Trick of the tale A collection of trickster tales

John Matthews, 1948-

Book - 2008

An illustrated collection of tales featuring notable trickster characters such as Raven and Hare, from the folk traditions of many countries.

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Subjects
Genres
Folk tales
Published
Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press 2008.
Language
English
Main Author
John Matthews, 1948- (-)
Other Authors
Caitlin Matthews, 1952- (-), Tomislav Tomić (illustrator)
Edition
1st U.S. edition
Physical Description
85 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm
ISBN
9780763636463
  • A hill of beans
  • Brer Rabbit and the fatal imitation
  • How raven stole back the light
  • A home of one's own
  • Coyote and the little tune
  • Chauntecleer's dream
  • Frog and crow
  • Tricks and truths
  • Raven and crayfish
  • Revenge is sweet
  • Lion and unicorn
  • The making of the world
  • The king of all birds
  • Partners
  • An ocean cruise
  • A nose for a nose
  • Vijaya and the elephant's oath
  • The coldest night
  • The deep, deep well
  • How Ananse stole all the stories.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-5-Animal tricksters from many countries practice their crafty ways in this handsome volume. Each of the 20 folktales is introduced with a detailed, full-page ink drawing that resembles a fine print, and illustrations in varying sizes appear throughout. The pictures are both energetic and eloquent, and their formal tone is echoed in generally well-shaped narrative. Occasionally the telling is prolonged or wordy or falls into contemporary colloquial language that is sometimes smooth and at other times jarring: "Hey, Bright One, I've come shopping. I want to buy all of your stories." A brief note about the country of origin appears at the beginning of each story: "This Cossack tale from Russia features a whole gang of creatures-but as usual, it is Fox who comes out on top." No source notes are provided, so readers unfamiliar with any of these tales can only guess at their cultural authenticity. While the attractive animals will appeal to many children, and some of the offerings will read aloud well, the book is most likely to find use with storytellers interested in the trickster tales.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

These twenty stories from various cultures include a Zuni tale about Coyote, a story about Raven and Crayfish from Siberia, and an Irish legend of Wren, who flies highest to become king of birds. Each story is skillfully told and illustrated with captivatingly intricate black-ink drawings on creamy paper with subtle watercolor borders on title pictures. There are no source notes. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Packed with humor and wisdom, this choice collection showcases the timeless, cross-cultural fascination with that most wily and wise character, the trickster. Whether they be hares, foxes, ravens, spiders, frogs, rats, coyotes, lions or crows, the tricksters in these tales use cunning and craft to survive and outwit when everything seems hopeless. Using tales from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe, this collection draws out themes common to the trickster tradition. The familiar African-American Br'er Rabbit has his cultural counterpart in the Hare from Japanese mythology; known as Reynard in French stories, the fox also appears as a favorite trickster in Finnish tales. While most of the tales focus on mundane affairs, several involve weightier deeds, like the Ojibwa Winabijou the Hare creating the world, the Inuit raven stealing back the light and Ghana's Ananse the Spider forcing the Sky God to surrender all his stories. Tomic's gloriously rendered pen-and-ink illustrations teem with fascinating detail and capture these clever con artists in action. Diverse in scope and rich in presentation. (introduction) (Folklore/anthology. 10+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.