Eleven Nature Tales (World Storytelling from August House) [Paperback]

Pleasant DeSpain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: World Storytelling from August House

In this new millennium, we are faced with a critical question: are we willing to work together to ensure the survival of the planet as well as each other? In his fifth collection of tellable folktales and his third collaboration with illustrator Joe Shlichta DeSpain provides eleven ancient stories that address natural elements such as Sun, Moon, Stars, Ocean, Wind, Fire, Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Insects, Rocks, Trees, and Humans.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Not even an alchemist can conjure gold from a played-out vein. In this sequel to Listening for the Crack of Dawn (which won the Anne Izard Storyteller's Choice Award), Davis serves up a monotonous hodgepodge of 11 vignettes detailing the mundane coming-of-age of a naive middle-class boy in 1950s Appalachia. An opening anecdote called "The Place" serves fair warning of the slow going to come. A homespun tour of Sulpher Springs, N.C., it shuffles past the slaughterhouse, the tannery, the train depot, the post office, the radio station, the drug store, the shoe store and Ladye Faire beauty parlor?all seen through the wondering eyes of an intrepid preschool male narrator. With an affable retrospective omniscience, the narrator covers his kindergarten days, his daddy's bank, an ill-fated birthday party, his tonsillectomy, unrequited prepubertal love, unwashed teenage sexual rites and, at last, his departure for bigtime college. Davis proves something worth remembering about folksy style. Folksy don't cut it alone; it's gotta have style to fly. This collection of typeset Norman Rockwelliana is one step removed even from genuine nostalgia, which at least aims to idealize life. This stuff idealizes a way of looking at life: it's nostalgic for nostalgia. Simultaneous audio. (May) FYI: For his audiocassettes, Davis has received the American Library Association Notable Children's Recording award.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?DeSpain's fifth collection of multicultural stories. As he explains in his introduction, reaching back to the old tales reminds us of the interconnectedness of all things, of the need to care for our natural world. These traditional stories come from Native Americans, as well as from peoples of Africa, Fiji, China and Central Asia, Australia, and Portugal. Some feature animal characters, while others have human protagonists. The reteller's notes describe where he first heard or found each tale and list print sources for other versions. In a few cases, he includes hints for storytelling. He also keys each story to the motif-index in Margaret Read MacDonald's The Storyteller's Sourcebook (Gale, 1982; o.p.). The stories themselves are short and easy to read, but the language is not particularly distinctive. Black-and-white scratchboard illustrations accompany each selection.?Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: August House (December 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874834589
• ISBN-13: 978-0874834581
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,219,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eleven Nature Tales, A Multicultural Journey, September 13, 2000

By 

Edward Feazell (Lakewood, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eleven Nature Tales (World Storytelling from August House) (Paperback)

Based on ecology worldwide, this is a timely collection. A classroom favorite, DeSpain makes these tales come alive with his tellings. A great collection to spark interest and explorations in science and nature.