What happens?
Dorothy and her friends climb up to see what is on the other side of the wall. They find brightly coloured houses, people and animals, all made of china, and all scared of being broken. Dorothy wants to take a princess home for Aunt Em, but the princess says she would be very unhappy. She would have to stand completely still, whereas in her own country she can move about as she likes. Dorothy and her friends say goodbye to the china princess and walk carefully through the china country.
Have a think ..
Take a moment to think about these questions:
Why do you think the Dainty China country had a high wall around it?
one is never so pretty after being mended, you know
Do you think this is true? Does it apply to real people? Can you think of a time when you broke something? What happened?
Do you or your relatives have any china figures? What do they look like? Do you like them?
Focus on .. ceramics
The Dainty China country is full of people, creatures and buildings made from china, which is a kind of pottery or ceramic. How much do you know about ceramics?
Find out more
People have been making ceramic items for thousands of years, usually from clay.
Clay is used to make all sorts of things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2QsL4gy4yE
Clay is incredibly strong once it’s baked, and it can last for centuries.
Of course, sometimes things go wrong. One day, a couple of thousand years ago, someone was making the roof for the Roman bathhouse in Strathclyde Park, when a dog ran across their tiles.
Challenge yourself!
The earliest writing we have is actually on clay tablets. It comes from the country that used to be called Babylon and is now called Iraq. It is written in an alphabet called cuneiform.
Use this website to learn how to write your own name in cuneiform. Try copying it out for yourself!
More to explore
If you loved this chapter, why not check out some more ideas
More to read
These books should be available through your secondary school librarian. If we’ve found a free version online, we’ve added the link after each book.
Willow Pattern. A poem by Tony Mitton telling the story of the willow pattern, a common ceramic design.
The wolves in the walls by Neil Gaiman. What if something was actually living inside your walls?
The carpet people by Terry Pratchett. A story of people so small, they actually live in your carpet, until the Fray…
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. Gulliver travels to all sorts of strange lands including Lilliput where the people are tiny.
Jack and the Beanstalk a fairy tale where the cow has an important role. Online version.
