April 20th: Robert Munsch

Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1945. He and his wife moved to Guelph, Ontario in 1975 and he worked at the preschool at the University of Guelph. He also taught at the university, in the Department of Family Studies. It was in Guelph that Robert was encouraged to publish his stories that he had been telling the children he worked with, and his first book Mud Puddle came out in 1979.

Robert Munsch became a full-time author and storyteller once his books started gaining popularity, and he always based his stories off of real children that he knew. He began travelling all over Canada telling stories, in schools and libraries and at children’s festivals. He was gaining popularity in Canada, but not as much in the United States until his book, Love You Forever, was released. Love You Forever was one of the top-selling children’s books in Canada and the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, and remains a top-selling children’s book today.

The Paper Bag Princess

Robert Munsch wrote the Paper Bag Princess because his wife, Ann Beeler pointed out that his stories with dragons always involved the girl character being saved by the boy character. This inspired Munsch to reverse the narrative, and in The Paper Bag Princess, Elizabeth is the hero who saves her prince from the dragon.

Elizabeth is clever and knows that the dragon will do anything that she challenges it to do, which eventually tires the dragon out. Elizabeth is able to save her Prince, Ronald, who she is meant to marry, but he criticizes the way she looks upon her rescuing him. Elizabeth decides not to marry Ronald, because he is a “bum.”

This story has been recognized internationally as being revolutionary, as its message is that women are powerful on their own, and they should never settle. Elizabeth refuses to marry Prince Ronald, as he is nasty to her when she rescues him. Robert Munsch has been asked many times why there was not a happy ending in the story, and he has replied that there is one. Elizabeth is happy to be rid of Ronald and to be on her own, and the illustration on the final page shows her happily leaping off into the sunset alone.

For more on the story of The Paper Bag Princess, check out this CBC article: https://www.cbc.ca/radiointeractives/thesundayedition/it-does-have-a-happy-ending

What are your thoughts/feelings about The Paper Bag Princess? Do you think that Elizabeth is right to not marry Prince Ronald in the end?

Here is a link to listen to Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch, read aloud by Robert Munsch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ES-fp2fdzk

The Paper Bag Princess

Here is a link for the video for The Paper Bag Princess read aloud with illustrations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0lNFZtpq7A

Here is a link for The Paper Bag Princess being read aloud by Robert Munsch (thanks Gabriel!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIPrb-sA6Uo

Enjoy!! 🙂

April 16th: Practicing Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in any given moment, without distraction. Often, we feel overwhelmed with the many things on our mind and what is going on around us, especially in stressful situations.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made many people feel anxious and overwhelmed, and this can be difficult to deal with while in self-isolation. It is human nature to worry about threats to our health, but by being mindful we are able to reduce our own stress levels.

There are several practices that you can use to be mindful, and one of them is deep breathing. Counting your breath in and out for several seconds has proven to relieve stress, by sending calming messages to your brain. Deep breathing also releases toxins from your body, and it improves immunity. These are all things that we could use right now, so definitely try to monitor your breath in times of stress, and count your inhales and your exhales to ensure that you are breathing deeply. The recommended length is 5 seconds for an inhale, 5 seconds for an exhale, and repeat this 5 times.

In this Ted Talk video, mindfulness and another deep breathing technique is described: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad7HqXEc2Sc

Another way to practice mindfulness is to find gratitude. This may mean making a list of things that you are grateful for, such as family members, friends, tv shows, books, movies, songs, activities, etc. Reflect on what has kept you occupied in quarantine, and what you have enjoyed doing or who you have enjoyed spending time with. Reflecting on what you are grateful for during this time allows you to focus on positive things, which can reduce stress and anxiety.

Another aspect of finding gratitude is reflecting on what you will be grateful for when this quarantine ends. This will generate more appreciation for the things we got to do before the pandemic, and it will allow us to acknowledge what we should not take for granted.

If you’re feeling stressed, lonely or anxious this weekend, try these practices and let me know if they work for you! It would be awesome to share what everyone is grateful for, and what everyone is excited to do when this pandemic ends. If you feel like sharing, leave a comment on this post or email me and I can make a post on the blog!

