Portfolio Guide

Simba Strays from the pride

In this story, a rambunctious cub goes off on his own but quickly realizes that he is safer at home with his family. Enjoy the story of Simba and his great adventure.

The Brothers, the Fish, and the Lost Fishhook 

This is the tale of two brothers who trade places for a day and one of them ends up losing something valuable that belongs to his brother. He must go on a quest to retrieve it and earn his brother's forgiveness all while a small fish watches the events unfold from below the water.

The recovery of the magical fish hook

The tale of the hunter retrieving his brother's lost, magical fish hook continues. Our narrator, the fish, continues on with his journey to see if the hunter will recover the fish hook and in the process, he gets involved in the adventure.

A Game of Cat and Mouse

What happens when the predator is outsmarted by his prey? This is the tale of a household whose hierarchy is turned on its head when a very determined mouse shows that a cat is no match for his brain power.

The Determined Boy Scout

Never give up; always fight for your dreams. This is the story of one brave Boy Scout who always works to be the best he can be and has a huge heart for helping people. But in helping someone, he realizes the strength of his determination, all while making a new friend.

The Hard Working Interns

Sometimes, those on the bottom of the food chain get overlooked. But with talent, confidence and some thread, these interns created top notch work that nobody could ignore. Read about how Michelle and Rebecca sewed and stitched their way right into their bosses good graces.

Storytelling: The Determined Boy Scout

Harold the boy scout

Harold always wanted to grow up and be an accomplished Eagle Scout like his dad and older brother. He joined the Boy Scouts when he was really young so he could start learning early all the ins and outs. Every meeting, every event and every chance he was hungry to learn more or practice his skills he took advantage of. Harold convinced his dad to take him to the store and buy him anything he could possibly ever need while he was out on his boy scout adventures. He had rope, flares, first aid kits, water, snacks, extra clothes, fishing lures, Swiss Army knife and even more things.

Fall was the time of year that the Boy Scouts were put to the test to see if they had what it takes to move on to the next level and possibly become Eagle Scouts. Harold spent as much time as he could practice things like how to build a fire or how to make a tent. While he was out in the woods one day practicing his knotting skills, he heard footsteps crunching the dead leaves that the trees had shed. He stayed very still because he was not sure who would be out in the woods with him.

A little girl came into view and she jumped back startled when she saw Harold. It was obvious she had not anticipated running into anyone either.

"Hi, I'm Clara, and boy am I'm glad to see you!" she said.

"Hi Clara, I'm Harold. Why are you roaming around in the woods?" Harold asked her.

"Well, I just moved here and I was at the store getting some candy when these bullies pushed me down and then started chasing me! I couldn't get away but eventually I lost them in the woods. It was fine until I realized I had no idea where I was and I've just been roaming around since," she confused.

 Harold felt bad and as much as he wanted to practice more skills for his eagle scout test, he knew he could not leave the poor girl high and dry.

"Well, how about I see if I can get you back home?" Harold offered.

After she told him her street, he realized they were neighbors and he set off taking her there. Harold told Clara all about what he was doing in the woods and how much be wanted to be an eagle scout.

She gave him a puzzled look and asked, "You practiced so much, so why don't you have any patches on your shirt?"

Harold told her, "Well, I may not be the most skilled Boy Scout YET, but if I stop trying then I'll never get better or even have a chance at being an Eagle Scout!"

Clara smiled at him and said nothing else. Harold got her home and her parents were so thrilled to see her. They thanked Harold repeatedly for making sure that she got home safe and sound. Clara wished him the best of luck on his Eagle Scout exam and promised she would come by his house tomorrow to help him practice pitching a tent. Harold was excited to have someone to help him keep practicing his skills and also was happy he had made a new, unexpected friend.

Alice and the White Knight

Author's Note:
I took this story from my reading of "Through the Looking Glass" specifically the story series called "My Own Invention."  I really liked how when the two knights fought and the White Knight won, he didn't hold Alice as his prisoner and instead agreed to help her get to the other side of the woods. Throughout the story of their journey, it becomes blatantly obvious that the knight is not the best. He has too many items on his horse that are not necessary and he keeps falling off of his horse. Alice continuously helps him back on and he tells her it is all about practice. I chose to write this story as a story you would tell a small child to help them learn a lesson. It is a lesson about perseverance for the things you love and are passionate about, which in Harold's case, was being a good Boy Scout and eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. Harold helps Clara through the woods just like the knight did for Alice. Clara encourages Harold just as Alice did even though neither Harold or the White Knight were that good at what they were doing it. It is a fun, simple lesson that giving up won't get you to your goal so it is best to keep trying!

