Kathleen Pelley Activity Guide - Child of Faerie, Child of Earth

Kathleen Pelley Storytelling Activity Guide

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Activity Guide by

Kathleen Pelley



One of the many things I love about good stories is that they can provide a space in our hectic busy lives to simply PAUSE and PONDER some truth, some beauty, or some new way of looking at the world.

Each month I will invite you to join me as I PAUSE and PONDER upon the story I have just read.

Child of Faerie, Child of Earth

Written by Jane Yolen and Illustrated by Jane Dyer

PAUSE and PONDER … Why I love this story?

“Child of Faerie, Child of Earth” is a beautiful tale, reminiscent of a poem by WB Yeats, “The Stolen Child.” You might want to take a look at this poem and compare it for yourself. The story’s theme addresses the age old human dilemma of yearning and longing for something which you can never have – in this case, neither the faerie child nor the human child can live in each other’s land. As someone who married a “foreigner” and ended up leaving my homeland to go and live in “another land,” I know that dilemma full well!

From a storyteller’s perspective – this is an exquisite example of the ideal story – the perfect marriage of picture, text, and that circular quality that we Celts love (when St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, he acknowldeged the Celtic love of the circle and so placed it over the cross, and thus we have the CELTIC CROSS) and so the end of this story circles back to the beginning with an admonition,

“Be brave be bold be unafraid and join that faerie ring!”

(notice the word RING – another word for CIRCLE)

Finally, it is a story about the faeries – you cannot be Irish and not love faeries!

Souvenirs from the story – A wisp of wonder as we marvel at the beautiful images of the faerie land and of the human land, and perhaps too, a boost of courage as we hear that admonition – BE BOLD, BE BRAVE, BE UNAFRAID!



Emotional/Universal Truth What is an emotional truth?

Any editor will tell you that a common weakness of many picture book manuscripts is that they are “too trite.” In other words, they will not withstand multiple readings, because they are too one dimensional and lack a universal, emotional truth. It is NOT a lesson, a moral, or a message! Rather it is a simple truth, woven seamlessly throughout the story -‐ some truth about love, hope, pain, joy, or home that a child can understand and connect with. I like to think of it as that whiff of wonder, that bolt of beauty that lingers with you, long after the last page is turned or the final word uttered.

Why should this universal truth matter so much to the read-‐aloud quality of a picture book?

“The storytellers go back and back, to a clearing in the forest where a great fire burns, and the old shamans dance and sing, for our heritage of stories began in fire, magic, the spirit world. And that is where it is held, today.” Doris Lessing

Truth connects us to one another, to our ancestors, and to the world around us. Good books and stories are all about connections. When we read a story aloud to a child – a story that truly touches us at the very core of our being with its beauty and its truth, then, we will naturally breathe our own life and love into those words as we read them aloud. (Notice how life and spirit, breath and voice are all connected.) In turn, those words will seep into the little listener’s heart, making her or him feel brave or bold, calm or kind, happy or hopeful.

“Adult books maintain lives; children’s books change lives.” Yolen

The “truth” of this story: despite the fact that our human condition always involves a certain restlessness and longing for what we cannot have, there is always joy and beauty to console us.

What souvenir and what “truth” I wonder, will you and your children take from this story?

The following discussion questions and activities are designed for use either with a parent and a child, or with a teacher and her class or a small group. Most of the discussion questions are suited for children ages 6-‐8, but could be adapted for use with younger children too.

-‐ Kathleen Pelley Children’s Author, Storyteller, and Speaker

www.kathleenpelley.com



Discussion Questions Before reading the story, you may want to discuss the following vocabulary with your child/children.

Halloween – Hallow means HOLY, and e’en is a contraction of the word evening. Explain the difference between HOLLOW and HALLOW. (See my blog post for this month that explains in greater detail the origins of the Halloween tradition.)

translucent

sprites

token

boggles

skeptics

flabbergast

hue

extract

fragile

faerie (old English spelling)

guise

1. When does this story take place?

2. Why was the human child not afraid of the faerie?

3. Do you believe in faeries? Discuss.

4. What did she do when she went to the faerie hall?

5. Why did she not want to stay?

6. Have you ever felt like her? Discuss.

7. What did she show the faerie child?

8. What would you have shown a faerie child about your home/school?

9. Why did the faerie child not want to stay with the human child?



Discussion Questions (cont.) 10. Do you know anyone who lives in another land? Discuss.

11. What do you think you would miss if you had to leave your land?

12. What gifts do they give each other?

13. What gift would you give to a faerie child? Discuss.

14. What is a skeptic? Do you know any skeptics?

15. Did you like the ending of this story? Discuss.



Story Characters

Draw the character in the box and then write a sentence that describes what

each of them missed about their land.

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

The fairie child

The human child



Word Scramble Unscramble the words…

1. He was a child of sky and _ _ _ (ira).

2. They met in the _ _ _ _ of Hallow’s Eve. (sduk)

3. The faerie brew was a rainbow _ _ _ (euh).

4. She took him by his grass-‐green _ _ _ _ _ _ (elseev).

5. He stretched translucent _ _ _ _ _ (gwisn).

6. She found a _ _ _ _ _ hen’s egg. (hrefs)



Crisscross Words Use the clues below to complete the crossword

Across 5. His wings were this 7. Easily broken - like an eggshell 8. You might see these on Hallow's Eve

Down 1. He wanted her to be this 2. The gift he gave her 3. This gives you light at night 4. She wore these in her hair 6. He liked this better than the day



ART ACTIVITY – to explore HOME

Neither the human child nor the faerie child wanted to leave their homes because they loved them so much. In the heart below, have your child/students draw /write all that they love about their home – encourage them to think of particular places in their home, pets, people, belongings, memories, sights, sounds etc. Make a display around the classroom or on bedroom wall. WHAT I /WE LOVE ABOUT HOME. You could also use the outline of a house instead of a heart.



FAERIE GIFTS

In this story, the human child gives the faerie child a hen’s egg as a gift to remind him of earth. If you had to give a gift to a faerie child, what would you give?

________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

Make a drawing of it, and explain your choice of gift. Using the outline of the fairie below (or use your own) place all the gifts around him and make a display in the classroom/home.



Suggestions for further writing/discussion

Write a different ending for this story and share with one another. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ What do you like most about Halloween? Explain and discuss. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

This story is written in verse, can you memorize your favorite page?

________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

In the classroom, pairs of children could memorize a different page each, and then whole class could come together and perform this as a drama for another group of children to enjoy.



Answer Key Discussion Questions

1. The dusk of Hallow’s Eve.

2. Her mama told her there was no such thing as faeries.

3. No right answer.

4. She ate, drank, danced, and never slept.

5. She missed her land.

6. No right answer.

7. She showed him farmland, garden, cow, shed, countryside.

8. No right answer.

9. He was homesick.

10. No right answer.


12. A hen’s egg and a feather.


14. Someone who does not believe or trust.




Answer Key (cont.) Word Scramble

1. air

2. dusk

3. hue

4. sleeve

5. wings

6. fresh

Crisscross Puzzle

Documents

Kathleen Pelley Activity Guide - Child of Faerie, Child of Earth