After The Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan Santat

 


"After The Fall" Cover 


    "After The Fall" by Dan Santat is a play on the popular children's nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty". Most of us know the story of Humpty Dumpty. He was an egg sitting on a wall, but then he fell and was cracked into many pieces. In the original rhyme, we are led to believe that is the end of Humpty Dumpty's story. However, author Dan Santat took it upon himself to explain what happened to Humpty Dumpty afterwards. 

The author explains that our favorite egg friend is in fact an avid birdwatcher, and that ever since his infamous fall he has been afraid of heights. The fear of heights has hindered his ability to view the birds, which has made his life less enjoyable. Humpty Dumpty then decides to start making paper planes. He is shown working very hard to create a paper plane that resembles a bird. He then goes outside to fly the paper plane, and the plane lands on the other side of the wall- the exact wall where he had fallen. 

Although Humpty is "terrified", he makes his way up the ladder to retrieve the plane. He realizes living in fear is no way to live at all. 

This story discusses resilience, perseverance, and the importance of facing your fears. Students will like that they are familiar with the character, and that will make the story more memorable. Young readers will also enjoy the beautiful artwork. Every page looks like a colorful painting, and the images aid in the telling the mood of the story.

I would recommend this book for elementary classrooms. The teacher could introduce the story by reviewing the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, and then asking students if they ever thought about what happened to Humpty Dumpty afterwards. After discussing student predictions, the teacher could bring out "After the Fall" and read it to the class. Finally, as a class they could discuss what they learned from the book. This would be a good time to discuss resilience, perseverance and bravery- and what those words really mean to the students.

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