Two Girls and (another) Old Woman in the Woods
Once upon a time…
There was a kind girl. And an unkind girl.
And they each visited the magical world of Mother Holle, who shook her feather bed and made snow fall on the earth.
This is one of my favorite Grimm’s fairy tales, though it’s not well-known. It has cousins all over the world, clumped together by folklorists as ATU 480: The Kind and the Unkind Girl.
We took a look at one variant, Toads and Diamonds, back in September and October.
Mother Holle’s simplicity and other worldliness makes it a perfect match for young children.
The story embraces young children’s belief in magical realms where the shake of a feather bed makes snow fly, and inanimate objects can speak, and gold can flutter from the sky.
And it offers them a clear map to being human.
Be kind to all including the bread in the oven and an apple tree: things turn out well.
Be unkind: eh…not so great.
Pretty much the heart of relationships, isn’t it?
As we move into December, with all its hustle bustle and excitement (and fraught nerves): isn’t that what we want for the children in our lives?
Relationships, built on kindness and respect. And a little bit of magic.
Our friends at Devereux’s Center for Resilient Children offer this thought-provoking look at all kinds of kindness (including kindness to ourselves!) and the connection with resilience.
Mother Holle
Retold from the Brothers Grimm and Illustrated by Bernadette Watts
Why this variant?
Straightforward retelling
Ending only tweaked in minor way
Beautiful, large illustrations
(It wasn’t easy finding a picture book faithful to the tale. There aren’t many,, and most add details that take away from the simplicity. Or change the ending so that the Unkind Girl gets rewarded, too.
I’m all about redemption IRL, but fairy tales’ clear-cut morality is aligned with how young children understand right and wrong.)
Waldorf schools makes extensive use of fairy tales, storytelling, puppets and magical transitions. Here’s Mother Holle as a Waldorf puppet play. At 16 minutes long, it can inspire your own storytelling, if not the children’s. See what you think!
Scratching Through to the Gold
In Mother Holle (or…Holly in this version), the kind girl is sparkled with gold when she leaves the magical realm, while the unkind one gets a bucket of pitch dumped on her.
This is such a simple, yet powerful image!
If your kids are intrigued, they may enjoy exploring these “opposites” with a crayon scratch project! Crayons, paint, card stock and toothpicks make it happen!
Where Does the Snow Come From?
During early childhood, the scientific explanations mean little. Children believe in magic and it’s magical causation that makes the most sense til their logical thinking develops a bit more.
In the story, Mother Holle (Holly, in this book), asks her visitors to, above all, shake her feather bed til the feathers fly because that is how snow comes to earth.
With a parachute, some ripped, snipped, or scrunched scraps of white paper, and a bit of cooperation, kids can joyfully help with the magic!
What Do YOU Think?
Which is YOUR favorite variant of the Kind and Unkind Girls fairy tale? Have you tried crayon resist with children? Are parachutes a regular part of your movement play? What are your favorite ways to use them? Please share below in the comments!
