Cinderella #171 Sukey and the Mermaid

The mermaid said,
"How do, my lady?"
Illustration by
Pinkney, B.

Once upon a time, in South Carolina, "Story teller say, This happened oncet upon a time, on a little island off the coast.'  A girl named Sukey lived with her ma and step-pa in a cabin with a sagging porch and a roof so rickety it let in sunshine or rain, depending on the weather. Every morning at day-clean" Sukey got right up and went to work, hoeing the garden, toting the water, starting the day's fire. But her step-pa hollered at her, no matter how hard she worked. Sukey had secretly named him "Mr. Hard Times", and she sang a song about him when she was away from the house. "Mister Hard Times, since you come, my ma don't like me,my work never done. Mister Hard Times won't do a lick, just say,'Work faster!' or whip you with a stick." Every time she could, Sukey escaped down to the beach, where she let her hair blow in the breeze and "wriggled her bare feet deep to where the sand was wet and cold. She sang a little song that she had heard somewhere. 'Thee, thee, down below, Come to me, Mama Jo!" That's when she heard a splash, and felt cold drops of sea water sprinkled over her. Before her, swimming in the shallows, was a glittering, green and brown flecked mermaid.  Her dark green hair shone where it swirled in the water before her, and a million sparkles danced off the golden combs she wore. Sukey was startled by this creature, but the mermaid said,"How do, my lady? You look might hot there in the sun. Come into the water and cool off." But Sukey had heard neighbors say, "Them mermans cotch you and pull you beneath the water." So Sukey said politely that she could not swim. Now the mermaid offered,"I'll teach you to swim, if you wish. You have no reason to fear me, my lady. I came because your song called me." So Sukey spent the whole day at the shore with the mermaid, and when the sun set, Sukey cried out,"Oh, I'm gonna be whipped for sure. I clean forgot to feed the chickens and draw water from the well." The mermaid gave the child a large gold coin, telling her to give it to her mama when she got home. This Sukey did, and now she came every day to the shore.  Her mama had told her to see if she couldn't find any more of those big golden coins buried in the sand. So each morning, in the dawn's fresh light, Sukey went to the shore, and sang to summon Mama Jo. Each evening when she went home, she gave her mama a golden coin. But Mister Hard Times took every one, and traded them for whiskey and drank every night. At last her mama's curiosity was too much for her to bear, and she followed Sukey down to the shore. There she hid herself, and observed while her daughter sang, and the mermaid appeared. When she went home she told her husband, and mean old Mister Hard Times said ," If I cotch that merman, I'll sell'm on the main for a pile of gold."So the next morning those two greedy people went down to the shore before Sukey was awake, and rowed out in a boat.  The man had a big net, and the woman sang the song, and sure enough, Mama  Jo rose from the water. But the minute she saw that she had been tricked she flicked her tail and disappeared and a wave rose from far out at sea and swept in with such a force that it near toppled the little boat. So those two had to go home with no gold after all. When Sukey ran down to the beach that morning and sang, nothing happened. Not that day or any other day, and Sukey was sent back out in the hot sun to do the hoeing. She was sick and weary with work and grief, and before long, swooned with a fever. As she tossed and turned in her sleep, she seemed to smell salt water, and to hear the gentle voice of Mama Jo, calling her to come down to the sea. So she did, crawling all the way because she was so sick.  When she sang the song, Mama Jo appeared! She told Sukey that this would be the last time they would see each other — unless Sukey came to live below the waves. Life there was always serene and cool, Mama Jo said, and she would cherish Sukey for her own child. So Sukey agreed, and the mermaid wrapped her in her long green hair, and carried her down to the beautiful kingdom under the sea.  For a long, long time, Sukey was purely happy. She had no work to do, and there was always a kind word for her. But at last, she missed her mama, and she begged to return to shore. Now Mama Jo had come to love Sukey, and did not want her to go. But at length, she agreed, on one condition. Sukey must ask her a riddle to which Mama Jo did not know the answser. Every day for a week Sukey posed a riddle, and Mama Jo guessed every one. One day Sukey asked, "There's something that walk all day, and when night come, she go under the bed and rest. What's that?" And Mama Jo just could not think what it was, so she had to let Sukey go. Now the girl laughed and told her the answer: shoes! She had known that Mama Jo would not guess this, because, having no feet, she never put her own shoes under the bed. Now Mama Jo said,"Time has passed in the world above, while you have been with me. You are a grown woman now. Go to the pirate's chest and take a bagful of coins and jewels, this will be your dowry." And the mermaid told her that many men would now come to court her, but the only one she must agree to marry would be named Dembo. Mama Joe carried Sukey back to the beach, and she ran home, and found her mother still alive. But mean old Mister Hard Times was still there too. When Sukey told them of the mermaid's dowry for her, her mama was overjoyed. But her step-pa began to plot. As the men of the village came around to court Sukey, he watched carefully. And when the one named Dembo came, and Sukey announced that she would marry him. Mister Hard Times put his plan into action. He followed Dembo back to the woods when he left Sukey, and there he "struck Dembo dead, and stole the treasure. No one saw him do the deed, so he hid the treasure under his mattress. Now Sukey waited in vain for Dembo to return. When he did not come, she finally guessed what had happened, and ran to the sea, sobbing bitterly. Mama Jo came when she sang, and said,"Think carefully: below the sea is a gentle place without time or pain. Up here, hurt and hunger are never far away, and time is always ready to steal what little you have." But Sukey only sobbed, and begged Mama Jo to help her get Dembo back. Finally, the mermaid "dropped a seed pearl into the young woman's palm. 'Set this on Dembo's lips. Goodbye, my lady." And with that, she sank below the waves and was gone. Now Sukey ran back to the cabin, and there was Dembo laid out in a pine coffin. She put the pearl upon his lips as all the mourners looked on. "Right away, life came into him again." and he jumped out of the coffin and yelled, "That's the one that hit me!" as he pointed to step-pa. But that bad man grabbed the sack of gold from under his bed and ran like the wind. Sukey was glad to see the man go, though she would have preferred to keep the gold. She and Dembo were married the very next day. "As the two of them sat on the beach, Sukey wriggled her toes deep in the white sand and felt something hidden there. Together, they dug up the lost treasure bag." That's when Sukey saw a glint of green and gold, and heard a splash.  So "she blew a kiss across the waves and heard sweet laughter in return. 'Storyteller say, I step on a thing, and the thing bend. And that's the way my story end."

