The Boy Who Cried Wolf- Traditional Literature- Week 4

Hennessy, B. G., & Kulikov, B. (2006). The boy who cried wolf. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a story of a boy who is tending to his sheep. He is extremely bored and decides to convince the townspeople a wolf is after his sheep for entertainment. After a few times of trying to help the boy out, the townspeople have caught on. When the boy actually does have a wolf after his sheep no one comes to his rescue.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a fable. Most fables incorporate animals as the characters. However, this particular book does not. What makes this story a fable is that it has a moral. The moral is to not lie or people won't believe when you are actually telling the truth.
The artistic media used throughout the book are cartoon paintings in watercolor. The watercolor (used to create a "lighter mood") and the cartoon style pair together to appeal to children.

Curriculum Connection:
The Boy Who Cried Wolf could be used in any classroom as a character building activity. To connect with the curriculum though you could have students discuss the theme (moral) of the story. Then have students write their own fables that include a moral. This activity would be used with students in older elementary grades.

Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

BIG Question:
Can you think of a time when someone throughout history has "cried wolf"?