1

For more information, contact

Karen Altree Piemme, Director of Outreach

karenp@sjrep.com or 408.367.7291

A STUDY GUIDE presented by

San Jose Repertory Theatre

JANUARY 6-17, 2014

BOOK BY KIRSTEN BRANDT & RICK LOMBARDO

LYRICS BY KIRSTEN BRANDT, HADDON KIME and RICK LOMBARDO

MUSIC BY HADDON KIME FROM THE STORY BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

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Table of Contents

Synopsis........................................1

Hans Christian

Andersen……………….…....2

The Stories of Hans

Christian Andersen…….….3-6

The History and Signi�cance

of Fairy Tales…....……...........7-8

The Science of Snow…….........9

Grow Your Own

Snow(ake………….……......10

Snow(ake

Connect-the-Dots………..….11

Numbers…………………….12

Flowers: Annuals

and Perennials………..….......13

Bullying..........................................14

Discussion

Questions……..…...15-16

SYNOPSIS

WITHOUT A TRUE FRIEND, INNOCENCE CAN END IN A VERY COLD PLACE

Be spirited away by this world premiere, musical

adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fantastical

coming-of-age adventure. As you follow Gerda through

a dangerous and whimsical world with singing (owers,

a chattering crow and a talking river to save her friend,

Kai, you’ll realize this isn’t your average bedtime story.

An original pop rock score, urban steam punk (air and

the enigmatic Snow Queen turn this fairy tale into an

epic quest.

THE SNOW QUEEN

2

No collection of fairy tales would be complete without the works of the Dan-

ish author Hans Christian Andersen. In fact, Andersen's life was like a fairy

tale in many ways. Out of the poverty, hardship, and loneliness of his youth,

he came to be one of the most honored men of his time. Many of the more

than 160 fairy tales he wrote, including "The Ugly Duckling," "The Princess

and the Pea," and "The Little Mermaid," have become literary classics enjoyed

by children and adults alike.

Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, in Odense, Denmark. His parents were

poor; his father worked as a shoemaker and his mother was a washerwoman.

His father, who died when Andersen was 11, entertained him with old Dan-

ish legends and stories from The Arabian Nights.

The people of Odense never knew what to make of the tall, awkward boy.

When he recited long passages from plays or did a clumsy dance or insisted

on singing, they could hardly help laughing. Everyone advised him to learn a

trade, but this he would not do. He was forever saying that he was going to

be famous.

In 1819, Andersen moved to the capital city of Copenhagen, where he hoped to become an actor in the Royal Thea-

ter. Many people of the theater and wealthy families of the city tried to help him, without much success. His dancing

master gave up, and so did his singing teacher. Directors of the Royal Theater sympathized with his eForts to write

plays but �nally concluded that Andersen needed an education. One of the directors raised money to send him

away to school. The next few years were the unhappiest of his life. Andersen was much older than the other stu-

dents, and the schoolmaster found endless ways to make fun of him. Finally when word of Andersen's plight

reached his benefactors in Copenhagen, he was removed from the school and put into the hands of a private tutor.

He later attended and graduated from Copenhagen University.

After his schooling, Andersen spent many years traveling and writing poems, books, and plays, which met with

some success. It was not until he was 30 that he wrote any fairy tales. His �rst small book of fairy tales became popu-

lar almost immediately, and from then on his fame grew rapidly, spreading from country to country.

Andersen put many pieces of his own life into his fairy tales. He never forgot that his mother as a young girl had

been forced to go begging. This led him to write "The Little Match Girl," a story full of compassion for the unfortu-

nate ones of this Earth. And his own personal experiences are re(ected in "The Ugly Duckling," which points out that

sometimes the qualities that make you feel lonely, diFerent, and out of place are the very qualities that, when

properly used, can make you shine.

