Week 14 extra credit reading: Rouse's The Giant Crab and other Tales

This week I chose to read Rouse's The Giant Crab and other Tales. It seemed like slightly different versions of the same tales that are in Babbitt's Jataka Tales.

I think I like Babbitt's more just because they seemed like an easier read. However I loved comparing and contrasting the two. I would love to know why the differences between the two were there. I ended up basing my story from the Talkative Tortoise that was in both versions.

I don't have a lot of recap notes because I feel like i've written out all the stories before. But I really appreciate having multiple sources to read. The stories also remind me of Aesop's fables since there is usually some sort of take away lesson.

The image I chose seemed fitting because it looks like the Tortoise is talking.

(image from Flickr)

Gibbs, Laura. “Overview. Rouse. Giant Crab.” Overview. Rouse. Giant Crab, 1 Jan. 1970, http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2015/05/free-book-rouse-giant-crab.html.

Famous Last Words: Almost the end

I really didn't do much reading. I need to do more to finish up for the last bit. I'm still gathering as many points as possible (might as well). Plus, the reading has been fun and I am excited to read and explore more. I'm a bit sad this class is ending.

I liked the new story I wrote for this week. Once again I involved one of my cats, which tickles me pink. I easily amuse myself and it is fun to imagine them in different scenarios. I've really enjoyed reading everyone else's work and seeing the changes they choose to make. There are so many creative changes I Would never have thought of. It's amazing the differences between thought processes.

This is the last class stuff I have hanging out. I am feeling ready for the break, although I think I won't be able to enroll for spring (finances). So i'll be taking a break and coming back later. We will get to the finish line eventually!

Outside of school there has a been a lot of work. Jerry finished up his soccer season. His team finished 4th I believe (out of 10). We are going into the last couple weeks of choir. The homeschool choir will perform the 14th I believe and we will be done. I can't wait.

Next week I'll do some more work for this class, and then breathe. We have most of our Christmas decor up. It's my favorite time of year so I am ready to enjoy it.

(Image of my 3 boy kitties being bed hogs)

Week 14 Review

(Image from Cheezburger)

I  chose the image because I feel like it is fitting. Getting to the end of the semester can be overwhelming and make you feel like you should give up. It's the time to push through hand finish strong.
I chose the Video about Hindu Gods in Japan. I don't know why, but I wouldn't have tied these together. 4,000 Hindu followers in Japan sound like a lot. I like how things build so the fact several Japanese Gods are based on Hindu Gods is fascinating. What a neat video!

Week 14 Story: The Chatty Cat

NOW IN THE  PORTFOLIO:  https://sites.google.com/view/dorothysportolio/the-chatty-cat


Once there was a young siamese cat named (Moaning) Myrtle. She was named for the fact she was constantly chattering. She was very sweet, it was just excessive. It had gotten to the point most of the other cats avoided her so they wouldn't have to listen. She did have a couple friends of squirrels that would visit from time to time. One day they came and said: "Myrtle! Why don't you climb the trees with us! It is a gorgeous view that you will never get to see if you stay way down there!" "Oh! How wonderful! But how am I supposed to get way up in the tree?" Myrtle was excited but very worried. The trees are tall, and she was such a little cat. She had never climbed THAT high. "If you pay close attention I bet you could climb this high without any problems!" The squirrels chattered back. "I think I can do that!" Myrtle said determinedly. She started following the squirrels up the tree. "Now, remember to pay attention! You have to make sure you have a good hold each time you move your paw!" The squirrels reminded her. Myrtle made it a good way up but still had more to go. She realized how far she had climbed and got excited. "Hey guys! It's working! We've made it almost all the way!" Soon as she started talking she stopped paying attention. She went to move her paw and her claws didn't dig in as well as they should. She fell down from the tree. Luckily, being a cat, she landed on her feet. It was a hard enough landing for her to decide not to go that high. She realized she had an issue and decided she would work to change it. Her squirrel friends were happy she was okay, and proud that she realized she had a problem that could have cost her her life.

   

(My cat Myrtle taken 10/5/2019)

 Authors Note:

I took the story The Talkative Tortoise and once again changed it to about my cats. The version of the Tortoise was about the Tortoise being stuck in a pond so his geese friends offered to fly him to the mountains. There he could talk without bothering anyone. They had decided the geese would carry a branch and the turtle would bite down on the branch so they could fly him with them. However when it came to the flight, he heard people making comments about it. He opened his mouth to talk back and fell to his death. I changed the story to my talkative cat Moaning Myrtle. She is a typically siamese who loves to talk, which is how she got her name. I am also a huge Harry Potter fan so it fit well. I didn't like the ending of the turtle dying though. So I changed it to cats landing on their feet and learning a lesson.