Bibliography:  Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (1871).

Storytelling: Buried in wealth

Scrooge was the richest man in town, and he made sure everyone knew it. When he walked through the streets, he always wore his nicest coat and made sure to carry his gold plated cane. He would stroll up and down the streets of town, paying no mind to the beggars that lined the streets and that were on every corner. Even though he ignored their very existence, some of them would still ask him to donate to them, which he always declined with a scoff and hearty laugh.

One day, when he was walking home from the bank, he passed by a new beggar who sat on the curb looking cold and down trodden. He walked by her like all the rest until he heard a man behind him speaking. He turned around and saw the man hand the homeless women a single coin. Although it was a humble contribution and foolish in Scrooge's opinion, Scrooge felt guilty and began walking back towards the two.

"Excuse me sir," said Scrooge. "Could I trouble you for a coin to give to this poor woman? I would give of my own money but I only have large bills due to my immense wealth."

Un-phased by his bragging, the man lent Scrooge a coin to give to the woman. When Scrooge came back, the man asked "so when can I reclaim the coin that you owe to me?"

"Come tomorrow and I promise I will have small enough change to pay you," instructed Scrooge.

And with those instructions, the man and Scrooge parted ways. The next day, the man came to Scrooge's place of business to collect his money. Scrooge turned him away however, declaring that his wealth was still far too large to break into smaller change. The man stated that he would return the next day to claim his repayment.

The next day, Scrooge was hard at work balancing his books when he saw the man coming down the street towards his Savings & Loans business. Fed up and exhausted with the constant visits, Scrooge decided the only way to get rid of the persistent man was to fake his own death. Right as the man knocked on the door and came in, Scrooge keeled over and pretended to die. The man saw through this trick immediately because he had seen Scrooge spying on him through the window. However, the man decided to go with the shenanigans and beat Scrooge at his own game.

"Oh woe poor Ebenezer Scrooge! Deceased far before his time!" cried out the man. "He deserves the proper burial of a righteous man."

With that declaration, the man began making arrangements for a proper funeral. He called a florist, a concert pianist, a funeral home, a coffin maker, and a priest. He considered making invitations to the funeral for family and friends before he realized this was Ebenezer Scrooge and he obviously would not have anyone attending.

He hosted the ceremony that afternoon at the grave yard behind the town church. Together, he and the priest put Scrooge to rest and as they were lowering his coffin into the ground, Scrooge finally broke character and jumped out of the hole.

"Wait! Wait! Please don't bury me for I am still very much alive," pleaded Scrooge.

"Oh what great work of magic! I am quite glad you are awake after all," teased the man. "In that case I believe you owe me a coin plus the cost of all the funeral arrangements."

Begrudgingly, Scrooge paid back the borrowed coin and all the costs that had been spent on his fake funeral. After paying back the man, Scrooge vowed to never borrowed money from anyone again. While Scrooge did not really learn the lesson that was intended, the man was glad that Scrooge would not try to pull the same trick on someone else ever again. And with all the funds he had recovered from the cost of the funeral, he went and donated it to the towns shelter/soup kitchen so that Scrooge's money would end up helping the less fortunate, whether he liked it or not.

Ebenezer Scrooge 

Author's Note: I was inspired by the Russian Folktale: The Miser. There is a rich and stingy man who borrows a coin from a poor man to give to a beggar. The poor man happily does so but comes back day after day to be paid back. The Miser never pays him and even fakes his own death. Right before he is buried, the Miser stops faking and together him and the poor man see band of robbers as they run away frighten. Together the Miser and the poor man divided up the robbers riches but the Miser never actually paid the poor man back. In the spirit of the holidays, I wrote my story around Scrooge from a Christmas Carol. He is stingy and rich just like the Miser and neither of them like donating to others. I wanted some justice in the story though, so the poor man gets Scrooge to stop faking his death and pay up plus some. As a bonus kick. the poor man takes Scrooge's money and donates it to organizations designed to help people. I thought it was a nice and snarky thing to do.

Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887). The Miser

Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales Part B

I am continuing my reading of Russian Fairy Tales.

There is this story, The Headless Princess, that I was disturbed by but actually admired too. I like how brave the priest's son was in how he handled the witch princess. He stood with strong resolve even when she was conjuring horrible things all around him. He was brave even at such a young age. I'm glad in the end the king believed the priest's son when he told him what his deceased daughter was capable of doing. It worried me at first that he might not believe that his daughter was capable of such things.

I am noticing throughout all the readings in this second half, there is a lot of stories where the dead come alive in the night to torture the living in one way or another. It always comes down to one person being more clever or more brave than the deceased person. Horrifying but very interesting to think because that is one of the biggest things I'm afraid of. When you have to encounter and evil that is dead or not human, how do you hurt it?

The Fox-Physician made me feel bad for the poor old man. He was trying to be helpful throughout the story and just kept running into issues. When he realized that the cabbage lead to henna where there was abundant food and drink he just wanted to share his discovery with the old woman. Just like in other stories and genres, the fox plays the cunning character as he fools the old man into letting the fox be alone with the old woman so he can eat her. What would have happened if he had opened the door and caught the fox as he was cooking the woman and preparing to eat her? Something to consider.

Russian Fairy Tale

Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

Reading Notes: Russian Folktales Part A

For this week's readings, I will be looking at Russian Folktales.

Right from the start of this section, all of the stories were dark and somber. Not in a Brothers Grimm way, but in a twisted, evil way. Strangely enough I love it! I really enjoyed the story The Treasure mostly because justice was served. The pope was punished for being greedy and deceitful but I wish the old poor man would have gotten his money back or received some sort of compensation after all that the pope and the town had put him through after the loss of his wife. At the end of the story, the authors assumes that the skin of the goat melded with the pope by an act of God, but what if the wife who had died was actually haunting the pope and after seeing how he tricked her husband, she cursed him to live life like that. That could be an interesting re-telling.

The story The Miser honestly had such an odd ending I really didn't have an opinion of it. I was hoping that greedy Marko would get his punishment either by having to pay the copeck to the poor man or that he would tragically die and the wife would pay the poor man. Towards the end I really thought that maybe Marko was dead but instead he and the poor man just divided the loot the robbers left behind. And even after all that, Marko never paid the poor man?! I would tell that story so differently, which is exactly what I may do in my next story telling assignment.

I was intrigued by the story Friday because it seemed to have some biblical background to it. Since the woman was working on Friday instead of resting and, in turn, honoring Mother Friday, she was punished. It reminded me how many different sects of Christianity and other religions emphasize resting on holy days as a tradition. Now they never really punish someone for not doing so, but usually they are social reprimanded. Instead, this woman gets an eye full of saw dust. Even though it was extreme, I just liked the overall simplicity of the story. Most of all, I liked that the woman learned her lesson quickly and didn't have to be punished over and over before getting the point.

Russian Fairy Tales

Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

Storytelling: The Hardworking Interns

Interns are always known for being at the bottom of the food chair no matter what company it is. Things were no different for Michelle and Rebecca, but they knew that going in. Their bosses were a sweet tag-team duo, Richard and Stephanie, who owned their own boutique clothing store. Mich and Becca were ready on their first day for anything and everything, whether that was fetching samples, making coffee or running down to wardrobe for extra pieces for inspiration. On their first day though, they realized they were kind of ignore. Sure they were asked to do a casual errand here or there, but for the most part they were left to their own devices.

As the day was winding down, Richard and Stephanie were obviously irritable. They had just started a new project for their fall line and had zero inspiration to get working on the trench coat that would get the look started. They left the office early in a depressed state and told all the employees to just head home early that day. Mich and Becca heard the defeat in their bosses voice and decided to stay and work late. They went over to the mannequins and after circling them a few times, they got to work. By 4 am, both the man and woman trench coats were done. They slept in the conference room until they were awaken by a scream of joy!

They went into the design room to see Richard and Stephanie in awe of the two beautiful trench coats. Neither of the girls mentioned that the work was theirs and neither Richard nor Stephanie asked anyone who had finished the coats. 

