Emma Keith

Anchor: "Aaaand welcome back to Forest News at Five. We've got breaking news for you about a crime in our forest that will make you lock your doors tonight. For more, we go to the scene with reporter Lucy Lion." Lucy: "I'm here at the three bears' castle with some truly startling news. In a neighborhood most assumed to be safe, the bears have seen otherwise today. Let's hear from the bear family now on the disturbing occurrence that took place here just hours ago." Mother bear: "It was terrifying. When we got back from our wonderful afternoon picnic, I realized our castle's front door was open just a crack, and that's where the trouble started."  Father bear: "When we walked in, I saw my son's chair was all broken down and clearly sat in, but that was only the beginning of what this hooligan did to our beautiful home." Lucy: "The three bears report that on returning home, they found out that not on...

The Children in the Wood This story and the prose it's told in are interesting, and the tale just kept getting darker and darker as I read. I like the rhyme scheme the original sticks to, but I don't think I could maintain something like this in a retelling. Maybe I could rewrite it from the perspective of the uncle, who's telling his story to another prisoner after being taken in for the neglect and killing of his niece and nephew. Rushen Coatie This story was another sweet Cinderlla-esque tale. I especially enjoyed the addition of the little red calf over the fairy godmother — he was a delightful character. One thing I've never quite understood in the Cinderella/Rushen Coatie tale is just why the step sisters/mother hate her so much. I think these characters need more motivation — maybe Rushen Coatie is still to receive all of her father's inheritance though he remarried?  Maybe they all wish to be accepted by Rushen Coatie's father  but he truly love...

This week I read more of this unit's English fairy tales, many of which were variations on the familiar. Here were some of my favorites: Tattercoats I enjoyed this  slightly different retelling of the Cinderella tale — I think it was even sadder than the original, since Tattercoat's own grandfather rejected her. I think I would want to retell this from her perspective, to fully encompass her journey from hopelessness to the situation of a princess. Also, I'd like a happy ending for the gooseherd, since he's a really kind and helpful character who gets an unsatisfying ending in the original.   "Scrapefoot" by Joseph Jacobs. Source: Wikimedia . Scrapefoot I love the addition of a fox to this story rather than Goldilocks — Scrapefoot was a strangely endearing character to me. I think this story might be interesting as a segment on the local TV news, a little crime report. The show could bring in the three bears to discuss the crime, and take viewers s...