Bibliography: 

Gibbs, Laura. “0134. The Talkative Tortoise.” 0134. The Talkative Tortoise, 1 Jan. 1970, https://thejatakas.blogspot.com/2017/08/0134-talkative-tortoise.html.

Week 13 Review

The Image I chose seemed very fitting. We are getting to the end os semester (for myself and my child). Things are getting crazy and then we get to add holidays into it. We are ready for Christmas break.

(Image from Announcements)

For the video I chose the one about Kunti, because I am all about motherhood. I love hearing more about her story, but it seems to cover a lot of what we had learned. I did not realize there is an event every year though.

Week 12 Story: Ma's Blackie

Once upon a time a lady was given a tiny kitten. The kitten was solid black and very fluffy. She was very playful and the neighborhood kids loved to find random pieces of string to come play. They would refer to the kitten as Ma's Blackie. They watched this tiny kitten kitten to grow to be a rather large for the typical cat. She grew to be more the size of a corgi dog. Even with her size, the children still loved her. Every day they would play and climb trees together. Blackie's day was like most other cats: eat, nap, and play.
One day Blackie went and asked Ma to go together to take a trip to the forest. There were many big trees there she wanted to explore. Ma advised there was too much to get done, she couldn't leave with so much left to do. Blackie decided she must find a way to help so they could go together. It wouldn't be as fun without Ma. Blackie examined each of Ma's jobs to see where she could help. There was the washing, but that sounded terrible. Who wants to mess with water? There was the cleaning, but not having thumbs to hold the rags or brooms made that difficult. There was the cooking but too many people would complain about hair in their food, she had overheard that complaint several times before. It seemed like nothing would work.
Blackie sadly laid on the ground and felt useless. A conversation suddenly came into earshot: "These darn moles are impossible to get rid of! I have hired so many exterminators and no one can seem to solve my problem. What I wouldn't give to get rid of these pests!"
'I could help with that' Blackie thought internally.
"What about getting a cat to help?" said someone in response.
"I don't want to have to keep one forever. That's just as annoying" came the reply.
Blackie decided to see if she could offer her services. "Perhaps we can make a deal" she suggested. They came to an agreement of 2 silver coins for every mole she got out of the garden. She quickly got to work catching and relocating all the moles to the forest.  When she was done she approached the man for payment. The man counted one silver coin for each instead of two. She laid in front of the gate to the garden and refused to let anyone pass. Because she was a bigger cat, many were too intimidated to even try to approach. Finally the man gave in and gave Blackie the remaining silver coins that he owed her. She took them and happily took them home. Ma was very happy, and hugged Blackie. Afterwords, Blackie did the work while Ma would rest and then they would spend their free time in the forest. They lived very happily.

(Image from Flickr)

Author's Note: I used the story of Granny's Blackie, but changed the elephant to a cat. We all know by now I have a soft spot for cats and it felt like a comfortable twist to make. I stuck pretty close to the original story line, I just tweaked it enough to make more sense for y change of main animal. Obviously cats can't swing kids but they can climb trees, they can't pull wagons but are great hunters. I also tried to give inner dialog to the cat contemplating different options of helping.

Bibliography:
“Granny's Blackie.” Gateway to the Classics: Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/display.php?author=babbitt&book=jataka&story=blackie.

Reading Notes: Babbitt's More Jataka Tales: Part B

How the Monkey Saved his Troop: Monkeys eat the mangos from the tree that fall on the ground. More fall into the river where the king discovered it and wanted more. They went to the tree, ate the ones on the ground and decided to camp to get more. The monkeys came during the night handpicked the fruit, but made noise that woke the king. The king wanted the monkeys shot. The chief of the monkeys saved them by turning himself into a bridge across the water for them to cross. The king saw and decided he should be taken care of forever.

The Hawks and their Friends: Hawks lived on an island surrounded by a lion, a turtle, and a Kingfisher. The hawks decided they needed friends, and befriended all 3. hunters came and napped under the tree and made a fire. It disrupted the birds sleep and the littles made noise, bringing the hunters attention. One hawk went to the kingfisher for help. Help came and kept putting out the fire as the hunter got close to the nest. Kingfisher got tired so they asked the turtle to come help. Turtle came and put the fire out with mud. hunters decided they wanted the turtle instead. The tried by make a net from vines and their clothes but were unsuccessful, they decided to go back to the hawks. Then the lion was asked for help. He came roaring and the hunters ran. The friends saved the Hawks.

