Reference
In the Moonlight Mist
By Daniel San Souci
This is a story about a woodcutter and an enchanted deer. The wood cutter hid the deer from the hunter and as thanks for saving him, the deer promises the woodcutter that his wish will be granted. The woodcutter will be rewarded with a wife if he follows the deer’s instructions. When five heavenly maidens descend to earth to bathe in a lake, the woodcutter takes one of the maiden’s robes so she is forced to stay on earth. The woodcutter offers to help her and she trusts him and goes with him. They end up falling in love, getting married and having a baby girl, but the earthbound maiden becomes homesick for her heavenly home. The woodcutter brings the maiden her heavenly clothes that she has lost and she puts them on and floats back to heaven.
The wood cutter’s life in turn becomes miserable. One day he goes back into the forest and runs into the deer again. The deer then gives him additional instructions in order to be reunited with his wife and child. In the end the woodcutter gives up something most important to him in order to make his mother happy. The end of the story also gives us a reason as to why the moon and the stars have a luster to them.
I liked this story and the amazing pictures in it. This story would be great to be used in a unit dealing with folk tales from around the world. This book could be used with 2nd to 4th graders.
~Jessica Glenn- Central PA Substitute
