In King Arthur and the Werewolves of
Camelot children are introduced to two widely popular legends in two very
different literary genres, the legend of King Arthur and the legend of the
werewolf. Both stories are steeped
in history, the first werewolf tale being noted in ancient Greek texts and the
legend of Arthur dating back to the fifth century. Children will have fun using their imagination to reinvent
another time and place where things are happening that just shouldn’t be
possible. Many children are
intrigued by the way the Penelope uses her real world knowledge and Jilly her
faith in the magical to turn the werewolves back into knights, even when the
grown ups have no clue what to do. Buy It Now
Themes in this story are believing in
yourself and overcoming fears of the unknown, especially when trying new things.
Minor themes include navigation,
music and friendship. In the end
children see that is the use of knowledge steeped in faith in their ideas that
allows them to accomplish anything.
*The Real Legend of King
Arthur, The Legend Of Johnny and The Werewolf Companion Book Buy It Now
In this lively, colorful companion book children
are transported to Arthurian England where a young boy is about to pull a sword
out of a stone and become king. This tale, which tells the real story of
King Arthur and the Knights of Camelot, introduces readers to classic
characters like Merlin the magician, Lancelot and Lady Guinevere. Written in an easy to follow text the
story is packaged with an original child-friendly legend that tells the story
of Johnny, the boy who is not afraid of anything and the Werewolf he meets by
his farmhouse on a night when the moon is full and bright. Use this book to encourage children to
learn more about King Arthur, the Werewolf and other legends after their
interest has been piqued by reading the Great Story World Mix-Up Book King
Arthur and the Werewolves of Camelot.
Chapter Questions
Chapter questions are a fun, smart
way to get students thinking about what they have just read. The following
chapter questions are designed to enhance cognition, build vocabulary and add
understanding by encouraging students to associate passages with memories and
small moments of their own. Use
all or a few of the questions below to spark conversation and enhance reading
groups.
Chapter 1, The Hidden Room
1) Jilly is scared to dance on stage for the first
time. Have you ever been scared to
try something new?
A) There is no correct answer. Prompts include
making new friends, the first day of school, joining a group or team, speaking
in public, jumping in a pool.
2) What magical word does Jilly make up? Do you know any magic words?
A) Shazamo
Chapter 2, Sparky
1) Penelope and Jilly broke the globe of Story
World into a million pieces in their first visit. What was stuck on the globe
this time? Who did they see?
A) The puzzle pieces from the stories they fixed
were stuck on the globe. Sparky,
the changeling dog was waving to them.
2) Penelope and Jilly pick up two puzzle pieces,
what was Jilly so afraid of?
A) She is afraid of the snarling werewolves on the
puzzle piece.
Chapter 3, Camelot
1) Penelope and Jilly travel to Camelot where they
meet King Arthur. He is celebrating his birthday. What do Penelope and Jilly observe that helps them know that
a special celebration is taking place?
What are special things you have or do when you
celebrate your birthday?
A) The round table is set with pizza, ice cream
sundaes and a large cake with blue icing.
Children should be encouraged to relate the second
part of the question to their own memories, small moments or fantastic ideas of
what the perfect birthday would be like.
2) Penelope says that King Arthur is acting
unusual. What is he doing? What is making him so upset?
A) King Arthur is wringing his hands and
wailing. He is upset because his knights
have been turned into werewolves and he doesn’t know what to do.
3) What has happened to Lady Guinevere?
A) She has been turned into a snail.
Chapter 4, The Werewolf Knights
1) What did Lady Guinevere give King Arthur for his
Birthday? Do you remember getting
or giving a gift that was really special?
A) King Arthur was given special birthday grail, a
fancy cup, that he had always wanted.
Children should be encouraged in the second
question to think of special gifts they gave or made that made someone else
really happy. Gifts can include
presents, but should also include handmade gifts, a kindness or bucket-filling
moment. Prompts include cards for
parents, donations to charity, things shared with friends.
2) Who turned the knights into werewolves and
carried Lady Guinevere away?
A) The Evil Wizard turned the knights into
werewolves and turned Guinevere into a snail. The dragon carries Guinevere away.
3) King Arthur says his birthday is ruined, how?
A) The werewolves have stolen his birthday gift. Lady Guinevere cannot put on a play for
the whole village if she is a snail.
Chapter 5, Merlin
1) King Arthur summons someone to help Penelope and
Jilly. When he arrives Penelope acts surprised. Why is Penelope surprised and how
can this person help?
A) Penelope is surprised because the magician
Merlin is a beaver and she was expecting him to be a man with a long white
beard. He can help by giving
advice and magical gifts.
2) Merlin believes birthday gifts hold special
magic. He tells Penelope and Jilly how to use the birthday grail to turn the
werewolves back into knights. What should they do?
A) The werewolves will turn back into knights if
they drink punch from the birthday grail.
3) What special gifts does Merlin give to Penelope,
why doesn’t Jilly get anything?
