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 Fox and the Crab

I am preparing stories for my next family story time. The theme is "tails." I plan to tell "The Fox and the Crab Have a Race" using stick puppets. This story is an adaptation of a Chinese folktale and can be found in A Twist in the Tail: Animal Stories from Around the World by Mary Hoffman. In this story the slow but clever crab fools fox into thinking he is just as fast as fox by riding on fox's tail (unknown to fox) for the race. There are several variations of this type of folktale. This one is short and easy to tell.

The stick puppets were easy to make though it took some planning to make them reversible. I used clipart from Microsoft Publisher for the fox and crab. After I enlarged the images to the sizes I wanted, I then copied each image and reversed it. After printing out the images, I outlined them in black marker to make them easier to cut out. I then glued one of the crabs and one of the foxes on card stock. Before I cut out around each image I added a second piece of card stock so that when I cut around the image, the shape would match for the reverse image. After pasting the reverse image to card stock, I taped a craft stick to the back of one fox piece and then glued the other piece over it. Instead of a craft stick I used a toothpick for the crab. The toothpick is smaller and lighter and even helps support the crab on the fox's tail. I cut a slit into the crab figure so it would fit on the fox's tail.

Crab and Fox - Reversible Stick Puppets

Crab on Fox's Tail

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Lisa of the Libraryland blog.  Flannel Friday has everything you need to know including information about past and future round-ups, Flannel Friday's Pinterest boards and Flannel Friday's Facebook page.

In Springtime

I have no idea what I am doing for my April Family Story Time so I figured I'd better start coming up with ideas. (Actually I'm not completely sure what I'm doing for March either.)  I'll probably do a general "Spring" program in April.  I wrote the following rhyme to use with stick puppets but it would also work with flannel/magnet board figures.  Move the pieces to follow the rhyme. 

Since in springtime little ones are often quite wiggly, another option is to make this an action rhyme.  Have the children stand reasonably far apart (we need room for the rainbows).  Have them make a circle over their heads with their arms for the sun.  Have them hold their arms up in front of them and then have them wiggle their fingers while bringing them down to make the rain.  For the rainbow, have them start with their arms together over their heads and then bring them down to their sides. (My directions are probably as clear as mud but I'm confident you'll figure something out.)

In Springtime

In Springtime both Rain and Sun like to play.
One or the other comes every day.

Sun like to warm growing things
With the gentle rays that sunshine brings.

Rain sends raindrops down to the ground
To tickle the flowers and dance around.

Sun and Rain rarely see each other
So something special happens when they come together.

For that’s when a rainbow can be found
Reaching across the sky and down to the ground.

Sun, Rain, & Rainbow Stick Puppets

Clip Art Sources:  The sun is from Microsoft Publisher.  The rain and rainbow are from Open Clip Art Library.  I drew a face on the rain to go with the one on the sun.

Notes:  On Writing (& Drawing) One's Own Storytime Material

I don't worry about writing a piece of literature. I'm perfectly aware that my rhymes are doggerel but they serve a purpose. Having this attitude has freed me to write my own stories and rhymes. If I need something to go with my "theme," I am no longer restricted to what is available. I'm also able to use different storytelling formats in a program. My themes can be very general or very specific depending on what strikes my fancy as I am planning a program. For years I have changed around stories and rhymes to suit my needs. It's just been in the past two years that I have been writing my own rhymes and stories and adapting folktales for programs on a regular basis. I wish I had started earlier. Seeing what others have created through Flannel Friday has also encouraged me. Now if I want to add a certain type of story to a program, such as a paper cutting or board story, and I can't find one that I like, I seriously consider making one of my own and often I do. Also, if I need "art" to go with a story and I can't find suitable clip art, I now draw my own.  Children are interested in the story, not how perfectly it's presented.  After all, we're not going for a Newbery or Caldecott here, just storytelling fun.

This week's Flannel Friday Roundup is hosted by Meghan on her Busy Crafting Mommy blog.

Amazon Theater #2 - The Bird and the Trees

Winter is the topic this month.  I will be a substitute librarian for Toddler Time next week and telling winter stories at Family Story Time the following week.  I'll be using ideas from Flannel Friday posts for Toddler Time so thank you fellow participants.  For Family Story Time I will be telling some winter folktales.  As I have mentioned before, I like to use various methods of storytelling so I adapted a story to tell using props.  I call it "Amazon Theater" because my stage is an amazon.com box.  I simply put my props on the overturned box as I tell the story.  (See my post for 9/1/11 for another example.)

The following story is adapted from one by Rick Walton, a pourquoi tale called "Why the Evergreen Trees Keep Their Leaves in Winter."  His site is an excellent source for finding stories to tell. 