From:Sukey and the Mermaid (Aladdin Picture Books) by Robert San Souci (1992) New York: Four Winds Press.

Notes: Remember the path from water spirit/water creature, to mermaid granting wishes, to fairy godmother. This book is so lovely to look at, without even reading the words. Would be delightful to use as an example of a fine arts technique.

Montessori Connection: US History/South Carolina

1. Read this story and find South Carolina on the map.

2. Learn that it was the 8th state to form, and that its state birthday is May 23, 1788.

3. Learn more about South Carolina: Ghosts of the Carolinas for Kids or Pirates of the Carolinas for Kids or Lighthouses of the Carolinas for Kids or South Carolina: Indian Dictionary for Kids (Carole Marsh State Books) (Spanish Edition) or The South Carolina Colony (Thirteen Colonies (Lucent))

Cinderella #170 Cinderella and the boys: Tom Thumb and Robin Hood

Illustrated by Benvenuti
(1962)

Cinderella #170  Cinderella and the boys: Tom Thumb and Robin Hood

Inch, pinch, pear, plum,

I smell Tom Thumb,

Tom Thumb in the woods,

Making friends with Robin Hood.

Robin Hood in the cellar,

Making love to Cinderella.

Cinderella dressed in yella,

turns round like this! 

Notes: Happy Summer Solstice!

Montessori Connection: Literature/Robin Hoold

1. Read this rhyme.

2. Think whether you know who Robin Hood is?

3. Learn more about Robin Hood:The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood or The Adventures of Robin Hood (Puffin Classics) or The Adventures of Robin Hood (Classic Starts).

Cinderella #169 The Sea Princess of Persia

Suddenly, the Sea Prince leapt
into the water with
Smile-of-the-Moon
in his arms.

Once upon a time, "long, long, ago, a king of Persia had a hundred wives, but none had given him a child." One day, a servant ran in to the king's throne room, with the news that there was a man at the door selling an extraordinarily beautiful slave girl. When the king ordered that the slave should be brought in for him to see, he was shown a girl whose hair "fell down her back in seven heavy braids that touched her ankles; her eyes were so bright they would heal the sick. 'Praise Allah!" said the king, and pain ten thousand gold coins for the girl. He brought her cool drinks and refreshments, and asked her to tell her story. But the girl "only stared sorrowfully into the distance". So the king ordered that a bath be prepared for her, and that she be given the best rooms, those overlooking the glittering, blue sea. At the mention of this, "the girl lifted her eyes and a faint smile flickered across her lips." Now the girl sat in her room for hours every day, staring out at the waves. When one month had passed, the king called for all the best singers in the land to come and try to cheer the girl up. They came and they sang, and everyone in the palace had a merry time — except the slave girl. When two months had gone by, the king called for all of the best dancers in the kingdom to come and dance. Many dancers came, alone and in troops, and put on a marvelous show. Everyone in the palace thoroughly enjoyed themselves — except the slave girl. When three months had gone by, and the slave girl still had neither spoken nor smiled, the king bent on his knee and and said, "Please. You must tell me what you want. I will give you anything." But the girl did not say a word, only sat "alone, unmoved, her head lowered, her heart broken." And now the king's heart began to break, slowly, yet surely. How could he ever hope to make this beautiful girl smile and laugh?  When he could not stand the silence for another day, he went to her and said," Heart of my heart. Do you not know that I love you? For weeks I have borne your silence and your coldness, and now I fear I will soon die of grief." At this, the slave girl looked up, and said,"Great-hearted king, I swore never to speak again, but your kindness has softened my resolve.  I've kept silent because I am angry about being a slave. I miss my mother, my brother, and the land of my birth." And the king praised Allah, and asked where the girl's land and family were.  She told him,"My name is Princess Julnare.  My land is the Land-Under-the-Sea. My people are the children of the sea. One night, I left my home in the waters and climbed to the shore for a visit. In the moonlight, the warm breeze wooed me to sleep. When I woke, a slave merchant had captured me." And the king begged her to forgive the ways of men, and she said that, because he was so kind, she would forgive them on his behalf. And, she said, "Because your kindness is so great, I will give you a child." Now the king "felt lifted from the very earth by his joy", and gave "a hundred thousand gold coins to the poor as a token  of his gratitude to Allah." The very next year a "plump, rosy-faced boy was born to Princess Julnare." The little fellow "shone with the brightness of the full moon." The king was so happy that he opened the jails and set all of the prisoners free, gave his servants gifts, and his slaves their freedom. "On the eighth day, Princess Julnare named her son Smile-of-the-Moon." Then she told the king that in order to be rid of her remaining sorrow, she must see her family once more. He asked how he might summon them and she told him,"I will do it. You may go in the next room and watch." Then she placed "two sweet-smelling pieces of wood upon a fire. When the smoke began to rise, she whistled, then murmured strange magic words." Immediately a handsome young man with green hair and ruddy cheeks rose up.  He was her brother, the Prince of the Sea. With him was "an old woman with white hair and a ruby crown", and this was her mother, Queen Locust of the Sea.  Now these two looked up and saw Princess Julinare at the window, and jumped up and right into the room. They kissed the Princess with deep happiness, and when they saw little Prince Smile-of-the-Moon, they were beside themselves with happiness.  That's when "the prince suddenly leapt through the window with the tiny baby, and he disappeared down into the sea! The king screamed in horror. He flew into the next room" calling out that his son had been stolen from him. But the princess begged him to wait but a moment, and just then, the waves parted, "and the prince emerged with Smile-of-the-Moon in his arms." The child was smiling as widely as a full moon, and the water dripped off of his little back. The prince said, "Oh, King, were you frightened when I jumped into the sea with this small one?" and the king answered, "Yes, uncle of my son, I despaired he would drown and and I would never ever see him again." So the prince told him of the gift he had just given the child, "the same birthright as all the children of the sea," which was that the boy would never drown, and need not fear the waves in his lifetime. "The prince handed the boy to the king. Then he drew a cloth bag from his belt and poured its contents upon the carpet. The king gasped. Before him were pearls the size of pigeon's eggs, and the thousand fires of a thousand underwater jewels." Now Qqueen Locust of the Sea, and her son the prince bade Princess Julnare  farewell, promising to return for a visit. With that, they leapt out the window like a pair of fish, and splashed down, laughing, among the waves. "From that day on, the Sea Princess of Persia lived happily with the King of Persia.  And their little Smile-of-the-Moon grew up to be very brave and very wise." 