The rest of the day went as normal and with the trench coats done, Richard and Stephanie had a boost of inspiration and were working in a flurry all day. Towards the end of the day though, they got hung up on the boots that were meant to finish the looks. They were either too tall, too feminine, too bulky or just flat out wrong. Once again, both Richard and Stephanie left in a huff, dismissing their employees early yet again. 

Mich and Becca stayed back and brainstormed what the perfect fall boot would look like to finish off this beautiful look for the collection. They worked tirelessly all night, stitching, sewing, measuring until they were beyond thrilled with their work. Know they just hoped their bosses were as please as they were with the trench coats. They made their sleepy trek back to the conference room, but right as they laid down, they heard happy screams of their bosses. The bosses later announced that the line was finished and that there should be a big party the next day. Everyone was to go home and relax in celebration of the completion of the looks. 

They next day when Mich and Becca walked in the office, there were decorations everywhere and a big cake in the center of the room. As they got closer they saw there was a banner above it that read "Thanks Mich and Becca." They were stunned and turned around to face their bosses. Apparently, when Richard and Stephanie sent everyone home, they checked security footage and saw Mich and Becca were the one's finishing all the work. They were given full time positions and made heads of the fall men's and women's department. Mich and Becca were thrilled all their handwork had finally been noticed and appreciated. 

Rebecca and Michelle

Author's Note: 

I wrote this story as inspired from the Grimm Brother's story called The Elves. There are two elves who keep finishing all the shoes that the shoe maker starts but doesn't finish. In the middle of the night, while him and his wife sleep, they come out and make beautiful shoes which the shoe maker sells for a fortune the next day. One night, he and his wife stay up and see the elves working away. The next night they have clothes set out for the elves who are over joyed! I recreated this with the setting of a fashion company but instead of elves, the helpers are too under recognized interns. Eventually though, the bosses realize their hard work and reward them just as the man and his wife did. I wanted to keep the theme of hard work pays off and no good deed goes unnoticed. 

Bibliography: The Elves from The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales as translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Reading Notes: The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales Part B

I am continuing my reading of The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales.

The story about the fox and the cat was interesting to me because for once the fox seemed like he was actually going to do a good deed. While he was still fairly cocky when telling the cat that he had a bag of hundreds of tricks while all the cat could do was climb a tree, the fox did offer to teach the cat. However, I was not surprised when that back fired on the fox and the dogs got to him and not the cat. Sometimes we think we are big and bad when in reality we boast too much and ignore what is going on around us. I didn't like how short this story was because it seemed like there should have been more to it. It did seem to get the main point across though. I may rewrite this using humans.

The story of the little brother fish and the little sister dear broke my heart. It had a lot of common parts from fairy tales about princesses in it. There is a wicked stepmother who abuses and dislikes the children and bewitches them in some way. The cook could be compared to the huntsman or any number of subordinates who don't follow the wish of the evil step mother and do something to help the poor child or children instead. The peasant woman could be compared to the prince who does his best to rescue or save the person in trouble and the wise woman could be similar to a fairy god mother who works her magic to make things right again. I really liked all the parallelism in the story. Stories like this one feel like the recipe for a basic chocolate cake. It has the same common ingredients no matter what and the outcome is always the same except for maybe a few fancy details here and there.

Simeli Mountain was a kind of sad, messed up story. It made me think of Aladdin when he enters the cave and finds all those treasures inside it. The poor man shouldn't have become so greedy or have treated his brother so harshly and he would not have gotten stuck inside the cave. Sometimes we need to learn to appreciate good fortune in our lives. Whether its by a stroke of good luck that we gain immense fortune or just being grateful for what we have, greedy of any kind can corrupt and destroy your life. It could be interesting to create my own story about a tale where greedy nearly ruined a man's life, consuming him completely. I could get really creative with this.

Simeli Mountain

Bibliography:The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Reading Notes:The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales part A

For this week I am reading The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales.

