From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 4-Nine retellings of stories from an equal number of cultures. In an afterword, Adler explains that she traveled around the world collecting stories, and that most came from storytellers; no written sources are credited except for the Native American tale and one from the Grimm brothers. The book is well designed with handsome borders and illustrations appropriate to each tale; there's a fine feel to the paper. The retellings show attention to detail and move along in a cadence that is easy to follow and suggestive of traditional storytelling. Individual stories are no more than eight or nine pages in length and include Thai, Chinese, Indian, Canadian, and Australian folktales-also "African," and here's a minor quibble-diverse African nations are not named; "The Monkey's Heart" comes from Kenya. The stories share common themes: selflessness, sharing, and trust. In that sense they are teaching tales, almost moral lessons. A few, however, follow a typical pourquoi pattern. Although not an essential purchase, this collection could supplement folktale collections.Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NYCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more From Booklist Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Storyteller Adler retells nine animal tales from around the world, including a Cherokee story from North America, an African pourquoi tale, and an old favorite from Germany, "The Musicians from Bremen." Each tale in this entertaining and varied collection is beautifully illustrated with lighthearted, colorful pictures that add just the right visual touches without overwhelming the story. Adler has collected these tales mostly from other storytellers, as she explains in brief source notes. A lovely collection that will appeal to listeners and readers alike. Karen HuttCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more
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