Book Club › For club leaders › Club kits › The Steadfast Tin Soldier
The Steadfast Tin Soldier: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Hans Christian Andersen, a storyteller in Denmark, wrote this in 1838. He had a toy theater and loved to cut paper figures.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). A one-legged tin soldier falls in love with a paper dancer who balances on one toe. A goblin in a snuffbox warns him to keep his eyes to himself, and soon he is thrown out of the window. He sails down a gutter in a paper boat and is swallowed by a fish. At the end he is back in the same room, beside the dancer.
The lesson, in one line. Staying brave and true through hard times can carry you home.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Table of Toys” and Part Two, “The Gutter”, pages 1–13 (about 7 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “The Fish” and Part Four, “Home Again”, pages 14–18 (about 3 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: The Steadfast Tin Soldier by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of The Steadfast Tin Soldier?
The story's answer: Staying brave and true through hard times can carry you home. The soldier faces many dangers and never gives up. - Why does the tin soldier have only one leg?
The story's answer: He was the last one made from the old tin spoon, and the tin ran short. - Who wrote The Steadfast Tin Soldier?
The story's answer: Hans Christian Andersen, a storyteller in Denmark, wrote it in 1838. - Who is the tin soldier in love with?
The story's answer: A paper dancer who stands on one toe in the doorway of a toy castle. She looks as if she has only one leg too. - 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?
- Hans Christian Andersen, a storyteller in Denmark, wrote it in 1838. He had a toy theater and loved to cut paper figures.
- It is also called The Constant Tin Soldier and The Brave Little Tin Soldier.
- The soldier has only one leg because the tin ran short when he was made.
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
- The soldier never cries out or runs away, even in the dark and in the fish.
Words to teach before you start
- steadfast: loyal and firm
- spangle: shiny sequin
- gutter: street water channel
- passport: travel paper
- canal: man-made river
- goblin: mischievous sprite
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Steadfast Tin Soldier book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 10 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is The Steadfast Tin Soldier for?
It is written at Peabody level 9, a grade 4 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
- Cinderella (level 9)
- Hansel and Gretel (level 9)
- Puss in Boots (level 9)
- Rumpelstiltskin (level 9)
- The Brave Little Tailor (level 9)
- The Emperor's New Clothes (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.