Courage Book Review – Why Courage Matters, by John McCainIn Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life we have a small, accessible book for adult readers (or teen readers, of course) by…
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The Rule of Threes“Third time’s the charm,” goes the saying. This, in a nutshell, is the Rule of Threes, an almost universal pattern in storytelling. Three wishes, three…
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Courage Book Review – treasures from Geraldine McCaughreanWe rank Geraldine McCaughrean among today’s most resourceful and exciting retellers of myths and legends from around the world. Her vivid writing style makes her…
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Making SoupWhen K. arrived here from Ethiopia at 8 years old, I felt she was more than old enough to help cook. (The fact that we…
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On a Journey“All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.” – Leo Tolstoy Lisa and…
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Nothing Is Bad?Elsewhere on this blog I have pointed out how nearly-identical stories can arise in separate corners of the world. For example, I’ve offered the Judgement…
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My Hansel and Gretel MomentWhen I was just entering 1st grade, my father’s job took him to Switzerland. We would all live in Zurich for a year, and my…
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Hansel and GretelA number of years ago I was teaching a writing workshop in an elementary school. I thought it would be instructive and interesting and fun…
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The Legend of the Banyan DeerThere is another story from India that has some similar features to the Damon and Pythias story. This is another tale of self-sacrifice, a difficult…
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The Children’s RoomFor the most part, if you want to find fairy tales and folk tales and myths and legends, if you want to use enchantment, you…
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