Education Poster Details

In the upper third of the poster there are depictions of Noah's Ark, Hey Diddle-Diddle's cow jumping over the moon, Sir Arthur preparing to remove the magic sword from the rock, a dragon coming to maraud a castle surrounded by a huge moat, and a rainbow with a pot of gold at one or the other end (you pick). Racing up the path in this segment of the poster, you can see the dish running away with the spoon while the Three Blind Mice look on. In the lower left corner of this segment sits the gingerbread house decked out with icing, candy canes, and jelly beans. Looking closely, you can see the Navajo sign for rain just above Noah's Ark, and the New Mexico state flag flying atop one of the castle's buttresses (this flag denotes one of the four states Michael has lived in; the other flags are included as well).

The center third of the poster includes Goldie Locks running from Papa Bear while Mama Bear and Baby Bear look on. Michael used an outline of California for the door to the Bear's home, and its window is the California state flag. Next, you can see a teepee (typically used by the Plains Indians) that is decorated with some icons and fetishes common to the Indians of the Southwest--remember, Michael was only 14 when he did the artwork for this poster. Note also that Jack and Jill stand before a wishing well that is labeled "To Bahzna Azhi" which is Michael's Navajo clan name. In English the name means "Two Who Come to Water." It is aptly placed in front of the famous nursery rhyme twosome who've come to fetch a pail of water. At my behest Michael included a lovely representation of the Hopi Storyteller with some half-dozen children clinging to her. She is the revered repository of Hopi wisdom, history, and stories. With a nod to Irish folklore, there is a leprechaun hiding alongside Humpty Dumpty's wall. And, last, the Gingerbread Man is shown dashing down the path toward the bottom panel.

In the bottom portion of the poster you can see the shoe occupied by the old woman and her too-many children. Note Colorado's state flag flying proudly from the shoe's chimney (who knew a shoe could have a chimney?).

Next, notice Hey Diddle-Diddle's cat lovingly serenading Rapunzel with his fiddle. Arizona's state flag flies atop her castle. Nestled in here, you can see Little Bo-Peep who has evidently found her sheep. Notice the shepherd's crook in her right hand. Beneath Rapunzel, who is sporting a pair of ultra-hip sunglasses, you can see the "Start" line for the race between The Tortoise and The Hare. You'll also see Little Red Riding Hood facing the wolf just a second before he ducks back into his hiding place.

In the center of this panel, Michael has identified his four Native American bloodlines: Navajo, Pueblo, Sioux, and Isleta. Notice the New Mexico Zia icon rising just behind the rock. And, finally, be sure to catch the Kokopelli celebrating it all on his flute.

This colorful poster expresses the true power of stories and songs - the very essence of how our lives and characters are formed from within by the tales, poems, and songs that tell us who we are. Passionate English teachers everywhere already know this. Others intuit it. This poster celebrates it. The original artwork was designed by a ninth grade student at Hermosa Jr. High School in Farmington, New Mexico under the tutelage and inspiration of his teacher, Vicki Whitaker. The poster contains fun images depicting characters and situations from famous fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and short stories. This poster is equally at home in a classroom, a child's bedroom, a library, an administrator's office, or a museum. We know you'll find the perfect place for it yourself.

The poster reads:

"It is through the naming of objects, the telling of stories, and the singing of songs that we know ourselves and others. Whether trickster tales or nursery rhymes are the first things we remember hearing, we have learned how to live our lives by means of narrative --

the stories our mothers told us, the books our brothers  and sisters read to us (and the volumes we chose to read to them), the holy books and textbooks we memorized as children and still recall with perfect clarity.

By these means we  develop -- however weakly or strongly -- our mo5ral natures; we discover who we are and who we are not, what we would give anything to be and precisely what we would be willing to sacrifice to gain that prize. We need stories and songs to live fully."