Customer Reviews

Fair Is Fair

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Every day we are exposed to news of court cases- what Creeden illustrates in an entertaining informative manner, is that there is nothing new under the sun. Before Ted Bundy there was Bluebeard. Before a woman sued Mcdonalds for hot coffee burns- there were bakers who tried to sue customers for simply smelling bread. Also King Solomon had to decide the fate of a baby long before Baby M made the news. The stories in this book are well written, good for telling (I have done so at a middle school) and great lessons to learn. Parents and teachers can make use of this book to let story (not moralizing) teach the next generation.

This collection of world folktales has a completely unique perspective from any other story collection. Author Sharon Creeden is also a trial attorney, and she has used her knowledge of law to augment the stories she has chosen. Each chapter considers a different aspect of law and includes traditional tales that reflect this theme. She follows up each story with stories from the law books that are connected to that story in some way.

As a middle school teacher, I especially like the stories in the section on juvenile justice, particularly "A Robber I Will Be," about an unruly boy who THINKS he gets his wish when he is allowed to join a band of thieves. The stories themselves are very tellable, and I can imagine any number of applications of these tales in settings or subjects that one does not usually think of when the word "storytelling" is spoken.

I just read four of the 30 folk tales (all very short) contained in this book to my son's fourth grade class. It took about 30 minutes to both read all four stories and discuss their hidden meanings. For many of the children, this was the first time they had heard a folk tale, and all the kids were most intrigued by each story's characters and how justice was accomplished therein. Many of the stories' only characters are animals. I believe this book is better read to children rather than read by children. It is a superb story telling book. I recommend this as a "must book" for parents and teachers.