hunchbacks!

a few weeks ago, we were delighted to read about the discovery of the bones of Richard III in a car park.  this led to a furious upswing in the dramatic play department: Mabel as Richard would sword fight Nicolas as Henry.  Richard would fall; Henry would prevail.  then Henry would “ding Richard up” (a mysterious process whereby an injured person is touched and made whole again!).  Mabel would then turn into Elizabeth, and get married to the new king.

but that’s not all that’s been happening!  all the Playmobil people became hunchbacks too.  Nicolas very carefully hunches them over at just the right angle so they can still stand up.  then, at the Richard III Society website, we have been rearranging Henry Tutor’s face!  and i just finished Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, an interesting book using the form of a mystery novel to puzzle out the truth about Richard.   there have also been many drawings and even a few graphic novel panels:

last week, our naptime reading was The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.  we read this DK Eyewitness Classic edition.  it’s horrible!  the story itself holds little that is redeeming, and the re-telling is dry and spotty and hard to follow.  skip it.

and then, as if we hadn’t had enough hunchbacks, we started reading The Secret Garden where hunchbacks again figure into the story!  we got this book as a gift after Joseph was born (thanks, Sarah!).  this is another condensed book, but so, so different.  the writing is lyrical, the illustrations beautiful.

Mabel is listening to the book on tape and coloring each page as she listens.  it’s a wonderful combination.  i think we will probably all return to the full version together.  this morning Nicolas was playing Dickon–the lamb, the crow, and Dickon were all riding his horse named Jump!

any hunchbacks in your neck of the woods?