From Mermaid Tales from Around the World, Retold by Mary Pope Osborne, Illustrated by Troy Howell. (1993) New York: Scholastic Inc.

Notes: What makes this a Cinderella story? The motif of slave girl rising to queen, even though the slave girl is herself a princess; the motif of princess demoted to slave, even though in this case there is no period of time when she does menial labor; the connection of water spirits.  Remember that often water spirits are fish, or crocodiles, or other water animals, or may be well-spirits, or may be old women waiting by wells for a drink of water. In all of these cases, pleasing the spirit brings good luck, and angering it, bad. Here the king has gone to such trouble to please the slave girl, and then allows her to call her family. Notice that this is a happy-family tale: neither the uncle nor grandmother of little Prince Smile-of-the-Moon is vindictive, and the sea princess lives happily ever after.  Let us assume that the king granted her freedom; perhaps the dowry paid to him by her brother was part of the deal. 

Montessori Connection: The Seven Seas/Mermaids in World Literature and Legend

1. Using a globe, count the seas and oceans.

2. List them, using an atlas if needed.

3. Learn that there are stories about water spirits and mermaids in most cultures.

4. Learn more about mermaids: A Serenade of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World or A Treasury of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World or A Treasury of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World

Cinderella #168 Twelve Iron Sandals (1985)

The princess walks with an iron stave.
Illustration by Spanfeller, J.

Once upon a time, in Czechoslovakia, "there was a king who had three daughters. The two eldest ones were married but the youngest one could not choose a husband. She was beautiful and clever, and she didn't think much of the throngs of kings, princes, and high nobility who came as suitors." One day, a young man arrived who moved the princess' heart. He wore clothing of a fine and strange cut, and rode the mightiest steed anyone had ever seen. Still and all, the princess watched the man at court for one week before announcing that she wanted to marry him.  At once, the young man begged for a private audience with her. He said, "My love, I have to reveal a secret to you. I am a King of a faraway country, ten times more powerful than your father. However, I can spend only the daylight hours with you. At night I must be alone, prisoner of the spell cast upon me by an evil magician because I rejected his daughter's hand in marriage. Yet I assure you, the spell will not last forever. One day we will travel to take possession of my kingdom." The princess told the young man that her love for him was strong enough to withstand this test, and that she would wait any length of time for him. They were married with the most magnificent feast in history, which is "still told in legends and sung by minstrels in many countries." Now the days passed delightfully for the newlyweds,. but the nights became a time of loneliness for the princess. As months passed and her husband showed no signs that the enchantment would end soon, the princess grew impatient. And "one day, the two lovers were so deeply immersed in a game of charades that the princess forgot about her predicament. It wasn't until dusk that she remembered, yet she was sure her husband wouldn't leave this time." She was wrong. Now the princess decided to follow him, and tippy-toed after.  Peeping through the keyhole of his private chamber she saw, "to her amazement, her busband put on a scaly green skin and became a huge lizard. In that likeness, he coiled in front of the fireplace, sighed deeply, and went to sleep." The princess went back to her own lonely chamber, and began to plot. One day not long after, when she and the prince were engaged in  a game of charades, he suddenly realized the time and dashed away. Now she grabbed hold of his hand and went with him to his chambers.  Before he realized what she was doing, she entered with him, grabbed the lizard skin and threw it into the blaze on the hearth. "In the flames, the skin coiled into a tight knot, then sizzled and was burnt in a minute." At this the prince was grave, and told his love that her impatience would cost them both dearly. In just one month's time, he said, the spell would have been over. Now, cursed by the revenge of his former bride-to-be, she who was the daughter of an evil wizard, would cause the prince to vanish from view until his new bride came to find him. But this would not be easy, he said, "For to find me, you would have to wear out twelve iron sandals, break twelve iron staves, and eat twelve iron loaves of bread." And then he disappeared. Though the King sent messengers to the four corners of the world, and the princess sent her envoys out offering a reward, no sign was found of the strange young prince. That's when the princess knew what she must do. It was she who had caused the terrible events by her rash burning of the lizard skin. She remembered the words of her husband and "had twelve iron sandals made, twelve iron staves and twelve iron loaves of bread." She loaded these things into a pack, put on the first pair of sandals, and began her search. Her back nearly broke under the weight, and her feet grew blistered from the heavy iron shoes. At night, she nibbled from an iron loaf, "which seemed to have no end." But on she went, determined to set her beloved free. "After much suffering, the twelfth pair of iron sandals was wearing thin, the twelfth iron staff was bent, and there was only a mouthful of iron bread left in her knapsack." That morning, she reached a kingdom ruled by an evil and mysterious queen. The kingdom had lost it's king, though no one could say where he went, and in his place sat a wicked queen. This was the kingdom the princess in the iron sandals had sought. She strode to the gates of the palace, and waited until the haughty queen came out. Then she displayed her finest golden necklace, as though she were a peddler, and watched as the queen passed by. Just as the princess had hoped, the jewelry tempted the queen. When she demanded to know the price, the strange girl in the iron sandals insisted that it was not for sale, but only to be traded. In return for the necklace, she required one night spent alone with the king. Greed ruled over prudence, and the queen consented to this plan. Thus the princess was seated in her husband's bedchamber, and allowed to pass the hours of darkness there. But "instead of joy, the princess was seized with pain at the look of him, for his body was pierced with thousands of needles from head to toe. Only the faint twitching of his wounded eyelids proved he wasn't dead." Working frantically through the night, "ignoring the pain as her nimble fingers were pricked with needles, she kept at her task."  With blood dripping from her fingertips, she cleared all of his body of needles, except for "his face and  one hand." That's when the queen barged into the room and flung the curtains open. It was dawn, and the princess' time had run out. In desperation, the princess now bartered her earrings, studded with diamonds and filigreed in gold. Once again the greedy queen agreed, and for a second night, the princess labored with lacerated fingers to remove the needles from her love. To her horror, all of those of the previous night, and more, were now protruding from the prince. Again she plucked needles till dawn, and again the queen burst triumphantly in before she had finished. So she traded her ring, "worth more than the whole of your palace" the princess said. The queen agreed, and pushed her out of the palace door. The day passed in misery, but that evening, "as she walked toward the palace, she hurt her foot on a sharp stone." There was a hole in her shoe! The last pair of iron sandals had worn out. Digging out the last crumbs of iron bread, she ate them and it was soft and delicious.  She felt strength flow into her, and set out for the palace. For a third night she pulled needles, her own eyes red from weeping, her fingers red with blood, but she kept on, and by dawn, "there was only one needle left in each of her husband's eyelids".  The queen came in and laughed an evil, triumphant laugh. The princess reached out and grabbed one needle with each hand. When the queen called for the guards to push her out, she would not let go of the needles. That is how the last two needles were finally pulled out. Now "the king's voice rang young and resolute through the room." He commanded the guards to let his princess go, and, with great relief, they did so. Their king was come  once more to himself! The wicked wizard queen "was burned at the stake the very next Sunday, while the young pair rejoiced at their happy reunion. They spent day after day recounting their love and the suffering of these long years. And if they haven't died, they live in bliss to this day."

