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Teacher's Guides > Investigating
Artifacts
World Culture
The All Jahdu Storybook
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Cornrows
Diego
Elinda Who Danced in the Sky
How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have? and Other Tales
In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the
World
Just So Stories
The Keeping Quilt
Land of the Long White Cloud: Maori Myths, Tales,
and Legends
Legend of the Milky Way
Nine-in-One Grrr! Grrr!
The Patchwork Quilt
A Promise to the Sun
The Truth About the Moon
The Turtle and the Island: A Folktale from Papua New
Guinea
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears
Why Rat Comes First: A Story of the Chinese Zodiac
Why the Sky Is Far Away
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky
Why the Tides Ebb and Flow
The All Jahdu Storybook
by Virginia Hamilton; illustrated by Barry Moser
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, San Diego. 1991
Grades: K–6
These stories about the folkloric trickster hinge on no specific
traditions, but aim to express the timelessness of folklore. The diverse
illustrations reflect the changes in the trickster: one minute he is
in the jungle, the next in a taxi in Harlem. Characters he meets include
animals (Bandicoot Rat or the chicken Cackle G.), or are abstract (Shadow,
Thunder, or Grass). The author uses the generic name Jadhu for the trickster
who appears in the folklore of various cultures.
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Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
by Margaret Musgrove; illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
Dial Books, New York. 1976
Grades: 3–7
Beautifully illustrated and well-researched alphabet book that describes
African ceremonies, celebrations, and day-to day customs as well as
reflecting the richness and diversity of the peoples and cultures. A
man, woman, child, an artifact, a local animal, and living quarters
are depicted in most of the paintings so that each page is quite detailed,
even though all these elements might not ordinarily be seen together.
The border design is based on the Kano Knot, a seventeenth-century design
that symbolizes endless searching. Caldecott award winner.
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Cornrows
by Camille Yarbrough; illustrated by Carole Byard
Coward, McCann Inc., New York. 1979
Grades: K–5
This powerful and tender book recounts a family story that Mama
and Great-Grammaw tell as they braid intricate cornrow patterns into
the children’s hair. This book blends poetic accounts of African
traditions, brutal slavery, cultural heritage, and the achievements
of many famous African-Americans, with a strong and loving sense of
family. It could be read as part of “Masks, Myths, and Middens”
to introduce African-American contributions in general, and more specifically,
to discuss the way the braiding of cornrows, the telling of stories,
and the depiction of masks and sculptures connects to modern children’s
understanding of their own culture.
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Diego
by Jeanette Winter
Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 1991
Grades: K–4
Story of the great Mexican muralist Diego Rivera with special attention
to his childhood and how it influenced his art. Important themes include
the relationship between art and society and the importance of direct
experience for an artist. Winter’s vibrant miniature paintings
seek to convey Rivera’s spirit but do not attempt to copy his work.
The book has been criticized for not including any mention of Diego’s
wife, the artist Frida Kahlo, although she does appear in one illustration.
The artistic theme of this book could make a nice connection to the
creative “Masks” activities in this GEMS guide.
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Elinda Who Danced in the Sky
adapted by Lynn Moroney; illustrated by Veg Reisberg
Children’s Book Press, San Francisco. 1990
Grades: K–4
Estonian folk tale about the sky goddess Elinda who overcomes her
disappointment at losing her fiancé Prince Borealis, whose land
would not let him leave. There are clever explanations of why Elinda
turned down previous suitors: the North Star would be distant and unmoving,
the moon always takes the same narrow path, and the sun’s light
too harsh and overpowering. Elinda returns to her vocation of guiding
the birds in their migrations, putting them on the right path. Her wedding
veil, woven from dewdrops and dragonfly wings, is the Milky Way.
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How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have? and Other
Tales
by Julius Lester; illustrated by David Shannon
Scholastic, New York. 1989
Grades: 6–10
A fine collection of African folktales, including two Jewish tales
and one African-Jewish hybrid. Written for somewhat older students,
these stories can be read out loud very sucessfully to younger students.
We learn why the sun and moon live in the sky, why monkeys live in trees,
and why dogs chase cats, but no one ever finds out how many spots the
leopard really has!
