STORY CUE CARD
Bibliographic Information (best version for
telling):
Roubidoux, Noel. Why Coyote Isn’t Blue.
(Within And it is still that way: legends / told by
This version is similar to references to the story
within motif number A2411.2.1.20.1 (listed having origins from North American
Indians, Pima:
Ethnic Origin: North American Indian,
Pima
Running Time: 7 minutes
Power Center(s):
·
Excitement
over the discovery that the color change happened after swimming only half a
lap.
·
Realizing
that not following the directions AND being so proud of oneself can result in
an undesired consequences!
Why I chose this story:
Fascination
with how things got to be the way they are.
Following
detailed directions is generally the only way to enjoy success.
The kindness
of the birds to teach another how to be beautiful and the payback coyote got when
he cheated and tried to show off.
Previous
career in dyeing and finishing of textiles with emphasis on testing for
colorfastness to washing, pool water, light, etc. This story made me smile
since coyote did not follow the prescribed directions!
Characters: Coyote, two bluebirds
Scenes:
Introduce
setting, characters, action: Magic
lake, birds, Coyote. Coyote observes birds swimming in magic lake turning a
beautiful blue color. Asks them how he can be blue too.
Bluebirds
teach coyote how to become blue, with emphasis repeating the lap swim across
the lake four times every morning for four days and singing a special
song—two lines before the lap is swum, one line at the end. Steps must be
followed for color change to last.
Coyote
focuses on learning the song, discovers himself changed to blue after only one
length (half a lap) across the lake, sings song as he runs for the hills to
show off. Finding no one to show off to, he admires himself instead of looking
at the rocky path, trips and rolls over and over in the dirt. His coat is now
and forever more the color of dirt.
Had
coyote paid attention to the birds’ directions, he would be blue today.
Synopsis:
Coyote
envies the beautiful blue color of two birds he sees swimming in a blue lake.
The birds freely offer directions and emphasize the importance of following the
details exactly. Coyote sings first two lines of song, swims only one length,
sings last line of song (I’m all blue). He admires himself so much that
he leaves the lake, running up to and along a rocky trail. He trips, rolls in
the dirt, and is now the color of dirt.
Rhymes/Special Phrases/"Flavor":
(Simple song – adapted to fit
tune of My country ‘tis of thee)
Here
is the blue lake,
I
happily dive on in, [Action: swimming, then when out after a
LAP, sing last:]
I
am all blue.
Birds demonstrate what a lap is (as opposed to
just a length), stress importance of four repeats of the sequence on four
consecutive mornings.
Order of steps: Sing first two lines/ swim a
complete lap/ finish song “I am all blue”
Tripping action when not paying attention
Coyote rolling in the soft dirt and becoming
brown.
Audience(why is this story
appropriate for the audience? developmental characteristics?):
Using the
characteristics of preschoolers (ages 3-5) described in Charlotte Huck’s
Children’s Literature in the Elementary School (1993):
Short attention spans: would be more likely
to behave like the coyote who thinks the result of turning blue is real after
only swimming only one way across the lake.
Appeals
to preschoolers’ curiosity about
how things work. Turning the color of dirt when coyote trips is an
imaginative explanation for both why and how the animal did not stay blue, the
color that he desired.
The
moral (that one must follow directions exactly) fits into preschoolers’
tendencies to make absolute judgments
about what is right and wrong.
In
Piaget’s preoperational developmental stage (in ages 2-7), repetition is important. Four times,
four days, coupled with the three lines of the same song are the important
details for coyote to learn. However, he only remembered the three lines of the
song became distracted by the initial results.
In a
participatory sense, (and if appropriate in the setting) asking children in the
audience to move their arms as if swimming and to stop and sing the appropriate
lines of the song at the right time can help them think about the rhythm of
speech and movement which are important in developing confidence with their
coordination.
Bibliographic information on other
versions/variants (at least two)?
Several other
versions of the same story were found by searching different combinations of
must-have words or entire phrases in Google. Partial book titles were looked up
in WorldCat. For comparison to the tale I will tell, I chose the version titled
“Bluebird and the Coyote” at: http://www.bayweekly.com/year03/issuexi34/kidsxi34.html
I found this by searching for only
“coyote” AND “bluebird” as must-have words on
For a variant, I removed looked for the stories
referenced under motif A2411.1.3.2 “Color of coyote.”
Goldin, Barbara D. Coyote and the firestick: A
Brief comparison of all versions/variants (in terms of language,
rhythm, "tellability," "flavor," content, etc. Stress the
differences in style rather than those of content.)
The Bluebird
and the Coyote contained a four-line song that’s verb tense felt awkward
to me. Attempts at rewording it seemed to force it to lose its flavor. Although
the directions to become blue are slightly different, coyote follows them
exactly but is punished for his vanity, tripping while looking at his shadow
which he hoped would also be blue. Bluebird said he (or she) “only”
went in four times and coyote had some courage issues to deal with. These small
but important differences hampered my ability to have the flexibility to tell
it in a fun way stressing the importance of the repetition.
“Telling”
a story from a picturebook, such as Goldin’s Coyote and the firestick,
and making it my own would be a greater challenge than I am ready for.
Although, as a variant and ignoring the obvious focus on the tale through
illustration, the language is more descriptive of coyote in the trickster role.
It lacks the rhythm that I found I could take liberty with from the version I
selection. The psychological jump of recognizing the similarity between
attitudes of animals and humans in Native American folklore raises the age
appropriateness of the story above the preschool level.