"BYE, baby bunting,
Daddy's gone a hunting,
To get a little hare's skin
To wrap a baby bunting in."
(traditional nursery rhyme)
Boy hunting with a bow and arrow (similar to the father)
By Doris Ulmann
Source: Wikipedia
In a conservative log cabin in late November, a small child was born to a young couple. The baby boy was happy and delicate but as winter snow enveloped the land, the parents became worried about their small child because he began coughing and seemed more feeble. The young parents had never had a child before and were concerned. However, they were far away from the closest town and needed a short-term solution before they made the trek out into the cold in order to seek out a doctor for their son. Thus, the young father decided that he would trek into the snow-covered hills to hunt in order to provide fur for his son to stay warm.
Unfortunately, most of the animals were hibernating in out of reach places and the father felt defeated as he could not find any large game to bring home to his family. As his strength and stamina gradually waned, he knew he didn't have much time left to get home before dark. After about half an hour or so of his trek back towards the cabin, he spotted a hare not too far away from where he was standing. The hare froze in its tracks as it seemed to sniff the ground, unaware of the lurking danger. Not skipping a beat, the young father whipped out his bow and arrow and ended the rabbit's life in order to extend the life of another- the life of his son. As he carefully bent down to pick up the slain hare, he paused to think of his small son and sweet wife back at the cabin. With newly found energy, he raced back to the cabin to find his wife anxiously peering out the door scanning the woods for him. As she spotted him, a smile grew across her face as her husband had returned safe and sound. After the young wife crafted a fur blanket to wrap her son in, they made plans to journey to the neighboring town the next morning.
Author's Note: First off, my story is based off the nursery rhyme "Bye, Baby Bunting" which is included in The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang in 1897. When I originally read the rhyme, I thought about a father's love for his son and what great lengths he would go to in order to ensure the health and wellness for his child. The picture and beaty of love was really inspirational and painted such a beautiful portrait in my mind of a young couple doing everything they can in order to work together to raise a healthy, young baby. I chose to make the story based in the past where it wasn't as easy for parents to simply drive down the road and see the doctor- the dad sacrificially wandered through the snow in search of warmt for his son and risked the fact that he may not find anything at all! The mother also was a great help and did her part at home- tending to the baby as needed and welcoming her husband home with open arms as soon as he arrived.
Oh, what a great little story to build on the tiny clues in that rhyme, Taylor - fabulous! I also really like how the picture of the boy with the bow suggests a kind of future for the story, letting us know that the boy did grow up, and he then learned from his father the art of archery. Wonderful! Reading your version of the rhyme reminded me of this really cool story in the Alaska unit in class that is a cradle song also about a father who has gone off hunting: you might like it too! Cradle Song of the Koyukun people. More about the Koyukon here at Wikipedia . Thanks also for the excellent author's note: I always enjoy getting inside the thought process that led to a story... and of course you are the only one who can tell us just how this story came into being! Fabulous! I am really looking forward to seeing what you will do with the stories for your project in the class this semester. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the background story you developed for this nursery rhyme. You made the father into a pretty awesome character, and it fits perfectly with the rhyme too. Once I read your story, it is kind of hard to the rhyme any other way now! Which is a good thing for sure. It was a nice happy ending touch for the rhyme
ReplyDeleteI really liked the detail that you put into the background of the story. There was very little to go off of with the nursery rhyme yet you were able to make this beautiful story out of it. I understand how much the dad loved his child and was making sure that his child was healthy. It was a great story that showed a parent's love for their child.
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job turning a very short nursery rhyme into a detailed story that gave a "why" to his actions. I think your word choice was very descriptive and creative, for instance: "enveloped," "lurking," "whipped." Each of these helped create the imagery for the story, and adds a bit of intensity. The feedback I have for you as far as minor adjustments that could help (in my humble, not-so-skilled opinion) are in both word choice and a few grammar hiccups. Word choiceL you tend to use the same word multiple times. For example, you use the work "trek" three times, and in back-to-back sentences. Try using a different word in at least one of the sentences, even something as simple as "traveled." As far as the grammar goes, the second sentence needs to be broken up. There are two independent clauses present and no punctuation with which to break it up. Try adding a comma and conjunction, or making it two separate sentences. I am sure you know all of these things, I just happened to catch it as I have read through it a few times. I truly enjoyed reading your story, and look forward to reading more!