In 1867 he returned to Odense to be honored by his country. Standing on the balcony of the hall where the ceremo-

ny was held, he saw below him the city square, full of people who cheered him, and bright with thousands of can-

dles burning in the windows of all the buildings. Andersen published his last fairy tales in 1872, and after a long ill-

ness, he died in Copenhagen on August 4, 1875.

Biography written by Danny Kaye for The New Book of Knowledge®. 2008.

Hans Christian Andersen

THE SNOW QUEEN

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875)

3

Hans Christian Andersen wrote many well-known fairy tales which have stood the

test of time. Many of his stories have been adapted again and again for di<erent

audiences. Here are some of his best-known and best-loved stories:

The Emperor’s New Clothes This is a tale about a vain Emperor who cares about nothing except show-

ing oF his riches by wearing and displaying the �nest of clothes. The Em-

peror hires two clothing makers (who turn out to be swindlers) who prom-

ise him the �nest, best suit of clothes from a fabric that they say is invisible

to anyone who is un�t for his position or "hopelessly stupid." The Emper-

or's ministers cannot see the fabric themselves, but pretend that they can

for fear of appearing un�t for their positions. The Emperor, of course, can-

not see the fabric either but also pretends that he can. Finally the swindlers

report that the suit is �nished. They mime dressing him and the Emperor

marches in procession before his subjects. The townsfolk play along with

the pretense, not wanting to appear un�t for their positions or stupid. Fi-

nally, a child in the crowd, too young to understand the why everyone is

pretending to see something they do not, blurts out that the Emperor is

wearing nothing at all — and the cry is taken up by others. The Emperor

cringes, suspecting that the child’s claim is true, but continues the proces-

sion — not wanting to appear more foolish than he already does.

The Little Match Seller On a cold New Year's Eve, a poor girl tries to sell matches in the street. She

is freezing badly, but she is afraid to go home because her stepfather will

beat her for not selling any matches. She takes shelter in a nook and lights

the matches to warm herself.

The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen

THE SNOW QUEEN

4

In their glow, she sees several lovely visions including a Christmas tree and

a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward and sees a shooting star, then she

remembers her dead grandmother saying that such a falling star means

someone has died and is going to Heaven. As she lights the next match,

she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her

with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the

vision of her grandmother alive for as long as she can. Running out of

matches, the child dies and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven.

The next morning, passers-by �nd the child dead in the nook and take pity

on her. They do not know about the visions she saw, or that she will not be

cold or hungry any more in Heaven.

The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid dwells in an underwater kingdom with her father (the

sea king ), her grandmother, and her �ve sisters. Her �ve sisters are each

born one year apart. When a mermaid turns 15, she is permitted to swim to

the surface to watch the world above, and when the Little Mermaid's turn

comes, she rises up to the surface, sees a ship with a handsome prince, and

falls in love with him from a distance. A great storm hits, and the Little Mer-

maid saves the prince from nearly drowning. She delivers him unconscious

to the shore near a temple. Here she waits until a young girl from the tem-

ple �nds him. The prince never sees the Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid asks her grandmother if humans can live forever if they

could breathe under water. The grandmother explains that humans have a

much shorter lifespan than merfolks' 300 years, but that when mermaids

die they turn to sea foam and cease to exist, while humans have an eternal

soul that lives on in Heaven. The Little Mermaid, longing for the prince and

an eternal soul, eventually visits the Sea Witch, who sells her a potion that

gives her legs in exchange for her tongue (as the Little Mermaid has the

most enchanting and beautiful voice in the world). The Sea Witch warns,

however, that once she becomes a human, she will never be able to return

to the sea. Drinking the potion will make her feel as if a sword is being

passed through her, yet when she recovers she will have two beautiful legs,

and will be able to dance like no human has ever danced before. However,

it will constantly feel like she is walking on glass hard enough to make her

feet bleed most terribly. In addition, she will only obtain a soul if she �nds

true love's kiss and if the prince loves her and marries her, for then a part of

his soul will (ow into her. Otherwise, at dawn on the �rst day after he mar-

ries another woman, the Little Mermaid will die brokenhearted and disinte-

grate into sea foam.