The first story of the cat and the mouse threw me for a loop in the beginning. It is much more common for the cat and mouse to be enemies or predator and prey but this story depicts them as sharing house together. As the story goes on though the sneaky nature of the cat is revealed and he takes advantage of the poor mouse being so understanding and kind. It reminds me too much of relationships both friend based and romantic, where one person is so willing to bend over backwards to please their friend and the other one abuses that kindness by taking advantage of them. I'd like to retell that story but where the mouse gets some kind of revenge instead on the cat.

Between the story about the mother with the 7 goat kids and Little Red Cap, I must say I liked the story of the goats better. At the end of that story, there was a kind of moral like listen to your parents. A lot of the times, parents tell us what we should or shouldn't do and we always back sass them. As I've gotten older, I've begun to realize a lot of that is because they have either made those mistakes themselves or they have seen someone else do it and they just want to keep us safe. It would be fun to retell this story in a creative way. Maybe not animals or humans, but instead it could be inanimate objects like food or something.

I liked the story The Elves the best. It was about good deeds being repaid and that always makes me happy to read about someone doing good for others. It was an interesting twist that the Elves were the ones to receive presents and they were so deserving of it after all their hard work. This could inspire a story about a kind act being done for someone who does good deeds and asks for no recognition for them. Especially with the holiday season, why not write a story about peace on earth, goodwill towards men and all that jazz right?

The Elves

Bibliography:
The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Reading Notes: The Looking Glass Part B

I am now continuing to read The Looking Glass.

The story about the two knights fighting to have Alice as their prisoner was a fun description. I think my favorite part was that the chess pieces act as normal characters (such as knights fighting or how the King and Queen were acting in the first half of the story) but then they realize that they are actually just chess pieces and break character (this is like when the knight said he wouldn't take Alice as a prisoner because his turn was almost over. I also think it was super cute that the knight who won was way over prepared as far as what he had on his horse. It made some sense because that is basically where he lives, so having things like a beehive for honey or a mouse trap somewhat made sense. He strikes me more as an over prepared boy scout though at the fact that he has shark guards around his horse's ankles.

What I liked most about the story of the knight was that even though he kept falling off the horse, he never felt dismayed and got right back on. It was meant to be funny or odd I'm sure but I saw it more as encouraging. The knight was determined to keep riding his horse and never give up and I liked that a lot about him. It could make for an interesting story to write about someone who isn't great at something but they keep trying. Maybe they even preserver and end up being the best.

Something that I loved, and possibly over analyzed, was the interaction between the White Queen, Alice and the Red Queen. The Red Queen became upset with something Alice said, and like most of us have done before, she followed it up with saying that she didn't mean to say that. The Red Queen makes a good point saying "'That's just what I complain of! You SHOULD have meant! What do you suppose is the use of a child without any meaning? Even a joke should have some meaning — and a child's more important than a joke, I hope." I took this to mean that people don't give children enough credit when they say something. Children should be listened to because a lot of the time they speak the truth since they are young and not as corrupt. Additionally, children should be taught young that what they say matters and words can really effect people so they should choose their words wisely. Again, I am possibly over analyzing this but it really struck home with me. 

Alice, the Red Queen and the White Queen

Bibliography: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (1871).

Reading Notes: Looking Glass Part A

For this week, I will be reading the Looking Glass series.

I specifically chose this section to read because I saw the movie "Alice in Wonderland" by Tim Burton and I also loved the original Disney movie. So reading the very original version by Lewis Carroll seemed like an interesting and fun story to get into this week. 

The first story when Alice enters the Looking Glass is about her interaction with the chess pieces, specifically the White King and White Queen. I liked this because it was such a different perspective to have them afraid of her instead of the Disney movie and Tim Burton movie where Alice is fearful of the Queen of Hearts. It is interesting that they cannot see or hear her and yet she can touch and interact with them without her knowing. It's like she is still outside the Looking Glass but somehow found a way to interact with the would inside it. Very cool perspective.

The story about Tweedledum and Tweedledee makes me smile without a doubt. They have manners and emphasize that when they meet her, but at the same time are ignorant of social cues like when Tweedledee decides it is best to tell poor Alice the longer story when she is trying to get on her way. The illogical logic of the two brothers is something really interesting actually. Everything is a contradiction but at the same time is truthful or at least makes some sense. You can tell Alice is really having to stop and think about these things too, which makes what they are saying even more interesting. They have a tendency to point out the obvious but in such a way where you have to reconsider even the most basic of things such as where rain will fall if you are underneath an umbrella. 

