f e a t u r e Let the elves and fairies come out to play “about midnight the elves came in, dancing and fairyland: a skipping, hopped round the room, and then went cognitive milestone to sit down to their work as usual. But when they Elves, fairies, and similar crea- tures belong to the traditions of saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and folklore and fantasy. In children, chuckled, and seemed mightily delighted. beginning around age 3, the abili- ty to engage in stories about “Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of imaginary little people marks a cognitive milestone that is critical an eye, and danced and capered and sprang for thinking and learning. about, as merry as could be, until at last they The ability to imagine allows us to understand events we don’t danced out the door, and away over the green.” directly experience (a sister’s birthday party going on in anoth- er state, for example), including n this excerpt from the familiar happenings in the past (history). IBrothers Grimm story “The Imagination enables us to plan Elves and the Shoemaker” (such as next week’s meeting), (Grimm 2008), we smile at the organize (tasks and supplies antics of two elves finding the needed for a project, for example), clothes the shoemaker has made and solve problems (such as how as thanks for their help in making to repair the roof). Scientists use shoes. their imagination to make discov- Stories containing elves and eries and generate theories. fairies have long delighted chil- British biophysicist Rosalind dren—and adults. Walt Disney Franklin, for example, contributed made several fairies famous by to genetics by envisioning DNA turning old stories into animated as a helix. films: Cinderella’s fairy godmoth- The ability to imagine is also er, Snow White’s seven dwarfs, important for social and emotion- and Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell. This al development. Imagination story-to-screen tradition has con- allows us to take another person’s tinued with more recent stories, perspective (Mary’s happiness such as J.K. Rorwling’s Harry about her new baby, for example) Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in and to anticipate consequences of which Harry helps free Dobby the behavior (“If I work until mid- House Elf from his cruel master. night ….”). © Texas Child Care quarTerly / winTer 2012 / VOluMe 36, nO. 3 / ChildCarequarTerly.COM We see the development of The Funk and Wagnalls diction- his mischievous pranks and imagination in preschool children ary also notes that the term fairy humorous mistakes. when they express fear about the tale has unfortunately been Other authors merely borrow gorilla in the closet and the alliga- applied to many stories that con- characteristics of traditional elves tor under the bed. We see it as tain no mention of fairies at all. and fairies or invent their own to they eagerly await gifts from “Most tales about fairies are actu- suit the purposes of their stories. Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, ally traditions and relate real Popular culture, including mov- when they engage in pretend beliefs” (Leach 1972). Indeed, they ies, music and illustrations, fur- play, when they re-enact the bat- are often folk tales or wisdom ther elaborate the form and func- tles of superheroes, and when anecdotes that have been handed tion of these magical creatures. they talk to imaginary friends. down for generations. In the early The notion of Santa’s elves, for Children move easily in and out of fantasy and reality but are often unable to distinguish between the two until age 7 or 8. Beyond developmental benefits If you listen, you will hear more for children, the best fantasy offers something more—the enduring pleasure of a good story. “Some fantasies laugh; some are than the obvious story line. full of nonsense; others are breathless with adventure and brave deeds,” says Gladys Hunt 1800s, the Grimm brothers, Jacob example, originated in European (2002). “If you listen, you will and Wilhelm, collected stories in stories about Saint Nicholas and hear more than the obvious story their native Germany and pub- his helpers (New World line.” lished them under the original Encyclopedia 2008). The modern title Household Tales, which later American version of elves as toy What are elves and became Grimms’ Fairy Tales makers in Santa’s workshop fairies? (Grimm 2008). evolved through a number of sto- The word fairy, according to Funk Elf and fairy characters appear ries and illustrations, including a and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of in the folklore and literature of cover for The Saturday Evening Folklore, Mythology and Legend countries around the world and Post painted by Norman Rockwell (Leach 1972), is “a term loosely date back many centuries. One in 1922. used to denote a type of supernat- theory holds that fairies are the ural being, usually invisible, “personification of the old