Books | About the Book | Synopsis | Questions & Activities

Questions

1. Which is your favourite song among those written for this musical retelling. Why did you choose that particular one?

2. How does the artist Philippe Beha capture the theme of the story in his illustrations? Which do you think is his best picture in the book? Why?

Activities

1. Present a part of the story that you liked as a skit. You might want to include one of the songs in your skit.
2. When Midas bathes in the river Pactolus, all the gold of his wishes washes away into the sand, turning the story of The Golden Touch into what is sometimes called a pourquoi story—or a tale about how something came about. Even today miners pan for gold in some rivers. Checking in your library or going online, what other pourqoi stories can you find. Perhaps how the Milky Way or the Grand Canyon were formed? Why are ravens black? Why do mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears? Why do leopards have spots? Choose something you find fascinating in nature and create your own pourquoi story about how it came to be. Create an illustration for your story.
3. The idea that you should be careful what you wish for is a theme in a number of legends and fairy tales. Some famous ones are “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, “The Magic Porridge Pot” and “Strega Nona.” Find one of these stories and compare it to The Golden Touch.