Le Jongleur de Notre Dame facts for kids
Le Jongleur de Notre Dame is a special miracle story written by the French author Anatole France. It first appeared in a newspaper in 1890 and was later published in a collection of short stories in 1892. This heartwarming tale is based on an old legend from the Middle Ages. It's quite similar to the famous Christmas carol The Little Drummer Boy.
The main character of the story is a monk who used to be a performer at a carnival, doing juggling tricks. In the monastery, all the other monks create amazing things to honor the Virgin Mary. They make beautiful hymns (religious songs), icons (religious paintings), and colorful stained glass windows. But the juggler monk doesn't have any of these artistic skills.
One night, feeling sad that he has no special gift, he goes into the chapel. There, in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary, he performs his very best juggling tricks. Other monks see him and are upset, thinking he is being disrespectful. However, something amazing happens: the statue of the Virgin Mary comes to life and blesses the juggler for sharing his unique talent. The story teaches us that all gifts, no matter how simple, can be special when offered with a pure heart.
Story Adaptations
The inspiring story of Le Jongleur de Notre Dame has been retold and adapted in many different ways over the years.
Books
Many authors have created their own versions of this classic tale for young readers:
- THE LITTLE JUGGLER and Other French Tales Retold (1917), by Violet Moore Higgins.
- The Juggler of Our Lady (1953), by cartoonist R.O. Blechman.
- The Little Juggler (1961), by Barbara Cooney.
- The Clown of God (1974), a picture book by Tomie dePaola.
- In 1980, author Spider Robinson shared his own translated version of the story, called "Our Lady's Juggler," in a science fiction book collection.
Film and Television
The story has also been brought to life on screen:
- The Greatest Gift (1942), a short movie starring Edmund Gwenn as the juggler.
- The Juggler of Our Lady (1958), an animated short film based on the Blechman book. It was narrated by Boris Karloff and was even nominated for a BAFTA award.
- "The Young Juggler" (1960), an episode of the TV show Startime, starring Tony Curtis.
- "Christmas Stories: The Little Juggler" (1968), an episode of the British TV series Jackanory.
- The Juggler of Notre Dame (1970), a feature-length film with Barry Dennen as the juggler.
- The Juggler of Notre Dame (1982), a modern TV movie version. It starred a real juggler, Carl Carlsson, as Barnaby.
Radio
During the "Golden Age of Radio" (a time when radio was very popular), the story was broadcast many times:
- "Joppe the Juggler" (1950), an episode of Family Theater, featuring Wallace Ford as the juggler and Spencer Tracy providing opening and closing remarks.
- Screen Guild Theatre broadcast a version in 1940, narrated by Ronald Colman, with songs by Nelson Eddy.
Other Media
The story has also inspired other forms of art:
- Le jongleur de Notre-Dame (1902), an opera (a play set to music) by Jules Massenet.
- "The Juggler of Our Lady" (1965), a 30-minute dance and movement theater piece created by Flower Hujer and Miller Richardson. It was performed by twenty dancers, often in churches, and was even shown on TV.
- "Barnaby the Juggler" (2003), a spoken word version by Andy Griffith on his Christmas album, The Christmas Guest.
