Introduction to this Stone Soup Writing and Art Activity “The Enchanted Egg” is a delightful story that plays with ideas and characters commonly found in fairy tales (and in cartoons of fairy tales). This is not a profoundly original story, but it is well written, beautifully illustrated, and fun to read. As you read it you might even try to make a list of all the predictable elements you find. For instance, the toad is ugly (of course!), the owl is wise (of course!), and the third attempt to cure the town of rats succeeds (of course!). What is remarkable about “The Enchanted Egg” is how thoroughly imagined it is. What I mean by this is that Bertrand doesn’t just quickly jot down that there is an ugly toad nobody likes. Both in the writing and in the illustrations, he takes care to make us see the toad as an interesting character and not just a flat cartoon figure. Project: Write and Illustrate a Fairy Tale In its original form, Bertrand’s story has thirty-three illustrations! The text and the pictures were created to go together and make a picture book. I want you to do the same thing. You might start in the library reading fairy tales. Once you have those toads, kings, poor fishermen, mermaids, magic table-cloths, and other fairy tale images clearly in your mind, select a few to put together in your own way. Whatever your story turns out to be—funny, sad, a fight between good and evil, or a wandering adventure—do your best to make them come alive in both words and pictures. The Enchanted Egg By Bertrand C. Jackson, 13, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Illustrated by the author From the March/April 1986 Issue of Stone Soup Once upon a time, many years ago, in a far-off land, there dwelt an ugly toad. His shriveled green skin was dotted with horrible warts. His eyes bulged from his wrinkled head, and his misshapen feet protruded awkwardly from his stout body. Because of his repulsive appearance, the poor toad was mocked by all the other animals—all except the wise old owl, who understood the toad’s kind nature and felt sorry for him. Life was beginning to be unbearable for the toad, although he tried to make the best of the ridicule and harassment. The owl often attempted to comfort him, but it was to no avail. The toad was intent on leaving his familiar forest to make his fortune in a large nearby city. Before he departed, the owl presented him with a magical egg and told him that it would aid him in time of need. He added that, as the egg was enchanted, it would follow the toad wherever he went and would assist him when called upon to do so. The toad was astonished at the strange spectacle of the egg floating in mid-air but listened carefully to the owl’s explicit instructions. The wise old owl then bade him goodbye. The toad gave one last glance at the owl and turned to start his journey. He trudged sadly toward the city with the egg floating faithfully in back. It so happened that this city was the capital of a vast kingdom. He missed his friend the owl very much, but the thought of the enchanted egg tagging quietly behind him helped to lighten his heart. He had never seen a city before and wondered what it would be like. The toad was not very agile, and therefore had much time to think. As he waddled along, a large dog came running toward him. It eyed the plump toad greedily and hoped to make a dinner of him. The toad saw the ravenous creature just in the nick of time. In a panic, the frightened toad bounded into a ditch by the edge of the road, and the egg followed. They both remained there until daybreak. When he awoke, it dawned on him, as he sat covered with mud staring at the suspended object above him, that he could have used it to repel the menace that he had encountered the previous day. It was too late now, and, as the dog was not to be seen, and as the sun was shining brightly, he recommenced his long journey. Suddenly, after many long hours of walking, he saw off in the distance the highest towers of the city. As the toad approached, he was spellbound at its massive size and splendor. He had been travelling for quite some time and was pleased to be there at last. Its imperious walls tapered upward as far as the little toad could see. It made him feel very insignificant indeed. At the wide stone gates two sentries stood at attention. Because of his small stature, the toad slipped through unnoticed. He was amazed at the unfamiliar sight which met him within. He marvelled at the huge castle which loomed up behind the small shops and half-timbered houses of the townspeople. He walked forward so as to obtain a better view of the odd structure which was not blocked by buildings and heads. As he advanced, he had to watch out for garbage which came flying down from the windows along the road and the large awkward feet of the clumsy people. He thought how absolutely dreadful it would be if he were squelched by some unobservant pedestrian and mashed in between cobblestones. He shuddered at the very idea. The toad turned about and gently grasped the egg. Holding it in his hand, he summoned its powers. The toad asked politely, just as the owl had commanded, to be lifted to the magnificent castle. All at once, he ascended into the air and glided forward in the direction of the palace. Along the way, he had a wonderful view of the entire city and the environs beyond. Soon the palace came into sight. Its highest turrets almost seemed to touch the clouds. Protruding from the front of the marble building was
