tell the story of "The Fisherman and His Wife." I love using props in storytime. Not only do props appeal to the audience but they help me as a storyteller, working much like the board figures do by providing clues to what comes next in the story. Props can be very simple or quite elaborate. They can be found objects or silly hats. Almost anything can be used as a prop as long as it fits the story. See the "Prop Stories" page for some of the props I have made.

I have chosen two types of props for "The Fisherman and His Wife." One is quick and easy. The other uses the figures I have already made but takes them off of the board and puts them on a "stage."

One of the easiest to make are what I think of as storytelling cards. Basically I paste clip art or a figure I have drawn to card stock. I simply hold up the appropriate images as I am telling the story. If you need to, you can put information on the back of the cards. I often do this when I use a rhyme or poem in storytime. (For an example see my "Shell Silverstein's 'Snowball' post. This is also a great way to take a story "on the road" without having to bring a felt board. The story that goes with these props can be found in "The Fisherman and His Wife - Board Story" post.

I also like using stand-up figures. It's fun to move them around on a "stage." I usually use a table if the the figures are large or an upturned box if the figures are small. (For an example of larger figures see my post "Aliens at Bedtime"). It is not necessary to make the buildings. The figures and story from my "The Fisherman and His Wife - Stick Puppets" post does not require buildings. I used Velcro to hold the crowns on the fisherman's wife. I colored over the Velcro with marker so it will be less noticeable. I taped rolls of paper to the back of each figure for a stand.

The photo above shows all the figures on a table. For storytelling I would use a large box turned upside down as a "stage." I actually have a box large enough for the palace figure. I use it to store my storytelling props. The box in the photos below is another one I use as a "stage." It stores my craft samples.

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Andrea of the RovingFiddlehead Kidlit blog.

The Fisherman and His Wife - Stick Puppets

This post is part of a series of posts about "Telling One Story Five Ways." It is also my Flannel Friday contribution for this week.

The second way to tell this story is to use stick puppets. Stick puppets bring the figures off the flannel/magnet board and enable the storyteller to add some action. For example, when the fisherman is in his boat, you can move him up and down to show the motion of the waves. Since I tell rather than read most of the stories in my family story time, using stick puppets for a story adds variety to the program. Since they are so light and take up little space, stick puppets are also easy to bring along for school visits. Other example of using stick puppets can be found on the "Puppet Stories" page.

Stick puppets are quick and easy to make. In this case I am using the same figures I used for the board story. I colored them and glued them to heavier paper. I use card stock or construction paper. I usually leave a border when I cut them out but in this case I did not because I want to be able to put the crowns on the fisherman's wife. I taped a craft stick on the back of each figure. Instead of using glitter glue as I did for the board figures, I used metallic paper and sequins to add some "sparkle" to the fish and crowns. If desired you could make a fishing rod and a boat as well as add waves under the fish.

The Fisherman and His Wife

Linda Meuse

Notes from the Story Room

Note: This is the same story as the one for the flannel/magnet board with some minor changes. Since I won't be using the buildings in this version of the story, I have added Velcro to the fisherman's wife so she can hold the flowers which will represent the nice house and the plate of food which will represent the mansion. The crowns will represent the castle and palace. I have changed the story slightly to reflect this.

Long ago there was a poor fisherman who lived with his wife in a tiny little shack by the sea. Even though he went fishing every day, the fisherman never caught many fish. Sometimes he caught one or two and sometimes none at all.

One day the fisherman went down to the sea to fish as usual. The waves were high as he went out in his little boat. The fisherman feared he would catch nothing that day but much to his surprise there was a tug on his line as soon as he put it in the water. The fisherman pulled up a huge fish. It was like none he had ever seen before. Just as the fisherman was about to pull it into his boat, the fish spoke. "Please spare my life!" said the fish. "I will grant you a wish if you do." The surprised fisherman let the fish go. "I could not harm a fish that can talk," he said as he watched the fish swim away.

