Storytelling: "Chain" tales; The Scarecrow's Hat, by Ken Brown

The Scarecrow's Hat
Ken Brown
ISBN: 9781561452408
Picture Book: sketchy/blotchy vibrant watercolors illustrate the tireless "swapping" a hen does to secure a scarecrow's hat (swapping items from barnyard and forest animals) til she achieves her goal: a cozy nest.

This book is another that I need to be careful in using, because while I love this particular story dearly, I don't feel comfortable taking the story "as-is" from the lovely text and illustrations here.  I feel like I can build up a knowledge base of similar "chain," "cumulative," or "circular" fairy and folk tales.  With that background, I can then create a similar story with a more overt cultural background or setting.  That way I will have a story that will be mine creatively, that I can tell (and screw up, and embellish, and cut down...) without feeling like I am disrespecting another artist's creation.

The story of The Scarecrow's Hat (as far as I can tell from limited research) is unique, but the concept of swapping items is not, and a visit to the "Chain of Deals" page on TV tropes shows us the concept is alive and well today.  The oldest versions are folk-tales (Aarne-Thompson category 2030 "Chain" folktales) and a decently representative example can be found collected here and here.

What I find interesting about The Scarecrow's Hat specifically, and what I hope to incorporate into my own version, is the concept that the swapping is not punitive (there's lots of chain stories where the only thing being chained is threat of physical harm) nor is it "tricksy" where a character is purposefully trying to gain advantage over others, or play them for fools while he (usually a Clever Jack) comes out ahead.  Instead, the hen is straightforward and perseverant, and her knowledge of the animals and their habits allows her to create a chain that is mutually beneficial and transparent (although none of the animals ask her WHY she is trading, or to whom).

My goals for the moment are to spend a lot of time with these chain tales, to research Appalachian mountain settings and local animals, and to use that research to create a similar mutually-beneficial chain of swaps that echoes the gentle, quietly clever, deeply persistent effort that the hen makes in The Scarecrow's Hat.