The Little Mermaid drinks the potion and meets the prince, who is mesmer-

The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen

THE SNOW QUEEN

5

ized by her beauty and grace even though she is does not speak. Most of

all he likes to see her dance, and she dances for him despite her suFering

excruciating pain. When the prince's father orders his son to marry the

neighboring king's daughter, the prince tells the Little Mermaid he will not

because he does not love the princess. He goes on to say he can only love

the young woman from the temple, who he believes rescued him. It turns

out that the princess is the temple girl, who had been sent to the temple

to be educated. The prince loves her, and the wedding is announced.

The prince and princess marry, and the Little Mermaid's heart breaks. She

thinks of all that she has given up and of all the pain she has suFered. She

despairs, thinking of the death that awaits her, but before dawn, her sisters

bring her a knife that the Sea Witch has given them in exchange for their

long hair. If the Little Mermaid slays the prince with the knife and lets his

blood drip on her feet, she will become a mermaid again, all her suFering

will end, and she will live out her full life.

However the Little Mermaid cannot bring herself to kill the sleeping prince

lying with his bride, and she throws herself into the sea as dawn breaks.

Her body dissolves into sea foam, but instead of ceasing to exist, she feels

the sun; she has turned into a spirit, a daughter of the air. The other daugh-

ters tell her she has become like them because she strove with all her heart

to obtain an immortal soul. She will earn her own soul by doing good

deeds and she will eventually rise up into the kingdom of God.

The Princess and the Pea The story tells of a prince who wants to marry a princess, but is having diK-

culty �nding a suitable wife. Something is always wrong with those he

meets, and he cannot be certain they are real princesses. One stormy

night (always a harbinger of either a life-threatening situation or the op-

portunity for a romantic alliance in Andersen's stories), a young woman

drenched with rain seeks shelter in the prince's castle. She claims to be a

princess, so the prince's mother decides to test their unexpected guest by

placing a pea in the bed she is oFered for the night, covered by 20 mat-

tresses and 20 featherbeds. In the morning the guest tells her hosts that

she endured a sleepless night, kept awake by something hard in the bed;

which she is certain has bruised her. The prince rejoices. Only a real prin-

cess would have the sensitivity to feel a pea through such a quantity of

bedding. The two are married, and the pea is placed in the Royal Museum.

The Ugly Duckling When the tale begins, a mother duck's eggs hatch. One of the little birds is

perceived by the other birds and animals on the farm as a homely little

The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen

THE SNOW QUEEN

6

creature and suFers much verbal and physical abuse from them. He wan-

ders sadly from the barnyard and lives with wild ducks and geese until

hunters slaughter the (ocks. He �nds a home with an old woman but her

cat and hen tease him mercilessly and again he sets oF on his own. He sees

a (ock of migrating wild swans; he is delighted and excited but he cannot

join them for he is too young and cannot (y. Winter arrives. A farmer �nds

and carries the freezing little bird home, but the foundling is frightened by

the farmer’s noisy children and (ees the house. He spends a miserable win-

ter alone in the outdoors mostly hiding in a cave on the lake that partly

freezes over. When spring arrives a (ock of swans descends on the now

thawing lake. The ugly duckling, now having fully grown and matured can-

not endure a life of solitude and hardship any more and decides to throw

himself at the (ock of swans deciding that it is better to be killed by such

beautiful birds than to live a life of ugliness and misery. He is shocked when

the swans welcome and accept him, only to realize by looking at his re(ec-

tion in the water that he has grown into one of them. The (ock takes to the

air and the ugly duckling spreads his beautiful large wings and takes (ight

with the rest of his new family. The story is beloved around the world as a

tale about personal transformation for the better.

