This document discusses various methods for retelling and adapting folklore tales, including simplifying language, shortening stories, modernizing settings, changing perspectives or characters, expanding on songs or rhymes, and creating sequels. It provides many examples of published works that use these techniques. The document also discusses using folklore elements like plots, motifs, and entire mythologies as inspiration for original stories.

1. WRITING FOLKLORE
Carrel Muller

2. Folklore encompasses the oral traditions:
Rhymes

3. Why write folklore?
Old tales are still being told and retold because of
the inherent truth they possess that the human psyche
responds to emotionally and psychologically.

4. RETELLING ORIGINAL TALES
Keeping to the original
1. Simplify
2. Shorten
3. Modernize
4. Picture
5. Recreate from original source

5. 1. Simplify the language to make it
accessible to young readers.
Easy to Read- The Lion and the Mouse: A
Retelling of Aesop’s Fable, by Mark White

6. 2. Shorten - remove extra characters,
incidents, or descriptive setting. Paul Galdone
retells simply with basic plot.

7. 3.Modernize the language and setting for
today.
The Race, Caroline Repchuk

8. 4.Tell with pictures.
The Lion and the Mouse (Aesop’s fable), Jerry
Pickney

9. 5.Using original sources, retell using dramatic
scenes and dialog.
The Talking Eggs, San Souci & Hershel & the
Hanukka Goblins, Eric Kimmel

10. Retelling
Recreating with changes
1. Change the setting
2.Change point of view
3. Change characters
4. Change characters and setting
5. Expand rhyme or song
6. Create a sequel

11. 1.Change the setting
Grimms’ fairy tale
The Breman Town
Musicians becomes
‘Ol Bloo’s Boogie-
Woogie Band and
Blues Ensenble, Jan
Huling

12. 2. Change point of view
The True Story of
the Three Little
Pigs by Jon
Scieszka is told
from the wolf’s
point of view.

13. 3.Change characters
In
Epossumondas
by Coleen
Salley, the main
character is
changed to an
animal.

14. In The Three Little
Wolves and the Big
Bad Pig by Eugene
Trivizas, the
animals change
personalities.

15. 3.Change characters continued
In Goldilocks
and the Three
Dinosaurs by Mo
Willems, the
bears become
dinosaurs.

16. 4. Change characters & setting.
Stone Soup variations
Marcia Brown’s Stone
Soup:an Old Tale is
set in France and
soldiers make the
soup.
Ann McGovern’s Stone
Soup is set in England
and a beggar makes
the soup.

17. Stone Soup variations
Jon Muth’s Stone
Soup is set in China
and three monks make
the soup.
Eric Kimmel’s Cactus
Soup is set in Mexico
and soldiers make the
soup.

18. Stone Soup variations
Aubrey Davis’ Bone
Button Borscht is same
plot with Russian soup
made with a bone button.
Doris Orgel’s Button Soup
is same plot with broth
made from a button.

19. 5. Expand a rhyme or song
Ann Miranda’s To Market, To
Market expands “To Market, to
market, to buy a fat pig”.
Margie Palatini’s The Cheese
expands the singing game “The
Farmer in the Dell.”
Ingrid & Dieter Schubert’s There’s
a Hole in My Bucket expands an old
German folk song.

20. 6. Create a sequel
Stanley’s Rumplestiltskin’s
Daughter changes the ending
and creates an original sequel.
In The Frog Prince Continued,
Scieszka tells about the frog as
an unhappy prince.
Berstein’s The Tortoise and the
Hare Race Again revisits the
fable with modern day twists.

21. Original Tales using folklore for inspiration
1. Use the plot structure, style and motifs of an original
2. Combine plots
3. Psychological recreations
4. Use only a motif, a small aspect of folklore or myth

22. 1. Use plot structure, style and motifs of an
original
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, John Steptoe

23. 2.Combine plots
Hammer Soup, Ingrid and Dieter Schubert

24. 3. Psychological recreations
Donna Jo Napoli’s, Beast, Bound, Zel, Prince of the Pond,
etc. http://www,donnajonapoli.com

25. 4.Use a motif from a folk tale or mythology
SELKIE,(skin
changer) from Celtic
folklore in Jane
Yolen’s picture book
Greyling and Mollie
Hunter’s novel A
Stranger Came
Ashore

26. 5. Use entire mythology
Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series,
Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase & Gods of Asgard, etc.

27. 5. Use entire cultural heritage
Grace Lin’s
series uses
Chinese folklore
to create
original tales
woven with
Chinese lore.

28. 6. Use everything to enrich an original story
J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series