Goldilocks and the Three Bears received a warm welcome. My long-termers, in particular, are becoming more and more willing to share their reactions and opinions in class. Everyone seemed to enjoy being read to, but there was resistance to crawling around the floor like lions and bears. It always surprises me how difficult it can be to move around the room. Students become very attached to their particular spot. If you practice at home, try practicing in a different room. I’m a sun seeker, so when I practice in the morning I look for a warm, bright spot!

As the class progressed one student felt that Goldilocks would move beyond her childish ways after her startling awakening in baby bear’s bed, just as little Jackie Paper had to put away childish things in the song, Puff the Magic Dragon. It was interesting to sense the discomfort the women had with the drug references in the song. They preferred the more literal story of lost childhood and innocence.

After class, one of my newer students was eager to share a Native American folk tale. She told the following story with appropriate gestures and left me speechless with gratitude! Her performance was completely spontaneous and electrifying. I tried unsuccessfully to find the tale online, so here is my recollection of her rendition.

Once upon a time, long ago and far away (she told me she loves stories that begin this way) there was a land that was covered with a blue blanket by day and a black blanket by night. In this place there dwelt a loving couple with no children. When the wife fell ill and passed on beyond the blanket the husband was bereft. Each night he climbed a tall ladder, cut a hole in the blanket with his scissors, and pulled his head through the gap to search for his love. (At this point my storyteller mimed pulling herself through the blanket to peer around.) Night after night the husband repeated this ritual, calling out for his wife. Eventually he too passed beyond the blanket and was reunited by his bride. She explained her silence, recounting that those above the blanket couldn’t respond to those below. The Gods decided not to repair the holes the man cut in the blanket in honor of his dedication, so each night when you admire the stars, remember this love story.