Further Adventures of PELLE NO-TAIL. GÖS TA KN UTSSON Translated by Stephanie Smee and Ann-Margrete Smee TEACHING NOTES

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1 Further Adventures of PELLE NO-TAIL GÖS TA KN UTSSON Translated by Stephanie Smee and Ann-Margrete Smee TEACHING NOTES

2 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Stephanie and Ann-Margrete Smee After working as a lawyer in Sydney and London, Stephanie Smee made her literary translation debut with an English translation of the Countess de Ségur s Fleurville Trilogy. Her mother, Ann-Margrete Smee, is now retired, having worked as a government translator, court interpreter and, for many years, a language teacher. Gösta Knutsson Gösta Knutsson ( ) was a Swedish children s author and radio producer. The first Pelle book was published in 1939, followed by many more books, comics, films, plays, music and television programs. Pelle No-Tail is beloved in Sweden and around the world, with translations appearing in Polish, Finnish, Danish, German, Dutch, Norwegian and Portuguese.

3 TEACHING NOTES Further Adventures of Pelle No-Tail By Gösta Knutsson (Translated by Stephanie Smee and Ann-Margrete Smee) SYNOPSIS (PLOT) The second book in the classic series, Further Adventures of Pelle No-Tail re-introduces Sweden s favourite cat. Pelle has settled into life with Birgitta s family, but while he has made friends with some of the neighbourhood cats, others continue to tease him. It is spring time, and Pelle joins Birgitta in the woods to pick flowers. Birgitta makes a posy for Pelle, attaching it to his collar, which he wears proudly on their walk home through town. Here they bump into the local tomcat Måns, who is enraged when Pelle introduces himself as the May Prince. Måns hatches a scheme to teach Pelle a lesson, and invites him to the Spring Festival as a member of the Combined Cats Community Choir. Pelle, surprised and happy, accepts the invitation. At the festival, the choir sings all their songs. At the end they join hands and trap Pelle in a circle, and sing a mean song about his not having a tail. The audience laughs, but Pelle s friend Ingrid jumps to his defence. She challenges the audience, telling them they should be ashamed themselves. The audience agrees with Ingrid, and rushes to the stage to get Måns, who set up the nasty trick. For the summer holidays, the family returns to their country house in Övrabo. Birgitta s brother, Olle, wants to explore the lake with his cousin Nisse, and they sneak Pelle out in the rowboat with them, 1

4 f u r t h e r a d v e n t u r e s o f p e l l e n o - t a i l naming him ship s cat. The crew reaches a small island, but while they re exploring the dense forest they spy an enemy ship, with a dog at the bow. Pelle shoots up a tree, and the man in the boat tells the boys that this is his island, and they must leave at once without Pelle. A thunderstorm rages through the night and, apart from the squirrels and a big scary owl, Pelle is all alone. In the morning, Birgitta comes to the rescue with her father, and the boys get into trouble for being irresponsible with their cat. Despite the fact that Måns has been so mean to him, Pelle continues to be friendly whenever they see each other in town. It is now autumn, and Måns is still furious with Pelle, whom he misjudges as being stuck up. At Måns birthday party he develops another plan to make fun of Pelle, and invites him to take part in the great general knowledge quiz. Måns gives the other contestants the questions and answers in advance, to ensure that they would win and Pelle would lose. But as the quiz goes on, the cats get confused and give the wrong answers. Old Maja the Cathedral Cat begins to suspect that something is wrong, and challenges Måns, with the whole audience backing her up. Finally, she discovers that the game is rigged and announces Pelle as the winner. The audience cheers. For Christmas, Pelle is given a special painting by Birgitta. In the painting he is sitting in a lush forest with the Seven Dwarfs. The family talk about the dwarfs, and before long they have all come to life. Pelle has entered the forest of the painting, meeting a deer and a woodpecker. With a clap of thunder, Måns turns up and forces Pelle to eat a poisoned herring. But before he can open his mouth, there s another clap of thunder and Pelle wakes up it was all a dream! Fritz and Frida invite everyone to a masquerade ball, where they must dress up in disguise. Pelle comes dressed as a polar bear, and Måns as a policemen. When it comes time to guess who everyone is, Måns tries to shame Pelle by pointing out that he is the only one dressed as something without a tail. But Pelle defends himself, stating that it would look silly if a polar bear had a tail. With that, Måns goes home, and the party continues. THEMES This book for children is an adventure story that deals with bravery, community, imagination and exploring the world around you. Prevailing themes throughout the Pelle series are bullying and embracing peoples differences. 2 blackincbooks.com

