Tell Me a Story Activity Page 5

Tell Me a Story Activity Page

Episode 5:

Tell me a Story is a

Literacy-based Program on CAT-TV

Produced by the Bennington Free Library

Sponsored by the Greater Bennington Tell Me a Story Project with Funding from the Vermont Humanities Council

Books featured in Episode 5:

*Head, Body, Legs retold by Won-Ldy Paye & Margaret H. Lippert

*So Say the Little Monkeys by Nancy Van Laan

*Koi and the Kola Nuts by Verna Aardema

*Counting Crocodiles by Judy Sierra

Head, Body, Legs

by Won-Ldy Paye &

Margaret H. Lippert

Illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Long ago, Head was all by himself. He had no legs, no arms, no body. He rolled everywhere. Head is all alone. Body bounces along. Arms swing about, & Legs stand around. They can’t do much by themselves, so they try to join together. But how? Head, Body Legs is a traditional creation story from the Dan people of Liberia. Dan mothers & grandmothers tell it to children to illustrate the importance of cooperation. Won-Ldy Paye is from the Dan people and trained as a storyteller by his grandmother. Julie Paschkis was inspired by the Asafo flags of the Fante people from coastal Ghana while illustrating this book.

You, too, will be inspired by this story to create beautiful graphic paintings with warm colors and bold shapes.

Painted Paper Collage

You will need: black construction paper

scissors

glue

tempera paint (orange, red, turquoise, pink, yellow, green, dark blue & white)

brushes

white construction paper

tools to texture paint (rollers, combs, toy cars, sponges, etc.)

Prepare paint papers by rolling or brushing on one color of paint onto white construction paper. Texture with tools. Set aside and let dry overnight. Cut paint papers into interesting shapes.Cut out body parts from the black construction paper. Paint a bold background and create a picture with the cut out shape elements & paint detail inspired by this African folktale.

So Say the Little Monkeys

by Nancy Van Laan

Illustrated by Yumi Heo

Jump, Jabba Jabba,

Run Jabba Jabba

Munch, Jabba Jabba

Tiny, tiny monkeys having fun! But when are they going to build themselves a shelter from the rain, the wind and scariest of all the jaguar? Unlike the birds, these Brazilian monkeys do not make any type of permanent home. Even though thorns must be very uncomfortable, they sleep on top of them each night. This funny tale may inspire a story or an artwork to remind you not to put off for tomorrow, what you must do today….

Story & Art Starters

*Things I should have done…

*I was having so much fun that I forgot to…

*If I lived in the trees, my house would look like…

*I feel_____________ when I get home during a storm…

*This is me having fun…

*I would love to swing in the trees just like the little monkeys…

*Jibba, jibba, jabba sing the little monkeys…

My playground sounds like this…

* The illustrations are done in pencil, paint and collage. Use these materials to create a picture in the style of Yumi Heo.

Koi and the Kola Nuts

by Verna Aardema

Illustrated by Jo Cepeda

In this story you’ll meet a crocodile, a snake, and an ant who would do anything for some kola nuts. Koi , the hero of out story, just happens to have inherited a seemingly useless kola nut tree and has set out in search of adventure and romance. Follow Koi’s journey & along the way, you’ll encounter lots of new words that you can learn and add to your folktale vocabulary.

Forest Devil: An entertainer & storyteller who wore an ugly mask & several overlapping grass skirts as a costume.

Kola nuts: Kola nuts grow wild in West Africa. Each seed pod contains several red & white nuts which are shaped like horse chestnuts. They are chewed for their flavor, as well as for a stimulant or medication.

Kinja: A carrying frame made of sticks lashed together, worn upon the back & held in place by straps about the shoulders & across the forehead.

Medicine Ring: An important ring containing a signet design which could be pressed into a spot of melted wax to authenticate a document.

Rainmaker: A tribesman whose function was to pray for rain. He offered libations by pouring palm beer on the ground.

Liberia: A small country on the west coast of Africa which was settled by freed American slaves.

Counting Crocodiles

By Judy Sierra

Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

Poor Monkey. All she has to eat are sour lemons morning, noon and night until the day she spies a banana tree on a faraway island. The only way to get there is to navigate the crocodile-infested waters of the Sillabobble Sea. That’s no problem when you’re a brave & clever monkey who knows how to count to ten and back! Create a set of finger puppets and count along with her…

Crocodile Finger Puppets

You will need: a set of green gloves

felt scraps

white glue, tape

wiggly eyes

permanent markers

pipe cleaners

poster board

scissors

Cut off glove fingers for base of finger puppet or roll a rectangle of poster board or felt into a tube that fits over your finger. Secure it with tape. Create a croc mouth and glue or tape onto body. Add wiggly eyes and decorate with markers & stuff… Make a set of 10 crocs and retell the story. Have fun counting crocodiles from one to ten & back again.! A friend can pretend to be the clever little monkey or you can make a finger puppet to play the part!

More Books to Share:

*Anansi Does the Impossible!

by Verna Aardema

*Clever Gretchen

& Other Forgotten Folktales

by Alison Lurie

*The Golden Sandal:

A Middle Eastern Cinderella

by Rebecca Hickox

*Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales

by Virginia Hamilton

*Mightier than the Sword: