Folktales and music
A folktale is a story that people have told for a very long time. Storytellers tell folktales aloud, and children remember them and tell them to the next children. A folktale has a beginning, a problem and an ending, and it often teaches a lesson. Animals or even boats may talk in a folktale. Folktales show what a community values, such as courage and kindness. Music is part of culture too. In Egypt people play drums, the reed flute called the nay, and the oud, a string instrument. Some places also have folk songs and a stick dance, and many regions make crafts such as carpets, pottery and palm-leaf baskets.
| Part | In Zahra’s story |
|---|---|
| beginning | Zahra is a little felucca on a wide river. |
| problem | She is afraid to sail. |
| ending | The wind carries her to the sea. |
| lesson | Trying makes us braver. |
Be a storyteller. Think of a short story with a beginning, a problem and an ending. Let an animal, a boat or a tree be the hero. Tell it aloud to your family without a book, using your voice and hands. Ask them what lesson they heard. With a grown-up, listen to a folk song and tap its rhythm.