Widow's Broom, The
Publication Information
Author:  Van Allsburg, Chris	Illustrator:  Van Allsburg, Chris
Title:  Widow's Broom, The	Date:  1992
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin	City:  Boston
ISBN, paperback:  0-395-64051-2	ISBN, hardback:
Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes	ESOL:
Family:   Yes	Young Adult:
Picture:   Yes
General Information:
Book Type(s):    legends, tales and myths
HSE Descriptor(s):
Summary:
A widow helps a witch recover from a fall, and in gratitude the witch leaves behind her broom to help the woman do her work. Suspicious neighbors try to burn the broom, but in the end the broom settles in with the woman.
Teaching Ideas:
Teachers will want to provide a context for the reading of tales and legends before introducing this story. The black and white illustrations and the character of the hard-working widow make this a good legend to use students. Students may want to write their own fantasies or discuss the role that suspicion has played for all communities throughout the ages. Teachers may want to ask students to compare this with the fantasies on soap operas and in talk shows.
Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
Social Studies > anthropology > folklore > witch Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > gratitude Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > suspicion Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism > prejudice Social Studies > sociology > social issues > violence Work

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