Getting Started
Overview
'All the animals were happy at the
farm, except the donkey.' The other animals don't have much time for the
donkey, especially the bull. In his stable the donkey dreams of walking along a
great road to where magic will be. Later, the other animals follow the donkey
on his quest. The donkey ends up in front of a stone statue of a man and
another donkey. They hear about the statue donkey's time at war, serving and
saving others, and then they realise what magic is.
When the donkey and other animals arrive home, after looking after each other on the way, their relationships and attitudes have changed. 'All
the animals were happy at the farm – especially the donkey.'
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Author profile
Celeste Walters is most well known for her book The Killing of Mud-Eye for young adults. She has also written other young adult novels: Deception, The Glass Mountain and The last Race.
She has had a varied career, including acting in a
children's theatre, teaching in primary and secondary schools, lecturing at Deakin University and being an art gallery director.
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Illustrator profile
Patricia Mullins is best known for her collage
illustrations made of tissue paper. Her illustrations for the books Dinosaur
Encore, V is for Vanishing, Crocodile Beat and Hattie and
the Fox are contemporary classics for Australian children. Most of these
books have won or been shortlisted for awards in Australia and overseas. V
is for Vanishing won the 1994 Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
(Children's Book Council of Australia).
Patricia didn't really like books and reading when she was
a girl. She spent most of her time drawing. She has studied puppetry and made
puppets, and she is now especially interested in old rocking horses.
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Useful websites
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Focus questions
Before reading the book
- What do you know about the statue of the two men and the
donkey on the cover?
- What do you think the donkey is thinking?
- How has the picture on the cover been drawn? Think about
medium (materials such as crayons, pencils or paint), colour and
composition (where the viewer is looking at the picture from, how far away
the donkey and statue are from the viewer, framing - what is around the
main subject of the picture?)
- What do you think the title means?
- What do you think might happen to the donkey on the cover?
What other stories do you know about donkeys?
During and after reading the book
- What do you learn about the donkey's relationship with the
other animals?
- What do you think the magic is?
- Why do the other animals change?
- What is important about the statue donkey's story?
- What do you learn about war from this book?
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Activities
Responding to text
Reading and prediction
Class
Read the book aloud as a class the first time. Stop
reading when the donkey goes to sleep and dreams. As a class, predict what the
donkey may dream about. Talk about this and draw (and/or write) ideas.
Animal characters
Small groups
How are the animals like people? What human
characteristics do these animals have? Discuss in small groups.
Sociogram of animals
Small groups
Which animals like which other animals? Draw a Sociogram to show which animals like and dislike each other. Show like and dislike in
different colours.
Cyclic story
Class
This story is cyclic - it starts and ends at the same
place, and things that are one thing become something else. What other parts of
the story are cyclic? Make a Cyclic Chart with circles drawn inside each
other. In each ring of the circle, write and/or draw something that is cyclic
from the story, for example, the cat is pregnant then has kittens. Consider how
characters change as well.
Reading about donkeys
Individuals
Read a book about donkeys, such as The Silver Donkey
by Sonia Hartnett. (You will also find information about this book on this
Curriculum Corporation REL: History website.) Which stories from The Silver
Donkey are similar to Only a Donkey? Tell others in your class about
these stories.
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Responding to images
Endpapers
Individuals
The endpapers are at the beginning and end of the book. In
this book they are cloud-like swells of purple watercolour.
- What might these represent?
- Do you think they represent the story well?
Create your own endpapers to represent your understanding of the story.
Vectors
Individuals
Look at the picture on the last double-page of the
stables. Where in the picture do you think the artist causes you to look? What
sort of lines make this happen? Make a diorama of a stable with an important
character from the story inside. Include other characters as well. Use diagonal
and other lines to make viewers look at the important character first.
The illustrator
Small groups
Look at other books by Patricia Mullins, such as V is
for Vanishing. Compare and contrast the style, medium, textures, colours
and content in these books. A Venn Diagram could be used first to
compare the visual elements in the two books. Discuss these or write a report.
Use some of the techniques in your own artwork.
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Events of the past
Rosemary
Class
The plant on the title page is rosemary. Class members who
grow it could bring some in to share. (It can sometimes be bought from fruit
and vegetable shops, as well as plant nurseries.) Look at it and smell it.
Small groups
Find out what rosemary represents, and when and how is it
used:
- historically
- in kitchens
Individuals
Draw still-life pictures of rosemary.
History in illustrations
Individuals
Look at the illustrations to find 'old-fashioned' things
that are from the past. How are they different in the present? Use a Retrieval
Chart.
Monuments and commemorations to war
Small groups
Statue: Read and view the references to the
statue in the book again. Find out where these statues are. What do they
represent? Use the PMI chart.
Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne: Discover more
about this and, if possible, go on an excursion to visit it.
Australian War Memorial, Canberra: Do an online
search to discover some artefacts of WWI in Gallipoli held by the War
Memorial. If possible, go on an excursion to see these.
Class
Anzac Commemorative Medal: View a photo of this
on the last page of the book. Research more about it from the internet and
other sources, then make a model of this, or your own, commemorative medal. Use
plasticine, modelling clay or other materials.
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Making connections
A special magic
Class
The donkey dreams of magic. This magic is shown in the
past by John Simpson Kirkpatrick and the donkey who together risked their lives
to help others, and in the story as the animals copied the actions of these
past characters and helped each other. How did they do this? Discuss as a
class.
Beyond the classroom
As a class, brainstorm ways of helping people in the
community. Implement one or more of these ideas that are worthwhile, achievable
and safe.
Anzac Day
Beyond the classroom
As part of the school Anzac Day remembrance assembly, one
or more students read aloud the words spoken by the statue of the donkey (in
bold) from the book. The class makes and distributes small paper cut-outs of a
donkey (see Donkey Template) as a reminder of what caring, selfless
things can be done in war and now.
Bullying - past and present
Small groups
Each group makes up and role plays two scenes showing
bullying:
- in the past
- in the present.
Avoid physical contact. Incorporate a moral dilemma
where possible. Afterwards, discuss the roles of the bullied and the bully, as
well as onlookers or 'partners in crime' and the general and specific effects
on the community. Debrief. (Note to teachers: sensitivity may be needed if any
students are experiencing actual bullying.)
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