How to Tell Stories to Children, and Some Stories to Tell

le, direct, and sufficiently full of incident for telling, yet having the beautiful or valuable motive we desire for children, do not lie hidden in every book. And even

eed of change is in the case of a story too long to tell, yet embodying some one beautiful incident or lesson; or one including a series of such incidents. Th

i, by Ouida.

th cases I have purposely chosen extreme instances, as furnishing plainer illustration. The usual story needs less adaptatio

cludes. This story can be readily found by anyone who is interested in the following example of adaptation, for nearly every library inc

red words long, obviously too long to tell. What

may learn to make beautiful things like it. To arrive at the twofold conclusion we must start from a double premise,-the love of the stove and the yearning to be an artist. It will, then, be necessary to include in the beginning of the story enough detail

stove. The journey is long, and each stage of it is told in full. As this is impossible in oral reproduction, it becomes necessary to choose typical incidents, which will give the same general effect as the whole. The i

ted. And the secondary thread of narrative interest, that of the prices for which the stove was sold, and the retribution visited on the cheating deal

household affections, and the ambition aroused in August; the catastrophe of the sale; August's decision; his exp

ggest the adaptation of Kate Douglas Wiggin, in The Story Hour, since in view of the existence of a satisfactory adaptation it seems unappreciat

estive to be lost to the story-teller. And it is, also, so recognised a part of the standard literary equipment of youth that teachers need to be able to introduce children to its charm. To make it a

tle Gluck, and the subsequent wrath of Hans and Schwartz, with their resulting punishment,-occupies about two thousand words. The rest of the story deals with the three brothers after the decree of West Wind has turned Treasure Valley into a desert. In the little house where they are plying their trade of goldsmiths, the King of the Golden River appears to Gluck and tells him the magic secret of

of the Golden River, which is, also, an incident sure to appeal to a child's imagination. And the regaining of the inheritance is meaningless without the fact of its previous loss, and the reason for the loss, as a contrast with the reason for its recovery. We

ntervention of the King of the Golden River; the three attempts to turn the river to gold, and Gluck's success. Gluck is to be our hero, and our

riginal story. The adaptation is not intended in any sense as a substitute for the origina

LDEN R

Ruskin's King of

ains on the other side, and because the setting sun always tinged its high cataract with gold after the rest of the world was dark, it was called the Golden River. The lovely valley belonged to three brothers. The youngest, little Gluck, was happy-hearted and kin

bring rain to the valley. Then, since there were no rivers in it, it dried up, and instead of a treasure valley it became a desert of dry, red sand. The

d silver they had saved in Treasure Valley, till at last it was all gone. The only precious thing left was Gluck's gold mug. This the Black Bro

golden mug, and as the sun began to go down, he saw the beautiful ca

fine it would be if the river were re

ll!" said a thin, metalli

id Gluck, looking all ab

harp little vo

" it said, "I

nd as Gluck stood, staring in fright, it

ting pot. When he touched it, the little voice said, "Pour me out

yellow body, and, last, a wee yellow face, with long curls of gold hair. And the whole put itself t

me!" sa

"Gluck, do you know who I am? I

n, and I will tell you something for your good. Whoever shall climb to the top of the mountain from which the Golden River falls, and shall cast into its waters three drops of holy wate

the King walked straight into the hottest fl

y quarrelled all night, as to which should go to get the gold. At last, Hans, who was the stronger, got the better of Schwartz, and started off. The p

before. It was horrible to cross,-the ice was slippery, great gulfs yawned before him, and noises like groans and shrieks came from un

"Three drops are enough," he thought; "I will just cool my lips." He was lifting the flask to his lips when he saw something beside him in the path. It was a small dog, and it seemed to be dying of thirst. Its to

shadow came acro

tle was half empty, but he decided to drink half of what was left. As he lifted it, something moved in the path beside him. It was a child, l

e sun, and long shadows c

s's forehead, but the Golden River was very near. Hans stopp

ld man lying in the path. His eyes w

he said

have had your share of life." He strode

zzled him for an instant, an

ng filled the air. He drew the flask from his side and hurled it into the torrent. As he di

lack

elf. He thought it might not do to steal the holy water, as Hans had done, so he took the money little Gluck

very glad to get across, although he had lost his basket of bread and wine. Then he came to the same hill of sharp, red stone, without grass or shade, that Hans had climbed. And

he child. "Wate

or myself," said Sch

lack cloud rose

me him again, and again he lifted the flask to his lips

or myself," said Sch

olour of blood,

This time, as he lifted the flask, he thought he saw his brother Hans b

here for you?" And he strode over the figure. But when he had gon

of the waters filled all the air. He cast the flask into the stream. And as he did so th

