It has been said that a proverb is a short sentence
based on long experience
The subtitle of this book says: A wonderful witty collection of the world's wisdom.
This book was published in 1997 (the title was The Silent Beetle Eats Seeds) and later reprinted in 2001 but of course by now, 2024, it is out of print. Hopefully you might find it in a library - as I did. The title intrigued me and I knew Axel Sheffler (he does all those glorious Julia Donaldson books) would add fun illustrations.
The paperback copy I borrowed has included the end papers - and what a delight they are - filled with a series of interesting patterns which could be an inspiration for an art lesson. You could also use this book with a group of new English learners. And with a class talking about proverbs you could play an matching game using the illustrations and some of the proverbs. You can see the way Axel Scheffler presents each saying with a tiny illustration from the cover design. It also might be fun to explore a proverb each week for one term with your class.
I found this list of over 25 proverbs. The selection begins with this definition: in short, a proverb is a succinct, interesting saying which states a general truth or piece of advice about life. They often seem like a riddle but they usually contain so much wisdom. I have added bold to the ones my parents used to say to me:
A good conscience is a soft pillow.
A friend’s frown is better than a fool’s smile.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody.
A problem shared is a problem halved.
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
After the storm comes the calm.
A change is as good as a holiday.
A stitch in time saves nine.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
A bad workman blames his tools
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
A wise man doesn’t need advice, and a fool won’t take it.
Always in a hurry, always behind.
Accidents will happen.
All’s well that ends well.
As one door closes, another always opens.
All things come to those that wait.
Appearances are deceptive
Actions speak louder than words.
Angry words fan the fire like wind
A watched pot never boils
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
A penny saved is a penny earned
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A cat has nine lives
An elephant never forgets
Best to bend it while it’s a twig
Birds of a feather flock together
Beggars can’t be choosers
Bread never falls but on its buttered side
Bad news travels fast
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Before you meet the handsome prince you have to kiss a lot of toads
Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all
Better safe than sorry
Better late than never
Cheap is dear in the long run.
Cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face
Curiosity killed the cat; Satisfaction brought it back
Call a spade a spade
Charity begins at home
Do as I say not as I do
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Don’t blow your own trumpet
Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Deeds are fruits, words are but leaves
Don’t cross your bridges until you come to them.
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every path has its puddle.
Empty vessels make the most noise.
Find a coin pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck
His bark is louder than his bite
It is no use crying over spilt milk
Many hands make light work
Never put off ’til tomorrow what you can do today.
Some of the best gifts come in small packages.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
There are twelve sets of proverbs in the book by Axel Scheffler:
- Friendship
- How you look
- Being in the right place at the right time
- Consequences
- Patience
- Luck
- Injustice
- Taking care
- Envy
- Wisdom
- Experience
- Impossible Things
Here are a few gems from this book - familiar and unfamiliar.
"If you step on one ant, the others come to bite you too." West Africa
"If the baboon could see his own behind, he would laugh too." Kenya
"The early bird catches the worm."
"If the camel gets his nose in the tent, his body will soon follow." Arabia
"A watched pot never boils."
"A hasty man drinks tea with his fork." India
"If you throw a handful of stone, at least one will hit." India
"The heaviest rains fall on the leakiest house." Japan
"Let sleeping dogs lie." England
"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."
"He who has been bitten by a snake, fear a piece of string." Persia
"Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches."
"You cannot catch lions with cobwebs."
I did a search via an online bookseller using the term proverb. I found a few books for children using this term but most had a religious theme linked to the Book of Proverbs from the bible. This one which was published in 2022 looks interesting and is perhaps worth investigating:
No comments:
Post a Comment