In the style of Northwest Native American line art drawings and legendary stories, here are the Navigators' artwork and "Pourquoi Stories," stories that explain why things are the way they are.
We wrote our stories using a PowerPoint format. Each child made an individual picture book with each page representing a different development in the story. In the process, we learned how to create a plot, develop the characters, add details, incorporate and punctuate dialogue and much more. Add a good heaping of imagination and VOILA—amazing stories!
(Remember, these are first and second graders!)
How the Bunny Got His Fluffy Tail
by AP
A long, long time ago, in the year 12, a bunny had a long tail. His very long tail was a big problem in the forest where he lived.
It was 49 feet long. Everyone had to walk around him.
People did not like him as much as the other short tailed animals. Whenever they came upon him they walked around him and then walked away. And he was so sad.
One day a wolf came and said, “What’s the problem?”
“Nothing,” he replied.
“Oh really?” said the wolf.
“Yeah,” said the bunny.
The bunny was not telling the truth and the wolf knew it.
The wolf scares him into a bush. The bunny’s tail gets stuck in the thorns and once the wolf is gone he goes out. He checks to see if the wolf is gone for sure. The wolf is gone so the bunny tries to get out but he can’t.
The wolf scares him into a bush. The bunny’s tail gets stuck in the thorns and once the wolf is gone he goes out. He checks to see if the wolf is gone for sure. The wolf is gone so the bunny tries to get out but he can’t.
The wolf scares him into a bush. The bunny’s tail gets stuck in the thorns and once the wolf is gone he goes out. He checks to see if the wolf is gone for sure. The wolf is gone so the bunny tries to get out but he can’t.
He pulls and he pulls until most of his strength is gone and he finally gets out but his tail rips. But it doesn’t hurt because his tail is just a ball of fluff on the end of him. The rest of the tail flies away in the wind.
And that’s how the bunny got his short tail. And now everyone likes him because his tail is short, not 49 feet long like it used to be. And all his friends can walk straight through the forest and play with him. And he is happy all the time.
How the Cheetah Got So FAST!
by RL
A long time ago in Africa, the cheetahs had a problem. They were slower than a turtle and they knew that they needed to be get faster or they would probably starve.
All of the cheetah’s believed it was possible to learn to be faster. While they were gathering food in the park, they saw a sign that said:
JOIN THE RACE!
They all said at once, “We need someone to race!” One cheetah yelled, “I will! My name is Gandalf and I will be the one to learn how to be faster.” Gandalf exercised to get in shape for 7 weeks.
On the day of the race, Gandalf realized their were more cheetahs that had trained on their own and wanted to race with him. Their names were Jim, Tony, Morton and Slinger! All of the cheetahs ran the race together to help each other out.
It was a fierce battle to the finish but THEY WON! They could not believe they were faster! Two minutes later, they got the 1st place price which was a shiny gold trophy. It was beautiful!
On their way home they ran so fast they were home in 5.3 seconds! The cheetahs had trained, exercised, believed and worked together and that is why cheetahs are so fast!
How the Turtle Got a Shell
by MK
This is Turtle. He likes volcanoes. He lived in the past, 2000 BC. Turtle once asked his grandpa, "How did we get a shell?” And Grandpa told him a story.
There once lived a turtle in Google-plex BC with out a shell. You could see his whole body.
His problem was he had to run home and back, run home and back, run home and back and again and again and very many times again.
There weren’t any other animals to laugh at him. There were only two turtles, Ram and Annie.
Annie was Ram’s wife. Annie got into this story by hearing the story and no one saw her. Turtle got into this story because he also listened. He knew that if he would help them get a shell then the story would end and he could jump out.
Turtle came up with an idea. He put a rock on the turtles and let them run around and they got used to the rock and that was their shell.
The Turtles thanked Turtle for his great advice and they jumped out of the story with Turtle.
And that is how turtles got their shells and they are very happy because they now have a home to carry on their backs.