Black

the King of the Golden River. The priest gave him some holy water as soo

as exhausted when he got on firm ground. He began to climb the hill in the hottest part of the day. When he had climbed for an hour he

aid the old man; "will you

don't drink it all." But the old man drank a great deal, and gave back the bot

the path, and the gra

by the roadside, and it cried out pitifully for water. After a struggle with himself Gluck decided to bear the thirst a li

ow on the rocks, and crimson and purpl

ay again when he saw a little dog on the rocks, gasping for breath. He looked at it, and then at the Golden River, and he remembered the dwarf's words, "No one can succeed except at the first trial"; and h

gone, and the King of the Golden River stood there. He stooped and plucked a lily that grew beside Gluck's feet

go down the other side of the mountains int

tle whirlpool opened; but the water did not turn to gold. Indeed, the water seemed vanishing altogether. Gluck was di

rocks above, and flowing among the heaps of dry sand. And then fresh grass sprang beside the river, flowers ope

red, and his corn was yellow; and the poor were never driven from his doo

ptation is analysis, careful analysis of the story as it stands. One asks oneself, What is the

overed in a single stride, one makes the stride. When a necessary explanation is unduly long, or is woven into the story in too many strands, one disposes of it in an introductory statem

personages in the story, and to narrate the action from the point of view of one of them,-

language, keeping if possible the same kind of speech as that used in the original, but ch

changed form. The change in a short story is applied oftenest where it becomes desirable to amplify a single anecdote, or perhaps a fable, which is told i

impassable chasm. The officer in command signalled to the party an order to return. They mistook the signal for a command to charge; the brave fellows answered with a cheer, and charged. At the summit of the steep mountain was a triangular platform, defended by a breastwork, behind which wer

d either of red or green, the red denoting the highest rank. According to custom, they stripped the dead, and threw their bodies over the preci

planatory in diction, and too condensed in form. Just as the long story is analysed for reduction of given details, so th

oint of the story; the point must be prepared for. The purpose of the original is equally well served by the explanation at the end, but we must

logical sequence of facts in mind, shall we not find the st

HREAD OF

ad of Honour, by Sir Fran

they were strong enemies. The English knew very little about them, except their courage, but they had noticed one peculiar custom, after certain battles,-the Hillsmen had a way of marking the bodies of their greatest chiefs who were killed in

themselves in a part of the country strange even to the guides. The men moved forward very slowly and cautiously, for fear of an a

ance more quickly, though with cautio

der which seemed to rise from the midst of the valley. The main line of men kept to the right; to save crowdin

cept the way they came. Both sides were sheer rock, almost perpendicular, with thick trees at the top; in front of them the ground rose in a steep hill, bare of woods. As they looked up, they saw that the top was

he officer in command of the main body, an

took it for the signal to charge. Without a moment's pause, stra

he crest, and hurled backward from the precipice; two or three got to the top, and fought hand to hand with the Hillsmen. They were

ds, huddled over and in the barricade, or crushed on the rocks below. They were mutilated and battered, and bor

ur to their heroic foes than to th

suggestion of more than the young child will see for himself. The following example

ND THE DO

, by Oliver Herford, in A Treasury of Ver

r of the nest. "He will lie there safely till I come back," she thought. Presently, however, Sleepy-head opened his eyes and thought he would like to take a walk out in the fresh air. So he crept out of the nest and through the long grass that nodded over the hole in the bank. He ran here and he ran there, stopping again and again to cock his little

e. What would mother say if his nice furry coat got wet and draggled? He crept under a bush, but soon the rain found him out. Then he ran to a tree, but this was poor shelter. He began to think that he was in for a soaking when what should he spy, a little distance off, but a fine toadstool which st

fy roof of the beautiful wood. It would never do to get his pretty wings wet, for he hated to walk-it was such slow work and, besides, he might meet some big wretched animal that could run faster than himself. However, he was beginning to think that there was no help for i

ar to sit still for long at a time. Presently he laughed a queer little laugh. He had got an idea! Putting his two small arms round the stem of the toadstool he tugged and he p

sleep dull hours away. He thought that he was settled in the sweetest bunch of all, with nothing in the world to disturb his nap, when gradually he became aware that something had happened. He shook himself in his sle

HERE IS MY

certain general principles of adaptation which h

o others they may prove a fair foundation on which to build a personal method

ary step in

s of th

im, t

story or to amp

first, t

secondary threa

pers

ript

vant e

nd, the grea

ng Imag

t is desira

ogical

e Point

e Lan

nt at t