Thumbelina An old beggar woman gives a peasant's wife a barleycorn in exchange for

food. Once planted, a tiny girl, Thumbelina, emerges from its (ower. One

night, Thumbelina, asleep in her walnut-shell cradle, is carried oF by a toad

who wants the miniature maiden as a bride for her son. With the help of

friendly �sh and a butter(y, Thumbelina escapes the toad and her son, and

drifts on a lily pad until she is captured by a stag beetle. The insect discards

her when his friends reject her company. Thumbelina tries to protect her-

self from the elements, but when winter comes, she is in desperate straits.

She is �nally given shelter by an old �eld mouse and tends her dwelling in

gratitude. The mouse suggests Thumbelina marry her neighbor, a mole,

but Thumbelina is repulsed by the prospect of being married to such a

creature because he spends all his days underground and never sees the

sun or sky. She escapes the situation by (eeing to a far land with a swallow

she nursed back to health during the winter. In a sunny �eld of (owers,

Thumbelina meets a tiny (ower-fairy prince just her size and to her liking,

and they wed. She receives a pair of wings to accompany her husband on

his travels from (ower to (ower, and a new name, Maia. There is a blue-

bird who has been watching Thumbelina's story since the beginning and

has been in love with her all the while. The bird is heartbroken when

Thumbelina marries the (ower-fairy prince, and (ies oF, eventually arriving

at a small house. There, he tells Thumbelina's story to a man (who is implied

to be Hans Christian Andersen himself), who chronicles the story in a book.

The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen

THE SNOW QUEEN

7

Once upon a time… fairy tales weren’t written for chil-

dren. Their origins date back thousands of years. Despite

their name, the popular fairy tales usually have little to do

with fairies – they typically contain fantasy creatures such

as fey, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and/or talking

animals. It is not necessary, though, for these tales to be

about fairies. The name was taken from the English

translation of 'conte de fées', the name that the French

writer Madame d'Aulnoy gave to the tales she and her

contemporaries wrote in 17th century Paris – which fea-

tured far more fairies than the tales which are best

known today. These French literary fairy tales of the 17th

century, mostly written by women, have all but vanished

from view. Some scholars prefer to use the German term

'wundermärchen' which can be translated as 'wonder

tales'. Enchantments and far-fetched events are also

usually part of the plot of these tales. Unlike legends and

folklore tales, they seldom contain any references to reli-

gion, actual places, persons or events. The term "once

upon a time" is used rather than an actual reference to

date.

The oral tradition of the fairy tale came long before the

written page. Tales were told or enacted dramatically,

rather than written down – passed along from genera-

tion to generation. The �rst known fairy tales are from

ancient Egypt and occurred around 1300 BC. The similar-

ity in tales from diFerent regions and cultures speaks to

the common human experience – many cultures over

time, tell similar tales of similar human experiences.

Throughout history, fairy tales have been women’s sto-

ries, passed down orally by mothers and grandmothers.

When fairy tales began to emerge as a literary form, there

were far more such tales written by female authors than

written by male authors. Many of the stories were edited

and changed as they were written down, removing the

darker and more gruesome elements of the stories.

Today, when asked to name authors of fairy tales, most

will answer the Grimm brothers, or perhaps Hans Chris-

tian Andersen. The brothers Grimm collected their tales

from peasants, and edited them to suit their audience.

The Grimm brothers saw how the tales bewitched young

readers and started �xing things – gradually, the tales

became softer, sweeter, with greater morals. All of the

polishing, however, never rubbed away the solid heart of

the stories – read and loved in over 160 languages.

Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy

tales have been translated into well over 100 languages,

and continue to be published in millions of copies all

over the world. As a young boy, Andersen displayed

great intelligence and imagination, a trait fostered by the

indulgence of his parents, and by the superstitions of his

mother. The great diFerence between Andersen and the

brothers Grimm is the fact that, while the Grimm brothers

gathered their tales from an endless source of existing

folklore, Andersen’s tales were all original creations.

The History & Signi-cance of Fairy Tales

THE SNOW QUEEN

8

Fairy tales have continued to in(uence writers and to be

retold, reimagined, and re-invented by writers to the pre-

sent day. Each time fairy tales are revised and retold,

they are given a new slant by a new writer. The fact that,

originally, fairy tales were so often enacted dramatically

by the storyteller made them ripe for modern storytelling

vehicles. The advent of motion pictures meant that such

stories could be presented with full eFect – images, voic-

es, music and illustration could all be combined to bring

the stories to life. The Disney movie Snow White and the

Seven Dwarves, made in 1937, was a groundbreaking �lm

for fairy tales, and indeed, for fantasy in general. Disney’s

in(uence helped establish this as a genre for children’s

movies. Of course, Walt Disney took many liberties with

the re-telling of this and other fairy tales from their origi-

nal form. With the popularity and widespread distribu-

tion of Disney movies, these vehicles are often the �rst

(and sometimes the only) exposure that children have to

some of these stories, and presume that Disney is the

source of these stories, rather than one of many adapta-

tions.

Fairy tales should not be discounted as simply children’s

stories which fade away from memory when we grow out

of childhood. For thousands of years, they have played

an important role in our lives. Fairy tales show children

that life can be full of hazards, but if they keep their cour-

age and hold fast to what they believe in, they can perse-

vere – they show that frightening things can happen but,

with strong inner qualities, anyone can win through.

Fairy tales give hope to children that, whatever early diK-

culties they might encounter, they can do better later on

– the happy endings give children belief in their own fu-

ture. Fairy tales nurture young children’s imagination

and foster their creativity. They teach morals like respect,

compassion and endurance. Fairy tales are against mate-

rialism and unearned celebrity – they can help children to

be inspired by a wider variety of worthwhile professions.

Fairy tale heroes are compassionate and courteous – they

are not spiteful, malicious or vindictive. They care about

and are close to birds and animals. They pursue activities

linked to the natural world, increasing children’s interest

in the planet and fostering a will to protect it, and em-

powering them to rely on their own personal resources,

rather than modern conveniences or gadgets.

The ancient tales have their own lives, each with unique,

eccentric qualities. Part of the richness of the fairy tale

tradition is that the same story will have diFerent lessons

for each person who listens. Opening ourselves to the

greater signi�cance of familiar stories requires a certain

tenderness of spirit. The notions will be fragile at �rst.

We must hold them gently for a time, until they deliver

their message to us. The eFects of what we learn might

well last a lifetime.

THE SNOW QUEEN The History & Signi-cance of Fairy Tales

9

Snow Crystals

When cloud temperature is at freezing or below and the clouds are moisture �lled,

snow crystals form. The ice crystals form on dust particles as the water vapor con-

denses and partially melted crystals cling together to form snow(akes. It is said that

no two snow(akes are the same, but they can be classi�ed into types of crystals. All

snow crystals have six sides. The six-sided shape of the ice crystal is because of the

shape and bonding of the water molecules. Basically there are 6 diFerent types of

snow crystals: needles, columns, plates, columns capped with plates, dendrites and

stars. The type of crystals depends on the amount of humidity and temperature pre-

sent when they are forming. That's why when it's very cold and snowing, the (akes

are small, and when it's closer to 32°F. the (akes are larger.

snow: the solid form of water that crystallizes in the atmosphere and, falling to the Earth,

covers, permanently or temporarily, about 23 percent of the Earth's surface.

The Science of Snow

THE SNOW QUEEN

The word "crystal" comes

from Greek word krystal-

los meaning ice, crystal. At

one time people believed

that all crystals were

made up of water that

was frozen so hard it

would never melt.

Don't expect to easily �nd a

perfect six-sided snow(ake.

They occur less than 25% of

the time. Why? Because a

snow(ake has a bumpy and

diKcult journey on it's way to

earth. Each (ake is buFeted

by wind, water and other

snow(akes.

