Children's Classics in Dramatic Form, Book Two

In Short

Aimed at curing the monotonous habits of classroom reading, this collection reimagines enduring myths, fables, and historical anecdotes as lively scripts for young readers. By stripping away dense narrative in favor of direct dialogue, the scenes invite children to embody talking animals, foolish villagers, and brave monarchs. It covers everything from Aesop’s simplest moral puzzles to the legendary heroism of Pocahontas and King Alfred. The collection has lasted because it recognizes a fundamental truth about childhood: children possess an innate, joyful instinct for dramatic play that brings even the oldest stories vividly into the present.

The Story

The collection opens in the realm of talking beasts, where survival depends entirely on cleverness and the harsh realities of nature are met with quick thinking. We see a hungry wolf attempting to lure a tender young kid down from a steep hill, only to be flatly rejected by the wary creature. We watch another wolf invent absurd, contradictory excuses about muddied water just to justify eating a lamb. In these early scenes, the law of the forest is absolute, and vanity is punished swiftly. A jackdaw who dresses in stolen peacock feathers is banished by his own kind and mocked by the peacocks, while a proud ring-finger is isolated for refusing to work with the rest of the hand.

As the scenes progress, human folly takes center stage. We meet a selfish baker who refuses a crust of bread to a disguised fairy, earning a curse that turns all her cakes to dry dust. We witness the disastrous results of a shepherd boy’s boredom when he cries wolf too many times and is left to flee alone when a real predator attacks his flock. In a more uplifting twist on human effort, three sons dig frantically through their late father's vineyard in search of a literal pot of gold, only to discover that their exhaustive labor has yielded a massive grape harvest that a merchant happily buys for actual gold. Throughout these middle tales, wit repeatedly triumphs over brute strength or tyrannical authority. When a greedy king demands an endless tale and threatens his storytellers, a clever man simply narrates the agonizingly slow movement of locusts stealing grain one by one, forcing the exasperated monarch to surrender his throne just to make the story stop. Similarly, the supposedly foolish men of Gotham save their noses from a wrathful king by acting so completely absurd—like carrying a door around to prevent it from being broken into—that the king abandons them in sheer disbelief.

The final act of the collection shifts into the realm of legend and historical heroism, where the stakes rise from personal survival to the fate of nations. A young boy named Peter discovers a tiny leak in a Dutch dike and selflessly plugs the freezing water with his own arm through the night, saving his entire country from the sea. In America, the young Pocahontas defies her tribe’s warriors and her father, Chief Powhatan, throwing herself over Captain John Smith to save his life, and later brokers a fragile peace to save the Jamestown settlers. The collection concludes in the forests of England with King Alfred hiding from Danish invaders. Disguised as a beggar, the distracted king is scolded and threatened by a peasant woman for burning her cakes. Yet, when his soldiers finally arrive and reveal his true identity, Alfred does not punish the woman. Instead, he blesses her for her fierce loyalty to England, proving that true nobility recognizes the value of a brave and honest heart.

How It Unfolds

The law of the wild Animals navigate a treacherous world where predators use deceit to capture their prey, and the weak must rely entirely on their wits. A clever kid stays safely on a high hill to avoid flattering wolves, while a hedgehog uses his identical wife to trick a boastful hare in a bitter footrace.

The cost of vanity and greed Characters who put themselves above others face immediate, highly ironic punishments that fit their specific flaws. A selfish woman who refuses to share with a beggar finds her beloved cakes turned to dry crusts, and a vain jackdaw is left isolated after pasting false peacock feathers into his tail.

The power of a clever trick When faced with absolute power or certain doom, ordinary people use sharp wit to survive. A humble shepherd answers impossible riddles to save an abbot from the jealous King John, and a clever storyteller forces a king to give up his throne by telling a maddeningly repetitive story about locusts.

The humor of foolishness Misunderstandings and deliberate absurdity provide comic relief while subtly mocking adult behavior. A lazy girl named Kate is literally marched to school by her own walking bed, and the men of Gotham save themselves from a king’s wrath by acting so completely brainless that he leaves them in disgust.