From Twelve Iron Sandals and other Czechoslovak Tales by Vit Horejs, ilustrated by Jim Spanfeller. (1985) New Jersey: Prentiss Hall Twelve Iron Sandals and Other Czechoslovak Tales

Notes: This story carries on the motif of unusual footwear worn by the maiden.  It is reminiscent of The Black Bull of Norroway (Cinderella #148), in which a princess  wears iron shoes to reach the top of the glass hill and find her prince.  I have always wondered the twelve sandals means six pairs, or twelve pairs. It seems it would be pairs, because we don't generally refer to individual shoes when taking inventory, for example.  Think about how steel-toed boots worn by people in many trades to prevent injury by heavy objects falling on the feet are reminiscent of iron sandals.  Ponder the fact that Wonder Bread, that squishy, marshmallow soft loft, claims its iron content providing health benefits to children. Think about iron loaves of bread the next time you see those red and yellow bubbles on the package! Final note: Q: What kind of lizard is man sized? A: Crocodile, of course! Or perhaps dino? Either way, the lizard is an ancient animal, and it appears as a magical being, an animal transformed, or an enchanted animal skin in many, many fairytales. Where else would Perrault have gotten the idea to use lizards for footmen?

Montessori Connection: Fundamental Needs of People/Shoes/Famous Shoes

1. Read this story and notice how important the shoes are, and what they are made of. 

2. Think about whether you have ever heard of any kind of shoes with metal on them or in them. Hint: tap shoes, ice skates, roller skates, steel-toed boots. 

3. Think about footwear throughout the ages.

4. Learn about some famous shoes of history.

 Hint: King Tutankhamun, who was King of Egypt from the time he was 9 until he died as a young man, famously wore sandals painted with the images of his enemies, the better to crush them at every step. The Complete Tutankhamun: The King, the Tomb, the Royal Treasure (King Tut)

Hint: The Greek god Mercury wore winged sandals, given to him by Zeus so that he could be truly fleet of foot. Learn how he got them. D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

5. Learn about fictional footwear. Hints: ruby slippers, Pippi Longstocking, Wynken, Blynken and Nod, The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. 

Cinderella #167 Tattercoats (Number Two, retold by F.A.Steele)

The great palace by the sea.
Illustrations by Diane Goode.