Ice crystals also contain tiny bits of dirt that the wind has

blown around the atmosphere (and it sometimes even contains

dust from space). These ice crystals (also called snow crystals)

cluster together to form individual snow(akes. One snow(ake

can be made up of anywhere between two and 200 separate

snow crystals.

10

Borax Crystal Snow(ake

Grow a Snowake in a Jar!

You will need:

• string

• wide mouth pint jar

• white pipe cleaners

• blue food coloring (optional)

• boiling water (with adult help)

• borax (available at grocery stores in the laundry soap section,

as 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster — NOT Boraxo soap)

• pencil

Directions:

With a little kitchen science you can create long lasting snow(akes as sparkly as the real ones.

Cut a white pipe cleaner into 3 equal sections. Twist the sections together in the center so that

you have a "six-sided" star shape.

If your points are not even, trim the pipe-cleaner sections to the same length. Now attach string along the outer edges to form a

snow(ake pattern. Attach a piece of string to the top of one of the pipe cleaners and tie the other end to a pencil (this is to hang

it from). Fill a widemouth jar with boiling water. Mix borax into the water one tablespoon at a time. Use 3 tablespoons of borax

per cup of water. Stir until dissolved, (don't worry if there is powder settling on the bottom of the jar). If you want you can add a

little blue food coloring now to give the snow(ake a bluish hue. Insert your pipe cleaner snow(ake into the jar so that the pencil

is resting on the lip of the jar and the snow(ake is freely suspended in the borax solution. Wait overnight and by morning the

snow(ake will be covered with shiny crystals. Hang in a window as a sun-catcher or use as a winter time decoration.

The Science Behind the Fun

Borax is an example of crystal - "a solid with (at sides and a symmetrical shape because its molecules are arranged in a unique,

repeating pattern."

Every crystal has a repeating pattern based on it's unique shape. They may be big or little, but they all have the same "shape".

Salt, sugar, and Epsom salts are all examples of crystals. Salt crystals are always cube-shaped while snow crystals form a six-sided

structure.

How do the Borax crystals grow?

Hot water holds more borax crystals than cold water. That's because heated water molecules move farther apart, making room

for more of the borax crystals to dissolve. When no more of the solution can be dissolved, you have reached saturation. As this

solution cools, the water molecules move closer together again. Now there's less room for the solution to hold onto as much of

the dissolved borax. Crystals begin to form and build on one another as the water lets go of the excess and evaporates.

This also applies to snow(akes - As water cools the molecules move closer together. Since all water molecules are shaped the

same (H2O) they align in a six sided crystal.

Grow Your Own Snow3ake

THE SNOW QUEEN

Pipe cleaners and string form the snow(ake

base on which the crystals will grow.

11

Snow3ake Connect-the-Dots

THE SNOW QUEEN

Connect the dots in numerical order, and watch your very own snow(ake appear before

your eyes. Color your snow(ake any way you’d like. For a more “realistic” snow eFect,

add some glitter to your masterpiece!

12

When Kai is at the Snow Queen’s palace, he falls in love with numbers. He begins to count all of the snowakes in

the world, and works on solving the riddle of the universe. He #nds comfort in numbers. They have an order and

they make sense to him. But what are numbers, and how and why do we use them?

A number is a mathematical object used to count, label, and measure.

Mathematical operations are certain procedures that take one or more num-

bers as input and produce a number as output. Binary operations (bi– meaning

“two”) take two input numbers and produce a single output number. Examples

of binary operations include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

The study of numerical operations is called arithmetic.

A notational symbol that represents a number is called a numeral. In addition

to their use in counting and measuring, numerals are often used for labels

(telephone numbers), for ordering (serial numbers), and for codes.

In common usage, the word number can mean the object, the symbol, or the word for the number.

The History of Numbers

Bones and other artifacts have been discovered with marks cut

into them that many believe are tally marks. These tally marks may

have been used for counting elapsed time, such as numbers of

days, lunar cycles or keeping records of quantities, such as of ani-

mals.

