Myths and Legends of the World: The Crystal Pool [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Geraldine McCaughrean (Author), Christian Rodska (Narrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

The Crystal Pool is the fourth of Geraldine McCaughrean's glorious collections of myths and legends. It contains twenty-eight tales, including the legend of The Pied Piper and The Flying Dutchman, and stories from China, Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ghana, Australia and elsewhere.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-7-Twenty-eight myths and legends from around the world spring to life thanks to Christian Rodska's inspired narration. This is the fourth collection by Geraldine McCaughrean, and a worthy successor to the previous titles (The Golden Hoard, The Silver Treasure, and The Bronze Cauldron). It includes Native American, Japanese, and European legends as well as tales from cultures not typically represented such as Sumeria ("The Dogs Down Tools"), Iceland ("A Question of Arithmagic"), Australia ("A Bouquet of Flowers"), and Ghana ("The Sky-Blue Storybox"). Rodska's pacing and multiple accents complement, but never overwhelm, the stories. Whether in the guise of a greedy old couple intent on cheating their neighbor, a gull-girl suffering the abuse of a nagging mother-in-law, or a work-shy rabbi whose strength is in his brains rather than his brawn, Rodska spins a tale that draws listeners into the heart of a world filled with mystery and magic. The sophistication and violence of some of the tales may make them unsuitable for very young listeners.

Cindy Lombardo, Orrville Public Library, OH

Copyright 2002 Cahners 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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Chivers Audio Books; Unabridged edition (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754052117
• ISBN-13: 978-0754052111
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,777,893 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.