7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A dozen tales from the nomadic cultures of Central Asia for young readers, April 27, 2006
This review is from: Tales Told in Tents: Stories from Central Asia (Hardcover)
"Tales Told in Tents: Stories from Central Asia" serves as a nice little reminder that there were storytellers who lived in the region between the Middle East and the Far East. Sally Pomme Clayton takes her dozen stories from the steppes, mountains, deserts and cities of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tadijkistan and Afghanistan. These are lands that have been in the news in recent years more than before, but we hardly hear about stories from their culture. That these twelve tales were told in tents signifies that they represent nomadic cultures, who endures sorching summer suns and driving winter snows by living in tents that could keep them cool in one season and snug in another. However, like all other cultures, the storyteller was an important figure and the stories that were told were treasured.
"A Whole Brain" (Kazakhstan) tells what happened on the seventh day when God finished making the world and realized he had forgotten to give human beings brains. "The Secret of Flet" (Turkmenistan) is what two brothers discover when one stubs his toe on a sharp rock. "Blue Sky, White Wing" (Central Asia) is is a poem reflecting the old saying, "The sky is your father, the earth is your mother." "The Girl Who Cried a Lake" (Kyrgyzstan) is what happens when the Khan's daughter falls in love with the young hunter who catches her when the girls play kiss-chase on horseback (think Romeo & Juliet). "The Carpet of Dreams" (Afghanistan) is the story of Arif, who dreams of traveling the silk road and explains the tradition of always weaving a mistake into a carpet on purpose, to show that only God can make something that is truly perfect. "Riddle Bazaar" (Uzbekistan) are eight riddles, such as "One eye and a sharp tooth") (yes, the answers are provided in the back).
"The Bag of Trickness" (Kazakhstan) tells how the trickster Aldar-Kose with his coat of seventy holes and ninety patches, tricks a rich man. "Zarina's Orchard" (Tadjikistan) is about Zarina and her thirty-nine sisters, and how she wishesd they could bring the river to them, instead of them all going to the river. This story involves a Dev, which is not a good thing. "The Heart of Your Friend" (Kazahkstan) is a poem based on a Kazakh folksong. "Father of Stories, Horse of Songs" (Central Asia) tells of Korkut, a young man who wanted his horse to carry him away from Death. Korkut would live a long time and become known as Dede Korkut, father or all the stories being sung by storytellers today. "The Fountain of Life" (Central Asia) is the story of Al Khadir (the Green One), whom we met earlier in this book, and shows that eternal life does indeed exist.
Clayton learned these stories by traveling through Central Asia, talking and sharing stories with storytellers in different lands. Following their tradition, she has made these stories her own. Clayton provides notes About the Stories in the back of the book, to explain where they came from and other interesting tidbits and additional sources. Sophie Herxheimer, who did the colorful illustrations for this book, also provides a two-page map of Central Asia, so that you know where these lands are to be found in relation to Turkey, Iran, Russian, China, and the rest of their neighbors. A Glossary of key names and turms, mostly those translates from the native languages of these people
These twelves tales bring the culture of Central Asia to life and I have little doubt that for most young readers (and their teachers or parents), this will be their first exposure to stories from those lands, which is why in the end I round up on "Tales Told in Tents." Through out the book Clayton provides proverbs, sayings and assorted words of interest, such as those written on a bowl in Herxheimer's final painting: "My tales I have told them, your pocket shall hold them...If they are bitter of if they are sweet carry them away and bring them back--along with a dish of rice and raisins."
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tales Told in Tents is Magical, November 8, 2008
This review is from: Tales Told in Tents: Stories from Central Asia (Hardcover)
I purchased this book for my twin 6 year old girls. We all love it! The stories are all magical and the illustrations beautiful. It is a wonderful compilation that always makes for a fun read before bed.
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