Discover the rich background of this culture through these tales handed down from one generation to the next in the oral tradition. Every province of China is represented, and each story is put in perspective using maps, pronunciation guide, and notes
Winner of the 2003 Trillium Book Award "Stories are wondrous things," award-winning author and scholar Thomas King declares in his 2003 CBC Massey Lectures. "And they are dangerous." Beginning with a traditional Native oral story, King weaves his way through literature and history, religion and politics, popular culture and social protest, gracefully elucidating North America's relationship with its Native peoples. Native culture has deep ties to storytelling, and yet no other North American culture has been the subject of more erroneous stories. The Indian of fact, as King says, bears little resemblance to the literary Indian, the dying Indian, the construct so powerfully and often destructively projected by White North America. With keen perception and wit, King illustrates that stories are the key to, and only hope for, human understanding. He compels us to listen well.
People in ancient India lived in harmony with animals. This is obvious from the Panchatantra (pronounced as Pancha - tan - tra) tales, ancient animal fables that originated in India around 3rd century BCE. These stories, passed down by word of mouth for generations, show that people in ancient India observed animal behavior closely and each animal was given a human character based on its unique characteristics. The cow is seen as a "giver of life" because it provides milk. The monkey is regarded as clever and loyal and is also worshipped as the monkey god Hanuman. The cobra and the lion are feared but are also worshipped to prevent them from causing harm to humans. Many yoga poses are named after animals. Though there is no historical evidence that yoga poses were inspired by the Panchatantra tales, the prominent role that both the Panchatantra and yoga play in Indian life and culture have inspired me to link each Yoga pose named after an animal to a Panchatantra tale about the same animal. If you are an animal and yoga lover, I hope that that you will enjoy practicing these animal yoga poses and reading their stories. If animals or yoga are not your thing, I hope you will read the stories to find out why people in ancient India were so fascinated by animals and how they became a part of their lives and legend.
This collection of over two hundred folk and fairy tales from all over the world is the only edition that encompasses all cultures. Arranged geographically by region—West and East Europe, British Isles, Scandinavia, and Northern Europe, Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, Africa, North America, the Carribean and West Indies, and Central and South America—and lovingly selected from the personal favorites of folklorists and writers, this book is a major anthology in its field. Gathered together in this wide-ranging collection are familiar classics like "Snow-White" and "Sleeping Beauty," and stories that equal them from all major cultures. Together they offer magic, adventure, laughter, reflection, vivid images, and a throng of colorful characters. More important, they offer insight into the oral traditions of different cultures and deal with universal human dilemmas that span differences of age, culture, and geography. Animal fables, proverbs, ghost stories, funny tales, and tales of enchantment provide a unique reading experience for all ages. A category index groups the tales by plot and character, e.g., humorous, supernatural, and "pourquoi" tales, married couples, enchanted sweethearts, etc. Like all great literature, these tales can be read with fascination on many levels, making Best-Loved Folktales of the World a classic and enduring collection.
This invaluable resource book includes everything teachers and librarians need to know for using storytelling in their classrooms with ready to tell tales correlated to the Common Core Standards.
Living Folklore is a comprehensive, straightforward introduction to folklore as it is lived, shared and practiced in contemporary settings. Drawing on examples from diverse American groups and experiences, this text gives the student a strong foundation—from the field’s history and major terms to theories, interpretive approaches, and fieldwork. Many teachers of undergraduates find the available folklore textbooks too complex or unwieldy for an introductory level course. It is precisely this criticism that Living Folklore addresses; while comprehensive and rigorous, the book is specifically intended to meet the needs of those students who are just beginning their study of the discipline. Its real strength lies in how it combines carefully articulated foundational concepts with relevant examples and a student-oriented teaching philosophy.
"Presents concrete methods of incorporating storytelling by students of all ages into classroom practice to help teachers meet U.S. education standards of reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing"--Provided by publisher.