The courage of the young The stakes shift to matters of life and death as children step up to perform extraordinary acts of national bravery. Peter shivers through the long night to hold back the freezing sea from destroying Holland, while Pocahontas defies her own tribe's medicine man to protect the Jamestown settlers.

The humility of a king The collection culminates in a profound lesson on leadership, endurance, and true loyalty. King Alfred, hiding in the forest from Danish invaders, accepts a harsh scolding from a peasant woman for burning her cakes, ultimately rewarding her fierce patriotism rather than demanding blind deference to his hidden crown.

The People

Because this is a sprawling collection of folklore, the central figures are archetypes rather than evolving novelistic characters, but a few key figures anchor the thematic journey.

The Predators and Tricksters want an easy meal or unearned glory, but their own arrogance stands in their way. The Gray Wolf wants to coax a tender kid down a hill, but fails because his target sees right through the flattery. Conversely, the Hedgehog just wants to eat cabbage in peace; when insulted by the Hare, he uses his brains to humble the faster animal, cementing a victory for the underdog.

Peter wants only to gather nuts and go home before dark, but a tiny trickle of water in the Dutch sand stands in his way. He sacrifices his own warmth and safety, transforming from an ordinary boy into a national hero who saves his country from the sea.

Pocahontas wants to spare life in a world driven by hunting and territorial war. Her own people's fierce desire to destroy Captain Smith stands in her way. By throwing her body over the captive, she forces her powerful father, Powhatan, to recognize her courage, changing the fate of two nations.

King Alfred wants to save England from the invading Danes, but his immediate obstacle is a furious Goodwife who forces him to watch her baking. He begins as a distracted, defeated monarch disguised as a beggar, but through the Goodwife’s fierce, unwitting defense of him, he regains his royal confidence and learns that true loyalty comes from the people, not the crown.

In Its Own Voice

When a hungry wolf attempts to justify eating an innocent creature by falsely accusing her of muddying the stream, the victim politely points out the absolute physical impossibility of his claim.

"But, sir, the water runs from you to me."

After a lazy child repeatedly refuses to get up for her classes, her own frustrated furniture takes matters into its hands and literally marches her into the classroom.

"Good-morning, teacher. Here is lazy Kate."

When the hidden King Alfred tests a peasant woman’s loyalty by grumbling about the monarch's recent military failures, she fiercely defends the absent king and threatens to beat the disguised man with a stick.

"If the king's men were as brave as he, there would not be a Dane on English land to-day!"

What It's Really About

Beneath the simple dialogue and quick resolutions, this collection is an argument for the triumph of intellect and character over brute force. Whether it is a hedgehog outsmarting a hare, a shepherd outwitting King John, or a clever kid outlasting a wolf, the plays repeatedly suggest that physical dominance is easily undone by a sharp mind. Furthermore, the stories emphasize that true nobility is defined by action, not birthright. A peasant boy plugging a dike is treated as a savior, while a vain jackdaw wearing stolen feathers remains a fool. Ultimately, the book champions the dramatic instinct itself, suggesting that by stepping into the shoes of brave, clever, or foolish characters, children can learn to navigate the moral complexities of the real world with greater empathy, expressive confidence, and courage.

Why Read It Today

Children who love theater, role-playing, and snappy dialogue will find endless entertainment in these easily digestible scripts. It feels like opening a vintage toy box; the scenarios are swift, highly interactive, and designed explicitly to be spoken aloud. The plays offer a wonderfully tactile reading experience that begs for funny voices, exaggerated gasps, and dramatic pauses, making it an excellent resource for families or educators looking to bring stories to life off the flat page.

However, modern readers will encounter some turbulence. The historical plays reflect the period attitudes of their era, particularly in the simplistic, stereotyped depiction of Native Americans in the Pocahontas scenes, where the tribe is framed largely as a savage threat needing to be pacified by white wisdom and a native child's intervention. Some of the didactic moralizing also feels blunt by today’s literary standards. Yet, what stays with you is the sheer energy of the format. By distilling complex myths and heavy historical legends into tight, breathless conversations, the book reminds us that the oldest stories survived not because they were quietly read, but because they were passionately spoken, shared, and performed.