How Did Birds Learn How to Fly
by JF
A long time ago, in year 8, there was a bird who didn’t know how to fly. He had to walk everywhere and when he tried to catch fish to eat he never could catch them because the fish always saw him and swam away.
He had to walk everywhere when he was trying to build his nest.
He had to build his nest on the ground because he couldn’t fly to the top of trees.
He wasn’t fast enough so he was really easy for predators to catch.
One day he was out fishing when a wave came on the beach. He got carried into the ocean and a flying fish went flying up and the bird was on the water where the flying fish was going to go into the air. The bird got carried five feet off the water.
He felt scared! He fell off the flying fish’s back. He thought that if he moved his wings up and down the air would push him up. He started to fly!
He discovered he could fly. Then he said, “I can fly! I can fly! I can fly! I can fly!” And that is how he learned to fly. Then he was a better fish catcher and he could build his nest on trees and he wasn’t an easy prey.
How Dragons Became Extinct
by SP
A long time ago in the year 1 BC there were dragons. One was named Drago and was 19,000,000 feet tall and had 200,400 spikes and was 123,400 feet long.
None of the dragons could breathe fire yet. They needed to be able to breathe fire because they had some enemies that would trap them and turn them into pets. The dragons didn’t like that, especially Drago.
Drago like to play with his father and could knock his father off of his four legs while they played. One day while playing Drago’s father got trapped by their enemies and was taken away. Drago wasn’t taken because the enemies thought he was too young to be a bother to them.
Drago went back home and told his mother that his father was taken. His mother was very angry that the enemies had taken her husband so she went after them but got captured herself! Drago had to plan a way to free his parents himself.
First, he ate a plant that was called Fireweed thinking he could use the fire to burn down the wooden doors of his enemies. It worked! He then went to all of the other dragons and said, “You distract our enemies and I will free all of the dragons that are trapped!”
The other dragons agreed and they went to the fortress together.
Drago and the other dragons took down the enemy defenses and burned down their capitol. All of the trapped dragons escaped and then asked Drago how he did it. Drago said, “Fireweed! Come with me and I’ll show you where to get it!”
They all ate the fireweed, practiced their aim but accidentally breathed fire on each other and that is how dragons became extinct!
Why Does Lemy the Lemur Have a Striped Tail?
by JC
Lemy’s face, tummy, and back were as white as snow. His eyes, nose, and feet were as black as the night sky. Lemy’s favorite part of his body was his bushy tail which was very white. In fact, it was so white you could use it as a flashlight!
Lemy’s face, tummy, and back were as white as snow. His eyes, nose, and feet were as black as the night sky. Lemy’s favorite part of his body was his bushy tail which was very white. In fact, it was so white you could use it as a flashlight!
One night on the journey, Lemy walked by a river. A big crocodile named Joe came up to Lemy and said, “I saw your bright tail from far away and I bet all of the other animals in the forest could see you, too. If I were you, I would cover that tail up and only use it in an emergency.”
Lemy started back on the journey home and on the way he met a Wolf named Nathan. Nathan was painting a black blob on a tree because it was his favorite color and his favorite tree. Nathan accidently painted Lemy’s tail as Lemy walked by!
Lemy didn’t notice the paint on his tail and just kept walking. Along the way, the paint on his tail dried up.
Lemy finally arrived home. His family was so glad to see him. His sister, Suzy, was the first to notice his painted tail. She said, “Why does your tail have black stripes on it?” Lemy replied, “I guess Nathan the wolf must have painted me on the way here! I bet that’s why I didn’t get bothered by any more animals on the way home. My new tail kept me safe!”
Lemy finally arrived home. His family was so glad to see him. His sister, Suzy, was the first to notice his painted tail. She said, “Why does your tail have black stripes on it?” Lemy replied, “I guess Nathan the wolf must have painted me on the way here! I bet that’s why I didn’t get bothered by any more animals on the way home. My new tail kept me safe!”
The rest of Lemy’s family all wanted tails like his so he made some black paint out of blackberries and used it on all of them. They all like it very much and that is how lemurs got their striped tails.