The fisherman returned home and told his wife about his strange experience. "What did you wish for?" she immediately asked. "I forgot all about the wish because I was so surprised," he replied. "Go back right now and ask for a nice house. I'm tired of living is this run-down shack. I want to live in a nice house with a garden full of flowers. You spared his life so he has to do what you ask." Reluctantly the fisherman went to the edge of the sea and called, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." The fish quickly appeared. "What does she want?" asked the fish. "She wants to live in a nice house with a flower garden," answered the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it disappeared back into the sea. When the fisherman returned home there was a lovely house where the shack had been. His wife was standing in front of it holding a bouquet of flowers from a beautiful garden.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife said to the fisherman, "This house is not big enough. Go back to the fish and ask for a fine mansion with servants. I want to have fine parties and serve lavish dinners to my guests." The fisherman went back to the edge of the sea and called, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." "What does she want?" asked the fish popping up above the waves. "She wants a bigger house. She wants a mansion with servants," answered the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it went back into the sea. When the fisherman returned home he found a fine mansion where the house had been. His wife was standing in front of it holding a plate piled high with food.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife decided that the mansion was not enough. She said, "We should be living in a castle and I should be Queen and you the King." "I don't want to be King!" replied the fisherman. "Fine," said the wife, "I will be King instead." She made the fisherman go back to the edge of the sea to call the fish. "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish," called the fisherman. "What does she want now?" asked the fish coming up from the water. The fisherman answered, "She wants to live in a castle and be King of this land." "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it dove back into the sea. When fisherman returned home he found a castle where the mansion had been. Inside his wife sat on a throne wearing a crown.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife decided that being King of the land was not enough. She wanted to be Emperor of the world and live in a huge palace. Again she made her poor husband go back to the edge of the sea to call the fish. "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish," called the fisherman. Again the fish rose out of the sea. "What does she want?" asked the fish. "She wants to be Emperor of the world and live in a huge palace," said the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish. The fisherman returned home to find a huge palace where the castle had been. It took him an entire day to find his wife in the huge palace. She was sitting on an even bigger throne wearing an even bigger crown than before.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the fisherman found his wife staring up at the sky. She turned to him and said, "Go back to the fish and tell him that I want to be Ruler of the entire universe and have an even bigger palace up on the moon." Sadly the fisherman went to the edge of the sea calling, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." "What does she want this time?" asked the fish coming up out of the sea. "She wants to be Ruler of the universe and have an even bigger palace on the moon," replied the fisherman. "I cannot grant that wish. No one can rule the stars and the moon. She must return to the home that she deserves," said the fish as it dove into the sea. The fisherman returned home to find that the huge palace was gone and their miserable shack was back. There the fisherman and his wife lived for the rest of their lives. The wondrous fish was never seen again.

Is that the end of the story? Yes!

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Kendra of Read Sing Play.

The Fisherman and His Wife - Board Story

This post is part of a series of posts about "Telling One Story Five Ways." It is also my Flannel Friday contribution for this week.

Many children's librarians use the flannel/magnet board with only very young children to display figures for counting rhymes and other similiar early literacy activities. Flannel/magnet boards are also great for storytelling. The figures on the board provide visual clues to help young listeners focus on the story but still allows them to imagine the action.

A simplified version of "The Fisherman and His Wife" can be found in Stories That Stick: Quick and Easy Storyboard Tales by Valerie Marsh (Upstart, 2001). It is called "Magic Fish" and patterns for the figures are in the book. Since the patterns are used for other stories in the book as well, they do not quite work with this storytelling project so I have created my own story and patterns.

The Fisherman and His Wife

Linda Meuse

Notes from the Story Room

Long ago there was a poor fisherman who lived with his wife in a tiny little shack by the sea. Even though he went fishing every day, the fisherman never caught many fish. Sometimes he caught one or two and sometimes none at all.

One day the fisherman went down to the sea to fish as usual. The waves were high as he went out in his little boat. The fisherman feared he would catch nothing that day but much to his surprise there was a tug on his line as soon as he put it in the water. The fisherman pulled up a huge fish. It was like none he had ever seen before. Just as the fisherman was about to pull it into his boat, the fish spoke. "Please spare my life!" said the fish. "I will grant you a wish if you do." The surprised fisherman let the fish go. "I could not harm a fish that can talk," he said as he watched the fish swim away.

The fisherman returned home and told his wife about his strange experience. "What did you wish for?" she immediately asked. "I forgot all about the wish because I was so surprised," he replied. "Go back right now and ask for a nice house. I'm tired of living is this run-down shack. You spared his life so he has to do what you ask." Reluctantly the fisherman went to the edge of the sea and called, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." The fish quickly appeared. "What does she want?" asked the fish. "She wants to live in a nice house," answered the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it disappeared back into the sea. When the fisherman returned home there was a lovely house where the shack had been.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife said to the fisherman, "This house is not big enough. Go back to the fish and ask for a fine mansion with servants." The fisherman went back to the edge of the sea and called, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." "What does she want?" asked the fish popping up above the waves. "She wants a bigger house. She wants a mansion with servants," answered the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it went back into the sea. When the fisherman returned home he found a fine mansion where the house had been.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife decided that the mansion was not enough. She said, "We should be living in a castle and I should be Queen and you the King." "I don't want to be King!" replied the fisherman. "Fine," said the wife, "I will be King instead." She made the fisherman go back to the edge of the sea to call the fish. "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish," called the fisherman. "What does she want now?" asked the fish coming up from the water. The fisherman answered, "She wants to live in a castle and be King of this land." "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it dove back into the sea. When fisherman returned home he found a castle where the mansion had been. Inside his wife sat on a throne wearing a crown.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife decided that being King of the land was not enough. She wanted to be Emperor of the world and live in a huge palace. Again she made her poor husband go back to the edge of the sea to call the fish. "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish," called the fisherman. Again the fish rose out of the sea. "What does she want?" asked the fish. "She wants to be Emperor of the world and live in a huge palace," said the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish. The fisherman returned home to find a huge palace where the castle had been. It took him an entire day to find his wife in the huge palace. She was sitting on an even bigger throne wearing an even bigger crown than before.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the fisherman found his wife staring up at the sky. She turned to him and said, "Go back to the fish and tell him that I want to be Ruler of the entire universe and have an even bigger palace up on the moon." Sadly the fisherman went to the edge of the sea calling, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." "What does she want this time?" asked the fish coming up out of the sea. "She wants to be Ruler of the universe and have an even bigger palace on the moon," replied the fisherman. "I cannot grant that wish. No one can rule the stars and the moon. She must return to the home that she deserves," said the fish as it dove into the sea. The fisherman returned home to find that the huge palace was gone and their miserable shack was back. There the fisherman and his wife lived for the rest of their lives. The wondrous fish was never seen again.

