Writing a Pourquoi Tale                  

"Pourquoi" (por-kwa) is French for why.  And so a Pourquoi Tale is a story that tells why something is the way it is, such as Why the elephant has a long nose or why bees buzz.

Storytellers have long created legends to explain things they saw or events that occurred in nature. Rudyard Kipling is my favorite.  He wrote a collection of such legends and called them "Just So Stories." Tales that explain "why" are called pourquoi tales because in French, the word pourquoi (por-kwa) means why. Many porquois tales have the word why in the title.

For example, why is the loon a water bird? In her book The Common Loon, Spirit of Northern Lakes, Judith McIntyre summarizes a legend that tells why. The legend tells about an earlier time when loons lived on land. This legend was passed down by generations of Micmac Indians.

"The loon was so tame, yet clumsy, that it annoyed all the villagers as it ran in and out of the wigwams, knocking over belongings and spilling food and drink. The Micmacs could finally stand it no longer, caught Loon, and threatened to throw him into the water. Thinking quickly, Loon begged them not to throw him into the water, but to throw him in the fire instead. The Indians, thinking they could finally get even, were sure to throw him into the water. When he was safely away from the village he called back to them with his wonderful laugh, saying, 'Just what I wanted, just what I wanted.' And that is how the Loon Became a Water Bird."

Creating your Pourquoi Tale

  1. Brainstorm ideas for characters, setting, and plot.
  2. What aspect of nature will you write about, explaining how or why it came to be?
  3. What animal trait, natural event, or people's custom will you write about.
  4. Who will the main characters be--animals, natural forces, or other things found in nature?
  5. When will the story take place?
  6. Before you begin, look at the leads, or beginnings, from several of your favorite stories. You might like to start a collection of good leads in your writer's journal. Then use what you learned to write a special lead for your legend.
  7. Give your "character" an interesting personality.
  8. Make a story map or web to guide you as you draft your legend.
  9. Use dialogue as well as action to show the personalities of all the characters.
  10. Write your draft quickly. Plan to spend the most time on revising.
  11. End your story this way: And that's why the loon (example) _________________.
  12. You might include a lesson in your tale: the character gets what it deserves in the end.
  13. How will you write your pourquoi tale so that it is fun and can easily be told aloud?  Read your story aloud to see if it has the effect you want.
  14. Illustrate your story using your favorite art techniques.

Use this story map to help you plan your pourquoi tale.

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