Once upon a time, "in a great palace by the sea, there once dwelt a very rich old lord who had neither wife nor children living, only one little granddaughter whose face he had never seen in all her life. He hated her bitterly", for her birth had brought about her mother's death.  For the loss of his own daughter, the lord blamed this lonesome baby. So he sent it away with a nurse, and told himself that he did not care whether the child lived or no.  He sat upon his throne and gazed out to sea, weeping over the losses of his life.  Finally, "his white hair and beard grew down over his shoulders and twined round his chair." He wept so hard and and so long that "his tears, dropping onto the window ledge, wore a channel through the stone and ran away in a little river to the sea." Meanwhile, the child was cared for by the nurse, who fed her on scraps, and dressed her in cast-off tatters. Her little feet never knew shoes, and she grew up as wild as the flowers in springtime. Since she was noble born but tossed among the servants, they hated her every one, and mockingly called her Tattercoats. Jeering her was their sport, and the child quickly learned to stay out of their way. Out of doors all day long, she soon learned to follow a large gaggle of geese that waddled past each day. They were herded by a small, funny man who was a "queer, merry little chap", and played so happily on his pipe that he could make Tattercouts forget her woes, whether she felt "hungry or cold or tired".  The girl danced away the years, her nimble, bare feet stepping lightly over the grass.  Her gown, patched with scraps and stitched firmly together, faded and blurred until it seemed made of a thousand colors.  It happened one day that the King travelled throughout the land, inviting all the gentry to a ball. A courier was sent to the castle of the old lord, "who still sat by his window, wrapped up in his long beard." Now Tattercoats sat down and cried, for she knew that her grandfather was going to the ball, and that he would not take her with him. Nurse went and beseeched the old man to take pity on the girl, two times she asked him, and then three. But "he only frowned and told her to be silent while the servants laughed and said, 'Tattercoats is happy in her rags, playing with the gooseherd! Let her be — it is all that she is fit for." Now Tattecoats fled, crying, to find comfort with her friends, the geese and their herder. He dried her tears and suggested they go together into town, to see the fine people passing by. She looked sadly down at her own rags and bare toes and the gooseherd saw what was in her mind. "Before she well knew, the gooseherd had taken her by the hand, and she and he, with the geese before them, were dancing down the road towards the town." As they skipped down the road they saw coming towards them a fine steed with a well-dressed rider upon its back. As he drew nearer, the man dismounted, and asked if they knew the way to the king's castle. "You seem merry folk, and will be good company!" said he, when he found that they were "going thither".  The gooseherd struck up "a new tune, that was not a dance", and the longer he played, the brighter shone Tattercoats' face, and the more faded were her rags, until they hardly seemed noticeable.  As the sun beamed down upon him, the gentleman felt a very strange sensation in his chest. Before he could restrain himself, he burst out,"You are the most beautiful maiden in the world. Will you marry me?' The gooseherd smiled to himself and played sweeter than ever.  But Tattercoats laughed. 'Not I,' said she, 'you would be finely put to shame, and so would I be, if you took a goosegirl for your wife! Go and ask one of the great ladies you will see tonight at the King's ball, and do not flout poor Tattercoats." Yet the goosherd kept playing, and the sun kept shining, and Tattercoats was so lovely that the  young man begged her "to come that night at twelve to the King's ball, just as she was, with the gooseherd and the geese, in her torn petticoat and bare feet".  Then she would see, he told her, that he would ask her to dance before the assembled company, and show that his love for her was true. Tattercoats would not agree to this, but the gooseherd counseled her,"Take fortune when it comes, little one." The ball was a lavish affair and the feasting of the highest level. When the table and chairs had been cleared, and the musicians struck a tune, and the chandeliers were lighted, the palace seemed bathed in luxury. And the fine ladies in their silks and brocades, and the lords in their velvets and furs, strode about haughtily, dancing with dainty steps amid the splendor. But when the clock began to toll the midnight hour all the guests fluttered into silence. For right up to the King marched a ragged goosegirl, and a gaggle of noisy geese! The King stared in amazement, a tiny smile hidden beneath his beard. Now the young gentleman who had invited Tattercoats stepped forward and said,"Father!' — for it was the prince himself — 'I have made my choice, and here is my bride, the loveliest girl in all the land, and the sweetest as well. "Now the gooseherd began to play his pipes once more and "as he played, Tattercoats' rags were changed to shining robes  sewn with glittering jewels, a golden crown lay upon her golden hair, and the flock of geese behind her became a crowd of pages, bearing her long train." And the King embraced his son's bride and called her Daughter, and the courtiers saw how graceful and lovely the girl was, and the trumpets were sounded, and merriment reigned. As for the gooseherd, he is still tending his geese, and if ever you are walking in the woods and hear "notes that sound like a bird singing, far off", you will know that he is near.

From Tattercoats, Told by Flora Annie Steel, with pictures by Diane Goode. (1976) New York: Bradbury Press

Notes: This is a lovely book, with water color illustrations that set a wistful, magical tone. I love the part where the lord's tears carve a channel in the windowsill! The story is reminiscent of The Turkey Girl, a Zuni American Indian tale. In that story, her only friends are also a flock of birds, and she has no friendly herd boy for a mate. 

Montessori Connection: Extension, The Work of Water/ Erosion

1. Read this story and notice what happens to the stone windowsill after the lord cries on it for so many years.

2. Ask your teacher to give you the Work of Water lesson on erosion.

3. Learn that erosion means wearing away a little tiny bit at a time.

4. Ask for permission to build a small mountain out of rocks, earth and sand, outside.

5. Using a garden hose, tubing, straws, tin foil, or other materials, experiment with running water down your mountain.

6. Observe the results.

7. If a pathway, or channel has been worn through the soil, you will have witnessed erosion. 

Cinderella #166 The Snake

She sat down for a rest on a log...

