Storybook Favorites

I like the idea of choosing another perspective within a story for the retelling.  I think it helps the reader engage with the characters and explore motivations that may have been overlooked in the first telling.  Several of the Storybooks that caught my attention used this device including “Happily Ever After? A Prince's Perspective.”

In this storybook, Kate Brandon uses very familiar tales to create unique stories with a real world spin.  By incorporating real world issues, the author brings the Princes out of the backdrop and makes them relatable for readers.  Her introduction and cover image quickly snagged my attention.

(From Happily Ever After? A Prince's Perspective)

Another Storybook that used this approach very effectively was “Stepmothers’ Prison: Prison Stories of the Wicked Stepmothers.”  I thought that this concept was particularly creative and I like a lot of details about the Storybook’s layout.  The first thing I noticed was the “next page” navigation at the bottom of each page and how each story seamlessly flowed into the next.  I also like how the inspiration for each story was a mystery until you read each account.  The color and image choices complement the prison setting well and help to build the atmosphere.  I can’t help but wonder about the last inmate’s story. It feels a bit unfinished to me. 

The next two Storybooks that I selected take a completely different tack by combining two unrelated themes.  In "1000 Ways to Die: Demon Edition,” the author combines the format of a popular television show with stories of ancient Indian demons.  I thought this blog post was really fun and the color choices and images were consistent with the Storybook’s theme.  The introduction was thorough and well-written.

My last and favorite Storybook was “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Missing River.” In this Storybook, the author presents unfamiliar (at least to me) stories via familiar characters which makes the stories more approachable.  I can also tell that the author put a lot of work into creating the “look” of the blog.  The variation in layout and content make the blog more interesting and the navigation is very user friendly.  I also appreciate the supplemental information in the author’s notes with links to the original stories.  This Storybook reads like a novella and I’m very impressed with all the hard work and creativity that went into it. 

(From The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Missing River)

Putting out feelers in the UnTextbook

My personal fascination with mythology and folklore began at a very early age.  Upon the built-in cabinets of our early 1900s house set a beautifully illustrated set of books depicting everything from dragons to giants, water nymphs and fairies, to the Grim and bean sí. For hours I lost my self in the pages, frightening myself with the eerie renderings.  Years later when I was finally able to read the books, I became obsessed. 

I hope to regain some of that youthful magic by revisiting remembered themes. The first reading set to catch my eye was the Celtic Fairy Tales II unit.  Both the Children of Lir and and Cormac’s story seem familiar.   I also really enjoyed MacConglinney’s Vision and have a story stirring in the back of my mind for it. 

The Faerie Queene unit also looks intriguing and I especially want to read the part B.  Stories in which the Fae attempt to trick mortals usually end in the death of the human but every once in a while the human can win by using the Fae’s love of honesty against them. I'm hoping to find some stories like this in this unit.  

I would also like to read one or two of the Grimm units (maybe Librivox and Crane) because these stories are sometimes retold in popular culture.  The Robber Bridegroom grabs my attention right off the bat. From the Grim that I have read, I know that the endings do not typically end happily like Disney would like you to think.

I read a few of the Italian tales and was surprised to see a familiar theme in Zelinda and the Monster, or should I say Beauty and the Beast.  Reading B of the English Fairy Tale II also grabbed my attention with Catskin and Children of the Woods.

My favorite image upon browsing the untextbook is from The Vision of MacCoglinney.  

When I first saw this image, I had no idea what the story was about but it grabbed my attention.  I personally would have chosen something bacon-themed but the image is unsettling in a good way.  

Introduction: Kalin Taylor

(Personal "artwork")

As a 27-year-old wife and mother, I’m not the typical OU student but I am proud to say that I will receive my biology degree in December.  I originally came to OU in the fall of 2006 and I have had many extended breaks and major changes (letters and anthropology) during this time.  The good news is, I finally know what I want to be when I grow up.  After graduation I hope to attend graduate school and study to become a physician assistant. 

When I’m not juggling classes or my 2 year old, I enjoy reading all types of fiction and running fun 5ks.  Earlier this year I had an unfortunate accident during such a race resulting in the severe fracture of my left leg. Incidentally I’m looking for a new hobby. ;)

(X-ray documentation of my personal tragedy)

This semester I am enrolled 4 classes and I am a teaching assistant for another.  In addition to school, I work part-time as a pharmacy technician.  And because I am a glutton for punishment, my husband and I are building a new home that should be finished around Christmas.

I share my home with my husband of 6 years, my adorable son Garrett, my father, and a schnauzer named Ozzy.  We love to cook huge family dinners and my favorite cuisine to cook is Italian.  We keep a small garden in the back yard and fresh vegetables are always at hand.

