Far Away Sky

Why the Sky is Far Away

A Nigerian Folktalke

Retold by: Mary-Joan Gerson

Have you ever wondered, or been asked why the sky seems so far away? Well, five hundred years ago the Binis, a Nigerian Tribe, told this folktale of exactly why the sky was far away. In the beginning of this Prose Narrative the sky was near the earth, and there was no work required to get the food needed to survive. Men and women never had to harvest crops, or prepare food, and the children never had to carry water from the streams or sticks for the fire to help in the food preparations. Whenever the people wanted to eat they just reached up into the sky to find the food they wanted. “Anybody who was hungry just reached up, took a piece of sky, and ate it.” The sky could transform into many different things, such as meat stew, roasted corn, or even ripe pineapple. This is an example of a transformation motif, because the sky could transform into the certain food desired by the person taking a piece of it. With all the spare time the people had they were able to weave beautiful items and prepare for many different festivals. King Oba was the king of the land and had magnificent servants that cut and prepared the sky for the ceremonies.

The sky soon began to realize that the people and servants of the king were becoming wasteful. With all the rubbish bins being full of soured and spoiled leftovers the sky became furious, and when the next morning came the dark clouds overhead covered King Oba’s palace. A loud boom shook from above with a warning to the King saying that if the people continued to be wasteful there would be no more! King Oba was terrified, and sent messengers across the land notifying the people to change their ways and not be as wasteful. The sky scolded “Oba! Mighty one! Your people have wasted my gifts. I am tired of seeing myself on heap of garbage everywhere. I warn you. Do not waste my gifts any longer, or they will no longer be yours.” This captures one of the elements that makes this traditional literature. The magic of the sky shows this motif because the sky can’t really speak, and the actions that When the greatest festival of the year came around to celebrate the power of King Oba, the people rejoiced, but Oba was still afraid that the people would forget about the sky’s warning.

Later in the story a very needy woman, who always wanted more, was invited to the palace of the King to eat and rejoice. She ate and ate and even though she was full she took a piece of the sky and couldn’t finish eating it. After trying to get her family and friends to finish the piece for her she buried it, and this shook the ground and lighting struck! The sky moved far away and forced the people to work for their food on their own. This creation myth tells why you should not be wasteful not take things for granite. It also tells the story of why the sky is far from us, which classifies it as a creation myth.

This traditional literature book would be useful in the classroom because it is a good example to show the children what a creation myth is, and it exposes the children to diversity and different cultures. The vivid pictures also keep children engaged while reading. Some pages in the book have pictures with no words that you could use to have the children tell what they think is happening in the picture and predict what will happen next. We would both use it in our classrooms one day to teach about traditional literature. 

What would YOU do if you swallowed a fly?

Can a fly, spider, bird, cat, dog, cow, and horse all really be swallowed by one little old lady? There was an old lady who swallowed a fly is a poetry book describing an old lady who has an appetite that cannot seemed to be fulfilled. Page by page the Old Lady begins to increase her size by swallowing all the unnecessary bugs and animals. She first begins with swallowing a fly, which is then followed by a spider that is to catch the fly, and then continues through the book until she swallows a horse to catch the cow, which caught the dog, which caught the cat, which caught the bird, which caught the spider, just to catch the tiny fly! Repetition is a strong element that can be found while reading this poem. The saying; “There once was an Old Lady who swallowed a……” is repeated page by page throughout the book. Her reasoning for swallowing each bug or animal is repeated finishing with; “I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.” The second element of poetry found in this book is rhyme. “How absurd! She swallowed a bird.” Different rhyming words are found all through the book. This book is a great example of a poetry book that can be used for young children because it gives examples of two of the most basic elements of poetry. The book depicts her story through the die-cuts showing each bug and animal inside of her with vivid illustrations, making it even more interesting for readers. You will find that while reading this poetry book, the pictures depict different eye-popping images relating to what the Old Lady has swallowed. For example when the Old Lady swallowed the cat there is a newspaper article in the corner of the page saying “Cat has eight lives left.” These rollicking images and illustrations keep the students engaged in while enjoying the humor found in the illustrations.  Overall we found this book to be fun and enjoyable to read for children of all ages. The poetry elements and illustrations correlate well with the story line of the Old Lady. After reading this book students may begin to think about what they would do if they swallowed a bug or animal. Now it’s time for you to think further. What would YOU do if you swallowed a fly, and didn't know why?

I can remember being read this poem when I was a child, however I like the way this book gives a fresh look on the illustrations to the classic poem. The humor found in the pictures is entertaining to all ages and will have them laughing while reading. 

– Mallory

This poetry book is a book that I can remember as a child. My favorite part of the book was being able to predict and interact with the class. The book follows a beat pattern that students can easily pick up on and enjoy. 

-Dianne