Note: contains violence. Once upon a time, there was a farmer who"went out mowing every day, and at noon, one or the other of his three daughters would bring him his lunch." Well, one day the oldest girl went with it. It was a long walk, and when she got to the edge of the woods, she sat down on a log for a short rest. "No sooner had she taken a seat than she felt a strong thud underneath, and out crawled a snake." The girl was so scared that she threw the lunch down and ran all the way home. The next day, it was the middle girl's turn to go. She sat down for a rest on the very same log, and out crawled the very same snake! Of course, the day after that, it was time for the youngest sister to carry her father his lunch. This smart girl packed one basket for her father — and a second one, besides. When she got to the edge of the wood, she sat down and waited for the snake to appear. When it did, she gave it a picnic basket of food. That's when the snake spoke to her. It said,"Take me home with you, and I will bring you luck." This the girl did, and kept her snake friend a secret from the family. It lived under her bed for many months. One day, however, it was too big to fit, so it announced that it would have to move on. It gave the girl three charms before leaving, though. When "weeping, she would shed tears of pearls and silver; laughing, she would see golden pomegranate seeds fall from her head; and washing her hands, she would produce fish of every kind." The  next day the food ran out at the farmer's house. There was nothing for breakfast, and nothing for lunch, and by dinnertime, the family was weak with hunger. So the girl washed her hands, and lo! — the basin was immediately full of fish. The mother cooked them and the whole family ate their fill of them. And then the farmer decided he had better lock up this strange daughter at once. So, he pushed her up into the attic and locked her in. She had nothing to do but look out the window. Fortunately, this looked over the king's garden, where his young son amused himself playing ball. When the prince slipped and fell, the girl found it so funny that she could not stop laughing. Of course, she scattered golden pomegranate seeds down over the prince! But when he looked up to see where they came from, all he saw was an empty attic window. The next day, a beautiful young sapling sprung up. Before nightfall, it was covered with fine, red pomegranates.  Yet when the king reached for one, the branches swung from his hands. When the prince tried, the tree actually grew a foot taller, and raised itself out of reach. That is how they knew that it was a magic tree, and that the wise men, and wizards must be summoned to learn how it was charmed.  "The oldest of them all said that only one maiden would be able to pick the fruit and that she would become the bride of the king's son." Now the king sent out an order that every girl in the kingdom must come and try to pick the fruit, on pain of death.  So, they all came. Smart girls, and dumb ones, fat ones and smart ones, girls with skin as white as milk and girls with skin as brown as a hazelnut, from every corner of the land. But no one could reach the fruit. The longest ladders always seemed just a bit too short. When the farmer's daughter's tried to pick the pomegranates "they fell off the ladder and landed flat on their backs. The king had the houses searched, and found other girls, including one locked up in the attic. As soon as they took her to the tree, the branches bent down, and placed the pomegranates right in her hands. Everyone  cheered, 'That's the bride!". So preparations were made for a grand wedding. First, however, all three of the farmer's daughter's rode together back to the woods. Suddenly, the oldest girl called for the carriage to halt in the depths of the woods. That's when "the older girls ordered the younger one out of the carriage, cut off her hands, gouged out her eyes, and left her lying unconscious in the bushes."  Then her eldest sister changed dresses with the dead girl, got back into the carriage with her remaining sister, and drove away. They went straight back to the prince, and acted like nothing had happened. The sister simply took on her sister's name, and acted like she had been the bride all along. The prince wondered "why she'd become so ugly, but since she faintly resembled the other girl, he decided he'd been mistaken all along about her original beauty." Meanwhile, back in the forest, the youngest sister wandered, bloody and blind. A carter picked her up, and put her on the back of his mule. She told him to look on the ground, and there he found silver and pearls which had streamed from her eyes as she wept. He gathered them and sold them "for more than a thousand crowns." He was so glad he had stopped for the poor, maimed maiden,and carried her home to his cottage. "One day, the girl felt a snake wrap around her leg; it was the snake she had once befriended. 'Did you know your sister married the king's son  and became queen, since the old king died? Now she's expecting a baby and wants figs. " So the blind girl told the carter, "Load a mule with figs and take them to the queen."  And, although it was winter and the trees were bare, when the carter went to the garden he found one heavy with figs. So "he filled up two baskets and loaded them onto his donkey. 'How high a price can  I ask for figs in winter?' said the carter. 'Ask for a pair of eyes.' replied the maiden." When the carter showed up at the palace with his fruit, the king asked the price. Hearing that it was none other than a pair of human eyeballs, he went to consult with his wife. She would not give her eyes, nor he his, nor her sister hers. That's when they remembered the pair they had gouged out of their other sister. "Let's give him our sister's eyes, which are of no use to us." And so they bought the figs, paying one eye for each basket.  The carter carried the eyes home to the maiden, and "she put them back in place and saw again as well as ever. " Soon the queen craved peaches, and sent her sister to find the carter who had sold the figs. When he heard what she wanted, he went home, and told the handless girl. She told him to go look in the garden, and there, under the snowy branches, were soft yellow peaches. When he asked her what price to ask, she replied, "A pair of hands."  Back the carter went to the palace, with his tempting load of fruit.  When the queen and her sister heard the price, they beseeched someone to cut off their hands and buy the baskets of peaches. But nobody would do it, not even when the king ordered it. So they decided to get the old arms they'd cut off their sister, and pay with those. Back at home, the carter gave the girl her hands. "She reattached them to her arms and was as sound as ever." And the next day, the queen's labor pains began. All day they continued and then — out slid the babe! Yet it was no human child but a scorpion! The king, who had announced only that a child was born, celebrated the birth with a fancy dress ball. The farmer's youngest daughter "went dressed as a queen, and was the belle of the ball." That's when the king recognized her, and realized what had happened. She was sad and happy and felt like washing her hands all at once, so she "laughed golden seeds, wept pearls and washed fish into the basin as she told her story from start to finish. The two wicked sisters and the scorpion were burned on a pyre, sky-high.  On the same day, the grand wedding banquet took place.  THEY PUT ON THE DOG AND HIGH DID THEY SOAR; I SAW, I HEARD, I HID BEHIND THE DOOR. THEN TO DINE, REPAIRED I TO THE INN, AND THERE MY STORY DRAWS TO AN END."

From Italian Folktales Selected and Retold  by Italo Calvino (p. 37)

Notes: The cutting off of the hands and putting out the eyes is an old fairy tale plot device; the Brothers Grimm collection featured The Maiden Without Hands, a forerunner of this motif found in so many places. This story shows how pomegranates, as well as oranges and pumpkins and gourds, appear in fairy tales as bringers of fortune and magic. Surely, Charles Perrault was inspired by many such stories when he chose a pumpkin for his fairy godmother to transform into a coach!

Montessori Connection: Botany/Pomegranates/Pomegranates in Literature

1. Read this story and notice where the pomegranate appears. 

2. Learn that the scientific name for pomegranates Punica granaium, and that the tree is native to west Asia and north Africa.  

3. Learn more about pomegranates:Pomegranates: 70 Celebratory Recipes

4. Learn about a famous Greek story involving pomegranate seeds:D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

Cinderella #165 The Invisible Grandfather (1956)

