A Brazilian version of Puss in Boots. When a poor man is forced to sell all that he owns in order to feed himself, he refuses to part with his beloved cat, and in return for his loyalty, his cat sets out to make his master rich.
Podcast releases on June 29th and can be found in the Story Library
Spotlight Country – Brazil
Good stories can give us space in our lives to pause and ponder some bolt of beauty, some truth, or some new way of looking at life. It is what I call, the Story Souvenir.
Souvenir is a French word, meaning to remember. So it is some nugget of truth or some glimmer of truth about what it means to be human that will linger with us long after the last word is uttered – it is what our heart will remember most.
Each month we will pick one story for you to pause and ponder with your little listener – some discussion questions and some background about the country where the story takes place.
This month’s story is a folktale from Brazil.
Discussion Questions
- Domingo sold everything he owned except for his cat. What one possession would you never part with and why?
- Why do you think Domingo’s cat wanted to help him so much?
- Do you think that the cat was right to pretend to the king that Domingo was rich? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Domingo’s cat went away after he had made Domingo rich?
- What do you think this story’s souvenir is?
Five Fun Facts about Brazil
1. It is the largest country in South America.
2. It has four different time zones.
3. The Brazilian football team has won the world cup a record 5 number of times.
4. The Brazilian flag has 27 stars on it.
5. The official language is Portuguese.
Popular Souvenirs from Brazil include
Coffee
Christ the Redeemer
Sugar Loaf Mountain
Cachaça – A Brazilian Liqueur
Young Writer’s Workshop
I was delighted to participate (via ZOOM) in the Young Writers Workshop in Aspen CO this month.
The Young Writers Institute is a week-long half day summer camp for aspiring poets and authors in rising grades 3-10. Each day, participants will work alongside peers and engage in various forms of writing not typically taught in the classroom with the goal of growing their writers voice and experience the power of the written word!
Here are some of the questions these young writers posed to me…..
- What made you want to be a writer?
- What is your collaborative process?
- What inspires the themes of your stories?
- What do you like about being a writer?
- What is your favorite genre to write?
And here’s how I answered my favorite question.
What is a book?
This was from one of our younger writers- many young children are puzzled by the whole printing process, which is where I suspect this question stemmed from.
However, I told them this would be a terrific writing prompt for us all to explore this delightful word…for example…
- A book can be some pages you read or some pages your write.
- It can be filled with pages of words and pictures to tell a story, or it can be filled with facts and figures to explain and teach.
- A book can tell you how to write a poem, say a prayer, or plant a garden.
- A book can amuse or bore, teach or inspire, soothe or annoy.
You get the idea!
Thanks to all of you who send us your listeners’ drawings – if you haven’t already done so, get in touch with us at www.journeywithstory.com and let us know your listener’s favorite story and do send us their drawings and letters so we can share.
Join me next month for July’s Spotlight Story.
