Have you ever read trickster tales?
Trickster tales are entertaining stories that have been retold for generations as a way to teach lessons about human behaviour. Tricksters are loveable, but cunning as they use their knowledge to play tricks on others!
Why Teach Trickster Tales?
The tales are great ways to strengthen these concepts:
- Characterization
- Personification
- Lesson or moral
- Compare and contrast similar tales
Tales To Share
Almost every culture has its own trickster characters. Here are my favourites:
ANANSI is a trickster from West African and Caribbean stories, and is full of wit and cunning. Anansi and The Moss Covered Rock and Anansi and The Talking Melon are fun read alouds.
RAVEN is a trickster from the First Peoples of the Northwest Pacific Coast from Alaska to British Columbia. Raven is alternatively a clever and foolish bird-human whose voracious hunger and greed give rise to humourous adventures. Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest is a great book to share.
COYOTE is a comic trickster character from North American Indigenous stories, who is lack of wisdom gets him into trouble, and his cleverness gets him back out. Students will enjoy Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest.
LEPRECHAUN plays several roles in Irish folklore; he is principally a roguish trickster figure who cannot be trusted and will deceive whenever possible. Clever Tom and The Leprechaun is a delightful tale.
WESAKECHAK is a trickster character whose adventures are often humourous, but unlike Plains First People tricksters he is portrayed as a staunch friend of humankind. Wesakechak Tales will be devoured by your students.
