Fairies: Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time... Many a delightful tale begins with those words. They summon us back to the past, to an older country and a different time. Children don't need to be argued into wonder: they still remember that the world is a magical place. On hearing that a boy fell into a puddle into another world, they don't ask how this is possible, they ask: "What happened next?"

Wonder and imagination are the native language of childhood, but the task of growing up fosters a strange forgetfulness. In this course, we will combat the erosion of wonder by diving deep into the love of reading great books and talking about them with friends. Your child will come away from this course unable to stop talking about what he or she has read, discussed, and imagined.

This course will help your young child to connect the wonder and love he or she already possesses to books as reliable places to encounter stories that matter. In this course, I will both teach and model deep engagement with a text through close reading, all in a format that values and invites the children’s wildest ideas. In the lifelong journey of developing and guarding a joyous heart, these are the first steps.

"• George MacDonald, The Light Princess (Rabbit Room Press, 2019). • Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Square Fish, 2011) • J.R.R. Tolkien, Smith of Wooten Major & Farmer Giles of Ham (Del Rey, 1986) • Eloise McGraw, The Moorchild (Aladdin Paperbacks, 1996)"