They lived happily ever after with their new striped tails.
How Buna the Bunny Got Her Color
by OW
A long, long time ago in the year 22 in a very, very large forest there lived a bunny named Buna. Buna was sad because the she was all black. Buna hopped very slowly toward the edge of the forest. She stopped and looked up and saw a panda. The panda said, “My name is Pandi.” Buna knew that Pandi was up to something, something big.
Pandi said, “Where`s your color?” Buna didn`t know what to say so she said, “I don`t have any yet but I’d really like to have some color.” Pandi came up with an idea. She told Buna about a magical snowy mountain that if you rolled down it you would have tiny black spots and the rest of you will be all white. It was called the Magic Mountain.
Buna looked around her but just saw hills and more hills. Pandi told Buna that she had to move around to find the Magic Mountain instead of staying still. Buna decided to hop around and soon she found several mountains covered in snow and one mountain that was dripping in snow. She realized it must be the Magic Mountain. Buna hopped all the way to the top of the mountain and rolled down it. Buna did this over and over again.
Buna hopped over to a nearby pond and looked at her reflection. She saw a bunny with mostly white fur and a few black spots. At first, Buna thought it was someone else but then she realized that she was looking at herself! Buna liked what she saw and she wanted to show off her new fur to Pandi so she hopped away to find Pandi.
Buna found Pandi behind the Magic Mountain. Pandi saw her but didn’t recognize her so she asked Buna, “Who are you?” Buna giggled and said, “I’m your friend, Buna! I rolled down the Magic Mountain like you said and this is what I turned out looking like! Do you like how I look?” Pandi said, “I love it!”
Buna was happy that her fur was now black and white. She went back to her family and played with all of her friends again.
Why the Cat Has a Long Tail
by KF
A long time ago, in a deep dark alley, there was a cat named Tom.
And Tom the cat was grey and white. And his ears were normal. And his body was a little overweight. And his tail was just a stub.
He was sad and he wanted a long tail not a stub. And other people teased him about his tail as a stub. The dog said, “Your tail is a stub! Your tail is a stub! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.” And the monkey said, “Your tail is a stub! Your tail is a stub! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.” And all the other animals said the same.L
So he was really mad and he was crazy mad. And he was annoyed. And he was sad.
One day he was playing with his best friend and his name was Bear. Bear threw a rock and it accidentally landed on Tom’s tail. Tom said, “Ouch! That hurt!”
Tom got his tail stuck under the rock because the rock was very big. And he tried to pull his tail out from under the rock and he pulled and he pulled. Every time he pulled, his tail got longer and longer. And then he pulled it out!
After that he started to chase his tail because Tom thought it was a bird. Then he noticed it was his tail! Then he was so happy that his tail was longer. He threw a party to celebrate his new tail! His friends no longer teased him.
How Did the Dinosaurs Disappear?
by JG
When the dinosaurs were alive, T-Rex was looking for dinner. He found cousin, Alosaurus, with his pet, Compsognathus. They had a lovely dinner. Now, they did all live in…… JURASSIC PARK!
Now they were unaware that Ankylosaurus had been spying on them while they were eating dinner. He had found Compsognathus and let him have a ride! And for dinner T-rex ate Triceratop’s big horn. Stegosaurus was in a fight on the other side of the house.
T-Rex had a big problem. Triceratops was mad! So the ellasmosarus made friends. T-Rex did some stomping around. And he could not resist being war leader. So….. There was DINOSAUR TECHNOLOGY EVERYWHERE!!!
So Stegs, Anky and Triser tricked Allo. Teethy stopped his dad and they had a deal. These guys were T-Rex, Allosaurus, triceratops, Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus.
So they stopped fighting each other. And they ate plants and meat. (The meat was mammal meat.)
T-Rex was happy. So they all live on Dino planet (a new planet.) The moral of the story is: be kind like ankylosaurus. And that is how the Dinosaurs disappeared from Earth. THE END!
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