Humpty Dumpty was a rather annoying character in my opinion the way that he was always giving Alice a hard time. He kept correcting her and even confusing her when he would try to tell her what she was saying, doing or thinking was wrong. Honestly, it got kind of annoying. What I did like out of that story was that unlike the remake or the Disney version, Humpty Dumpty was the one who introduced Alice to unbirthdays instead of the Tweedle brothers. 

Alice looking through the Looking Glass

Bibliography:

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (1871).

Storytelling: The Merry Men vs. The Strangers

It was a beautiful mid-October afternoon and the sun could not be brighter. Robin and his band of merry men were calming walking around the playground as they always did during recess. They surveyed the perimeters to make sure all was well and everyone was having fun during this break in the day. It was custom that they patrol the edges of the playground to keep things in order when the teachers were inside having their daily meeting. Robin was pleased with the peace of the day until out of nowhere, he heard one of his mean yell at the top of his lungs.

"What is wrong Little John?" Robin anxiously asked his best friends.

"Something just hit me in my back!" Little John stated while rubbing his now sore back.

As Robin and the men looked around for the culprit, another one of the merry men yelled claiming to have been struck by a rock in the back of his head! A few more of the men were hit before Robin heard a low soft chuckling up in the top of the jungle gym.

"Who are you?" asked Robin, "And why do you keep throwing rocks at us?!"

The lad in the jungle gym said nothing, but pocked his head out a little more so his face was visible. Right next to him, two more heads popped up and snickered at Robin and his confused companions.

"You all think you are such hot shots!" yelled the one boy. "Who decided that you were the only ones who could rule the playground? Maybe we would be better at it then you all! I mean we are obviously way better fighters."

Robin and his men all gasped at such a bold claim. Who did these three boys think they were coming onto the playground that Robin and his men had defended and maintained order on all year? Little John, who had been standing next to Robin fuming at what the boys said lost his cool and charged to the front of the group.

"OH YEAH!? Well if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you will get!" declared Little John.

Without hesitation, Robin and his men picked up pebbles and wood chips and using the slingshots they always kept with them, began launching the debris up at the three boys. They were too slow though and the three boys ducked behind the wall of the jungle gym before any of the pebble or wood chips could hit them.

"Spread out!" declared Robin to his men and they all scattered, surrounding the jungle gym on all sides. They continued a relentless fire onto the jungle gym even though they could not see the boys. Eventually, they ceased firing when they heard what they thought was one of the boys yelling "We surrender." They all stopped dead and waited to see what would happen next. Then all three of the boys popped up with their own slingshots and fired away at Robin and the merry men.

"Retreat!" yelled Robin and they all tried to take cover behind a row of benches where they thought they would be out of range of the three boys slingshots. Robin grabbed a white towel and started waiving it in the air until the boys stopped shoot pebbles at them. Robin declared that he and his men surrounded and the boys came down from the top of the jungle gym to shake hands with all the merry men. They conceded that each had put up a good battle and to keep the peace, their groups would take turns guarding the playground and keeping order.

"Okay kids, recess is over!" one of the teachers announced just as the bell began to ring. Robin, his men and the three boys all went their separate ways back to class.

"Until we meet again," Robin said under his breath.

Author's Note: I chose to model this story after a reading from the story Robin Hood: Robin Hood's Delight. I guess what drew me most to this story was that unlike some of the other battles that take place in the story, Robin and his friends lose here. Even more interesting is that the entire scene takes place sort of like a game. It reminded me a lot of how young boys play on the playground. They all get really into it and take it super seriously until recess ends of the game is over with winners and losers. They still hold somewhat of a grudge but they overall know it was just a game and they will resume playing later on. This concept was very similar because Robin, Little John and Will continue to fight the strangers even after they initially lose to them. I wanted to tell the story from one point of view of the battle being very intense and real to the two groups of boys. To them this was a very serious fight and the winner mattered a lot. However, I also wanted to keep it lighthearted just like it was in the original telling, which is why I made the setting during recess at a playground. I didn't specify an age because I wanted to the reader to have some freedom.

Bibliography: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898).