Fairy Tales and Tall Tales: Supplemental Guide 2535B-2
Dear Family Member,Your child will enjoy many tall tales from the American frontier times (the 1800s). Your
child will hear the following tall tales at school:- “Paul Bunyan”—a lumberjack who could cut down trees with one swing;
- “Pecos Bill”—a cowboy who could tame a mountain lion and ride a cyclone;
- “John Henry”—a real-life railway worker who helped dig tunnels and build tracks;
he beat a steam drill in a competition; and - “Casey Jones”—a real-life train engineer who always got his trains to their
destination on time.
Below are some suggestions for activities that you may do at home to reinforce what
your child is learning about tall tales.- Larger Than Life
One main characteristic of a tall tale is its larger-than-life characters; the characters
seem amazing and can do amazing things. Often exaggerations in the tall tale make
its characters seem larger than life. After your child has fi nished hearing tall tales at
school, help your child read the larger-than-life sentences on the right side of the activity
page. Then have your child draw a line from the sentence to the picture of the tall tale
it is related to on the left. Follow up by asking your child about the character’s amazing
adventures.- Exaggerations
Have your child share some of the exaggerations s/he has heard from the tall tales.
An exaggeration is an overstatement of the truth to make something seem much bigger,
grander, or better than it really is. Make up some exaggerations with your child or point
out the times your child exaggerates, e.g., “I’m so hungry I can eat a horse”; or “We’re
not going to get there for a million years.”- Read Aloud Each Day
Read to your child and listen to your child read to you. I attached a list of
recommended trade books related to tall tales with the last family letter.Be sure to let your child know how much you enjoy hearing about the tall tales s/he
has learned at school.