The Jar Wizard

Show the image without the title first.

• Who do you think this is?
• Why is he carrying all of those jars? What’s inside them? Why are they attached to his clothing? Couldn’t he just carry them in a bag?
• Why is he wearing this clothing?
• Is he going to open the blue jar? Why?
• Why is his other fist clenched?
• What does his body language tell you about his thoughts and feelings?
• Choose 3 words to describe this character. Justify your choices and explain why your words are better than anyone else’s! [You could vote on the best words and debate why they are the best; repeat for the ‘worst’/least appropriate.]

Share the title.

• Did you think that this man was a wizard? Why/why not?
• Is he what you imagine a wizard should look like? Compare him with other wizards from literature.
• Since he is a wizard, does that mean the contents of the jars are magical?
• Does he need a magic wand?
• Help! The Jar Wizard’s jars are all missing their labels! Please write labels naming the contents, detailing what it is and what it can be used for. Be sure to include any necessary safety warnings too!
• Read this description of The Jar Wizard, written by Sean Andrew Murray himself:

  He held many secrets in those enchanted jars of his: mysterious crystals, odd nick-knacks from unknown cultures, ancient coins from civilizations long dead, and the preserved remains of creatures believed to be long extinct. But there was one jar, smaller and rounder than the rest, that contained a dark liquid that he seemed most proud of. “This,” he said with an unsettling gleam in his eye, “is the blood of one of the Original Fish, the creators of all magic. I pray I never have cause to use it….”
  

• Have you learnt anything else about The Jar Wizard?
• What happens if he uses the blood of one of the Original Fish?
• What does ‘I pray I never have cause to use it…’ mean? What does it tell you about the substance?

Credit: Sean Andrew Murray
www.seanandrewmurray.com
www.cityofgateway.com
(City of Gateway has some brilliant things to use in the classroom, especially with Year 6 – see the Revolt! flier in ‘Stories’ and the map in ‘About’ for a couple of examples! )