As children, my next youngest sibling and I loved to ride our bikes together. Our six-year-old brother would beg to go with us but he wasn’t allowed to leave the yard. One day, we returned to find all of my sibling’s new birthday toys scattered along the driveway. Our brother had tossed them out a second story window to vent his frustration.
In A Mystery in the Forest, Deer has a similar experience with Rabbit. At first Deer is angry, but then he decides to treat Rabbit with compassion. Invite children ages 3+ to explore Susanna Isern’s nuanced story of compassion by reading the book and doing some of the following activities together.
Secret places. Deer likes to sneak off to a secret place in the forest to gather fruits and nuts for his favorite recipes. Rabbit invades this space and his home as well. Encourage children to imagine that they are Deer as he discovers his space and house have been ransacked. Invite them to make faces that show how they would feel as they notice broken branches, torn-up vines, a messy kitchen, and the loss of their recipe book. Then ask: How would you feel if someone made a mess of one of your favorite places?
Afternoon tea. On special days, Deer likes to bake goodies and share them with his friends and neighbors. Invite children to an imaginary tea party. Pass around plates of invisible snacks. As each child receives the snack tray, invite them to share what goodies they imagine taking for themselves and what favorite snack they want to add to the tray to share with others. With older children, turn this into a memory game by asking them to name all the snacks others have said before adding their own.
Angry words. When Deer discovers Rabbit has the Secret Recipe Book, he shouts at Rabbit and storms off. Ask children: Why do you think Deer yells at Rabbit? How do you think Rabbit feels when Deer says, “I’m not surprised you’re always alone!” What do you do and say when you are angry or upset with someone else?
Practicing compassion. Deer sneaks back to Rabbit’s house and leaves him a chef’s hat and an invitation to bake together. Invite children to think of someone who has hurt or upset them. Encourage them to draw a picture of something they could put in a package to show compassion to that person. Place the pictures in a box with a lid and take turns opening the ‘package’ and pulling out one image each to discover what good things have been left inside.
Secret ingredient. Deer’s recipe for apple pie includes a secret ingredient: smiling. Encourage children to try an experiment. First, invite them to do an activity (e.g., skipping, stacking blocks, coloring) while frowning. Then suggest that they do the same activity while smiling. Ask: How does changing your expression change your experience? Brainstorm other expressions to try together, noticing how each affects what you think and feel.
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