The
modern day world has evolved into this fast-paced, technological,
overly complicated place and everyone wonders what happened to the good
ol'
days. People are focused on the busy tasks that arise in their
personal lives each day. Some thrive on the chaos that surrounds
them on this planet. Others retract and become deeply overwhelmed
and depressed because they cannot handle what life demands of them on a
day-to-day basis. What
happened to all of us? Where did the simple days go? The
answer is we did it to ourselves. We are the ones who are greedy
and anxious to see the next advancement. Most humans thrive on
adding one more meeting or commitment to their schedules so that they
can feel accomplished when they look down at their Blackberry and see
that they have an extremely busy day. I have the cure for this
recent problem and it is something that can be very practical: go back
to your roots.
Our ancestors worked their tails off on the farmland to provide for their families and community. The farmers felt a sense of accomplishment in their work and took pride in what they did. Back in the day, there were no such things as Bluetooths, Blackberrys, or iPhones. I am not one to say that I do not appreciate these technological inventions but I am aware enough to know that these instruments are the inhibitors to a more simple life. What we need to do is take a visit back to grandpa's farm and spend some quality time there without our cell phones and laptops. We need to get our hands dirty with the daily work that is required of us on a farm. We need to spend some time with the barnyard animals and discover what is that makes them happy and what they consider is most important in their lives.
Joseph Jacobs, an English writer, took my advice and did exactly that. He was a Jewish man who was an academic scholar who collected many fables about animals, most of which could be found living on a farm. The ironic thing is that he never lived on or even near a farm! However, in 1890, Jacobs published his book, English Fairy Tales, which includes many fables that have been made famous over the years. Jacobs knew how important it was to have a sense of imagination and to have a connection with animals because they are one of God's most fascinating creations, yet always maintain a life of simplicity.
The Cat and the Mouse, The Story of the Three Little Pigs, Mr. Fox, and The Three Bears are four fables that Jacobs included in his collection of stories. The Story of the Three Little Pigs is more well-known to the general population but all of the fables provide entertainment and dialogue among the animals. Mr. Fox does not originally include animals but I took it to another level and switched the characters into animals and made it into a lighter, more fun loving story. Joseph Jacobs' version of The Three Bears does not include Goldilocks and the ending is not what most people know so it will be interesting to see where the new animals take the well known story. These stories are hundreds of years old and many do not know that the Disney versions are not always the complete truth. I am here to tell you what really happened to these barnyard animals.
The animals in this Storybook are not your typical barnyard animals. They talk, interact with one another, and perform human actions. These animals are called anthropomorphic which means they are animals that are shaped like people. These fascinating mammals will help bring the reader back to the olden days where the technology was scarce and hard work was expected. So let's take a trip back to grandpa's farm and find out what these animals have to teach us...
Image Info: Pond. "A Disabled Fisherman."
Storybook
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Our ancestors worked their tails off on the farmland to provide for their families and community. The farmers felt a sense of accomplishment in their work and took pride in what they did. Back in the day, there were no such things as Bluetooths, Blackberrys, or iPhones. I am not one to say that I do not appreciate these technological inventions but I am aware enough to know that these instruments are the inhibitors to a more simple life. What we need to do is take a visit back to grandpa's farm and spend some quality time there without our cell phones and laptops. We need to get our hands dirty with the daily work that is required of us on a farm. We need to spend some time with the barnyard animals and discover what is that makes them happy and what they consider is most important in their lives.
Joseph Jacobs, an English writer, took my advice and did exactly that. He was a Jewish man who was an academic scholar who collected many fables about animals, most of which could be found living on a farm. The ironic thing is that he never lived on or even near a farm! However, in 1890, Jacobs published his book, English Fairy Tales, which includes many fables that have been made famous over the years. Jacobs knew how important it was to have a sense of imagination and to have a connection with animals because they are one of God's most fascinating creations, yet always maintain a life of simplicity.
The Cat and the Mouse, The Story of the Three Little Pigs, Mr. Fox, and The Three Bears are four fables that Jacobs included in his collection of stories. The Story of the Three Little Pigs is more well-known to the general population but all of the fables provide entertainment and dialogue among the animals. Mr. Fox does not originally include animals but I took it to another level and switched the characters into animals and made it into a lighter, more fun loving story. Joseph Jacobs' version of The Three Bears does not include Goldilocks and the ending is not what most people know so it will be interesting to see where the new animals take the well known story. These stories are hundreds of years old and many do not know that the Disney versions are not always the complete truth. I am here to tell you what really happened to these barnyard animals.
The animals in this Storybook are not your typical barnyard animals. They talk, interact with one another, and perform human actions. These animals are called anthropomorphic which means they are animals that are shaped like people. These fascinating mammals will help bring the reader back to the olden days where the technology was scarce and hard work was expected. So let's take a trip back to grandpa's farm and find out what these animals have to teach us...
Image Info: Pond. "A Disabled Fisherman."
Storybook
Home