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Sleeping Beauty: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Charles Perrault wrote this down in France in 1697. The Brothers Grimm told it in Germany in 1812 and called the princess Briar Rose.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). A king and queen finally have a daughter and invite twelve fairies to the feast, but not the thirteenth. She arrives angry and curses the princess: at fifteen she will prick her finger on a spindle and never wake. The twelfth fairy softens it to a hundred years of sleep, and a prince wakes the princess when the time is up.
The lesson, in one line. Leaving someone out can cause big trouble.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Thirteenth Fairy” and Part Two, “The Spindle”, pages 1–11 (about 7 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “The Hedge of Thorns”, pages 12–17 (about 4 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: Sleeping Beauty by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of Sleeping Beauty?
The story's answer: Leaving someone out can cause big trouble. The thirteenth fairy casts her curse because she was not invited to the party. - Who wrote Sleeping Beauty?
The story's answer: Charles Perrault wrote down a French version in 1697, and the Brothers Grimm told the German one, Briar Rose, in 1812. - Why does the princess sleep for a hundred years?
The story's answer: A wicked fairy cursed her to die from a spindle. The twelfth fairy could not break the curse but changed it to a deep sleep of a hundred years. - Why wasn't the thirteenth fairy invited?
The story's answer: The king had only twelve golden plates for the feast, so one fairy was left out. She came anyway, furious, and cast her curse. - 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.
Did you know?
- Charles Perrault wrote it down in France in 1697. The Brothers Grimm told it in Germany in 1812 as Briar Rose.
- In the Grimm telling the uninvited thirteenth fairy casts the curse.
- The twelfth fairy cannot undo the curse, but she makes it gentler: sleep instead of death.
Activity: Draw the story as a map
On one big sheet, draw every place the story happens and the path between them. Mark the spot where things go wrong and the spot where they come right.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- When the princess wakes, the whole castle wakes with her, even the flies on the wall.
Words to teach before you start
- magnificent: very grand
- spindle: thread-spinning stick
- horrified: shocked and scared
- flax: plant for thread
- hopelessly: with no hope
- splendor: great beauty
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Sleeping Beauty book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 11 minutes in all, so plan 2 meetings of about 30 to 45 minutes each, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Sleeping Beauty for?
It is written at Peabody level 10, a grade 5 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Beauty and the Beast (level 10)
- Rapunzel (level 10)
- The Twelve Dancing Princesses (level 10)
- Cinderella (level 9)
- Hansel and Gretel (level 9)
- Puss in Boots (level 9)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.