Kathleen Pelley: Activity Guide The Name of the Tree by Kathleen Pelley

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Activity Guide by

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One of the many things I love about good stories is that they can provide a space in our hectic busy lives to simply PAUSE and PONDER some truth, some beauty, or some new way of looking at the world. Each month I will invite you to join me as I PAUSE and PONDER upon the story I have just read.

THE NAME OF THE TREE retold by Celia Barker Lottridge, and illustrated by Ian Wallace

PAUSE and PONDER … Why I love this story? It’s a folktale and I’ve always had a penchant for folktales as so many of them are steeped in the wisdom that has emerged from that country’s customs and traditions – they help us to see the world through the eyes of another culture. And of course, in this case, this is a story that explicitly honors and celebrates wisdom. As the storyteller, I love the weight and wonder of the language. The words feel bold and majestic as they roll of my tongue and the images they evoke of an ancient land where animals talk and a tree is laden with all the fruits of the world fill me with wonder and awe. The cadence is slow and sedate, similar to the way you might imagine a Wise Elder telling a story. When I talk to children at schools, I will often compare stories to journeys. Just as a journey involves movement from one place to another, so too a story involves movement: a movement of our heart to feel something – hence the word, eMOTION. And just as we will often return from a journey with some souvenirs to remind us of where we have been, so too a good story, I believe, should leave us with some souvenir: a bolt of beauty, a glimpse of goodness, some words of wisdom, a jolt of joy, a dollop of hope, a soupçon of sadness, a nugget of knowledge, or a crumb of comfort.

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So, the two souvenirs I take from this story are: 1. A jolt of joy at seeing our young tortoise raised on high as a hero – mission accomplished, not through an innate talent, but through the wisdom he learned from his ancestors and through his dogged determination to complete his task. 2. A crumb of comfort to remind me that we are not alone in this world – we can call upon the wisdom of our elders to help us through troubled times or dark days. Even the rhythm of the language is soothing and healing as we hear the animals chant over and over, “The name of the tree is UNGALI….the name of the tree is UNGALI.” The first sound we humans hear is the beat of our mothers’ heart, so no wonder that we are drawn to rhythmic chants and repeated refrains. Almost every time I read this story at schools, I watch the children leave the library, walking one behind the other, chanting in unison, “The name of the tree is Ungali, the name of the tree is Ungali! What joy to see them connected to this ancient tale of wisdom!

Emotional/Universal Truth What is an emotional truth? Any editor will tell you that a common weakness of many picture book manuscripts is that it is “too trite.” In other words, it will not withstand multiple readings, because it is too one dimensional and lacks a universal, emotional truth. It is NOT a lesson, a moral, or a message! Rather it is a simple truth, woven seamlessly throughout the story -‐some truth about love, hope, pain, joy, or home that a child can understand and connect with. I like to think of it as that whiff of wonder, that bolt of beauty that lingers with you, long after the last page is turned or the final word uttered. Why should this universal truth matter so much to the read-‐aloud quality of a picture book? “The storytellers go back and back, to a clearing in the forest where a great fire burns, and the old shamans dance and sing, for our heritage of stories began in fire, magic, the spirit world. And that is where it is held, today.” Doris Lessing

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Truth connects us to one another, to our ancestors, and to the world around us. Good books and stories are all about connections. When we read a story aloud to a child – a story that truly touches us at the very core of our being with its beauty and its truth, then, we will naturally breathe our own life and love into those words as we read them aloud. (Notice how life and spirit, breath and voice are all connected). And, in turn, those words will seep into the little listener’s heart, making her or him feel brave or bold, calm or kind, happy or hopeful. The “truth” of The Name of the Tree, is, I think, that we are connected to the wisdom of our ancestors, and it is this wisdom which will save us during dark days and troubled times. “Adult books maintain lives; children’s books change lives.” Yolen What souvenir and what “truth” I wonder, will you and your children take from this story? The following discussion questions and activities are designed for use either with a parent and a child, or with a teacher and her class or a small group. Most of the discussion questions are suited for children ages 6-‐8, but could be adapted for use with younger children too. -‐ Kathleen Pelley