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In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around
the World
by Virginia Hamilton; illustrated by Barry Moser
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, San Diego. 1988
Grades: All
An illustrated collection of 25 legends that explain the creation
of the world. The myths are placed geographically and by type of myth
tradition such as “world parent,” “creation from nothing,”
and “separation of earth and sky.” Some of the selections
are extracted from larger works such as Popol Vuh or the Icelandic Eddas.
Newbery honor book.
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Just So Stories
by Rudyard Kipling
Viking Penguin, New York. 1987
Grades: 2–6
These amusing tales of how things came to be—such as how the
elephant got his long nose, how the leopard got his spots, and how the
camel got his hump—are inspired classics. The stories captivate
and provide a perfect springboard to the question, which in any exploration
of myths you may wish to ask: “Could that be true?”
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The Keeping Quilt
by Patricia Polacco
Simon & Schuster, New York. 1988
Grades: K–5
A homemade quilt ties together the lives of four generations of
an immigrant Jewish family. Made from their old clothes, it helps them
remember back home “like having the family in Russia dance around
us at night.” The quilt is used in marriage ceremonies, as a tablecloth,
and as a blanket for a newborn child, symbolizing the family’s
enduring love and faith. In the GEMS guide, students practice making
inferences about a culture based on artifacts. What does the quilt described
in the story tell us about the culture of the people who created it?
A resource to begin a quilt project. Sidney Taylor Award winner.
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Land of the Long White Cloud:
Maori Myths, Tales, and Legends
by Kiri Te Kanawa; illustrated by Michael Foreman
Arcade Publishing/Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 1989
Grades: K–5
Stories from the Maoris, the indigenous people of New Zealand, about
the trickster and mischief maker Maui; the woman in the moon, the birds,
the lakes, rivers and trees; and assorted fairies and monsters. These
exciting tales reflect the life of a people whose survival depended
on their close knowledge of the sea in all its aspects.
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Legend of the Milky Way
retold and illustrated by Jeanne M. Lee
Henry Holt & Co., New York. 1982
Grades: K–5
The weaver Princess came down from heaven to marry a mortal; but
her mother objects and punishes them by making them stars separated
by the Silver River (the Milky Way). The Chinese celebrate this story
on the seventh day of the seventh Chinese month. If it rains that night,
they say the princess is crying because she must say good-bye to her
husband. The last page explains which familiar stars and constellations
represent the characters in this legend.
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Nine-in-One Grrr! Grrr!
by Blia Xiong; illustrated by Nancy Hom
Children’s Book Press, San Francisco. 1989
Grades: K–3
In this folktale from Laos, when the first female tiger asks the
kind and gentle God Shao how many cubs she will have, he tells her she
will have nine cubs a year, if she remembers his words. Tiger does not
have a great memory, so she makes up a little song to remember: “Nine-in-One,
Grr! Grr!” When the other animals find this out, they are worried
because that many tigers could eat all of them. A clever bird succeeds
in distracting the tiger long enough to make her forget the song, then
convinces her that the song was, “One-in-Nine, Grr! Grr!”
(one cub born every nine years). That is why, the Hmong people of Laos
say, “we don’t have too many tigers on earth today.”
This direct and compelling explanatory myth could open a basic discussion
of the balance of nature as well as the tricks that people use to remember
things! This is an excellent book to select in connection with the world
cultural aspects of the GEMS guide, especially if you wish to highlight
Southeast Asian cultures.
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The Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Dial/Dutton, New York. 1985
Grades: K–5
Tanya, an African-American child, and her grandmother make a quilt
using scraps cut from the family’s old clothing including her African
princess Halloween costume. The grandmother becomes ill and the whole
family is involved with completing the quilt of memories. Referring
to her “masterpiece,” the grandmother says “A quilt won’t
forget. It can tell your life story.” The GEMS guide encourages
students to explore their own cultural roots and gain an appreciation
for the peoples of the past. The process of unearthing and analyzing
artifacts in the middens activity is compared to trying to put together
puzzle pieces of the past. Might this also be compared to making a patchwork
quilt?
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A Promise to the Sun
by Tololwa M. Mollel; illustrated by Beatriz Vidal
Joy Street Books/Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 1992
Grades: K–4
This African tale explains why bats fly only at night. In a time
of great drought, the birds draw lots to see who will journey to seek
rain and the lot falls to a visiting bat. The bat successfully persuades
the sun to bring about rain, but is left holding the bag when the birds
don’t follow through on a promise to the sun. To avoid the sun’s
wrath, the bat hides in a cave and lives there to this day. The theme
of an individual acting to benefit the group and solve a problem is
also found in Rainbow Crow, which is illustrated by the same artist.
