The Rooster Prince of Breslov by Ann Redisch Stampler
Author/Illustrator: Ann Redisch Stampler/ Eugene Yelchin
Genre: Folklore
Age: 5-7 years old
This book is based off a Yiddish folktale, and deals with a young, spoiled prince, who assumes the likeness and characteristics of a rooster, until one week and old man spends seven days with him and shows him how he can mature. The book starts out with this young prince who essentially had more than he could ever want and need, nice meals, people waiting on him hand and foot. Until one day during his lavish lifestyle he had, had enough and starting acting like a rooster. He had taken off his clothes and started clucking about the palace, he pecked at things like a rooster, hunched over like a rooster and believed himself that he was a rooster. He wouldn't utter a single human word and wouldn't get dressed when his parents asked him to. They had a doctor come see him and he had said he had a case of roosterism which wasn't really real. So since the doctor couldn't help the parents sent for magicians to see if they could do anything about it and the boy still went around acting liking a rooster and ignored all their attempts to treat him.
It took a while, but along came this frail old man who didn't carry a bag of medicine or a wand, he was just a frail old man. He told the parents to give him seven days with their boy and watch how he would be himself once again and that they should get him whatever he required. When the old man first met the prince he saw he was pecking at corn kernels on the ground, so he did as the boy did. With each passing day the old man had something sent in that the humans used, first it was a bed, then it was a loaf of black bread, a table with chairs, a blanket, clothes and with each day he made him wonder why it wasn't alright for a rooster to be treated differently than a human. He was showing him how to have compassion and care for someone other than himself and not be so selfish. With each new day he said it's not alright for an old rooster like you to suffer. After their seven days together were up it was time for the old man to leave and they had done a full 360 from where they started, although the boy still thought he was a rooster. The old man told him it was how he treated the cold, hungry, achy old rooster that made him a man. And once the prince realizes what the old man had to say he feels a little taller and in the end we see that this how the prince grew up to be a great king. He often found his son humming a tune and he almost forgotten about how he thought he had been a rooster.
I think this book is a great read for children, to see how a selfish child had a life-changing experience with this old man who helped him become a great king. The story shows how if a "teacher" trains up a "student" they must start at the level they are on and bring them to their new levels of maturity. I think if I had to use this book in the classroom, I would do it over selflessness. I would show them how this young prince had his whole mindset changed thanks to someone who was willing to meet him where he was at, and have him exceed his own expectations, and to show that you can pay it forward.
- Peace. Love. Giraffes.
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