South and North, East and West: The Oxfam Book of Children's Stories [Hardcover]

Michael Rosen (Author)

Book Description

A fiftieth anniversary anthology of twenty-five stories--representing the cultural traditions of nineteen different countries--is enhanced by artwork by Michael Foreman, Helen Oxenbury, Charlotte Voake, and other noted artists.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Whoopi Goldberg explains in a brief introduction, most of the 25 tales in this eclectic, energetic collection have been told by people served by the organization Oxfam, which funds self-help development projects in 77 locales in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. With Rosen's able editing, the orally transmitted tales make a smooth transition to the written word, often preserving the regional dialect and depicting the customs and culture of the country of origin. Equally diverse as the entries is the work from an impressive group of 22 illustrators. Art ranges from Reg Cartwright's stylized paintings for "Mansoor and the Donkey," a North African tale of a wise donkey who helps a fellow win the hand of his beloved; to Charlotte Voake's jaunty cartoons of the monkey who outsmarts two other animals in "Dog, Cat and Monkey," an Indonesian fable; to Janet Woolley's singular, sophisticated collages for "Good Morning," a rather bland story from Bangladesh of a prince convincing a princess to marry him. Oxfam will receive all royalties from this worthwhile compendium. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-- An offering of 25 retold folktales illustrated by 25 well-known contemporary illustrators, produced by Oxfam, an organization promoting self-help programs in countries throughout the world. Despite the obvious talent behind it as well as the good intentions, the book is not a strong introduction to the various cultures represented. Lacking careful notes on sources or any apparent attempt to retain the flavor of the original (as in Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Lippincott, 1981 or Hamilton's The People Could Fly , Knopf, 1985), each story remains the product of one voice, not many. There is no indication for readers that life in other places is different from their own. Full-color pictorial explorations of the plots enhance each piece's scariness, humor, or mystery. Whoopi Goldberg writes in the introduction that ``You'll feel part of the whole world rather than far away from the countries in the book.'' But only if you think the whole world speaks colloquial English. --Kathleen Whalin, Belfast Public Library, ME
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1ST edition (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564021173
• ISBN-13: 978-1564021175
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,408,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Rosen, an English poet, scriptwriter, broadcaster, and performer, has been writing for children since 1970. He lives in London with his wife and five children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Stories, January 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: South and North, East and West: The Oxfam Book of Children's Stories (Hardcover)

Although it is suggested for children ages 4-8, I often use this book for projects about countries around the world. The stories are descriptive with wonderful illustrations. Whoopi Goldberg is not the illustrator, but wrote the introduction for the book. The illustrations were done by many different people.

4.0 out of 5 stars south, north, east and west, May 26, 2005

By 

Louise Guzzo (Nepean, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: South and North, East and West (Paperback)

Excellent book. Stories from other countries. Given to my child's teacher so that the stories can be shared with other children. A group of actors have turned some of these stories into plays. It was amazing.

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, August 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: South and North, East and West: The Oxfam Book of Children's Stories (Hardcover)

I took this out from the library and it was great! I liked the illustrations too. They were nice and colorful. I like hearing stories from around the world.