The Brave Little Bowman: He was little and crooked but good with the bow. He wanted to join the army, so he finds a big strong man to be the face, and the will split the pay. He agreed and the king accepted. They were sent to kill a tiger. The little man was successful and the king was happy. Next they were sent to kill a buffalo. They succeeded and the big man got more praise. He was then mean to the little man. A few days later the kingdom was threatened by another king. The king gathered an army and the big man was prepared for battle. Little man knew he couldn't shoot so he sat behind him. Big man was scared and ran back into town while the little man went forward and won the battle. The king made him chief and praised him.

The Foolhardy Wolf: Lion killed a buffalo and went for a drink. On his way back he ran into a wolf who asked to be his servant. He agreed and said the wolf has to go to the mountain to check for prey, and in return he would share the meat. The wolf did and ate well. He got bigger and wanted to switch roles and kill an elephant. He asked the lion and the lion said no, after a while he gave in and said ok. He went to the mountain and told the wolf when an elephant was there. The wolf ran, jumped and missing the elephant. The elephant stepped on the wolf, killing him.

The Stolen Plow: 2 traders were friends. one from a small town, one a large town. Small town took a plow to the large town to be fixed and left it with the friend. The friend ends up selling it and keeping the money. When the small town came back he was told the mice ate the plow. The small town trader thought it was strange. STT took the LTT son and left him at another house until his return. When LTT asked him he said a bird took him and he couldn't stop it. LTT said it couldn't be true and he would take it to a judge, STT agreed. The judge questioned and STT verified that's what he had said. Judge asked for proof, STT asked if mice could eat a plow. He explained and the judge said plow for boy. The next day they had them back.

The Lion in Bad Company: Young lion met a wolf who asked to be the servant. He was always told wolves were bad but agreed. The Young Lion's dad didn't like it, but YL didn't listen so the wolf stayed. W wanted horse meat and asked, and told the lion where to find it. Lion went, took one, and brought it back. Father said they belong to the king who will hunt lions who take it. YL liked horsemen and went for more. King said to build a tank in town, YL still killed them. Same with the stables. When lion and wolf came again, the lion went over the wall and an archer killed him. Wolf went back to his old home.

The Wise Goat and the Wolf: Goats live in one cave, wolves in another. Wolves killed all except the wisest. The wolves planned a trap. He would pretend to be dead and his mate would ask for help. When the goat comes to help he would jump up and kill her. His mate did as told, the goat said no but was eventually convinced. But she was still smart. She told the mate to go in front of her. The wolf thought he heard them and raised his head so the goat ran back into her cave. They decided to try again, but the goat knew better. They had invited her to a party, she said she would bring friends. They asked who and she told them of several dogs. They ran and she never saw them again.

Prince Wicked and the Grateful Animals: Wicked prince was cruel. He went swimming with servants and a storm started. The servants left and hoped he would drown. The king asked where he was and the servants said they thought he came back. The king sent out a search party. The Prince and gone downstream crying and grabbed a log. He was joined by a rat and snake that homes were flooded. Then a parrot joined them. A poor man lived nearby and heard the prince and went out to save him. He got the log to land and then took the animals in since they were weaker. The prince was angry. The animals offered the man what they could in thanks, and the price followed suit offering riches. Later the king died and the prince became king. The poor man went to each to see if they would keep their promises. The animals followed through but the prince wanted him killed before the poor man could tell everyone their history. They caught the man and the man told the story, and they went and killed the prince instead. The poor man became king. He went back to the animals, took what the promised then brought them back to the city and took care of them all.

Beauty and Brownie: 2 deer lived with parents and others in forest. Father said when corn is ripe its dangerous, must each take their own herd and leave. Parents and old deer will stay, but others need to go high in the hills for food. Go by night so no one sees. Beauty listened and his heard was safe. Brownie didn't listen and lost many. When they went to return brownie only had a few herd left.

The Elephant and the Dog: Dog went to stable to visit king's elephant. First to eat leftovers, then for friends. Farmer saw and wanted the dog and bought it. The elephant was sad and wouldn't eat or bathe. The king was told. A servant checked everything was fine, but the elephant looked sad. He asked the stableman was there a playmate and learned of the dog that was who knows where. The servant told the king who said to have an announcement to let the dog loose and he would return what was paid. The farmer listened, the dog returned and they loved together always.

(Wolf from Flickr)

Gibbs, Laura. “Overview. Babbitt. More Jataka Tales.” Overview. Babbitt. More Jataka Tales, 1 Jan. 1970, http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2015/05/free-book-babbit-jataka-tales-and-more.html.