The Boy and the Ghost

I typically don't like to scare children or teach them to talk about scary stories...however, I found this great southern folklore tale about a brave little boy named Thomas who wanted to help feed his poor family and conquered his fears by meeting a ghost who shared all of his wealth to him and his family thanks to Thomas's bravery and courage.

The story has beautiful imagery

"He set out the next morning. His mother hugged him and gave him a pot and a hambone to make soup and said, "Now, you always be polite to anyone you meet, and generous as well." Then his father embraced the boy, gave him a box of matches and a croaker-sack to carry things in, and told Thomas, "Be brave, no matter what happens, and always be honest."

and a great lesson about bravery, putting others first, and keeping your mind and heart set on what will benefit your family

You can find the questions that I used for this story on the download page or you can click here.

I hope your library carries this book so that you can do this lesson before the month ends. It's a wonderful book that addresses socioeconomic struggle, providing for the family, being brave at a young age, giving to the poor, and the universal theme of money and comfort.

What else will you do with this story?