Carol's Notebook

Today's story from Louisiana is a bit more modern folk tale, and with all the politicians on tv lately it seemed appropriate. "The Politician Gets His" was told by Hubert L. "Anatoo" Clement, Sr. in Swapping Stories: Folktales from Louisiana edited by Carl Lindahl, Maida Owens, and C. Renée Harvison. I'll tell you a little story--it won't take long. I got a opponent what run against me for governor. . . . I was worried about him, but I don't have to worry no more. He's all finished. You see, he was working on his roof, and he make a platform, and he start speech against me up there. He got in a big high, "throw mud" campaign against me, and he fall off of there. He hurt his self bad on the head. And they put him in the bed, and they put his little girl sit by him. And she's there watching him, and his wife was in the kitchen. She was...

Today's Thanksgiving tale comes from Canada. It's a perfect story about thankfulness and sharing and friendship. Long ago, on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, Owl perched in his willow tree and looked out at the world. "Hoo hoo," he called out, and at the sound, all the wild creatures gathered. They respected Owl and always came when he called. "Now look at this," Owl said, and he gazed around. The others looked too. And they saw, as if they never had seen before, a field of fat orange pumpkins looking cheery and ripe, and a field of golden corn, and yet another field, this of waving wheat, and bright blue morning glories streaming over stone walls. They saw gardens of peas and beans, squash and cabbage, wild mushrooms and mums. They saw riotous red maple leaves and dazzling yellow poplars and burnt-orange leaves on the oaks. "And just look at that sky!" Owl said. "It's the color of the Caribbean Sea," said...