A tallying system has no concept of place value (as in modern decimal nota-

tion), which limits its representation of large numbers. Nonetheless tallying

systems are considered the �rst kind of abstract numeral system.

The �rst known system with place value was the Mesopotamian base 60 sys-

tem (ca. 3400 BC) and the earliest known base 10 system (which is what is most

commonly used) dates to 3100 BC in Egypt.

Numbers

THE SNOW QUEEN

13

In The Snow Queen, Kai and Gerda tend a rose. They protect it from cold during the winter and it grows back every spring.

When properly cared for, roses will continue to grow for many years — as long as the roots remain intact and the plants do

not freeze they will continue to grow — though roses require proper care in order to thrive. There are other owers that Ger-

da tends that only grow for one year. New seeds must be planted each year to yield a new crop of owers.

Annuals - Plants that perform their entire life cycle — from seed to (ower to seed — within a single growing season.

All roots, stems and leaves of the plant die annually. Only the dormant seed bridges the gap between one genera-

tion and the next. Common annual owers are daisies, marigolds, geraniums, and petunias.

Perennials - Plants that persist for many growing seasons. Generally the top portion of the plant dies back each win-

ter and regrows the following spring from the same root system. Many perennial plants keep their leaves year-

round. Common perennials are catmint, coneower, lavender and roses (roses are bushes that ower).

Biennials - Plants which require two years to complete their life cycle. First season growth results in a small rosette

of leaves near the soil surface. During the second season's growth stem elongation, (owering and seed formation

occur followed by the entire plant's death.

Annual/Perennial - A plant can behave as an annual or a perennial depending on local climatic and geographic

growing conditions. In the southern portion of the United States, these plants tend to grow much quicker than in

the north due to the warmer weather and extended growing season. For example: a Black-Eyed Susan would behave

as an annual if grown in Louisiana; whereas, if grown in Ohio, a Black-Eyed Susan would behave as a perennial.

How to Take Care of Roses

Roses have a reputation for being diKcult to care for, but with the correct amount of water and sunlight and a little

bit of grooming, your roses should thrive. Explore these basics of caring for your roses — but if you forget or muF

something, the plants are surprisingly forgiving:

Watering roses: The rule of thumb is to make sure roses get about 2 inches a week. Deep soakings are much better

than frequent, shallow waterings.

Fertilizing roses: Use an all-purpose garden fertilizer, because it has balanced amounts of N (nitrogen), P

(phosphorus), and K (potassium). Fertilizers touted especially for roses — such

as Rose Food — are �ne but not mandatory. In spring, as the plant emerges

from dormancy, you can water with a tablespoon of Epsom salt (magnesium

sulfate) dissolved in a gallon of water to promote strong canes.

Grooming roses: Using sharp clippers, you can spruce up your rosebushes

whenever something unattractive about the plant catches your critical eye.

Deadheading and tidying up roses: The plant looks better when you get rid

of dead (owers. Also, because the goal of all (owering plants is to stop (ower-

ing and produce seed (in the case of rosebushes, to make rose hips), deadhead-

ing thwarts the process. So the plant is fooled into making more (owers. Dead-

head away!

Pruning roses: Early spring is the best time to prune. If it’s still winter, your

overeager cuts may lead to frost damage. Pruning is pretty straightforward:

Remove all non-negotiable growth, thin the plants, and then shape them.

Flowers: Annuals and Perennials

THE SNOW QUEEN

14

In The Snow Queen, the Robber Girl acts like a bully. She may have become a bully because she didn’t have any friends, and

she thought that by bullying people she could make them listen to her, do what she wanted, like her or be her friend. Or per-

haps she had been bullied herself. But bullying is never appropriate or acceptable. Here is some information about bullying

that is important for kids to know:

What is Bullying?

