From Publishers Weekly
"Stories culled from the melting pot of American culture (Hawaiian, Eskimo and Native American, among others) unite a league of female folk heroes as courageous, irascible and noble as any of their more famous male counterparts," said PW. "Scratchboard illustrations accentuate the tales' preposterous humor." Ages 8-12. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-8-- In many ways, this volume continues the work of Ethel Johnston Phelps's Tatterhood and Other Tales (Feminist Pr, 1978) as it offers authentic folk and fairy tales about heroines. Here, however, San Souci confines himself to North America and organizes his selections by region, moving from east to west. The women come from the Native American, African American, Mexican American, and Canadian traditions. Although they differ in many ways from their male counterparts, there are still tricksters, sweet talkers, and brave and strong protagonists like those found in hero stories. There has been some retelling, some modifications of dialects, some reshaping of open endings, but the plots have not been tampered with. Each story is illustrated with an engraving of some sort, with black background and white lines that give the pictures an antique quality like a woodcut or copper engraving. Notes on the stories and an extensive list of further reading are appended. An impressive and gratifying collection that's a cut above other such compilations. --Ruth K. MacDonald, Quinnipiac College, Hamden, CT
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.