Patricia Furstenberg, Author of Historical Fiction, Kids Books
Travel Through Stories
Can dog characters from books be among those we remember fondly? Yes, and many fictional stories or memoirs have four-legged characters who left memorable paw-prints on the minds and hearts of readers of ALL AGES.
Here is my list of FIVE great dog characters from fiction and non-fiction books.
Continue reading “Great Dog Characters in Books for Readers of all Ages”
Change is part of life and the catalyst of moving forward, often providing us with invaluable lessons such as How the Tiger got its Stripes, my adaptation of an ancient legend.
A long, long time ago, when animals could talk among themselves much like humans do today, a white, stripe-less tiger, a very young tiger, brave and foolish, tiptoed one morning all the way to the edge of the great jungle where he grew up… although he knew he shouldn’t have. For only a quick peek at the rice fields growing nearby… for he’d heard their song in the wind.
Continue reading “How the Tiger got its Stripes”
The good, old bear, or the grizzly ursine, populated Romanian mythology since the times of the Thracians, and tales of its powers and wisdom have left their paw-prints on the Romanian folklore too.
The bear as a totem, as a symbol of one’s ancestry, was an animal revered by ancient Thracian religion, alongside the wolf. Why, it is even whispered in legends that the great Zalmoxix, the god worshiped by Geto-Dacians, was wrapped in a bear’s skin right after his birth. To soak up the power and the strength of the great beast, and perhaps even its endurance.
Continue reading “The Old Bear in Romanian Mythology and Folklore #Im4Ro”
Ever found yourself a traveler in the land of apes? We found ourselves in a different kind of primate land once, holidaying in Durban, on the KwaZulu-Natal coast of the Indian Ocean. We were enjoying the ocean’s breeze coming through the open balcony door when with it in jumped a monkey! Bouncing from the neighboring tree onto the balcony ledge, then into the living room and up on the kitchen island where she picked her reward, a bunch of bananas!
Had she thanked us? I think she waved – her tail. Better the bananas than the car keys nearby…
Continue reading “Why a Traveler Better be Watchful Near Apes”
Dogs must be the most unselfish creatures on earth, yet The Dog and his Reflection is a fable about a foolish, greedy mutt who was not content with what he already had – and that sounds familiar…
Continue reading “The DOG and his Reflection, a fable”