ALSO:

This weekend, try to start on your own creative writing! Similar to what we learned in Aesop’s fables (check out this post again if you forgot!), decide on a moral or a lesson you would like your story to portray. Some examples are:

• to have courage/ be brave
• to treat others as you would want to be treated
• to be forgiving
• to be generous
• to have patience

Once you have decided on this, choose characters for your story. You probably only need two to three characters, but decide on their relationship with one another, their names, what they are etc.

After this, think of the setting you would like for your story. It can be somewhere you’re familiar with or a place you create, but decide on where the story will take place.

You can send me an email with your ideas or have them ready for Monday or Tuesday if you’re able to! We will continue to develop on these stories in the coming days.

Here is the newest episode of Some Good News with John Krasinski! Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg08rJGKjtA

The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham

Here is the video for The Cat in the Hat from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jK6l1WJKUU

Here is The Cat in the Hat being read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LL62u6-OjY&t=19s

And here is the video for Green Eggs and Ham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faT5LZCQ2ck

Here is Green Eggs and Ham being read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdotPwVJYzs

Let me know what you think of these stories by leaving a comment on this post! 🙂

Some Good News! With John Krasinski

Check out the second video by John Krasinski for some good news! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oilZ1hNZPRM

April 14th: The Lorax and Horton Hears a Who!

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is a short story with a powerful message. The Lorax acts as an advocate for the trees, and repeatedly tries to protect the trees from the Once-ler. The Once-ler is only concerned with making “Thneeds,” and does not give any consideration to the trees or the wellbeing of the environment. This ends badly for the Once-ler, as all of the trees eventually get used, and production of Thneeds is stopped.

Dr. Seuss was inspired to write this story because of his experience watching his town of La Jolla in California become more commercialized. He and his wife moved to La Jolla in 1948, which was a beautiful seaside town, and after several years of living there it was being built up more and more with billboards, condos, and houses. This was upsetting for Dr. Seuss, and he decided to write a book that would act as a warning for younger generations about the importance of taking care of the environment. The real-life inspiration for the “Truffula” trees in the story is called the Monterey Cypress. This tree in particular was thought to be the main inspiration:

We will be talking more about The Lorax today in our class call! 🙂

Another popular Dr. Seuss book is Horton Hears a Who!

Here is the link for Horton Hears a Who! being read aloud on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-i1E1UbwVI

And here is the link for the TV special on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87TNFs5__X0&t=1169s

Please watch one of these videos and we will talk about this story on Thursday!

Gabriel’s Project: Robert Munsch

Long before he started writing books, Robert Munsch was a storyteller. The first time he told his stories to a group of children was in 1972, when he was a student teacher at their nursery school. The children liked his stories, so he started telling them more often. He would often take the same story and tell it again and again, changing it a little bit each time, until it got to be really good. Kids liked how loud and animated he was while he told them stories, so he kept doing that, too. This would become his signature storytelling style.

Eventually, once his stories got really, really good, he wrote them down and sent them to a publisher. The publisher said “Yes!” to the story that became the book Mud Puddle. Today, more than 50 Robert Munsch books have been published. Some, like Love You Forever, became runaway international bestsellers. Some, like The Paper Bag Princess and Zoom!, challenge conventions and stereotypes. But nearly ALL of them are based on real kids that Robert Munsch has met, often on his tours and travels. Sometimes, as in Finding Christmas and Pyjama Day!, he even uses his own family. Each book is dedicated to the kid or kids it is based on. You can find out more about the story behind each book by clicking on the “About this story” buttons on this website.

While Robert Munsch has countless fans across North America (he receives about 10,000 letters a year!) his books are also popular around the world. They have been translated into over 20 languages, from Arabic to Swedish, including several First Nations languages.  Robert Munsch has received many awards for his work as an author and storyteller. He has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, the Order of Canada, and a school named in his honour!

Robert Munsch was even once a kid himself. He grew up in a large family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now that he’s grown up and has (grown-up) kids of his own, he lives with his wife in Guelph, Ontario, where you can often find him on long walks with his dog.

Link for Robert Munsch’s story books: http://www.scholastic.ca/munsch/books.php

Speaking Moistly

Here is the link for the video I was talking about! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eySDeBdqxGY

Enjoy!! 🙂

April 13th: Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was a writer and cartoonist who wrote and published over 60 books. He was born in 1904, in Massachusetts, and after going to school he worked as a cartoonist for many years. He eventually started to write and illustrate children’s books, and the success of The Cat in the Hat gave him a following of avid young readers.

