Asian-Pacific Folktales and Legends [Paperback]

Jeannette Faurot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 1995

Gathers creation myths, animal stories, and legends from China, Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The 65 myths and folktales in this volume are gathered from the rich heritage of legends in eight East and Southeast Asian countries, with the largest number of stories coming from China (17). The editor herself translates or retells 14 of the Chinese stories for this collection, while the others are reprinted from existing anthologies. The themes of many of the stories are similar to Western legends. The "fox fairy" stories contain vampirish seductresses, for instance, while in the Cinderella-like "Story of Tam and Cam" from Vietnam the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy acts like a fairy godmother and the stepdaughter is actually killed by her wicked stepmother. Though Faurot (Asian studies, Univ. of Texas) does not state the criteria for inclusion in this book, the stories are grouped by general categories such as "How Things Came To Be" and "Magic Gifts." The collection gives a quick, multinational overview of some favorite Asian legends. Recommended for larger public libraries.
E. Perushek, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (December 6, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684811979
• ISBN-13: 978-0684811970
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,898,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars stories to tell over tea, April 20, 2002

By 

Yi Tan (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asian-Pacific Folktales and Legends (Hardcover)

On sleepless nights I would grab this book and read a few stories and it never failed to whisk me away to faraway lands and times of long ago. My mom always told me Chinese fairy tales when I was growing up and I would always be enchanted by the lady who lived in the moon, felt the sorrow of the weaver maiden and pranced around jumping on furniture pretending to be the Monkey King, in my case Queen. This book brought back childhood fantasies that are lost when one grows up and helped create new fantasies with tales from countries I had never known as a child. Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, all have rich cultural heritages and the many legends and fairy tales retold in this book bridged a connection to these distant lands.

I recommend this book for younger audiences so they have more variety in their readings and knowledge of other cultures.

This is also recommended for adults because you're never too old to run around like Mulan and defending your furniture as if it were people, fighting for the good of China or your apartment.

5.0 out of 5 stars Asian-Pacific Folktales and Legends, January 5, 2007

By 

Monica Allard Ulibarri - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Asian-Pacific Folktales and Legends (Paperback)

It is an excelent option for any adult who want to be a child again.