72. Many Moons, by James Thurber

 

72.    Many Moons, by James Thurber


Thurber, J. (1943). Many moons. NY: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. 

 Princess Lenore suffers from "a surfeit of raspberry tarts" — eating too many sweets. She says she is gravely ill, but if her father brings her the moon she'll be well again.Her father, the king, asks the wisest men in his court how he can give his daughter the moon.  They claim that it is too large, too far away, and made of things that can’t be found.  The king gets very upset.  Despairing, the king confides in his court jester. The jester then asks the princess what she thinks the moon is made of, how big it is, and how far away. According to the princess, the moon is as big as her thumbnail and made of gold. She says it's so close that he could climb a tree and pluck it from the sky. He promises to do just that, that very night. Instead, the jester takes the princess's specifications to royal goldsmith, who creates a necklace with a moon-like pendant. It is presented to the princess and she becomes well again.The next day, the King is afraid she'll see the moon in the sky and realize that the necklace is not really the moon. He consults the wisest men in his court, who propose outrageous schemes to prevent her from seeing it in the sky.Ultimately, the jester visits the princess, who is fondly gazing at the newly-risen moon. He asks her how the moon can be in two places, and she tells him the moon always grows back: like a child's tooth, a unicorn's horn, or flowers.  

One activity idea is to show the play version and then read the book.  Have students do a compare/contrast activity.  I also found several activity guides on Teachers Pay Teachers.

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:many%20moons

 

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