After the Fall by Dan Santat

This is the story of what happens to Humpty Dumpty AFTER his famous fall. All the King’s men put him back together physically, but his confidence is still shattered. He used to love climbing up the tall wall he fell from, but now he is too terrified to even try climbing on his bunk bed, or a small step to reach the top shelves at the grocery store. One day a paper airplane flies by and gives him an idea. He has to work hard through failed attempts to create a paper airplane masterpiece. Then one day his paper airplane gets stuck on the top of the tall wall. Humpty Dumpty has to work past his fear of falling to once again climb to the top of the wall and rescue his paper airplane. Once he conquers that fear, the egg actually hatches into a bird. He is now able to fly and soar high through the air, where he loves to be. He hopes you’ll not remember him as the egg who fell, but now as the egg who got back up and learned how to fly.

This is a wonderful continuation of the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty, with beautiful illustrations. It teaches that through hard work and determination we can overcome challenges and obstacles, we can even conquer our fears. This book would be wonderful to read with children who are currently working through a fear of heights or the dark, etc. After the Fall would also be a great addition to any nursery rhyme or fairy tale unit, and children could use their creativity and imagination to create alternate endings for other stories. Making paper airplanes and learning about aerodynamics, weight, glide, and angle would also be a great STEM extension for this book.

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1. When Humpy Dumpty says that some things cannot be fixed with bandages and glue, what is he referring to?
2. When have you had to persevere to complete a task, like when Humpty Dumpty was working on his paper airplane?
3. Is there a fear you are working on overcoming?