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Folklore - General & Miscellaneous, Teen Fiction - Fantasy
Wisdom Tales From Around the World by Heather Forest β€” book cover

Wisdom Tales From Around the World

by Heather Forest
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Overview

This collection of fifty metaphorical folktales and parables is selected with a global perspective and retold by a professional storyteller. Included are tales from diverse story traditions such as Sufi, Zen, Taoist, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, African, and Native American. Comprised of ancient plots both poignant and comical, this anthology contains simple truths, common sense, and the promise that we can benefit from past generations' experience.

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.

Synopsis

This collection of fifty metaphorical folktales and parables is selected with a global perspective and retold by a professional storyteller. Included are tales from diverse story traditions such as Sufi, Zen, Taoist, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, African, and Native American. Comprised of ancient plots both poignant and comical, this anthology contains simple truths, common sense, and the promise that we can benefit from past generations' experience.

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.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's 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.

School Library Journal

YAForest 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

Book Details

Published
January 1, 1996
Publisher
August House Publishers, Inc.
Pages
160
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780874834796

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