Meadow
Every story starts with who it is about and where it takes place
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Meadow is a soft-eyed little fawn who lives, of course, in a meadow. When Meadow begins a story, Meadow always starts the very same way: "This is a story about someone, and it happens somewhere." Meadow points a gentle hoof. "Who is it about? Where are they? Once you know those two things, the story has a place to stand."
Meadow's friend Pib the sparrow is bursting to tell a story. "And then it jumped! And it was scared! And it ran away!" Pib chirps all in a rush. But Meadow tilts her head, puzzled. "Wait — who jumped? Where were they?" Pib stops. "Um..." Pib doesn't know how to answer. The story has action but nothing to hang it on, and Pib feels flustered.
"Let's back up to the beginning," says Meadow kindly. "First, who is your story about?" Pib thinks. "A little turtle!" "Wonderful. And where is the little turtle?" "By the river, on a warm rock!" Meadow smiles. "There — now I can see it. A little turtle, on a warm rock, by the river. Now tell me what happens."
And this time the story flows. "The little turtle was sunbathing on the rock by the river... when a big splash made it jump!" Pib beams — now that everyone knows who and where, the jumping and the splashing make sense. "It's like you built the stage first," Pib says, "and then the story could happen on it!"
Pib tells three more stories that day, and every one begins the Meadow way: someone, somewhere, first. Each story stands up clear and steady, easy for anyone to follow. A settled, sure-footed feeling fills Pib, the comfort of knowing right where you are. And Meadow, happy in her sunny meadow, listens to every one, seeing each little world take shape.
The StoryPals ensemble
Meadow is part of StoryPals's distributed-narrative cast. Each character embodies a different curricular primitive; together they teach the full subject.
