The CRYSTAL POOL: MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE WORLD (Illustrated Stories for Children) [Hardcover]

Geraldine McCaughrean (Author), Bee Willey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Illustrated Stories for Children

As Geraldine McCaughrean writes: "Once upon a time, our ancestors told stories to explain to each other how the world began, or how a mountain or a lake came into being, or the wind or the sun. Then they told stories about their own forebears: legends of half-remembered heroes of ancient times, or of ordinary people whose lives were changed by some mystery or who performed some great deed."

The Crystal Pool is the fourth of Geraldine McCaughrean's glorious collections of such myths and legends. It contains her retellings of twenty-eight tales, including stories from Japan, Siberia, Norway, China, Egypt, ancient Greece, Ghana, Australia, the United States, and elsewhere. Bee Willey has painted remarkable pictures full of magic and mystery that reflect and enhance the tales.

Like The Golden Hoard, The Silver Treasure, and The Bronze Cauldron, The Crystal Pool combines the great gifts of Geraldine McCaughrean and Bee Willey in a book that will delight and enrich everyone who loves a story.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-The team that brought readers The Golden Hoard (1996), The Silver Treasure (1997), and The Bronze Cauldron (1998, all McElderry) once again delights story lovers' fancy. A variety of cultures are represented as McCaughrean travels far and wide to pull from her story hat tales of a helpful mermaid, a poor man's alchemy, strange transformations, beavers and porcupines, and mothers digging in the earth for babies. Also included is one of the best retellings of "The Pied Piper" to come along in recent years. Fun to read aloud or to one's self, the stories are written in a clear and spirited fashion. Without resorting to slang or common dialogue, McCaughrean deftly incorporates modern language and terms into these ancient tales, rendering them accessible to today's youth. Willey once again plants her bright watercolors in conspicuous spots, using decorative motifs that depict portions of the narratives. A fine introduction to world story, and a perfect complement to the other titles in this series.
Angela J. Reynolds, West Slope Community Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

McCaughrean meets the high standard set by The Golden Hoard (1996), The Silver Treasure (1997), and The Bronze Cauldron (1998) with this gathering of retold tales from around the world, a mix of creation myths, flood stories, and trickster exploits. Although she draws from traditional sources--acknowledged, if not specifically cited, in the endnotes--she gives the stories a refreshingly unforced modern flavor, naming two nosy brothers "Spy" and "Pry" in the Melanesian title tale, and opening a Sumerian creation myth about the gods going on strike with "`Enough!' said Enki, throwing down his spade. `For a thousand years we've dug out rivers and piled up hills. There has to be more to life than this!'" She also skillfully varies the mood, from dramatic tales of worlds made and destroyed and a spooky rendition of the legend of the Flying Dutchman to clever antics of familiar tricksters interspersed with poignant accounts of the death of Balder, the love of Isis and Osiris, and the Pied Piper's revenge. Bee Willey's stylized paintings seem lit from within, intensifying the sense of mystery that underlies even the jocular tales. Unsurpassed for range, language, and presentation, McCaughrean's collections are essential additions to any library collection; children will be enthralled whether the stories are read silently or aloud. John Peters

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689822669
• ISBN-13: 978-0689822667
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,117,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It's 30 years now since I first got published, and 50 since I found out how writing let me step outside my little, everyday world and go wherever I chose - way back in Time, to far distant shores, towards my own, home-made happy ending. Not that all my books are an easy ride. I write adventure, first and foremost, because that's what I enjoyed reading as a child. But since I have published over 150 books now, there are all manner of books in among that number - gorgeously illustated picture books, easy readers, prize winners, teenage books and five adult novels.
The White Darkness won the Printz Award in the USA, which, for as Englishwoman, was the most amazing, startling thrill.
Then there was Peter Pan in Scarlet - official sequel to J M Barrie's Peter Pan, written on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hopsital for Sick Children. I won the chance to write that in a worldwide competition, and because Peter Pan is loved everywhere, my book sold worldwide too. I can't say I expected that when, as a child, I dreamed of being like my older brother and getting a book published one day.
These days I have a husband (who's good at continuity and spelling) and a daughter who is an excellent editor. But she's at the Royal Academy of Dramtic Art now, studying to become an actor. So, naturally, I have turned my hand to writing plays. (So many actors, so few plays!)
My Mum told me, "Never boil your cabbages twice, dear," which was her way of saying, "Don't repeat yourself." So I have tried never to write the same book twice. You'll find all my novels quite different from one another. I have also done lots of retellings of myth, legend, folk and fairy tales, and adapted indigestible classics such as El Cid, the Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Moby Dick, Shakespeare and the Pilgrim's Progress.
Something for everyone, you see, my dear young, not-so-young, eccentric, middle-of-the-road, poetical, sad, cheerful, timid or reckless reader.
All they have in common is that they all contain words. If you are allergic to words, you'd best not open the covers.