Your child is reading “Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China” translated by Ed Young. This folktale, set in China, is a story of three young children who outwit a cunning wolf who claims to be their Po Po,or grandmother. The wolf’s greed for gingko nuts, however, saves the children’s lives. You may enjoy discussing the folktale and doing these activities with your child. Together you can develop and explore your child’s language skills.
More Tales to Read. Talk about different folktales and fairy tales with which your child is familiar. You may be able to find these tales in the library:
• Fire Race: A Karuk Coyote Tale by Jonathan London. Chronicle, 1993.
• Little Red Cowboy Hat by Susan Lowell. Henry Hold, 1997.
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas. Simon & Schuster, 1993.
Your Own Fairy Tale. Discuss a few familiar fairy tales that you and your child have heard or read together. Then select one tale and invite your child to create a new version of it by changing around some of the details. Possible alterations include where or when the story takes place, how the story ends, or which character is good or bad. Encourage your child to write the new version of the familiar tale and present it to family and friends.
Week’s Focus Skill: Compare and Contrast. It is to tell the how things are alike and different.
