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The Fisherman and His Wife: book club questions by chapter
Meeting 1 of 2
🦉 The Fisherman and His Wife · meeting 1 of 2
Read: Part One, “The Enchanted Fish”; Part Two, “A Bigger Wish” (pages 1–9, about 5 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 9, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.
- What did the fish say he really was?
The story's answer: An enchanted prince - What did the wife ask for first?
The story's answer: A cozy little cottage - Who have we met so far, and what does each of them want?
Listen for: Make a list together on the board; keep it for next time and add to it. - The part we just read is called "A Bigger Wish". Why do you think it has that name?
Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page. - Stop here. What do you think will happen next? Write or draw one guess to check next time.
Listen for: Keep the guesses in an envelope. Don't say whether a guess is right: the next part will.
Meeting 2 of 2
🦉 The Fisherman and His Wife · meeting 2 of 2
Read: Part Three, “The Dark Sea” (pages 10–16, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 16, the end of the story.
- What happened to the sea each time the fisherman went back?
The story's answer: It got darker and stormier - Why did the wife keep asking for more?
The story's answer: She was never happy with what she had - What does the story teach?
The story's answer: Be glad for what you have - Look back at last time's guesses. Which came true, and what surprised you?
Listen for: Read the guesses out. Nobody was wrong: a guess that missed often shows what the author wanted us to expect. - The part we just read is called "The Dark Sea". Why do you think it has that name?
Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page. - Now that you know the ending, was it the ending you expected?
Listen for: Ask what in the earlier parts pointed to it, or pointed the other way.
About the whole story
- Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change. - Is there a rule of three in this story (three tries, three wishes, three visitors)? Why do you think fairy tales like threes?
Listen for: Many do; a third time is where the change happens. - Who would you give this story to, and why them?
Listen for: A reader who can name the right person has understood what the story is like. - If you could ask the person who first told this story one question, what would it be?
Listen for: Collect the questions; some have answers on the story's page in the library.
How these questions are made
The questions with an answer are the story's own, from its page in the library, each at the first stop whose pages answer it and where everyone it names has already come in. The rest are Peabody's, and name nothing but the parts already read. Nothing here is written by a computer model.
Read it free: peabody.kids/library/the-fisherman-and-his-wife. Every child in the club can read it on any device, with no account.