Woodcut from Proverbi de Veneto,
Aldo Martello-Giunti Editore, S.p.A. Milan

 Once upon a time, in Venice, there was "a mother with three daughters, and the family was as poor as poor could be. One day, one of the three girls said, 'Look, rather than stay here and suffer, I'm going out in the world to seek my fortune. With that, she picked up and left."  Well, she walked all day and all night and all the next day. She was quite tired then, so when she came to a palace, she knocked on the door and went in. Although it was richly fitted with sofas and settees and tables and chairs she could find no one about. She went down stairs, thinking to take service in the kitchen.  But there was no one there either. So, when she noticed that there was a pot boiling over the fire, and that the cupboards were full of "bread, rice, wine, and a little bit of everything". she said out loud, "Here's everything one could possibly need, and I am hungry, so I am making myself some good soup right away." That's when she saw a mysterious pair of hands begin to set the table! So she sat down and ate a bowl of rice, and when it was gone, "the hands brought her a cockerel, and she ate every bit of it. 'Yes indeed!,'she mused,'I was truly weak from hunger, but I feel better now." And up she got, and went exploring the other rooms of the castle. She found a dressing room, filled with all manner of fine ladies' clothing, brand new, and in her size. She found a bedroom, and a huge velvet featherbed, piled with pillows. "What a fine bed! I'm going to retire right away!"  Then she climbed in, and slept soundly all night. In the morning, she got up and the mysterious hands helped her to dress in the finest manner. She thought she would go out and walk in the garden, and she had just stepped out under the apple trees "at the very moment when a king happened by. Catching sight of the beautiful maiden, he asked he asked under what conditions he could talk to her, for he was overwhelmed with admiration."  The girl told him that she was alone at the palace, with neither father nor mother, and would have to consult her grandfather for permission. Then she went inside and went to the large fireplace in the kitchen. Facing it she said, "Dear sir, I ended up at this palace, but I've never seen a soul anywhere around, and now there's a king who's taken a liking to me. What must I tell him when he returns for an answer?" And a voice came out of the chimney and said,"Beautiful you are and more beautiful will you be. I give you my blessing! Tell the king your poor, sick, solitary grandfather is glad for you to marry, provided you don't put off the wedding . Now, go, my lovely one whose loveliness will increase." As the voice spoke those words, her beauty grew. The next day, she walked under the apple trees again, and once more, the king passed by. She told him that her "poor, sick, solitary grandfather" had given his blessing, provided that they didn't delay. Each day for a week the king courted her, and they walked among the trees speaking of this and that, and sharing their dreams.  Then the girl went in and spoke to the fireplace once more. "Grandfather, we've now courted for a week, do you think that's long enough?" The chimney voice answered, "Go ahead and marry him and start carrying off everything in the house. Be sure you leave nothing behind. It is very important you take every single thing! Now go, my lovely one, whose loveliness will increase." As the voice spoke, she became lovelier still. The next day, when the king passed by, she gave him the good news. He made plans for the wedding, and she told him of the plan to move everything out of the palace and take it with her. He sent servants and she supervised, and soon they had "swept out the palace and thrown away brooms and brushes. It was completely empty." Except for one, tiny, golden chain which the girl fancied she would wear as she left the palace. She hung it carefully on a pin in the wall, meaning to put it on after she left the chimney-voice.  This mysterious being blessed her once more with beauty, and then she left. But she forgot to take the little chain with her. When she and the king had gone but a little way, she felt at her neck and realized the mistake. Though the king told her not to worry, that he would have a fine one made for her soon, she begged to go back. Once there, she rushed into the kitchen and knelt before the fireplace. "Grandfather?" 'What do you want?''Please forgive me, I forgot my golden necklace." And she took it from the pin. But the invisible grandfather bellowed,"Be gone! Be gone, you hideous bearded woman!" and the girl fled, crying. The king, seeing that she had been bewitched, held her tenderly. He would still marry her, he said,but not just yet. Instead, he would take her to a woodland cottage he kept nearby, and visit her daily there. To himself he wondered what he would tell his father. He had already "praised her beauty to the skies" and the old man would think him daft if he presented a bearded girl as a beauty. The young king was true to his word, and visited his bearded beauty every day. But the servants began to whisper, and one day his father called him forward and said, "What do you mean by courting a bearded woman? The dignity of the crown is at stake! Either you give her up, or I will put her to death." So the young king went and told his bearded bride that he must end things with her, lest she face death. And she said, "Do one thing for me. Get someone to make me a black veil and a black velvet dress. Then take me to Grandfather and we'll ask him to help us out." And this was done, and the two went back to the enchanted castle, and the girl begged for help. The chimney-voice jeered, "What do you want, you hideous, bearded woman?" The girl told him of the king's father's death threat, and the voice now said,"Didn't I tell you to take away everything, every single thing?If you hadn't left the golden necklace, I would now be free from my evil spell; but instead, I have to start my sentence all over again from the beginning. " Now the girl cried and begged to be returned to her original complexion, without the added beauty which the chimney had given her before.  So the old ashy one took pity on her.  After double checking that, this time, she had everything, the voice said,"Beautiful you were and more beautiful you shall become." And the girl felt her chin naked once more, and dashed outside, and the young king rejoice. He took her home at once and showed her to his father, who made her stand out on the balcony for the afternoon, so that all the citizens could see for themselves that she had no beard. "A few days later, the young people were married. At the wedding banquet they served radish preserves, peeled mice, skinned cats, and fried monkeys. They ate that, and there was enough left over for tomorrow. To top everything off was a sprig of rosemary, token of remembrance, but nobody thought to say to me so much as 'Have a glass of wine!"

From Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino (p. 103)

Notes: Classic Cinderella markers here are: she is the youngest child, and unwanted; the role of the fireplace and chimney ashes; the fact that she ends up marrying the king. 

Montessori Connection:

1. Read this story and learn that it is from Venice, Italy.

2. Find Venice, Italy on a map or globe. 

3. Think about why the girl calls the fireplace "Grandfather".

4. Learn that it can be used as a term of respect for a gentleman of age, or whose name is unknown.

5. Learn more about using the word Grandfather. Examples: grandfather clock; grandfather time; to grandfather a rule in; "the granddaddy of them all". 

6. Explore the word grandfather using a dictionary and good thesaurus such as: Young People's Pocket Thesaurus or The Young People's Thesaurus Dictionary or The Kigfisher Books - Four Book Set -Illustrated Pocket Dictionary,Young People's Atlas, Illustrated Pocket Thesaurus,Young People's Pocket Dictionary

Cinderella #164 Kate Crackernuts (1978)

Anne's bonny head was
suddenly turned into a sheep's head!

