Traditional Tales-Review #1-Anthology

Yolen, Jane. 2003. Mightier Than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-216391-4.

Plot Summary--

This is an anthology of folktales from around the world. The heroes of these tales are boys and the goal of the collection is to show their triumphs when using their brains over their brawn. The themes of self-sacrifice, thoughtfulness, bravery of heart, and faithfulness run throughout the selected tales.

Critical Analysis--

The fourteen tales in this collection come from all over the world and represent many different peoples and cultures. China, Angola, Russia, Burma, Hungary, and Israel are just a few of the countries represented in the anthology. Some of the tales are variants of fairly well-known tales, such as Jack and His Companions, which is a variant of The Bremen-town Musicians and Mighty Mikki, a variant of Puss-in-Boots. Other tales may be less well known, such as Thick-Head, a Native American tale or The False Knight on the Road from England. While a few of the tales have some intense elements, like the hero tricking the troll into cutting open his own stomach in the tale, Eating with Trolls, most of the stories depict good triumphing over evil without much violence.

Each tale is accompanied by a simple black and white line drawing that depicts an important scene and offers the reader a small view of the traditional culture from which the tale originates. Another cultural element found in the tales is traditional storytelling wording. In the tale, The Young Man Protected by the River from Angola, the traditional ending is preserved. The tale ends with three sayings, all of which mean, "I am finished."

The anthology includes a table of contents with not only titles and page numbers, but also the country of origin for each tale. Also, Yolen lists a bibliography and gives details of her research for each tale.

My 9 year old son and I enjoyed sharing this book. Our favorite tale was Jack and His Companions.

Reviews--

School Library Journal--"Her [Yolen] versions of these stories are lively, expressively written, ready for reading aloud or telling, and illustrative of her point."

Kirkus Reviews--"Yolen, an undisputable queen of storytelling, shines with these retellings...A stellar read-aloud volume as well as just right for independent readers."

Awards--Aesop Prize

Connections--

*Choose a tale or two to rewrite as a reader's theater piece.

*Jane Yolen has compiled an anthology entitled, Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls ISBN-13 9780152020477. How does this anthology compare with Mightier Than the Sword? Do they have any of the same themes?

*Other folktale anthologies to read and enjoy.

• Outfoxing Fear: Folktales from Around the World edited by Kathleen Ragan ISBN 0393060365.


• From the Winds of Manguito: Cuban Folktales in English and Spanish retold by Elvia Perez edited by Margaret Read MacDonald ISBN 1591580919.


• Horse Hooves and Chicken Feet: Mexican Folktales selected by Neil Philip ISBN 0618194630.