5 t e a c h i n g n o t e s Bravery Throughout his adventures, Pelle often ends up in bad situations, but he always makes it out the other side. When cats are being mean to him, he shows resilience in reminding himself that there s nothing wrong with not having a tail. When he gets lost he may get upset, but he is patient and friendly and ultimately succeeds. No matter what adventure Pelle is having, he always has a positive attitude, and he always does the right thing. Community When Pelle is tricked by Måns and made fun of in front of his cat community, his friends come to his defence. When the cats see past the fact that he doesn t have a tail, they begin to appreciate him for who he is: the nicest cat in the whole town. At home with his family, Pelle doesn t have to worry about being bullied, because this community cares for him unconditionally. Imagination From the boys employing Pelle as the ship s cat to sailing through crocodile-infested waters, to Pelle s dream about the Seven Dwarfs, imagination plays a big role in many elements of the story. Exploring the world around you Wherever Pelle ends up, he is always curious about his surroundings. Here, each of Pelle s adventures take place during a different season. WRITING STYLE The book has been translated from Swedish by Stephanie Smee and Ann-Margrete Smee. A classic, popular Swedish children s book, it was first published in 1940, and the translation is faithful to that era s writing style. The translation is also faithful to the location where the book was originally set; many Swedish locations are mentioned, character names are Swedish, Swedish expressions are peppered throughout the book, and Swedish cultural traditions are explained. The story is presented from Pelle s point of view; his relationships with other cats are explored, and humans are almost secondary to the story. We hear Pelle s thoughts and feelings, and see his amusement at blackincbooks.com 3

6 f u r t h e r a d v e n t u r e s o f p e l l e n o - t a i l the odd things humans do and say. The writing style is light-hearted and humorous, even though it deals with some important social issues such as bravery and community. This is especially interesting to note since the book was originally published around the beginning of World War II, a time when differences between cultures and people were not celebrated in some parts of the world. STUDY NOTES These discussion points and activities are designed to assist the teacher to present the book to the students. They encourage extended discussion and further thought about the content or style, and are not intended to be prescriptive. CHARACTERS Activity: Aside from Pelle, who is your favourite character? Write five adjectives that describe them. Activity: Create a timeline showing what happens in Pelle s adventures. Activity: What would you have dressed as for the masquerade, and why? Draw a picture of your costume. THEMES Bravery Activity: Write a list of brave people you know. What makes them brave? Discussion point: As a class, discuss what bravery means. Discussion point: Discuss how Pelle might feel after being picked on in front of the whole town. Community Activity: Write a list of some of the people in your neighbourhood community. Activity: In groups, write one or two positive sentences about key people in the school community. 4 blackincbooks.com

7 t e a c h i n g n o t e s Discussion point: Discuss different types of communities. Who belongs to each community? What are their roles and responsibilities? Imagination Activity: Write a story where Pelle is the main character in a fairy tale. Activity: Draw a map of what you imagine the lake might look like, including the island and any animals that might be there. Discussion point: In the book, different characters use their imaginations in different ways. How and when do you use your imagination? Exploring the world around you Activity: Write a report about a place you would like to visit and why. Activity: Write a diary entry about what you did on the weekend, and how it relates to the season. Was it cold? Did you light a fire or go iceskating? Was it hot? Did you go for a swim or eat an ice-cream? Discussion point: What are some of the activities you do during each season? WRITING ACTIVITIES Write a book review for Further Adventures of Pelle No-Tail. Write a new character for Pelle to meet; perhaps he meets another cat, or another animal, or even a human. Write a letter to Pelle to tell him about where you come from. blackincbooks.com 5

8 TEACHING NOTES From The Adventures of Pelle No-Tail Book 1 By Gösta Knutsson (Translated by Stephanie Smee and Ann-Margrete Smee) THEMES This book for children is an adventure story that deals with bullying, embracing people s differences, having a positive attitude and exploring the world around you. Bullying Pelle can t understand why people pick on him and look down on him because he doesn t have a tail. He can t help it if he doesn t have a tail, he thinks. This is a strong theme throughout the book: accepting someone who is different from you. Activity: Draw a table, and on the left side list the ways someone can be a friend; on the right, list some of the ways someone can be a bully. Discussion point: As a class, discuss what bullying is, and how it is different from having an argument with someone. Discussion point: Discuss the reasons some people might bully others. Discuss strategies to help someone who is being bullied. Discussion point: Discuss how the students think Pelle might feel about being picked on for a physical attribute that he can t help. Embracing people s differences Throughout his adventures, Pelle meets many different animals and people. They re all very different, but Pelle likes them all for exactly who they are. 6 blackincbooks.com

