What is a Pourquoi Tale?

Yesterday, each group of students shared their ideas on what makes a story a pourquoi tale.  Next, as a whole class, they wrote a definition of what they felt a pourquoi tale was.  Finally, they read one more pourquoi tale and then modified their definition.  Their final definition is displayed below.

A pourquoi tale is a fiction story that was told a long, long time ago and takes place outside.  Some of these stories have talking animals in them.  It explains why something in nature is the way it is.  It teaches a lesson about life or nature or both of them.  These stories come from countries throughout the World.