African Folktales

Why the Sun Shines by Day and the Moon by Night.

Characteristics of a Pour quoi Tale
The word pourquoi means “why” in French. This is a type of folktale. They are usually short
stories that attempt to explain why certain events in nature occurred. They generally come from
an ancient culture and have been passed down through the years.

Characteristic Guiding Questions

Characters: Who are the characters in this
 Includes talking tale? Based on the text, what
animals are their traits?
 With human character
traits
Setting: When does this tale take place?
 Often takes place Where does it take place?
long, long ago
 Usually in a natural
setting
Plot: What is the tale trying to
 Attempts to explain explain? What problem does
why something in the main character have? What
nature occurred event takes place to solve the
 Problem centers problem and/or change the
around main character/setting? How does
character(s) or the author explain the event?
landscape How does the tale end?
 Ends with a change in
the main character or
landscape
 Ends with an
explanation of the
event that occurred in
nature
THEME/TOPIC What was the main theme or
topic of this tale?