Teaching Art
Art Activity: exploring the power of strong colors with ‘Fishing’ by Halima Said Ali, 6
Introduction to This Stone Soup Art Activity Halima’s colorful picture is made in felt pen. It is so completely colored in it looks like painting! But because it is made with felt pen, it is the kind of painting that is easy to do at home or at school. What makes this picture so wonderful to me are the colors. Halima approached the task of coloring her scene with great courage. She said to herself, “I am going to make a bright, strong picture, a colorful picture that makes me think of cool water and the bright hot sun shining on fishermen at the beach.” And then she went ahead and did it! Look at the picture closely, and look at it from a distance. Notice the effect of the bright colors. Look carefully at the black lines—at the faces and fish and nets. One might say that, with colors, Halima tells the story of the bright hotness of the day. And, with lines, she tells another story—the story of the fishermen and the fish they caught that day. Project: Make a Picture That Tells Two Stories Using lines, tell us what some people are doing outdoors on a clear bright hot summer day. Using color, tell the story of the weather, the story of that brightness and hotness that make certain summer days so special. Using pencil, lightly draw the basic shapes of people, some details of their faces and clothes, the buildings, cars, trees, whatever you need to tell the story of what your people are doing. Then, using felt pens, colored pencils, or paint, boldly and courageously transform your sketch into a brightly colored painting. Use color to tell the story of heat and brightness. You may discover that in some cases the “right” color to use is not the real color that you seem to see with your eyes. For instance, let’s say the day is very hot and the sky very blue. What color sky will best give the idea of a hot day? It might be blue, but it might also be red, orange, or some other “hot” color. So, in choosing your colors, be brave, and experiment! Go with all your senses! Follow Halima’s example and make your picture exciting as a carnival! From the May/June 1986 Issue of Stone Soup Fishing, by Halima Said Ali, age 6, Oman
Art Activity: Capturing activity in image with ‘Collecting Wild Hares’
Introduction to this Stone Soup Art Activity Hares are a bit like rabbits, and this picture from Hungary by Katalin Kiss, 13, shows a group of people hunting hares for food. Look carefully at the picture. There is a lot going on! There are thirteen people, nine hares, four houses, four trees, bells, bags, sticks, a fence, clouds, and there is even a well. This picture is in one color only, but look at all the detail in the men’s clothing. Some men wear hats, some don’t. There are a couple of styles of trousers, of boots, shoes, shirts. What is most amazing to me about this picture is the way each figure is posed. Everyone, including the dogs, is doing something. The characters are frozen in time, in the midst of moving, as we might see them in a snapshot. Project: Capturing an Active Moment Like Katalin, make a drawing in one color. Katalin’s picture is a linoleum print or lino cut, but you will probably use pencil or pen. For a subject, choose something where lots of people (at least six) are doing something active. Following Katalin’s example, capture the movements of each person in the scene at the moment you freeze the action. Examples of subjects you might choose where you could “catch” a number of people in interesting positions are in sports, people working together building or repairing something, a family working or playing together, chefs in a kitchen cooking, all the different activities in a railway station or airport, or people buying groceries in a supermarket. In this last example you could show someone leaning over a shopping basket dropping something in, a couple of people walking down an aisle, a child reaching out to touch something on a shelf, and a worker unpacking boxes of cereal. The more people you can show making different gestures, the more interesting your picture will be. Whatever subject you choose for your picture, follow Katalin’s example and use the entire paper for your scene—from the top of the paper to the bottom. From the March/April 1986 Issue of Stone Soup Capturing Wild Hares, by Katalin Kiss, 13, Hungary
