Storybook: Sample Brainstorming Assignment

Topic: Spider Stories from the around the world.

Comments: I am really fascinated by spiders and I am sure that there are many different kinds of legends about spiders all over the world because spiders are beautiful, dangerous, weird creatures and they exist all over.

Possible Stories: I know there are some famous spider stories about "Anansi" from Africa. I'm not sure what other kinds of stories I will find. There were so many different spider stories at Sacred Texts Archive! I can easily find four different stories there.

Sample Story Comments: I searched Sacred Texts Archive for spiders and founds this really cool story about how God rewarded spiders by giving them the power to spin webs.

Bibliography Information:

Story Title: The Spider and the Hornet.

Book Title: The Hero of Esthonia

Book Author: W.F. Kirby

Year: 1895

Web Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/hoe/hoe2-80.htm

Topic: Sea Monsters

Comments: I loved the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea when I was little, so I would like to learn about sea monsters from around the world. I guess there must be all kinds of different sea monsters since the sea is such a dangerous place, and so mysterious.

Possible Stories: I could include the giant squid, and I would also like to include the Loch Ness Monster, plus Scylla and Charybdis from the Odyssey. I am not sure what the fourth story would be.

Sample Story Comments: I learned from the Cryptozoology page that "Kraken" is a word used to refer to the giant squid or octopus that would supposedly eat ships. This wikipedia article contains many stories about krakens. The images are awesome.

Bibliography Information:

Sample Story Title: Kraken

Website Name: Wikipedia

Web Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken

Topic: Algonquin Legends about Glooskap

Comments: I am interested in Native American stories but I do not know anything about Algonquin stories. I would like to learn more.

Possible Stories: I found many Glooskap stories in one of the books at Sacred Texts Archive! I looked this up at wikipedia, and learned that he is a culture hero of the Abenaki Indians who has great wisdom and amazing powers.

Sample Story Comments: I learned about Glooskap's birth from this story. Glooskap has a twin brother, Malsumsis the wolf, but Malsumsis is evil. He kills their mother and tries to kill Glooskap. I really think this is the project I want to do - I loved this story.

Bibliography Information:

Story Title: Of Glooskap's Birth, and of his Brother Malsum the Wolf

Book Title: The Algonquin Legends of New England

Book Author: Charles G. Leland

Year: 1884

Web Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/ne/al/al06.htm

Topic: Saints and Animals

Topic Comments: There are not a lot of good animal legends in the Bible, so I would like to learn about animal legends in the Christian tradition associated with lives of the saints. I think animal stories are important and, because they are missing from the Bible, it's like the Christian tradition had to add them in through the stories of the saints.

Possible Stories: I found a whole book of stories about saints and animals online so it will be easy to find all the stories I need here.

Sample Story: I had never heard of St. Kentigern before, but this was such a cool story: St. Kentigern was able to breathe on the dead body of a little robin and bring it back to life.

Bibliography Information:

Story Title: Saint Kentigern and the Robin

Book Title: Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts

Book Author: Abbie Farwell Brown

Year: 1900

Web Source: http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=brown&book=saints&story=kentigern

Word Count: 627 words