primi- sometimes benevolent and help- tive spirits of nature,” while ful, sometimes evil and danger- another theory says they arose out ous, sometimes just mischievous of beliefs about “the spirits of the and whimsical, dwelling on the dead” (Leach 1972). earth in close contact with man.” Through history, authors have The word elf, according to chosen commonly known fairies Spirits, Fairies, Gnomes, and for characters in their stories. In Goblins: An Encyclopedia of the the 1500s, for example, William Little People (Rose 1996) originally Shakespeare immortalized three meant all types of fairies in fairies in his play, A Midsummer Anglo-Saxon but later denoted a Night’s Dream. Oberon and Titania special class. In England elves are the fairy king and queen, and were described as little old men Puck is the sprite or hobgoblin who can shift their shape at will. who moves the action along with © Texas Child Care quarTerly / winTer 2012 / VOluMe 36, nO. 3 / ChildCarequarTerly.COM A cursory look at fairy-related But the Funk and Wagnalls dic- appearance. books in bookstores and libraries tionary insists this explanation is ■ Where does it live? will reveal many titles that pur- an error. Its gremlin entry says ■ What does it do? Was its action port to define and classify folk gremlin-like characters have in the story helpful or harmful? and fantasy characters, perhaps in appeared as technicians “impart- ■ How does this elf or fairy com- an attempt to make sense of an ing knowledge to man since the pare to others we have read enormous and complex subject. beginning of the world.” Indeed, about? The Fantasy Encyclopedia (Allen some were artisans “who provid- ■ Have you ever seen an elf or 2005), for example, groups elves ed the knights of the Middle Ages fairy? Are elves and fairies real? and fairies in the category of “little with wondrous steel blades, hel- people,” along with leprechauns, mets, and weapons.” A sampling of children’s books: fairy godmothers, dwarfs, brown- Given such differences, we can ■ The Blueberry Pie Elf, by Jane ies, hobgoblins, and gremlins. approach a unit on elves and fair- Thayer, 2008. Elmer, a house elf, Distinctions remain elusive, ies with an appreciation of the jumps into the middle of a blue- however. What’s the difference embellished interpretations of berry pie freshly baked by the between a sprite and a pixie, for folklore balanced by a respect for family. After gorging himself, example, or a dwarf and a the scholarly study of folk tradi- he wants another but cannot tell gnome? It depends upon the tions. As folklorist and storyteller the family because he’s invisi- author and the sources cited, and Lise Lunge-Larsen has said in The ble. Then presto! He finds a in many cases the definitions Hidden Folk (2004), “the emotional solution. overlap or contradict. truth of a story is more important ■ Diane Goode’s Book of Giants and Two encyclopedias (Allen 2005 than its literal truth.” Little People, 1997. This collec- and Rose 1996), for example, As teachers, we can engage chil- tion of 17 stories and poems claim the gremlin originated in dren in stories of fantasy and folk- includes the classic “Shoemaker World War I as British pilots lore not only to enhance their and the Elves” as well as sought to explain their difficulties imaginative skills but also to “Anansi and the Plantains” in operating the new-fangled fly- encourage their love of reading (from Africa), “Lovesick Lopez” ing machines. Two decades later, and literature. (California), and “Three Strong Roald Dahl, a member of the Consider setting up learning Women” (Japan). British Royal Air Force, wrote a center activities using the elves ■ Nell’s Elf, by Jane Cowen- novel (The Gremlins, 1943, now and fairies theme. Use these ideas Fletcher, 2006. When a little girl out of print) explaining the grem- to get you started. finds herself bored on a rainy lins’ mischief as revenge for the day, she draws an elf. destruction of their forest home Literacy Surprisingly, it comes to life. (Allen 2005). Gather books from your school or ■ The Hidden Folk, by Lise Lunge- home collection and the public Larsen, 2004. The author has library. Review books carefully fleshed out nine stories told by before presenting them to chil- her mother, aunt, and grand- dren. Avoid books that portray mother to make them “engag- fairies as female stereotypes who ing to today’s children.” The value beauty and fashion over stories feature flower fairies, brains and courage. Look for sto- gnomes, hill folk, elves, dwarfs, ries and pictures that show diver- water horses, river sprites and sity in race and ethnicity. selkies. Read stories aloud during circle time and lead children in a dis- art cussion, with questions like these: Talk with children about the pic- ■ What kind of elf or fairy is in tures of elves and fairies in books this story? Describe its size and as well as those you find on the © Texas Child Care quarTerly / winTer 2012 / VOluMe 36, nO.