The writing style of Dr. Seuss is consistent, as all of his books follow a rhythmic flow. This means that he uses rhyming throughout the story, as well as repetition. The plot lines are often whimsical, as entirely new worlds are created with entirely original elements and characters. For example, “Whoville” in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which can be seen here:

Dr. Seuss’ creations are examples of surrealism. Surrealism is an artistic movement based on a person’s subconscious thoughts, dreams, and imagination. Therefore, surrealist art is not based in reality, rather it can be wild and non-sensical. Dr. Seuss uses surrealism in the invention of his stories, as the world and characters that he creates are not realistic and are completely based on his imagination. Here is a video that explains surrealism further: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YE_Zas-A5A

In class, we will be studying Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. This a story that has a very deep meaning about environmentalism, and it is told in a way that makes it easy for all readers, young or old, to understand. Here is a link to a PDF version of The Lorax: https://www.chrisrossarthur.com/uploads/3/8/5/9/38596187/dr._seuss_the_loraxbokos-z1.pdf

And here is the link to watch the full TV special from 1972, which includes all the illustrations and original story line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V06ZOQuo0k

The full movie is available on Netflix!

During and after reading or watching The Lorax, think about the following questions and prompts:

• What is the mission of The Lorax and what does he repeatedly say?
• Name some of the Once-ler’s characteristics.
• How do the illustrations reflect what is going on in the story?
• How is the story surrealist?
• What is the moral/lesson of The Lorax?
• How did you feel while reading or watching The Lorax? Why did you feel this way?

April 9th: Happy Easter!

Easter marks the beginning of spring, and it is filled with traditions that represent renewal and regrowth. For instance, eggs are seen as a sign of rebirth, and this is why many people decorate eggs during the holiday. The Easter Bunny also represents renewal and springtime, as bunnies are often born during the spring months.

This Easter may be different for many this year, as everyone is still self-isolating at home against the spread of Covid-19. There are many activities that can be done at home, including simple crafts such as making an easter bunny out of household items or decorating hard-boiled eggs, as well as watching movies like Peter Rabbit. This weekend is also a good time to practice some baking, as Easter is known for having sweet treats to celebrate with.

The celebration of Easter looks very different in some areas of the world, for instance in Florence, Italy there is the tradition of scoppio del carro, which translates to “explosion of the cart.” This is a 350 year old tradition, where a cart is brought to the centre of town, and it is filled with fireworks that go off as people gather around and watch. Here is a photo:

In Australia, there has been a campaign for the animal representing Easter to be changed from the bunny to the bilby. This is because rabbits are seen as being overpopulated and the bilbys are an endangered species.

In the United Kingdom, some communities have the Easter performance of Morris dancing, which originated in the Middle Ages. Men dress up in white, wearing hats and belts, and dance through the streets of towns in order to bring good luck for the start of spring and end of winter.

On the island of Corfu in Greece, people have the tradition of throwing clay pots filled with water out of their windows and off of their balconies. This gets very messy in the streets, and is also a very loud tradition. There is much speculation of what this represents, however many say it is to ward off bad spirits and bring in good luck for the start of spring with new crops growing in the pots.

In Finland, children dress up as witches, where they put scarves around their heads and hold onto willow twigs that are decorated with feathers. They then go around to neighbours asking for chocolate. In some areas of Finland, a giant bonfire is burnt to symbolize renewal as well as to ward off witches in the Nordic tradition.

In the town of Haux, France, a giant omelette made up of 4500 eggs is made for Easter in the town’s main square. This omelette feeds up to 1000 people, and it is said that it originated from when Napoleon and his army were travelling through the South of France, they stopped in the town and ate omelettes. Napoleon enjoyed it so much that the next day he ordered every person in town to bring their eggs and make a giant omelette for his army.

As we can see, Easter is celebrated differently all over the world. I encourage everyone to look into more ways people celebrate Easter in different countries, and please comment what you find on this post!

Today in class we will be decorating eggs, which is a traditional activity for Easter in North America. Hopefully they can turn out something like this:

Enjoy the long weekend and comment on this post of any traditions or activities you and your family take part in to celebrate Easter!