Beyond Reading Aloud, part 3

The Dragon & the Turtle, part 3

by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark
Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

Initial Art and Text:

• The Problem
• The Plan
• The Obstacles

The Problem: All good fiction has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Quickly, normal is established and then interrupted. Normal for Padraig is leisurely hunting for bugs for his snack. Normal for Roger is playing and then going home.

The Problem is that Roger is lost. Padraig chooses to help him find his home. Roger’s problem has become Padraig’s problem. Incidentally, Padraig’s problem will develop out of the situation. He’s hungry, and he’s frustrated by using a lot of time and effort to find Roger’s house.

Roger’s problem is of importance to children. Being lost is something that catches their attention. Many children’s classics explore this theme.

Examples:

The Story of Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese (Ping’s family)

Corduroy by Don Freeman (lost button)

Corduroy Lost and Found by B. G. Hennessy and Jody Wheeler (Corduroy is lost)

The Man Who Lost His Head by Claire Huchet Bishop and Robert McCloskey (a man’s head)

Lost by David McPhail (first a bear and then, a boy)

Padraig offers sympathy to Roger for getting lost. He doesn’t tell him he’s foolish for not knowing where he is, and he doesn’t make fun of playing pirates alone. A child observes the dragon being gracious, although the child would not use the word gracious to label the dragon’s actions. But the child engaged in the story will feel relief and hope when Padraig demonstrates he is going to help.

Identifying with the character is another part of the learning piece that is so important to comprehension. If the child tackled this book without first having had it read to him, the focus on the business of reading would obstruct the business of responding to the story. Children are concrete thinkers, and they need exposure to develop symbolism. In this preoperational stage (Piaget’s second of six child developmental stages), the child recognizes a picture represents a thing, a word represents something, and the character in a story represents a person. And the person could very well be him.

The Plan: In the simple tale of a picture book, the plan emerges without much ado. Padraig asks the color of Roger’s house. The dragon says wait here and off he goes. The child recognizes that Padraig has the advantage of seeing all the houses from the air. It does not need to be explained. The picture part of the picture book deftly answers any questions that might arise.

Padraig will scout. They will walk to the house he’s found. They will try again until they achieve their goal. Roger’s role is to provide new clues.

The Obstacles: We are in the middle of the story. In a longer piece of fiction, written for one of maturity, the hero’s goal would be established, and he would pursue his desire while overcoming obstacles and discouragement. Aha! It is the same in the picture book adventure. Each time Padraig finds a house, he and Roger make the slow trip, walking to the new destination. Of course, it is the wrong house. Discouragement. Padraig is remembering he is hungry. Obstacle.

The obstacles are child-size. The lesson is understated: Stay calm and keep going.