9 Big-Stina tells him there s nothing wrong with having no tail; in fact, there are some great things about not having a tail. For her, Pelle s lack of a tail is no issue. Pelle learns about some strange human customs at Easter and Christmas time. Still, he gives them a chance and joins in, finding that he has a great time. Activity: In groups, have children survey each other, collecting information about things such as eye colour, hair colour, hair type, hobbies, favourite sport, and so on. Have them create a bar graph to present to the class, showing the differences within each group. Activity: In groups, write down all the ways you can think of that someone might be different from others. Discussion point: Vocabulary talk about what a stereotype is. People with a disability can experience this; some people assume someone with a disability can t do certain things, when they actually can. Discuss how getting to know someone can help avoid stereotyping them. Activity: In small groups, identify some questions you could ask to get to know someone better; e.g. ask about their hobbies, favourite music, favourite sport, pets. Discussion point: Vocabulary talk about what diversity means. It can apply to diversity in cultures, in abilities, and so on. What are the benefits of having diversity in our community? Discussion point: Pelle learns about how Swedish people celebrate Christmas. Discuss how a Swedish Christmas is different from the way Christmas is celebrated in Australia. Discuss other traditions that students celebrate in their homes here in Australia.

ALSO AVAILABLE The Adventures of Pelle No-Tail In the first book, Pelle leaves the farm where he was born and goes to live in the city. There Pelle must get used to life with his new family.

Find out in The Adventures of Pelle No-Tail. Pelle No-Tail Pulls Through In the third book of the Pelle No-Tail series, Pelle catches up with lots of friends, old and new.

10 ALSO AVAILABLE The Adventures of Pelle No-Tail In the first book, Pelle leaves the farm where he was born and goes to live in the city. There Pelle must get used to life with his new family. But in the city, he also meets the nasty tomcat, Måns, who loves nothing better than to make life difficult for Pelle. Will Pelle be able to stand up to Måns and his foolish friends, Bill and Bull? Find out in The Adventures of Pelle No-Tail. Pelle No-Tail Pulls Through In the third book of the Pelle No-Tail series, Pelle catches up with lots of friends, old and new. But always lurking nearby is Måns, keen to cause trouble. Pelle ventures out to the Swedish countryside with his family. There s fishing and fun to be had by the beautiful lakes. But Måns has warned him there are trolls in the forests. Pelle will have to keep his wits about him But wait! More trouble lies just around the corner for Pelle. When an icicle almost falls on Måns s head, he wants to take his revenge. But he ll have to wait for just the right moment. Will Pelle pull through?

was bitten off by a rat when he was a kitten.

11 Further Adventures of PELLE NO-TAIL Meet Pelle No-Tail Sweden s favourite cat! In these charming books now published for the first time in English since their publication in Swedish more than seventy years ago children will delight in the adventures of Pelle, the cat whose tail was bitten off by a rat when he was a kitten. In the second of the Pelle No-Tail series, Pelle again has to put up with Måns and his friends, Bill and Bull, doing their best to make fun of his missing tail. Måns does everything he can to come up with ways to poke fun at Pelle, but Pelle refuses to let Måns get him down, and instead he has all sorts of new adventures. Recommended for ages 6 9 ISBN: RRP: $14.99 To request a complimentary reading copy of The Adventures of Pelle No-Tail, please contact Sophie Shanahan on education@blackincbooks.com blackincbooks.com/education To order copies of Further Adventures of Pelle No-Tail, please contact United Book Distributors on or orders@unitedbookdistributors.com.au or contact your local bookseller or education supplier. For all other enquiries, please contact Black Inc. Level 1, 221 Drummond St, Carlton, Victoria 3053 Phone: Fax enquiries@blackincbooks.com

TEACHING NOTES BY BROOKE CLARK

KICKING GOALS FOR LIFE www.go-foundation.org TEACHING NOTES BY BROOKE CLARK About Brooke Clark Brooke Clark is a senior editor with thirteen years experience in book publishing. With in-house experience