Grandmothers' Stories: Wise Woman Tales from Many Cultures [Hardcover]

Burleigh Muten (Author), Sian Bailey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

The stories in this anthology illustrate many of the qualities of the wise woman, offering readers of all ages a new perspective on the grandmother character that is usually presented in fairy tales as either menacingly evil or dim-witted and useless. With spirited grandmothers from as far afield as Senegal and Sweden, all of these tales are rich with humor, action and suspense. A fresh and witty retelling is complemented by finely detailed and mesmerizing illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-5-Mut n retells eight folktales with the purpose of restoring the image of the wise woman "as a benevolent, resourceful, independent, informed guide, who is respected in her community," in place of the images of evil hags or silly fools. The stories come from Senegal, Japan, Russia, Hawaii, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, and Sweden, and are a mixture of the familiar ("The Old Woman Who Was Right" and "Old Mother Holle") and the lesser known ("The Midwife and the Djinn" and "The Woman in the Moon"). Mut n frames the tales with a grandmother/storyteller sharing them as bedtime treats. She has definitely chosen the role of author rather than ethnographer. A comparison of these tales with other versions shows that she is no purist-she adds dialogue and more descriptive narrative than do many traditional retellers. In an endnote, she cites sources and explains that she has occasionally added her own children's nonsense phrases as exclamations in three of the stories. Her smooth retellings are enhanced by Bailey's jewel-toned, gouache illustrations. Detailed border scenes unique to each story appear along the bottom of each page. The lively vignettes and occasional full-paged art make this collection especially accessible as a read-aloud or read-alone. This is for a younger audience than Kathleen Ragan's more encyclopedic Fearless Girls, Wise Women, & Beloved Sisters (Norton, 1998).-Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Muten retells eight folktales with the purpose of restoring the image of the wise woman 'as a benevolent, resourceful, independent, informed guide, who is respected in her community,' in place of the images of evil hags or silly fools. The stories come from Senegal, Japan, Russia, Hawaii, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, and Sweden, and are a mixture of the familiar and the lesser known.... Her smooth retellings are enhanced by Bailey's jewel-toned, gouache illustrations. Detailed border scenes unique to each story appear along the bottom of each page. The lively vignettes and occasional full-paged art make this collection especially accessible as a read-aloud or read-alone." --School Library Journal

"All [the stories] are accompanied by beautiful and ethnically appropriate illustrations.... The collection is a wonderful way to introduce views and images from other cultures." --Booklist

"Retold by Muten with freshness and wit, these eight stories examine the intriguing character of the Wise Woman. Sian Baily's mesmerizing illustrations transport readers to exotic settings and places as they learn the fascinating lore that surrounds the old woman figure in different cultures." --NAPRA Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Books; 1St Edition edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902283244
• ISBN-13: 978-1902283241
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #885,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars beautiful short stories, December 18, 2003

By 

britneyxyz "Britney" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grandmothers' Stories: Wise Woman Tales from Many Cultures (Hardcover)

Everyone in my family enjoys the stories in this book. Two of the stories (Mother Holle and The Old Woman who was not afraid) we had heard from other story collections. This collection is interesting because it combines stories from east and west while most collections are from a specific region.

I especially like the first story about a midwife, because it portrays the gift patience and understanding of the profession. There is also a story about a lady on the moon, since reading this story we no longer just look for the 'man on the moon' in our moon gazing, my daughters and I look for the `lady on the moon' as well.

All in all this is an expensive book for only 8 stories. However we've gotten a lot of use out of it and I'll keep it to read to my grandchildren as well.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-told stories from various traditions, December 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Grandmothers' Stories: Wise Woman Tales from Many Cultures (Hardcover)

I am curious to know whether the author of the previous review was reading the same book as me! My impression is totally different. The stories in this lovely collection ALL feature a wise old woman who overcomes various circumstances, or who possess wisdom that is shared with others in her midst (usually children). The stories come from Spain, Germany, Japan, and Senegal to name a few, and the illustrations give a lovely sense of place. My family has many favorites including the final story "The Old Woman Who Was Right," a Swedish story about a woman whose husband has complained for years about her housekeeping. She is finally fed up and offers to switch places for the day and work in the fields while he keeps house. The result has us laughing every time and has even been reenacted by my five year-old at the breakfast table. A terrific gift, and a pleasure to read again and again.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre tales..., January 22, 2001

By 

Erin (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Grandmothers' Stories: Wise Woman Tales from Many Cultures (Hardcover)

I love stories about wise old women--the kind who are brave and as clever as they are caring. I was hoping this would be a book full of stories of such women, but I was disappointed. Only half of the tales featured a wise old woman as a main character, and although they were well-told, none of the stories were very compelling. As a collection, this book seemed to lack focus due to poorly chosen tales.

However, one element in this book is outstanding. A mural-of-sorts runs along the bottom of each page--a different mural for each tale. These murals tell the tale in minature and are a joy to explore. I found myself skipping ahead just to see what each new mural would be. This unique feature makes this book worth a look.