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Discuss the word PROVERBS with your child What is a proverb? “A proverb is a simple and concrete saying, popularly known and repeated, that expresses a truth based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical.” Wikipedia Many cultures have favorite proverbs – pieces of wisdom that related particularly to their way of life and traditions, and often they will appear in the stories they hand down from one generation to another – as in The Name of the Tree. Write the following proverbs on a piece of card and attach to the shell of tortoise cutout from the next page. Discuss the meaning with your child. Hang the tortoise in a prominent place and display a different proverb card each day or week. Encourage your child to relate its “truth” to her or his daily activities or perhaps to a piece of news in the world/school/neighborhood.

• Pride goes before a fall • Don’t put all your eggs in one basket • A stitch in time saves nine • Actions speak louder than words • Every cloud has a silver lining • All that glitters is not gold • Silence is golden • Better safe than sorry • No man is an island • Look before you leap • Once bitten, twice shy • A trouble shared is a trouble halved • Do as you would be done to • Carpe diem (Latin for sieze the day) • No man is an island © 2014 Kathleen Pelley

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Discuss WISDOM with your child

Discussion Questions Share and discuss the dictionary definition of wisdom: “The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.” Synonyms – sagacity, intelligence, sense ,prudence.

Is wisdom always same as knowledge? Who do you know who is wise? What wise advice have you ever received? Where did the tortoise in this story get his wisdom? Where do you seek wisdom? Can you name anyone from history who was a wise leader? Give examples of his or her wise actions or sayings. What wise words do you find helpful to remember?

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Make a WISDOM WALL This can be done at home or in a classroom. To create a Wisdom Wall, display photos of family members – grandparents, aunts, uncles, great grandparents, and/or photos of “wise” world leaders. For younger children, you might display a large cut-‐out of a “wise” creature – OWL (or tortoise) As a family (or class) project, collect favorite “words of wisdom” from family members and friends, then below photos (or around the owl) display cards with “words of wisdom” that you have collected . You could also add favorite quotes from famous leaders or writers. Take time to discuss which words of wisdom you like to live by and why. Encourage child to share which words of wisdom have helped her or him recently or have helped a friend.

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The Name of the tree is… Can you unscramble the letters below to spell out the name of the tree?

_ _ _ _ _ _ GILUAN

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Complete each phrase by unscrambling letters, and match to the right fruit picture. As red as _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (gpmestenaoa) As yellow as _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (snabana) As green as _ _ _ _ _ _ (lenosm) AS purple as _ _ _ _ _ (mulps) As orange a _ _ _ _ _ _ (gomasn)

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CRISSCROSS WORDS

Read each set of clues and use the words in the box to fill in the spaces in the puzzle.

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ANIMAL MATCH UP Can you unscramble the letters to spell each animal’s name and match to the correct picture?

tribab _ _ _ _ _ _ _

efgirfa _ _ _ _ _ _ _ azerb _ _ _ _ _

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NAMES DISCUSSION & ART ACTIVITY Discussion Questions What did the animals have to do to be able to eat the fruit of the tree? (Find out its name). Discuss the importance of NAMES with your child. What is one of the first thing parents do when their baby is born? (NAME him or her). What is one of the first things you do when you bring home a puppy or a kitten? (Name it). To name something is the first act of LOVING it. Discuss what your child’s name means and why you chose it.

Art Activity Now have your child draw her name on a large piece of card in block letters as below Draw your own name with block letters too – now color and decorate and display.

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CHANT DISCUSSION Discuss with your child what a chant is – share some examples of childhood chants you remember (from skipping games for example) What chant did the animals use at the end of this story? Discuss any favorite lines from a poem or a story that you have. Encourage your child to “chant” a favorite snippet of a poem/prayer/song and discuss how some chants can help us to remember things or to feel brave or happy.

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