(Narrated today into the nifty Zire 72 PDA, my good buddy Kay sent my daughter this spring, while I listened. I typed it up this evening to share here and print off.)
**Note: This narration contains a clever deception that transpired today (in yellow highlight) then continues on to the actual narration. Read more about the deception after the narration.
There was this prince and he wanted to see where the Garden of Eden was. So he was walking along but it began to rain. And he saw a cave that had a big fire so he went in there. It was pretty cold but there was still a fire. He found out that was where the Four Winds lived – The North Wind, The South Wind, The West Wind, and The East Wind. The East Wind told him that he was going to the Garden of Eden. And so the prince asked if he could go with the East Wind. And so they went and they had to go through this very dark passage and they came into a big valley. It had sparkling rivers, and rainbows, fish, and a lot of flower, and a lot of fruit, and stuff. The prince was really happy because he wanted to stay in the Garden of Eden, but The East Wind told him he couldn’t. He should go back to his family. So the prince said he wanted to take something home. He decided to take a red flower. It was a very pretty flower and he gave it to his mother. She planted it and it made a pretty tree. They lived happily ever after. The end.
They entered the garden and they went across a marble bridge to the most blooming place in the Garden of Paradise. They met the garden fairy. She took them into her palace. The prince looked out of the window and saw Adam and Eve in a picture. He asked why they were in the picture. The fairy said that over time it carved itself into her windows. Then she took the prince into another room and it had the Tree of Noleg [sic. Knowledge.] She said, “Why don’t we get into a boat and we can find some good food.” And so they did. And when they came back the prince asked if he could live there always. She said, “If you can resist not to come to me when I beckon then you may stay all you want.”
She slept under the Tree of Knowledge. So that night she asked him to come and he did because he completely forgot. When he did the Garden of Paradise sank into the ground. He ended up next to the cave. Then Death came and it said, “If you sin again then I shall place you into a coffin and see if you go up or down.” (Whispered, “That’s all I can think of.”) The end.
Okay, so I had read this Garden of Paradise early last week and immediately smelled something amiss with my daughter's narration. I asked that she bring me the book. She contintued on with her next studies while I investigated.
Yep, sure enough! Her narration wasn't a retelling of Anderson's fairy tale, but rather an imagined ending, created by her.
Well, I called her back over to my desk and inquired. Turns out, she hadn't finished reading the story (though placed her bookmark at the next story following.) When I asked her why she said it was boring. (This is not typical of my daughter.) I told her it was not only not acceptable to not complete her assigned work, but it was not acceptable to fabricate an ending to the story to hide that she had not read it. I went on to tell her that she should expect Mommy to know what stories are about, even ones I ask for a narration. And that being sly does not show her making good and wise choices.
She apologized, went back and finished the tale, and then continued her narration (into the Zire. )
*sigh*
Note to other homeschool moms: Quite honestly, this whole incident cracked me up. I couldn't let her know that. I did, however, think it was darn clever. Had I NOT read the tale myself (and known it was rather lengthy & expected a more detailed narration) I'd not have been the wiser.  |
Too cute!!
Thanks for sharing it!