The Fiddler of the Northern Lights

by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, illustrated by Leslie W. Bowmann

The Fiddler of the Northern Lights is a mostly the story of Henry and his Grandpa who tells stories. Not until the end of the book do we learn even Grandpa doesn’t believe his own stories. But on this magical night, after skating for miles under the Aurora Borealis, the two return home. The family has been very worried that Grandpa had taken Henry outside in the dark to look for an imaginary Fiddler whose music supposedly makes the Northern Lights dance. However, a surprise visitor knocks on the door, comes in, plays music, the lights reappear, and neighbors come over and dance the night away. Now the family believes the story!

This story is beautifully written and has much figurative language to point out to children. The skaters skate on a ribbon of sparkling, dancing light, for instance. Take the opportunity to point out these wonderful phrases to the children. Does such writing help them visualize the story? Try reading this book turned away from the children two pages at a time, have them imagine the picture, and then turn the book around to see if their mental images match the book illustrations.

My work page is for children who can figure out initial sounds and middle double letter sounds in words, and does not match the complexity of the writing. The Fiddler of the Northern Lights Work Page and Key PDF, free