Three tales

1. Tales
FISHSAVE
The story is about a couple- a Chinese woman and a Japanese man- who both had a
child together and live in China. The Japanese man leaves for China for Japan to be
an ambassador there, promising that he would write to his wife. However, years
went by and he did not. So the wife threw her child into the ocean in the direction of
Japan, hoping that he would make it safely to Japan without dying. She labelled the
boy ‘The Japanese Ambassador’s Son’. A few days later, the ambassador was on the
shore when a large white fish approached with the boy riding on the back. He found
that the boy was his son because he was labelled ‘The Japanese Ambassador’s Son’
and so he wrote immediately to his mother who was relieved to hear that he was
alive. He was then called Fishsave as a fish saved him.
Audience: Ages 3 to 6 years
Characters: Chinese mother, Japanese father and child.
Location: East Sea
Problems with the story: The story may not be very appropriate for a young
audience as it shows hints of neglect towards both the mother and the child, in a few
different ways. This is something I wouldn’t be able to include for an audience who
may struggle to understand and may find the content upsetting.
Adaptations: I think that I could change the story slightly to make it seemas though
the boy’s father was forced to leave. If I also made the boy a bit older, I could turn
him into a curious and adventurous child, desperate to seek out his father who had
left when he was a baby. The boy would plan to swim the ocean and then be saved
by a fish.
http://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Japanese_folktale_3.html
THE FAIRY
The fairy is about a young girl who lived with her mother and sister. However, she
was mistreated by both of them. The mother made the girl go out to fetch them
water whilst her mother and sister stayed at home. So the girl set out. Once she had
fetched the water and she was on her way back, she was approached by a fairy that
begged her for water. The girl shared some water with her and the fairy praised her.
She said “For this, I will gift you with a talent.” And every time the girl spoke,
diamonds and flowers fell from her mouth. The girl rushed home and her mother
was truly amazed. Her eyes shone with hunger for riches. She sent her other
daughter out the next day who went in desperate search for the fairy after fetching a

2. bucket of water. She turned to the fairy and said, “Give me gifts and treasures! Give
me what you gave my sister.” The fairy asked what she would get in return to which
the sister said “Nothing.” The fairy was disgusted and she said that for this, the sister
would be grieved with slugs and snails every time she spoke. The girl ran home to
her mother, crying. Her mother was disgusted and told her that she was to stay
away. The girl who had been graced with flowers and diamonds was angry with her
mother so she left to look after her sister. Both the sisters had learnt a valuable
lesson: what goes around comes around.
Audience: Ages 3 to 6 years
Characters: The girl, her mother, her sister and the fairy
Location: Medieval village
Problems with the story: the story is a bit gruesome and is probably not the most
appropriate for the innocent minded, as the punishment for the sister is horrid. The
mother is also portrayed as someone who uses her daughters like slaves (kind of like
Cinderella and her step mother) but in today’s society, this might not be accepted
amongst parents who read these stories to their children. And realistically, if my
story had the potential to be published, they may not accept it for various reasons
such as this.
Adaptations: I was thinking that I could change up the story slightly so that the
mother was dismissive of the children in a way but not to the same extent. This
could prompt the girl to want to run away which leads her to the fairy. She could
then run home to her mother who all of a sudden shows appreciation for her and
forces her other daughter out of the house to find the fairy. Meanwhile, the girl is
learning that her mother is taking advantage of her ability. The sister is then given
something equally as bad as slugs and snails but not as gruesome and so she runs
crying to her mother. Her mother could then express how disappointed she is with
the girls sister, which is when the girl steps up and defends her sister and looks after
her. They both learn their lesson and as they get older, the spells are lifted but they
live happily together whilst their mother is left to look after herself.
http://www.worldoftales.com/fairy_tales/Charles_Perrault/THE_FAIRY.html
THE BELL
This is a story about a bell sounding in the evening in the woods near a small village.
A troop of adults set out to find the bell but they soon give up, as they are unable to
find it. Another group of people go out to find the bell. Instead, they find an owl,
which bangs its head against the trunk of a tree, and the group convince themselves
that that is where the sound comes from. A few years later, a group of people
including the king’s son are confirmed in the village church. Up until this point, they
had never heard the bell. When they stepped out of the church, they heard the
sound of a bell and they set out to find it. At various points of the journey, children

3. started to give up, dropping off one by one until it’s just the king’s son. He carries on,
persistent to fin the bell until he comes to a cliff top. The waves are crashing beneath
him and the atmosphere feels peaceful. His surroundings are filled with colour and
wildlife. A boy that had earlier decided to give up came out from behind him all torn
up from the journey. They both are relieved to see each other. They then hear the
sound of an invisible holy bell above them and rejoice hallelujah.
Audience: Ages 3 to 6 years
Characters: Villagers, the king’s son, the children
Location: Medieval village/woods
Problems with the story: The story drags on a lot and is very lengthy so I would have
to compress it by leaving out some details. The only other problem I can think of is
that the bell isn’t a physical thing and instead it’s an invisible sound from above.
Adaptations: I think I would have to change this story up a lot in order to make it
appeal more to a younger audience. I was thinking of focusing the story on two
characters that set out in search for a mysterious bell, which sounds both in the
morning and the evening. They both have heard bad things about the people that
venture out to find the bell but their curiosity gets the best of them and they are
lead straight in the direction of the bell. They almost give up but they strive to keep
going and then they find a cliff edge where a large bird vocalises the sound of a bell
like a siren. I also want to include elements of fantasy to make the book more
colourful and striking as well as fascinating to a younger audience. I also think that
making the bell into something that it is not is a good plot twist as it is unexpected,
especially for children, and it’s quite an exciting reveal. I think I would also have to
change the time to modern day as it may appeal more to families.
http://www.worldoftales.com/fairy_tales/Hans_Christian_Andersen/the%20bell.ht
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