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The Truth About the Moon
by Clayton Bess; illustrated by Rosekrans Hoffman
Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 1983
Grades: K–4
An African boy is puzzled by the changing size of the moon and asks
for an explanation. His father says there is only one moon and that
the moon he saw last night is the same moon he will see tomorrow. “It
is growing, just as a child like you grows to be a man like me. It starts
small, just a silver sliver, and every night grows bigger and bigger
until it is as big as it can be, a full circle. Then, just as a man
grows smaller when he is very old, so does the moon. Smaller and smaller
until death.” His mother explains that there is only one moon.
“It is like a woman. And you know how sometimes a woman will grow
larger and larger, more and more round?” The Chief tells a long
tale about the sun and the moon being married and how the moon lost
its heat.
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The Turtle and the Island:
A Folktale from Papua New Guinea
by Barbara K. Wilson; illustrated by Frane Lessac
J.B. Lippincott, New York. 1990
Grades: K–4
In this creation myth, New Guinea was made by a great sea turtle,
the mother of all sea turtles. The turtle makes the island by adding
more sand and rocks to a high hill. Then she brings the lonely sole
man in the ocean from his cave to the island together with a lonely
weeping woman. They have beautiful children whose children have more
children. The vibrant illustrations show the lovable sea turtle and
an island teeming with plant and marine life.
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Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears
by Verna Aardema; illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
Dial, New York. 1975
Grades: K–6
This West African folk tale is a clever story of why mosquitoes
buzz in people’s ears. Devising explanations for things in nature
by creating myths is what students do in Sessions 3 and 4 of the GEMS
activities.
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Why Rat Comes First: A Story of the Chinese
Zodiac
retold by Clara Yen; illustrated by Hideo C. Yoshida
Children’s Book Press, San Francisco. 1991
Grades: K–4
The Jade King invites all the animals to a feast, but only 12 show
up. He rewards them by naming a year after each animal, starting with
the rat whose quick thinking wins him first place. Even more fun comes
after the story is done, when each person can look up her/his birth
year and the corresponding animal and characteristics. This book could
also be used to discuss the lunar calendar, and the different ways that
world cultures keep track of time.
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Why the Sky Is Far Away
retold by Mary-Joan Gerson; illustrated by Hope Meryman
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, San Diego. 1974
Grades: K–4
Nigerian folk tale about the sky that offers a strong moral message
about squandering natural resources. It tells of a time when the sky
was so close to the earth that anyone who was hungry just cut off a
piece of sky and ate it. The king even had a special team of servants
whose only job was to cut and shape the sky for ordinary meals and for
special ceremonies. But the sky was getting tired of being wasted. When
one woman throws away a leftover piece saying “What does it matter?
... one more piece on the rubbish heap,” the sky finally moves
away. Ever since then people have had to work very hard to grow their
own food. In addition to an imaginative explanation for why the sky
is far away (similar to the stories explaining natural phenomena that
students create and share in Sessions 3 and 4 of this GEMS guide) the
story connects to the “Going Further” activities for Sessions
5 and 6 in which students are asked to discuss or prepare a written
assignment on the question: “What does our garbage tell us about
our culture?”
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Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky
by Elphinstone Dayrell; illustrated by Blair Lent
Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 1968
Grades: K–4
In this Nigerian folk tale, the sun and his wife, the moon, built
a large house for entertaining the water. By the time the water and
all his people have flowed in and over the top of the roof, the sun
and moon are forced to go up into the sky. The main characters and the
fish and water animals are all represented as African people in tribal
costumes and masks in brown, green, blue and gold-patterned drawings.
Caldecott Honor book.
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Why the Tides Ebb and Flow
by Joan C. Bowden; illustrated by Marc Brown
Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 1979
Grades: K–4
A feisty old woman bargains with the Sky Spirit, finally gaining
a hut, a daughter and son-in-law, and the loan of a very special rock
to beautify her yard. She borrows the rock twice each day from the hole
in the bottom of the sea, and that is why the tides ebb and flow. The
tale is not attributed to any specific culture, but the design motifs
seem African inspired.
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