Category: Fables With A Moral

Creating a Catchy Title

3/8/2025

Some authors I admire are so good with words! They have a knack for coming up with memorable phrases or pithy puns. I especially admire the power of catchy Titles. Take for instance the Disney movie "Tangled" that is the story of Rapunzel. Now the girl's name is the normal title of the fairy tale, but "Tangled" gives it an added comedic flair. Those of us who have daughters that we try to keep their hair managed know immediately how descriptive the title "Tangled" is. We all have our own memories of fighting with our daughters over the fuss of combing out the tangled knots of "bed head" hair in the mornings.

(Straightening out granddaughter CJ's hair in the mornings is not usually a smiling, happy affair!)

"The Monkey and the Fox" is a very short Aesop Fable that I am attempting to fill out to become a new show for this year's Summer Theater Camp. My first inclination is to use "Monkey Business" somewhere in the title. Truly, there are a lot of silly shenanigans with the Monkey and his pals in the script. However, the Monkey is not the hero of the Tale. In fact, the moral of the story is that "someone who cannot control himself should not be the one leading a kingdom."

The real hero of this Fable is the Fox who displays wisdom and real leadership skills. Near the beginning of the story, the old Lion King dies, and because the Monkey parades himself around draped in the royal robes of the old King, the jungle animals mistakenly view him as kingly, and elect him their King. Then, as the story plays out, the Fox thinks it is his duty to watch out for and even save the silly Monkey from his unguarded ways.

The Fox continually warns the Monkey that he should take better care of himself. Finally, even the Fox gets tired of always rescuing the Monkey. Eventually, he lets the headstrong, unthinking, silly Monkey fall into the trap set by the trio of Tricky Trappers.

The last the jungle animals see of their King is when the Trappers haul off the Monkey from their trap. Only then do the animals realize that the Fox should be their ruler. They have a quick meeting and soon crown the Fox as the rightful King of the Jungle.

So, do I use "Monkey Business" in the title or keep searching for something that honors the wisdom of the Fox?

It's a problem.

In the meantime, I am finding fun costume ideas.

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This just in --- My daughter Cami suggested a title: "No Time for Monkey Business." I think that's just right. I'm going with that.

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Mini Musicals with a Moral

2/6/2024

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One of the ELA (English Language Arts) objectives for 1st-3rd grades is to retell a story or fable with a moral. What better way to meet this objective than to present a class play?

In the Mini-Musical "The Tale of the Musicians of Bremen," the moral has to do with Age and Change. Children may not recognize how difficult it is for people to grow old and feel useless. Older people often stubbornly resist change. The old farmer and his wife in the story have to face Age and Change in themselves and for their animals. This story shows the animals taking a proactive step to avoid their certain fate (death). The animals are likable and do silly things, but also allow for a discussion about important life lessons, particularly Age and Change.

In the story of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse they each discover that both of their homes have pros and cons. The Country Mouse visits the city with her cousin and is terrified at the noise and hustle-bustle, and all of the hidden dangers there. She decides that the "cons" far outweigh the "pros" to life in the city. She races home to the Country where she already knows what to expect. For the class, "The Tale of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse" musical begins a discussion about Comparisons such as Likes and Dislikes. Through explorations in acting and singing, the students can draw examples from the story and their own experiences to become better at determining their own preferences.

And if the songs reinforce the concepts of the moral plus other Language Arts ideas, that is all for the better. For example, the opening song in "The Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff," contains an idiom that is introduced along with many other puzzlements, "Why is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?"

This song is a good jumping off point for a discussion about asking questions to get information using the words "who, what, where, when and why."

Retelling a story or fable with a moral is what these Mini-Musicals are all about. According to the advice of my teacher friends, I have included ideas and worksheets to help meet some of the Common Core Objectives for ELA. The best accolade I ever got from mounting one of these shows came from two little boys. The confided to their dad that they did not know why I kept telling them how proud I was of their hard work. They did not feel like it was work at all. They were having so much fun!

Who says learning can't be fun?

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Creating a Catchy Title

Mini Musicals with a Moral

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