A) Merlin gives Penelope a magic compass, a knight’s
shield and armor. Jilly does not
get anything because she has brought her ribbon wand, which Merlin believes it
is a magic wand.
Chapter 6, The Ginger Snail
1) The magic compass points north leading Penelope
and Jilly to Lady Guinevere. Where
is she and what special treat is she sharing with her new friends?
A) Penelope and Jilly find Lady Guinevere by a
gingerbread house. She is sharing cookies with the gingerbread people who live
there.
2) Jilly changes Lady Guinevere back into a person.
How does she accomplish this, why does her plan work?
A) Merlin believe Jilly’s wand was magic so it
is! Jilly uses her wand and the
magic word she made up, Shazamo, to change Lady Guinevere back into a person. The magic works because Jilly believes
it will.
Chapter 7, Lady Of The Lake
1) Lady Guinevere brings Penelope and Jilly to
visit a friend who gives them a special gift, what is it?
A) Lady Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake, gives them
a magic singing sword.
2) How can the sword help?
A) The sword sings very badly and everyone knows
that werewolves, and dogs hate bad singing. The bad singing may distract the werewolves long enough for
Penelope and Jilly to act, but they will need a plan.
3) The sword listens to special musical commands
that make it sing louder or softer, what are they, why do they work?
A) The sword sings louder when you say forte and
softer when you say piano. These words work because they are words used in
music language.
Chapter 8, Help!
1) Penelope and Jilly find the werewolves who are
arguing in the woods, what are they fighting about?
A) They are fighting about who gets to hold the
birthday grail next.
2) Penelope comes up with a plan, what is it? Why
do you think it will or will not work?
A) Penelope plans to wait until the werewolves have
dropped the cup. When they do she
will yell forte and the sword will start singing very badly. This will distract the werewolves long
enough for Jilly to grab the birthday grail.
3) When Jilly is afraid to lift the werewolf’s tail
and grab the grail, Penelope says something very special that helps her find
her courage, what is it?
A) Penelope believes in Jilly! She says, “You can
do it, don’t be afraid!” This makes Jilly brave enough to stand up to her
fears.
4) What goes wrong with Penelope’s plan?
A) Jilly is afraid of werewolves. When the sword
stops singing the werewolves surround her and Jilly is too afraid to run away.
5) Who comes to Jilly’s rescue?
A) Sparky comes to her rescue growing as big as a
lion so they all can ride to Camelot on his back.
Chapter 9, Back At The Castle
1) When Penelope and Jilly arrive back at the
castle the whole town has gathered to see the play. They start to applaud, why?
A) They think that Penelope, Jilly, the Evil Wizard
and the Werewolf knights are the play.
2) How does Jilly give King Arthur the best
birthday gift ever?
A) Jilly uses her magic wand to un-stick King
Arthur’s helmet.
Chapter 10, Birthday Bash
1) Sparky tells Penelope something special about
changeling dogs, what is it?
A) He tells her that changeling dogs can change
form twice on special occasions because they are so magical!
2) Jilly overcomes several fears during her
adventure, do you remember what they are?
A) Jilly overcomes her fear of werewolves and her
stage fright.
Bonus Activities
Magic Words
Words and language hold great
power! Working in groups or
independently have students think of their own magic words. Have them think about why this word is
special and what type of superpower or gift it would give the user. Have the children act out their magic
word and the result of using it.
They could also draw or write about how their magic word would help
Penelope and Jilly on their quest.
Curriculum
Creative writing
Language arts
Crests and Flags
Have the children create a crest for
one of the characters in the book.
Instruct them to think about each character’s attributes and focus on
what makes them unique. (Penelope-Science
minded, Jilly-Fairytale expert, Sparky-Changeling, Arthur-King, Merlin-Wizard,
Evil Magician-Villain, Lady Guinevere-Good Friend.) Have the children list words that would describe the
characters then ask them to create a crest and put it on a flag to represent
their favorite character.
Curriculum
Creative writing
Vocabulary
Art
Bucket Filler
In this story children see that gifts
can be given in many ways including kindness. Have the students write a secret kindness they would like to
do this week. It could be toward a
family member, friend, teacher, pet or other special person. Read the ideas to the class but keep
them anonymous. Ask the children
next week, if they were able to complete their kindness.
Curriculum
Character Building
Piano, Forte
Many disciplines have special
languages including music, sports, art and theater. Engage the students in a round of Simon Says. When you use the word forte they need
to do what Simon says quickly, when you use the word piano they should freeze. Reinforce the use of special language
words in your commands.
Curriculum
Vocabulary
Magical Birthday Party
Have the children create a magical
birthday party. Who would they invite, what would they need to bring, how would
they decorate? Make the party
special by tying it into curriculum! Throw the party for a special guest such
as the President of the United States, a sports figure, famous explorer, the
principle or a community helper.
How would the magical party differ from one you might throw for
yourself?
Curriculum
Creative Writing
Organization
History
Have fun! For more information, to
email the authors or to find out how to have your student's work posted on our
site send your comments to laurahillbooks@gmail.com