Fairytale Classics

Today my son and I went to the library after I got off from work. After reading the Little Boy Who Cried Wolf, it occurred to me that my son has not had much exposure to the "classic" fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Initially I didn't think it mattered whether or not he read/heard those stories. Instead I focused on buying books and reading stories that had characters who looked like him. I searched high and low to make sure his personal library contained titles written by and illustrated by black authors and illustrators.

But I may have been wrong in my thinking. It seems that in early education curriculum they do refer to the fairytale classics and children are expected to be able to relay the theme and talk about the characters. So, in an effort to ensure my child is well prepared and totally equipped to meet the educational challenges- we are on a mission to read all the fairy tale classics.

Our trip to the library today was more than fruitful. . .I only intended to get the three books I mentioned but we ended up with a lot more plus THREE movies. Did you know you can check out DVD's for FREE at the library and keep them for SEVEN days? I get giddy just thinking about the library, it's truly one of my favorites places. I know, I am such a geek! Thank you :-)

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

One day my son and I were in the car and he started crying. I became alarmed because he usually only cries if he hurts himself. "What’s wrong?!" I asked while surveying the area for a spot to safely pull off the road and tend to his injuries. This little. . .he started LAUGHING. "I’m just playing," he said happily. I’m not particularly in the mood to play. "That’s not funny. Keep it up and you will be just like the little boy who cried wolf," He thought about it for a second and asked, "What does that mean?"

So, I go about the business of TRYING to explain the story of the little boy who cried wolf, to my 4 year old son who has never heard the story. At the end of my translation without missing a beat The Genius asked, "So if I keep pretending to cry, a wolf is going to come?" Deep sigh. "Let’s go to the library," was my reply.

The version of this infamous fable that we checked out is retold by B. G. Hennessy and fabulously illustrated by Boris Kulikov (I love how the boy has dirty feet- makes sense because he’s outside with no shoes on). The best part of this version is the ending. I can recall in the original the wolf eats the boy (or his sheep- okay, I guess I can’t recall) but in this version the sheep pull the wool (pun intended) over the eyes of the hungry wolves and the shepherd boy.

If you’re in your local library any time soon be sure to check this one out! A timeless lesson for kids about telling half truths (LIES) or pretending to be hurt.

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