Is that the end of the story? Yes!

Notes: It is fairly easy to find clip art to use for this story. I found similar pieces for a similar story, "The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle," using clip art from Microsoft Publisher. You can tell the story without using the buildings. I would recommend making the crowns to put on the fisherman's wife. Keep the wife at the top of the board and bring the fisherman to the bottom of the board when he goes to see the fish. Be sure to make the fish look unusual and magical (I added some glitter glue).

This week's Flannel Friday is hosted by Lucy of In the Children's Room.

Selecting the Story

This one of a series of posts about "Telling One Story Five Ways."

Folktales are a staple of my storytime programs. They appeal to all ages and have themes that are common across cultures. Many are downright silly, humorous, or about animals - all storytime favorites.

For this storytelling project I have chosen "The Fisherman and His Wife" from Household Tales, collected by the Brothers Grimm. It is a well-known but not overly familiar story. It has the element of repetition which will appeal to younger children. This makes it a good choice for family storytime. It would also be suitable for preschool storytime and class visits.

There are several versions of "The Fisherman and His Wife" in my library's 398.2 section. It's fun to compare them to an original version such as the one found here (though even the translations from the German vary). Most picture book versions of folktales are too long for storytime which is why I write my own. For this project I am writing my own version and using my own artwork (primarily to avoid copyright issues).

Two versions that I found interesting are pictured below:

The Fisherman and His Wife by Rosemary Wells. (Dial, 1998) It is not illustrated by Wells which surprised me. The story is set in Norway and all the characters are cats. The illustrator, Eleanor Hubbard, studied art in Norway and shows all the characters in traditional dress. The ending is quite different from the original tale.

The Fisherman and the Turtle by Eric Kimmel. (Marshall Cavendish Children, 2008) Not only did Kimmel change the fish to a turtle but set the story in the land of the Aztecs. This works surprisingly well particularly the ending.

Telling One Story Five Ways

Over the years I have learned different ways of presenting a story. In addition to flannel or magnet board stories, I do draw and tell stories and paper cutting stories and I use stick puppets and props to tell stories. I have also ventured into storytelling using paper folding and tangrams though I have found that I am not very good at using those formats.

Why do I use so many different storytelling formats? The main reason is to engage my audience. I primarily do a family storytime for all ages and it helps to keep their attention when they don't know what will be coming next. I also want the adults who attend a storytime to enjoy it as well, whether they are parents, caregivers or teachers, for they are the ones who bring the children to the library. Another reason is simply that I have fun doing these different types of stories.

Very seldom do I tell a story exactly as written. Often there are elements that I don't like, or the story is too long or not long enough. I will change the story to suit my style of storytelling. Sometimes this happens without my realizing it. I once had a library school student who had to do a preschool storytime which was observed by her professor. I gave her the material covering the theme I was using for that week and told her to choose how she wanted to present it. One thing she did was one of my favorite flannel board stories. I had given her a copy of the original story but when she told it, it was not at all like the story I told. After the program, I looked at the original copy and it was exactly what she had told. It turns out that I had changed the story as I told it over the years! (I liked my version better.)

There are times when it has been difficult to find exactly what I want for a storytime program. This has been particularly true for my family storytime so I ended up writing my own stories. I usually adapt folktales though I have also written stories around a familiar concept such as "be careful what you wish for." I wish I had started doing this earlier because I found out that I quite enjoy doing this and I have even branched out and written some draw and tell stories and paper cutting stories. Again this has helped me plan my family storytimes. I try to limit the number of board stories I use to two or three at the most in each program. I then use other formats for the rest of the program. I usually do not use more than two books so the other types of stories are important.

It is really not that difficult to create different formats. I have written about this before in my post "From Felt to Prop."  To illustrate how it can be done, I will take one story and present it five different ways - as a board story, using stick puppets, using props, as a draw and tell story and as a paper cutting story. The story I have chosen is the folktale, "The Fisherman and His Wife." Each format will be a separate post. Below is a photo of several versions of the story that I found at the library where I work. Most are quite different not only from each other but also from the original story. I will be presenting my own versions with the various formats.