Once upon a time, in the Orkney Islands off of Scotland, "there lived a king and queen.  The king had a daughter named Anne and the noblewoman he married had a daughter named Kate. The two girls grew to love each other dearly." Not so dear was the jealousy which this queen showed over her stepdaughter's affection.  As the years passed, and Anne's beauty increased, the stepmother decided to tip fate's hand toward her daughter.  Else she was sure that the best husband would go to Anne, with only leavings for Kate to choose from. One day, the queen spied the hen-wife, and went to seek her counsel. This one "was known for her magic potions and spells." The hen-wife listened to the queen and said,"Send the lassie to me early in the morn. But be sure 'tis before she's had food or drink." So the next morning, the queen called for Anne and told her to run along to the hen-wife to bring back fresh eggs for breakfast.  She scolded her to go quickly, stopping for no reason.  Anne took a basket — and a bit of bread to eat on the way — and went to the hen-wife.  And there she told the old wife that she wanted fresh eggs. That one said to her,"Now, lift the lid of that pot and tell me what you'll see!" Anne did so, and saw nothing but steam. When the old woman heard that, she said, "Go home to the queen and tell her to keep her larder better locked." This the girl did, and the next day, the queen sent her for fresh eggs once more, and saw her out the door, empty-handed, herself. But on the way, Anne "saw some country folk picking peas by the roadside, and being a friendly lass, she stopped to talk with them. They offered her a handful of fresh peas and these she took to eat on the way." When she got to the hen-wife's cottage, the old one told her to look under the lid of the pot again. Once more she saw nought but steam, and when she said so, the hen-wife replied,"Tell the queen the pot won't boil if the fire's away." On the morning of the third day, the queen  herself escorted her  stepdaughter to the hen-wife's, and bade the girl ask for fresh eggs. This time, "when Anne lifted the lid off the pot to peer inside, her bonny head was suddenly turned into a sheep's head." Now the queen, it was true, had wanted Anne to become uglier than Kate, yet even she had not bargained for a wooly head adorned with curling horns. She took the girl home and Kate declared her guilty of cruelty toward her sister. Then the two girls wrapped themselves in cloaks, Anne with "a fine linen kerchief" about her face, and went away to seek their fortunes. "They walked on and on, over a mountain and down the other side, till at last they came to a castle." Here Kate rapped upon the door and begged lodgings for herself and her "sick sister". "The two were fed and given a room but they were not long in the castle before Kate saw something was amiss. Such lamenting and grieving among the castle folk!" Inquiring as to the reason, she was told that the young son of the master of the house had a mysterious disease, which had left him exhausted and unable to rouse and speak. "The king was fair beside himself with worry , and he had offered a peck of gold to anyone who could restore the prince to health. But the curious thing, the castlefolk told Kate, was that anyone who sat up all night with the prince was never seen again." Kate and Anne discussed the matter privately and concluded that, for the reward of a peck of gold, they would endeavor to cure the prince, who was surely enchanted. So Kate arranged to spend that night in the prince's chamber.  She sat in silence, watching the handsome young man as he slept, and felt a great sorrow that one so young should wither before full bloom. The night deepened, and, just as Kate was beginning to wonder whether the mystery would reveal itself to her, the clock began to strike the midnight hour. Suddenly, "up rose the sick prince from his bed, dressed himself, and went down the stairs. His eyes were open, but he did not notice Kate. He seemed like one sleeping, or entranced." The lass tiptoed after him, and when he went to the stable for his horse, she nimbly jumped up behind the saddle. "Away rode the prince and Kate through the greenwood.  The moon shone faintly through the trees and Kate saw the branches on either side of them were heavy with hazel nuts. She plucked the nuts as she passed, filling her pockets with them." They rode on and, at length, came to a grass-covered mound. Here the prince stopped and called out, "Open! Open green hill and let the young prince in.'  'And the lady behind!' added Kate." Now they passed through a long tunnel, emerging into a ballroom that glowed with light. "But candles there were none — it was the light given off by all the fairy host gathered there." These fairies were beautiful, arrogant creatures, who cared only for their own pleasure. All night long the prince was kept dancing, handed from fairy woman to woman. When he gasped for breath "the fairy women would fan him for a few minutes and bring him right back into the dance." When the cock crowed for the dawn the fairies released the prince, and Kate rode home with to his castle. There he stumbled into bed, and she sat down to crack nuts by the fire. So, when the attendants came in the morning, they found the prince abed as usual, his face drawn in exhaustion.  As for Kate, she told them nothing of the evening with the fairies, but went straight back to her sister, Anne. The two agreed that the tired prince was under enchantment, and discussed how they might free him. Anne felt that it was too dangerous for Kate to follow again,but they knew no other way. And this night, when Kate rod behind the prince, she hid among the draperies, and so overheard the fairies' conversation.  It seemed that if they could keep the prince with them for just one more night, he could never be freed from their power! What was more, she overheard two small children squabbling over a rowan stick.  Then someone said, "No matter! 'Tis only a charm against sheep's head spells." So Kate snatched it when the bairns backs were turned, and when she was safe in the castle again, "touched Anne's head three times with the rowan crook." The horrid sheep's head disappeared, and there was Anne, looking very relieved! That night, when Kate rode with the prince, she filled her pockets with hazel nuts again.  And while she watched the prince dancing madly, she heard one fairy say to another, as a pretty bird lighted in front of them, "The prince doesn't know that to eat of that bird would break our spell!" So Kate learned their secret, and, when the fairies had moved on, used her nuts to lure the bird to her. Quick as a wink, she popped it into a little willow basket. At dawn, she and the prince rode home again. There Kate "took out the strange bird, plucked the feathers, and cooked the bird over the fire." When its smell filled the room, the prince began to rouse.  He whispered, "Oh, I wish I had a bite of that bird." Kate gave him a bite, and then he sat up in bed and asked for a second bite. When he had swallowed that, he said, "If I had but a third bite of that bird...!" So Kate gave him a third bite, and he stood up hale and strong." That's when he dressed in his riding clothes and went out to see the castle folk.   A great cheering went up in the hall, and the prince came back and sat by the fire with Kate, roasting nuts in the embers and cracking the shells. And then, "great was the feasting and celebration on the young prince's recovery! The feasting and the drinking and the merry-making went on for seven weeks. And they say that all who were there lived happy and died happy and never drank out of a dry cappy."

From Tatterhood and Other Tales, (Ed. Phelps).New York: The Feminist Press.

Notes: This story has such a funny name! It is identified in the book's notes as "collected in the 19th century from an elderly woman in the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland." It is refreshing to find sisters who stick together, and easy to sympathize with the poor young prince, who is forced to dance all night. According to Alison Jones, there is an ancient European tradition of sweethearts placing nuts into the embers, and watching each other's to see what happens. If the nuts "burst or cracked instead of smoldering, the couple would face a quarrelsome future together." 

Montessori Connection: Botany/Nuts

1. Read this story and notice the role that nuts play in it. 

2. Learn more about hazelnuts: Plants With Seeds (Pascoe, Elaine. Kid's Guide to the Classification of Living Things.) or Shanleya's Quest: A Botany Adventure for Kids Ages 9-99 or The Botany Coloring Book or Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids or