Thursday, May 20, 2010

The She-Wolf ....a tale from Croatia


There was an enchanted mill, so that no one could stay there, because a she-wolf always haunted it. A soldier went once into the mill to sleep. He made a fire in the parlor, went up into the garret above, bored a hole with an auger in the floor, and peeped down into the parlor.
A she-wolf came in and looked about the mill to see whether she could find anything to eat. She found nothing, and then went to the fire, and said, "Skin down! Skin down! Skin down!" She raised herself upon her hind-legs, and her skin fell down. She took the skin, and hung it on a peg, and out of the wolf came a damsel. The damsel went to the fire, and fell asleep there. 

He came down from the garret, took the skin, nailed it fast to the mill-wheel, then came into the mill, shouted over her, and said, "Good morning, damsel! How do you do? 

She began to scream, "Skin on me! Skin on me! Skin on me!" But the skin could not come down, for it was fast nailed.
The pair married and had two children. 

As soon as the elder son got to know that his mother was a wolf, he said to her, "Mamma! Mamma! I have heard that you are a wolf." 

His mother replied, "What nonsense are you talking! How can you say that I am a wolf?" 

The father of the two children went one day into the field to plow, and his son said, "Papa, let me, too, go with you." 

His father said, "Come." 

When they had come to the field, the son asked his father, "Papa, is it true that our mother is a wolf?"


The father said, "It is." 

The son inquired, "And where is her skin?" 

His father said, "There it is, on the mill-wheel." 

No sooner had the son got home, than he said at once to his mother, "Mamma! Mamma! You are a wolf! I know where your skin is." 

His mother asked him, "Where is my skin?" 

He said, "There, on the mill-wheel." 

His mother said to him, "Thank you, sonny, for rescuing me." Then she went away, and was never heard of more. 


from Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources published in 1889

Friday, May 7, 2010

Reading is Fun Week...May 12-18

May 12th through the 18th is Reading Is Fun Week also known as RIF.  RIF  is a time to share the joy of reading with children. It is also a time to help kids discover how much fun reading can be.
During RIF week, RIF programs across the country will host book distributions and at each distribution, children will get to choose a free book that they can take home and keep!

If you're looking for good books for kids to read be sure to check out my Listmania Book lists, the links I have on the side of this blog (look to your right) and all of the books I have linked below. Most of the books below are books that I have read myself and truly enjoy.
(sorry no story this time but definitely the next time!!) 
Dang it! I couldn't stand it. I had to give you some kind of story, so I'm linking you to Fairy Gifts a wonderful story  (yes it's on my other blog) from Andrew Lang's Green Fairy book. There are also crafts after the story if you feel like making something. Try it....it's fun!