Travelling

I am taking a road trip from North Dakota to California! 

But before I make it home, I am  going to find fictions (books or films) that are set from each state that I pass by including the starting point and my destination.

I will start with North Dakota and Montana.

NORTH DAKOTA: 

Fargo (of course!)

Ancient Shores  by Jack McDevitt

The Master Butcher's singing club by Louise Erdrich (and some more of her novels)

MONTANA:

A River Runs Through it by A B Guthrie

Every Good Boy Does Fine by Tim Laskowski

Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker

Aesop's Fables cont.

I got these at aesopfables.com

ENJOY!

 The Two Dogs      A MAN had two dogs:  a Hound, trained to assist him in his sports, and a Housedog, taught to watch the house.  When he returned home after a good day's sport, he always gave the Housedog a large share of his spoil.  The Hound, feeling much aggrieved at this, reproached his companion, saying, "It is very hard to have all this labor, while you, who do not assist in the chase, luxuriate on the fruits of my exertions."  The Housedog replied, "Do not blame me, my friend, but find fault with the master, who has not taught me to labor, but to depend for subsistence on the labor of others."      Children are not to be blamed for the faults of their parents.  

The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing     A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing to the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs.  But one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been flayed and thrown aside, so it put it on over its own pelt and strolled down among the sheep. The Lamb that belonged to the sheep, whose skin the Wolf was wearing, began to follow the Wolf in the Sheep's clothing; so, leading the Lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal off her, and for some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and enjoying hearty meals.    Appearances are deceptive.
The Father and His Sons      A FATHER had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves.  When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.  When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces.  They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.  He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons' hands, upon which they broke them easily.  He then addressed them in these words:  "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks."  
United we stand. Divided we fall

Aesop's Fables

I love Aesop's Fables. I enjoyed reading and listening to the many stories and parables that implied moral values, especially on children.

Aesop was a story teller who lived in Ancient Greece. He was also a collector of riddles, folklore and proverbs.

I will try to dig in some of the fables that I have not read or heard before. We all know the story about the tortoise and the hare. I will see if I can find another interesting story.

The Joy Luck CLub

The Joy Luck Club is another novel that is inspired by real Chinese cultures and Chinese immigrant experiences. It was written by Amy Tan. I read this book while I was in High School and have seen the movie more than couple of times. 

The Bridge to Terabithia is a novel by Katherine Paterson. It is inspired by true events that the author experienced growing up. I've seen the movie and it's great. Now that my 10 yr. old is reading chapter books, I am going to suggest he reads this novel.

fiction inspired by true stories

In the next following days, I will be gathering fictions inspired by true stories. Just like the fairy tales, I will post a brief summary. Sorry I haven't posted for a while but will redeem myself in the next couple months. Keep reading them fictions!

The Legend of the Ohia tree

I found this cute little story while I was living in Japan in a U.S Base. This story is set during ancient times in the land of Hawaii. If you have ever been there, you will see one of the most unusual yet beautiful tree named "the Ohia tree". The legend started when the volcano goddess "Pele" saw a handsome warrior named "Ohia. She instantly became attracted to him and asked him to marry her. He initially turned down her refusal because he is in love with someone else named "Lehua". The goddess was furiuos and turned Ohia into a tree. When Lehua found out, she was deeply heartbroken and cried under Ohia. The gods took pity on Lehua and turned her into a beautiful flower so they can never be separated. After it rains in Hawaii, the Ohia tree will bloom and its flower will blossom.