Bullying is being mean to someone over and over again. Bullying often includes:

• Teasing

• Talking about hurting someone/threatening them

• Spreading rumors

• Leaving people out on purpose

• Attacking someone by hitting, physically hurting or yelling at them

Kids Who Are Bullied

Kids who are bullied can feel like they are:

• DiFerent

• Powerless

• Unpopular

• Alone

Kids who are bullied have a hard time standing up for themselves.

They think the person who bullies them is more powerful than they are.

Bullying can make them:

• Sad, lonely or nervous

• Feel sick

• Have problems at school

• Bully others

Kids Who Bully Others

Kids bully others for many reasons. They may:

• Want to copy their friends

• Think bullying will help them �t in

• Think they are better than the person they are bullying

Bullying is never okay. Those who bully use power to hurt people. Power does not always mean bigger or stronger.

Power can also mean popular or smart. Or, the person doing the bullying may know a secret about the one they are

bullying.

Kids Who See Bullying

When kids see bullying, they may not know what to do. They may feel depressed or worried. They may not feel safe.

They may join in or stay silent so they won’t get bullied themselves. They may stand up to the bully. But the best

thing to do is get an adult who will stop the bullying on the spot.

Bullying

THE SNOW QUEEN

15

1. Hans Christian Andersen wrote some of the most enduring fairy tales of all time.

Look at the list of some of his better-known stories. How many of these stories

have you heard? Why do you think these are important stories to tell? What do

you think we learn from fairy tales?

2. Many authors who are famous for their fairy tales simply wrote down the stories

that other people had been passing down through their families for generations.

But Hans Christian Andersen used his imagination to come up with new stories

(that people all over the world have grown to love). Do you think it’s important to

pass stories down from one generation to another? Why (or why not)? Why, then,

is it also important to use our imaginations to come up with new stories and new

ideas?

3. Snow (and crystals) form in very precise patterns. In The Snow Queen, when Kai is

taken to the snow he becomes very interested in numbers and math. What do you

think snow(akes (or crystals) and math have in common? In what way are snow-

(akes mathematical?

4. What is the diFerence between an annual and a perennial ((ower or plant)? If

something is a perennial, does that mean you don’t have to do anything in order to

keep it alive? What kinds of things do you have to do to care for plants and (ow-

ers?

5. Do you have a best friend? Are there things that you love to do together that you

look forward to every day? If something happened to your friend that changed

them somehow, do you think you’d be able to tell? What lengths do you think you

would go to to �nd or save your friend if you thought they were missing or they

were hurt?

Pre-Show Discussion Questions

WRITE & DISCUSS

THE SNOW QUEEN

16

1. Gerda recognized, right away, that something was wrong with Kai. What do you

think it was that led her to believe that Kai was not himself? Could you see the

diFerences in him? In what ways was he diFerent?

2. When Gerda starts out on her journey to �nd and save her friend Kai, she is wearing

a pair of red shoes. Along the way she loses her shoes, and doesn’t get them back

until the end of the play (when she is able to remove the pieces of the Troll’s mirror

from Kai’s eye and heart and free him from the spell he is under). Why do you think

Hans Christian Andersen uses an image of red shoes?

3. Why is the Rose important in the story? What does it have to do with Gerda and

Kai? What does it have to do with their friendship? In what way does the Rose help

Gerda to save Kai?

4. Gerda had several people who got in her way on her journey to �nd and save her

friend Kai. She also had several people who helped her to �nd him. Do you think

she would have been able to �nd him if they hadn’t helped her? What lesson do

you think we can learn about helping others (or helping ourselves)?

5. The Robber Girl seems to be a bit of a bully. Why do you think she is so mean?

What do you think she learns from Gerda? Do you think there is a possibility that

the Robber Girl can change her behavior? Why or why not?

6. Most fairy tales have a moral (or a lesson) to the story. What do you think is the les-

son of The Snow Queen? Do you think it is an important lesson to learn? Explain.

Post-Show Discussion Questions

WRITE & DISCUSS

THE SNOW QUEEN