Storybook Project Number One

Hey Guys,

I just finished up my first storybook project story. If you are interested you can check it out here.

Let me know what you think!

Week 4: Storybook Introduction

Hey guys, I just finished up my introduction for my Storybook Project. You can check it out here! Let me know if you have any comments about it or if you really liked it or really hated it. 

Thanks.

Brainstorming Storybook Styles

Part I - Identify Your Topic:
My Storybook Project will be about Zombie Myths. I will be focusing on a story from the African Congo as one of my stories; Found in the Un-Textbook. I am planning on finding at least three more Myths or Folklores about Zombies or Zombie Culture that I can Retell; I think I may have some trouble finding stories I really like to Retell, but I am up for that Challenge. I have found many stories online so hopefully this aspect of of the assignment will not be as bad as I am thinking.
Bibliography: “Tales of the Zombie War,” from Apocalypse fiction and stories, by Crown Publishing Groups (2007). Web Address: http://www.talesofworldwarz.com

Part III - Storytelling Styles
1. First Person Storyteller in the form of a Diary, letter or Social Media Updates. I have chosen this style because it will allow me to look at the emotions of my characters easily and I definitely want my characters to have a strong connection to the readers. Using the Diary method I will be able to look at the life of multiple individuals throughout their individual lives at different times in history, such as the 1800’s or 2140. I would like to include a futuristic aspect to this assignment.

2. Another style I would like to consider in my storybook project is a tour guide as a storytelling style. I was inspired by another storybook project to use this style as a possible style for my project. I would like to use this style as a very easy way to transition from story to story. I think using this as a transition style would make it comfortable for the readers. For my storybook project I would transition from containment unit to containment unit that holds zombified people, or scientist working on research.

3. My next style I choose is a Television News station. I think this would be a really interesting way to broadcast the myths about zombie culture and to get a first hand review of zombie actions. I could see this storybook project style being a lot of fun to work with. I think I would actually like to do this style as a mix with the diary. I would want to use the Television Report as the introduction page and the Dairy as the other pages. For the idea of a zombie or the undead I think this style would be very well used if I used a modern day approach to the storybook project.

4. Player 1 style. When I saw this style I kinda fell in love I think. Player1vs Maya gave me a lot of inspiration for this project and I am very excited to explore more of this style. I really like this dynamic of this presentation. As an aspect of the undead, I think this would be a very neat style to do. I can definitely envision a project with a video game storytelling base.

Mythology and Folklore Storybook Topic Brainstorm

Topic: Native American Creation Stories

Comments: I am very interested in creation stories among Native Americans. The ones I have heard are both beautiful and mysterious. I think one of the most important aspects of culture is where people believe they come from. I think this topic would give me the opportunity to finally investigate Native American creation stories and learn more about some of the cultures that live in this world. 

Possible Stories: I know the Un-textbook provides a lot of creation stories. I am much less interested in Christian creation stories, but I think the un-textbook will be a great start for Native American stories. I have also found many sites on the internet for Native American creation stories.

Sample Story Comments: I read a story from the Tuskegee Tribe about the origin of Earth. It was a very fascinating story about how there earth was once all water. The was a council held by birds to decided if they should have a world of all water or all land. They decided on land an the leader, the Eagle, made a small island. eventually the island grew and grew into what is not earth. The tribe believes they were chosen by the Great Sprit and placed on the Earth first a long, long time ago. This was a great story, an it really makes me realize the different world views that are found throughout the world!

Bibliography:

Story Title: The Origin of Earth Book Title: Indigenous Peoples’ Literature Index
Book Author: Glenn Walker
Year: 1995

Topic: Zombie Culture
Comments: To be completely honest, Zombies are a passion of mine. I love the television shows and there is just something about the “undead” culture that draws me in. I would have a lot of fun doing a storybook project on this topic. 
Possible Stories: The un-textbook had a couple of stories from the African section in Nigeria about zombies. After doing some research I have also found stories from Haiti and Cuba, where French ideology and African culture have mixed during the slave trade. This has led to voodoo myths.
Sample Story Comments: I read some stories from Haiti about reports of people becoming zombified. The stories about zombies are very intriguing because it is hard to understand who these stories come about. I am very interested in this topic, but I am not exactly sure how to intersect this topic with this course. If I were to choose this topic I would definitely need more information. 
Bibliography:
Story Title: Haiti and the Truth about Zombies
Book Title: Passages of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie
Book Author: Wade Davis
Year: 1988

Topic: Dogs: Are they really your BF?
Comments: For this project I would like to look at the roles dogs play in cultures around the world. i have learned that some Native Cultures regarded them highly as protectors of humanity and I would like to explore what other cultures ideas about dogs are.  
Possible Stories: The Un-textbook has some animal stories, but none that I could find that relate entirely to dogs in particular. However, I have found some interesting text online about dogs seen as protectors in Native American Tribes. 
Sample Stories Comments: This story comes from the Hupa tribe in Northern California. This tribe sees dogs as the “Protector” of humans. They took a vow of science and will only speak when the world is coming to an end. I loved this story and this is exactly what I was looking for. 
Bibliography: 
Story Title: The Hupa
Book Title: The North American Indian: Volume 13
Book Author: Edward S. Curtis
Year: Unknown

Topic: Norse Culture Myths
Comments: For this topic I would like to explore Nordic culture and their mythological stories. I have been very interested in Nordic culture since I was a kid. 
Possible Stories: The Un-textbook has many stories for me to use on this subject! 
Sample Story Comments: This website was very interesting, and it describe what Valhalla is. If I was really interested in this topic I might change it to the Heavens and the Hells of different cultures.
Bibliography: 
Story Title: Valhalla
Book Title: Norse Mythology for Smart People
Book Author: Dan McCoy
Year: 2012