(Kalin, Garrett, and Brett Taylor: Personal Photo)

I love to travel and cannot wait until after graduation when we will have more time for vacation.  My most memorable vacation has been to Rome and I think I fell in love at first sight.  I hope to go back one day and since I tossed a coin in Trevi, I’m sure that I will.

I hope that this class and blog help rekindle my love for writing.  Somewhere along the way, the once creative, cathartic, voluble experience of writing became a chore and procrastination and dread accompanied every assignment. As someone who loves and values stories so much, I hope to participate in the creation of them as well their consumption. 

Storytelling Week 1: The Baby and the Bakery

HUSHY baby, my doll, I pray you don't cry,
And I'll give you some bread and some milk by-and-by;
Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,—
Then to either you're welcome, with all my whole heart.

(traditional nursery rhyme)

(Happy baby with batter and spoon, source Pixabay)

With drooping eyes and frazzled nerves, a young mother carves a trench between the sofa and the hall. Moonlight falls across the pacing forms, a waif-like automaton and the wailing bundle of swaddling.  So precious, so loved, yet so torturous is the bundle.

 “Hushy baby,” the young mother croons. “Please don’t cry.”

But the keening continues and so the mother paces and bounces. Jiggles and cajoles. Fed and burped and loved and bounced, nothing seems to pacify the tiny tyrant.

“A clean diaper, perhaps,” she mumbles to herself.

Down the hall they trek, up the stairs and to the nursery. Items collected, a diaper and wipes, powder, just in case.   The wails seem to echo upstairs and she fears her husband will awake.  “ Would serve him right,” she thinks ungraciously and she mentally chastises herself for being so surly.  He was up for the first waking and had to get up for work in only two hours.

Determined, she bows to her work and begins to change the child’s sodden diaper.  The child’s screeching ratchets up several notches as the cool night air reaches warm skin. Quickly she finishes the chore and scoops the child to her chest.

The intoxicating scent of newborn reaches her as downy hair tickles her nose and lips.  The stress of the last weeks suddenly falls from her shoulders and everything is right in the world. 

Her temporary reprieve is shattered as the child renews her nocturnal lament. Down the stairs they race and to the moonlight-filled sitting room. The mother stares at her child and wonders what she should try next.  With eyes screwed up tight and fists clenched, the tiny princess squeals in frustration. 

Abruptly the child stops as another noise intrudes upon the night. 

“Grrrrrrr…”

“Gurgle, grrrrpppp.”

The mother’s stomach had begun to growl.  When was the last time she had eaten? The mother gazed into the child’s curious dark eyes. She couldn’t remember.

“That evening? Surely not. Then lunch maybe?”

But try as she might, the mother could not recall her last meal.

“Well, we are up anyway. Might as well make something to eat,” she said to the child who seemed to gaze at her with knowing eyes. 

Into the kitchen she went with he now content child secured to her chest with a wrap. Pans clanked and flour flew as muffins and tarts began to fill the counters.  The young mother baked and ate to her heart’s content and by the time she was full, the satisfied child was sound asleep.  The mother felt much better too. Relaxed and sated the mother realized she had been neglecting herself.

“Clever girl,” the mother whispered to the sleeping child. “Already wise beyond your years.”

Rejuvenated and full of delicious treats the mother mounted the stairs and sweetly tucked the precious child into bed.

From that day on, it became a ritual for the two of them, the late night baking, and the mother made far more treats than her small family could possibly eat.  Soon the whole neighborhood had enjoyed the midnight delights of the young mother’s kitchen and they were demanding more!  As word of her baking spread the mother realized she could start her own business with her and her daughters favorite hobby.  And so she did. 

And that is how the clever little girl helped start the most famous bakery in town.

Authors Note

As I read this nursery rhyme,  I was reminded of the wonderful yet excruciating first few weeks after the birth of my son.  Some babies have an easy temperament and sleep through the night very early on.  Others, like my son, can be a bit more particular.  I clearly remember begging, pleading, and bargaining with my newborn son during the early morning hours after several nights without sleep.  I promised him ponies and candy in my delirious desperation.  This connection made me chose this nursery rhyme and from there I just let my imagination go.  I hope you enjoyed it.

-Kalin Taylor

Bibliography

Lang, A., & Brooke, L. (1972). The nursery rhyme book. New York: Dover Publications. 

Image of young child with batter and spoon. Source: pixabay

Favorite Places

I love to travel but my destination wish list seems to get longer after each trip. Sure the places are lovely, but there is something about the novelty, the discovery, and the adventure of a new place that truly holds appeal.  I've been blessed to find someone who shares this love of travel in my husband and I hope we have many more years of globe-trotting ahead of us.  Some of my favorite places so far have been Rome, Los Cabos, and the Bahamas. I would happily go anywhere in good company.

 Rock climbing in Los Cabos, Mexico (Source: personal photo)

Small private island in the Bahamas (Source: personal photo)

The Spanish Steps in Rome (Source: personal photo)