Favorite Folktales from Around the World (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) (Paperback)

~ Jane Yolen (Author) "Well, there was a man down here in Barr an Ghaoith a long time ago and his name was Brian O Braonachain..." (more)
Key Phrases: talking lark, fifty talers, medicine robe, Rabbi Adam, Hairy Man, Long Arrow (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Storytelling, the oral tradition that springs directly from folk archives, is well served in this one-volume collection culled from Pantheon's folklore series. The 160 tales are grouped thematically in 13 chapterse.g. "The Very Young and the Very Old," "Fooling the Devil"taken from a variety of culturesEskimo, Irish, American Indian, Afro-American, Chinese, etc. Folklorists of many eras are represented in both familiar and less-common tales, carefully selected by Yolen, whose insightful introduction sets the parameters of choice. Her professional experience (she is the author of more than 80 books, many of them tales for children), assures us that storytelling, defined as "a personal art that makes public what is private and makes private what is public," is enjoying revival across the North American continent. The organization of this collection makes accessible, for telling and listening, illuminating glimpses of the world's cultures.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA Most of the 160 tales in this collection have been garnered from the "Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library." With an emphasis on stories from the oral tradition, the stories are grouped thematically: fooling the devil, shape shifters, the not-quite-human, numbskulls and noodleheads, true loves and false, likely and unlikely heroes, and death and the world's end, for example. Selections include tales from the American Indians, the brothers Grimm, Italo Calvino's Italian folktales, as well as stories from Iceland, Afghanistan, Scotland, and many other countries. Yolen provides each section with a relevant introduction, often including historical and literary factors, thus alerting readers as to what to look for. Sure to be a popular reference for junior high units on folktales. Mary Wadsworth Sucher, Baltimore County Reading Services
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 498 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (August 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394751884
• ISBN-13: 978-0394751887
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,926 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like folktales, you'll want this book, February 29, 2000

By	P. Duffield - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not only is this collection marvelously diverse, but it's also incredibly easy to read. Though the tales still retain the feel of original storytelling, they do not have the awkward idiosyncracies you find in other texts with obscure (to the US) tales which have been litreally translated or transcribed. If you're tired of seeing the same tales in every book you find, get this one. It's a wonderful resource and just plain fun to own.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I adored it., November 11, 2008

By	avid reader (Birmingham, Alabama) - See all my reviews

I teach elementary school, and I originally got this book because I was instructing other teachers on how to incorporate multicultural folklore into their classrooms. However, this book ended up spending most of its time by my bedside. It is SO GOOD. I came across it by accident, but I totally love it, just as much as I love my anthology of original Grimm's fairy tales. If you have any interest in the nuances of folktales, and if you love looking for similarities between cultures, start here. It's amazing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Collection, October 21, 2008

By	Elizabeth Kerr (Kansas City, KS) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great collection of folktales from all over the world. I used it for a school report and have not been able to put it down since.