Wisdom Tales from Around the World (World Storytelling from August House) [Hardcover]

Heather Forest (Author)

Book Description

Series: World Storytelling from August House

A collection of traditional stories from around the world, reflecting the cumulative wisdom of Sufi, Zen, Taoist, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, African, and Native American cultures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For long winter nights Those who get fed up with holiday cheer can turn to darker entertainments with the ghost stories of Haunts: Five Hair-Raising Tales by Angela Shelf Medearis, illus. by Trina Schart Hyman. The lively stories, several of them set in Texas, feature a spell-binding fiddler, a dancer who won't stop and a talking cat. The swirling, shadowy black-and-white illustrations add a mildly spooky edge. Storytelling of a more uplifting nature is offered in Wisdom Tales from Around the World by Heather Forest. Culled from such diverse traditions as Taoist parables, the Panchatantra of ancient India, the Bible and European folktales, the 50 entries, says Forest in an introduction, "pass down homespun wisdom encased in stories." The tales are often no more than a few paragraphs in length, and rarely more than two or three pages.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA. Forest retells folktales, proverbs, and parables in a thoughtful and satisfying style that amuses as it deftly imparts lessons for living. While the stories are often universal, they reflect their cultural and religious roots. The explanatory notes for each section and tale add insights for better understanding. There are times when keeping one's mouth shut can literally save one's life, as in "The Talkative Turtle." "A Flock of Birds" tells what happens when we fail to cooperate with others. "How War Was Ended" is an inspirational peace tale. This collection is too good to sit on the 398.2 shelves. It contains sources and has applications for classes in creative writing, multicultural studies, sociology, ethics, world civilizations, and for Sunday School. Although the format and cover seem geared to younger readers, the subtlety in many of the stories is right for YAs. They will see that under the seemingly simple surfaces of the tales lie deeper layers to plumb.?Judy Sokoll, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: August House Publishers (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874834783
• ISBN-13: 978-0874834789
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,179,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've told a few of these myself...., April 29, 2004

By 

Karen Woodworth Roman "Happy Librarian" (DeKalb, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wisdom Tales from Around the World (World Storytelling from August House) (Paperback)

"Talk does not cook the rice." Chinese proverb (p.137)

The simple introduction states that this collection contains folktale, parables, and proverbs from around the world. It also mentions that stories are powerful teaching tools.

Stories are divided by local as in the case of Zen stories from Japan and by religious group as in Jewish or Christian tales. There are no illustrations except small decorative "borders" that divide the title from the story.

Most of the stories are short and simply told. They appear quite tellable as written or they could be embellished. The tales are suitable for a variety of ages and some for all ages. The stories are very good, but I suppose with so many stories to choose from, it must have been a hard selection process.

The source notes are a real treasure. Each section has some interesting background common to all the stories. Forest then describes the history of the tales and various sources. She says what she based her stories on but not how much she changed them. The several stories that I was familiar with do not appear to be greatly altered.

There is a list of proverbs from various countries.

I would recommend this book as a very good storytelling resource.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tales for all seasons, cultures, and vocations, July 31, 2003

By 

Govindan Nair (Vienna, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wisdom Tales from Around the World (World Storytelling from August House) (Paperback)

This is one of those rare books which can appeal to audiences of a wide range of ages, faiths,and backgrounds - whether you are a child, teacher, preacher, parent, or connaisseur of world cultures.

The fifty folktales and parables in this collection have universal appeal because each tends to speak to some aspect of human experience which is common across cultures. They range from a short three paragraph Chinese tale of a philospher waking up from a dream, wondering whether he is a man dreaming he is a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he is a man, to the well known Indian tale of three blind men and the elephant.

Without being either overtly religious or secular, this collection reflects Zen, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Taoist, and Sufi faiths in its short stories, as well as traditions from Ancient Greece and Africa.

If you wish to open the early mind of a future young reader to the treasure troves of world literature, this is a good place to start.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Source of "Wonder Tales", April 12, 2000

By A Customer

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This review is from: Wisdom Tales from Around the World (World Storytelling from August House) (Hardcover)

Having had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Forest perfom live in Louisville, Kentucky, it was my pleasure to become reaquainted with her work. This book is as alive as her live performances. I could hardly put the book down once I started it. I would recommend this book to storytellers, story lovers, parents, and preachers. A great source of some of the world's finest tales. A job well done Ms. Forest!