My version is called the "The Bird and the Trees" and can be told using props as I have or using felt or magnet board pieces.  I based most of the figures on clip art from Microsoft Publisher.  I made the North Wind and the Frost King into stick puppets to hold over the "stage" at the end of the story but they can be board pieces as well. 

The story:

The Bird and the Trees

Once there was a bird who could not fly south for the winter with the other birds. He had injured his wing and could not fly. As the cold winds started to blow, the bird knew he would have to seek shelter. The forest was full of trees with sheltering branches. So he went into the forest to find a place to stay for the winter.

First the bird came to a willow tree at the edge of the forest and asked, “May I please spend the winter in one of your branches? My wing is injured and I cannot fly south this year.” The willow replied, “Goodness no! My branches are much too delicate to have a bird living in them!”

The bird went a little further into the forest until he came to a birch tree and asked, “May I please stay in one of your branches until the spring comes?” “I’m sorry,” the birch tree answered, “but I have to look after myself this winter and it would be too much to look after you as well.”

So the bird hopped even deeper into the forest looking for a tree to shelter him. He came to a tall oak tree. “Please,” asked the bird, “may I stay in your branches for the winter?” “Harrumph!” said the oak, “If I let you stay in my branches, you will eat my acorns all winter long and I can’t have that!”

The bird hopped even deeper into the forest not knowing what to do for none of the trees wanted to help him. “What are you doing so deep in the forest little bird?” asked a spruce tree who saw him hopping along. “I’m looking for a place to spend the winter,” answered the little bird. “My wing is injured and I cannot fly south with the other birds.” “You are welcome to spend the winter with me,” replied the spruce. “Come, hop onto this branch,” said the spruce as she lowered one of her large, wide branches down to the ground. The pine tree saw what had happened and said to the bird, “Although my branches aren’t as warm, I will help shelter you when the wind blows for I am big and strong.” Then the juniper tree said, “I may not be big but I have delicious berries that you are welcome to eat all winter long.” The bird thanked each of the trees for their kindness and stayed safely with them throughout the winter months.

But that is not the end of the story. The North Wind was playing in the forest and wanted to blow everything off the trees. The Frost King would not let him touch the trees who had helped the bird. The Frost King declared, “These trees showed great kindness by taking care of the injured bird. Their branches will remain green throughout the year. However, you may blow the leaves off the trees who thought only of themselves. Their branches shall stay bare until the springtime comes.” The North Wind had fun blowing the leaves off of the selfish trees.

So it is today. The spruce, pine and juniper trees are green all year long while the leaves of the willow, birch and oak trees fall to the ground when the cold wind blows.

The figures:

 The Selfish Trees

 Bird with the Kind Trees

North Wind and King Frost Stick Puppets

How the props are supported

This week's Flannel Friday is hosted by Melissa of Mel's Desk, the one who started it all.  Please be sure to look at her post about starting Flannel Friday just one year ago.  Many thanks to Melissa and the others who have worked so hard this past year to make Flannel Friday the wonderful resource it is today.

Crow's Great Gift

One of the stories I told at last month's Family Story Time (see post for 11/30/11) was "Crow's Great Gift" which is based on the story "Rainbow Crow" from The Grandfathers Speak: Native American Folk Tales of the Lenape People collected and written by Hitakonanu'laxk (Tree Bear).  Libraries may have the book, Rainbow Crow by Nancy Van Laan, which is a nice retelling of this story.  Other versions can also be found by searching the internet.  My version can be found as a Google document here.

I used clip art from Microsoft Publisher to make stick puppet figures.  However, this story would work just as well as a board story.  I like to vary my ways of telling stories in a program so I decided to use stick puppets for this one.

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up can be found at Liz's "Putting Smiles on Faces" blog.

It Works!

I'm preparing for my summer family story time programs.  In keeping with this summer's theme, "One World, Many Stories," I will be telling and reading folk tales from around the world (which is what is usually do for family story time anyway).  Since the program is held in the meeting room which is a rather large space I like to use visual props to tell stories (the props also help to hold the attention of the younger listeners).  I've been wanting to tell the "Bremen Town Musicians" without using a board for the figures because I like to vary how I tell the stories.  The easiest format to make is stick puppets - find clip art, color it, glue it on construction paper and tape a craft stick on.  If I have time I will put construction paper on the back as well to "finish" the puppet.  But for this story I have to stack the stick puppets on top of each other.  I was thinking of adding "holders" of some sort to the back of the puppets but as I was adding the back pieces to the puppets I decided to leave the bottom part open and try fitting the puppets on top of each other.  It worked.  The puppets do get a bit floppy when it is humid but it is easy to support all four puppets with two hands. 

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