Tom Tit Tot

Tom Tit Tot

Joseph Jacobs

Synapse:

“Nimmy, nimmy, nimmy, not. My name is Tom Tit Tot.” Little did he know this couplet would cost him a bet with a desperate maiden. This heavy dialectic fairy tale chronicles the a struggling young women as she is imprisoned by the king and forced to spin five skins everyday. Along comes a creature and makes her a deal she can’t refuse, but is he just spinning her a lie?

Response:

Fairy tales are set in a distant place, in distant time. They once-upon-a-time you to magical setting. This particular tale has all the elements of fairy tale rolled into it: poor mother, damsel in distress, Good vs. Evil , an oppressive king.

Rooted in the oral tradition, this tale utilizes the dialect of Northern Europe to bring this picture-less text to life.

Activity:

Explore the genre. Fairy tales are more than just stories that Disney has ruined. They are generational stories once used as a means to teach children morals. Conduct an investigation of fairly tales. This is more than questioning the author– this is questioning the genre. Analyze multiple fairy tales and look into the message, the characters and other fictional elements. Open the discussion up to the kids and have them explain what they like or don’t like about fairy tales. Are they teaching kids or scaring kids? Try to use original versions of the tales (Gimms, Christian-Anderson, Jacobs, etc).