KS2 Book Topic – East of Sun, West of Moon

The hinterland of East of Sun, West of Moon allows children to explore both fantastical themes and very real dilemmas, such as the plight of refugees, says Clare Pearson...

When you read some stories, it is almost impossible to believe there was a point when they didn’t exist, as if the writer has gathered them from of our collective subconscious to put onto the page. Such is the case with East of the Sun, West of the Moonby Jackie Morris, a delightful reimagining of an ancient tale of love, courage and loyalty.

Early in the text we hear ‘we do not live in fairytales, we do not live in stories’ – well, perhaps not, but the appeal of this book is its ability to seamlessly move between the real and the fantastic and make them seem as one. In a sense, it is hard to consider dissecting such a beautiful text with children – you just want them to enjoy the experience of being lost in the book. However, by expanding the world in which the story takes place, you open up layers of meaning that might otherwise be missed.

Begin your unit of work by blurring the boundaries of reality within your classroom. Arrange for a letter from an unknown character to be ‘delivered’ before the start of the school day. Make sure it grabs the attention – perhaps rolled up in a glass jar with iridescent glitter, lying damp surrounded by fake snow, or crumpled amid a pile of dried leaves. You could word it something like this…

Dear Child,
I need you to come with me. You will not have much time to prepare – I will return to collect you tomorrow at dawn. Bring only what you are able to carry and only that which is important to you. Our journey will be long and will take you across many lands, but it will be to your advantage.

Capitalise on the buzz this creates, abandon your planned learning and instead focus on investigating who or what is the sender of the letter. Draw two columns on the board ‘Evidence’ and ‘Meaning’ to support analysis. For example, ‘Dear Child’ identifies the sender as older. ‘I need you to come with me’ suggests the sender wants something from the reader, or perhaps that to stay would be dangerous. The use of a paw print as a signature gives a pretty big hint that our sender is unlikely to be human.

What’s the story?

Berneen’s family have been displaced from their own country following a political change that meant remaining would be unsafe.

Life as refugees is not good, money is scarce and friendship hard to find. At night, Berneen dreams of a bear:

a friend able to keep her family safe and protect them from harm.

When there is a knock at the door one evening, it seems only natural that it is the bear from her dreams who has come to offer his aid. The bear takes Berneen to his home where she finds peace and companionship, but there is also mystery. Returning from a visit to her family, Berneen discovers what has been previously hidden – the bear is truly a prince, enchanted by a troll to remain as a bear until he can find someone to love him in his changed shape.

Breaking the enchantment early means the prince is spirited away to a castle east of the sun, west of the moon. Berneen is determined to find the prince and save him from his fate.

1 Writing opportunities Plan a warning story

Berneen is warned by the bear not to be alone with her mother on her visit home. Ignoring his warning, Berneen loses the bear to the troll’s castle. Warning stories hinge on the warning being ignored, which leads to disaster: fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood, are a classic example of this. This formula works well with any genre and developing the story around a problem avoids the pitfalls of stories where nothing ever really happens. The story structure should look something like this:

> main character receives a warning
> warning is repeated
> main character ignores warning
> disaster occurs
> problem is resolved
> main character learns a lesson

Choose a new setting and get children to think about what potential problems could occur. Who could be the main character? How would the problem be resolved? What lessons are learned?

Mount a persuasive campaign

Campaigners use language effectively to get what they want. Select a subject to campaign for (it would be good to choose a current world event that has created a refugee crisis, or perhaps there is an issue in your local community that needs addressing?). Use the WWF Adopt a Polar Bear campaign video (Youtube) and identify any persuasive devices: emotive images; asking questions to the viewer; persuasive language; slogans; making links between viewer and subject.

Use a photo presentation tool such as Window’s Photostory or Moviemaker to help children create their own adverts through sequencing images, overlaying music and recording voice-overs. Once complete, showcase on your school website.

Castles of the imagination

After journeying for some time, Berneen finally arrives at the castle east of the sun and west of the moon. But what is it like? Use fantastical images from Colin Thompson’s book Castles such as ‘Castle Cosmos – the oldest castle in creation’ and ‘The Castle in the Air – whose waterfalls are the origin of single drops of rain’. Share the different castles, then consider if any of these are the castle Berneen moon. But what is it like? Use fantastical images from Colin Thompson’s book Castles such as ‘Castle Cosmos – the oldest castle in creation’ and ‘The Castle in the Air – whose waterfalls are the origin of single drops of rain’. Share the different castles, then consider if any of these are the castle Berneen

2 Cross-curricular opportunities On her own

Berneen’s family were forced to leave their own country following her father’s arrest for writing things the new government disagrees with. Investigate the work of the UN Refugee Agency and develop a shared understanding of what being a refugee means.

In the initial letter the children received, they had to think about what they would take with them if they had to leave their home suddenly. Berneen chose a photograph album for the memories it contained. Use circle time to explore Berneen’s decision and discuss the items they would choose. How does it feel to be somewhere new? What would be the challenges? What would help you settle in? Be sensitive to the experiences of your own class, especially those who may have experienced a similar situation. If this is the case, it might be possible to ask a parent to come into school and share their own story. Extend this learning to create a New Arrivals’ Guide Book to your school, which could be used to help new children settle in.

Explaining our world

Rudyard Kipling said that ‘if history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten’ perhaps because story allows us to form a deeper understanding and connection to things that are beyond our experience. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used myth to understand the stars and these are stories that survive today. The myth of the Great Bear (or Ursa Major) tells of a beautiful maiden, Callisto who joined the hunting party of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Explore this and other myths with your class, then provide

a star map for children to define constellations of their own and develop new myths.

Embark on a journey

Duplicating Berneen’s journey to find the prince will promote some really memorable learning. She travels many miles alone on her quest and has to forage for food and find shelter in uncomfortable places. Help your children develop their own survival skills and understanding of nature by teaching bush craft skills such as shelter building, cooking on a fire and identifying animals and plants of the forest. You could also look at handicrafts, including carding and spinning wool, a new skill Berneen gains.

Berneen seeks the help of the Four Winds to aid her journey, use this flight over land as the inspiration for map work. Create a map of her journey from a bird’s eye view, then write instructions for another to follow. Finally, add a sprinkle of fantasy to your own reality, by using clay to sculpt eyes and faces onto local trees, personifying them as the book personifies natural elements.

3 Bringing the topic to a close

No fairy tale would be complete without a happy ending and Jackie Morris does not disappoint. Happy yes, but maybe not as expected, in the words of the Prince, ‘This was not how it was meant to be’. Berneen still has a choice to make. Will she satisfy her girlish dreams to live happily ever after with the prince in the now liberated castle? Or will she step beyond the story to make a different choice? I suspect there will be those in your class who will argue for each of these endings. Set up a conscience alley activity, where one child takes on the role of Berneen and the others form two rows down which she must walk. As your ‘Berneen’ progresses, the advocates for each side whisper persuasive arguments to help her decide. I wonder if your Berneen will make the same choice as Morris’s? There’s only one way of finding out…