Mythology Books

A great book for showing girls as heroines and teaching about giving to others. A Native American folktale told by Native Americans adds to the richness of the story. Lends itself to several classroom studies including northern lights, heroes, folktales & legends, ladyslipper flowers and Native American culture.

This beautifully illustrated edition of the Ojibway legend lends itself easily to reading outloud to groups of children in the classroom or anywhere else. The colorful pictures help the flow of the story, both of which help hold the youngsters spellbound. Young children identify with the characters in the story and having one of their own age group in a situation of bravery and steadfast love empowers them. Excellent book.

I read this book as part of an assingment for a class (Children Resources for Children and Young Adults). I loved it. I am also currently taken Ojibwe and enjoyed how the authors incorportated Ojibwe words. The illustrations are simple, yes, but add charm to the well told (or rather retelling) of the origin of the lady slipper.
I recommend this to any teacher. Please, incorporate it in your class (high school teachers, too!). On a latter note, after reviewing it for class, I realized that this book was written by my teacher. Margi is the nicest person and an excellent teacher. And her book reflects her spirit.

This book is excellent for all ages. It contains beautiful illustrations to compliment the story of a little girl's courage. A good one for use in a classroom.

This is such a pretty book that tells the tale of the Ojibwe legend of the laddy slipper or moccasin flower. The illustrations are simple and colorful and greatly add to the folk atmosphere of the book. A little girl must go on a heroic journey through a freezing wintry night to find healing herbs when her whole village is stricken with terrible disease. She is encouraged along her route by the spirits of the stormy environment who speak to her in the Ojibwe tongue. This is an exciting and satisfying story and makes an excellent conversation starter to teach little ones about communing with the elements of Nature.

A masterpiece of scholarship with the most surprising revelations on some of the best known sections of the Bible. This book makes it clear that for every text that makes it into print there are hundreds that circulate in oral culture and are maintained from mouth to ear. The richness and variety of the texts presented is staggering

Translated from the original German by the founder of Hadassah, this work encompasses Jewish legends and traditions from a comprehensive array of Jewish and non-Jewish sources, weaving together into a story-form the various myths and legends; some espoused by mainstream and some by non-mainstream Jewry. Great bibliographical references for each citation utilizing both traditional and non-traditional sources.

For anyone out there interested about Ester and her role (Explained in greater detail) should get this book.

I would suggest this series to anybody interested in theology, hands down.

For any student of theology, this is a fascinating collection. Contains references to Lilith (Adam's first wife) and a plethora of angel names - over 200. I highly recommend this exceptional collection for all readers.

Lembas for the Soul is like reading pages from my diary. I recommend this book to all true Ringers. It shows the true meaning of how the Lord of the Rings has affected the lives of so many people, including myself. LOTR friends are true friends. No one but a true Ringer can understand this. It is so good to know that there are others out there who feel the same way I do. Namarie!

The essays one in particular, written by a Maryland woman titled "The Time That is Given to Us" was just awe inspiring!! She really makes one think about the future and the fact that "one day I'll...." may never come, you have to take matters and live your life and see the world. She lives for the 3000 who lost their lives, the 3000 who's "someday and one day" never came. I thknk that's why her story was last in the book, to have one really think about their life and how they should be living it, after all....to quote a great essay " all we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us" pretty deep huh?

Laura
Grass Valley, CA

I enjoyed the anecdotes told by the fans - the triumph, the tribulation, the tragedy. I felt that the tale that conveyed the most emotion was the one written by Kelly Silvey. The line party ordeal told by Ms. Silvey was so emotional, I felt as if I was there, in the throes of the moment. Her friend Loren's brush with death a meer feet from the theater rekindled images of Frodo so close to throwing the ring into Mount Doom, only to be hindered by Gollum.

Peace between dwarves and elves.

This is such an inspiring book to read! Page after page will fill you with a Kaleidoscope of emotions. The Lord of the Rings has touched these authors in a magical way, and it isn't just shown in what they say, but how they've lived. From Ms. Kohman's delightful opening story, AJ Caywood's amazing triumph over many a tragedy, to Ms. Turner's heartwarming ending, readers will delight in each and every story. This book is also filled with beautiful drawings and sketches! This is a great book to add to any reader's bookshelf.

One of the things I love most about the Lord of the Rings is how it has allowed me to share my love of it with other fans. This book is just another way to share that love. I read these stories and they all basically say the same thing - the Lord of the Rings has changed the author's life for the better; it's made each one a better person. In this world of decaying morals and values, it's refreshing to find people who so love a story that embraces goodness and 'doing the right thing even though it's not easy.' This wonderful book makes me remember that there's goodness in humankind. I highly recommend it for all lovers of LOTR.

This an absolute delight of a book, with stories that will entertain adults and children alike. A number of the tales focus on Lilith, but there are also a good collection of other supernatural beasties here.

Howard Schwartz is a first-rate scholar and even provides footnotes and background on the stories he presents. The information on the history of Lilith here sticks to proven facts instead of farfetched speculation and outright errors and fantasies most other books on the subject are filled with.

I highly recommend this collection and Schwartz's other books of fairy tales as well.

This is a reference for every eerie and nasty folktale in Jewish culture. From Maimonides and the Homonculus to tales of the angel of death this book can only be compared to the Grimm Brothers at their most evil.

It is so sad that Sarah MacLachlin and neo-pagan feminists have tried to make Lilith into some Gloria Steinem type of symbol. Her destructive and glorious power is something that should never be defanged, and the Lilith stories in this volume prove it.

scary stories! creative and archetypical. mostly about demons and stuff. AWESOME! this is the best folklore ever!

Try this : buy this book and read a tale before you go to bed at night. You probably won't be able to stop at just one! Schwartz has put together a great collection of supernatural tales, both long and short, that throw a fascinating light on Jewish folk culture. The general reader will appreciate the writing style, while folklore specialists will be glad he has included notes and references (in the back, thank you!) Fascinating elements to this goyisch reader : the magical power of simply studying the Torah and the frequent resort to a rabbinic court as a form of protection against and release from demons and spells.

This is an excellent book of supernatural Jewish folktales. It's very well written. I would recommend it highly to anyone interested in Judaism, mythology, storytelling or the occult.

With illustrations that make you want to step right into the picture, this book is a great telling of great classic for little kids. Sometimes I think we forget or don't realize just how powerful certain images and impressions we get from our early childhood books really are, and just how much they can impact our lives. My 4-year old adores this book. And what a great image for her to take through life - the realization that she might be hindered by fear of her own reflection.

For 20 years I've delighted in the story collections of Idries Shah. I'm very pleased with his entire new series of children's books especially, "The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water". As my wife and I read this story to young children in our family, we can see their eyes light up.

The kids strongly identify with all of the animals in the book, especially the lion as he overcomes his fears and learns something about his own individual identity. I have to confess that I've picked up the book several times and read it for my own enjoyment. It somehow soothes my mind after a tough day at the office.

[....] It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

My daughter is two, and she really enjoyed this book. Did she understand it? Perhaps not; but she loved all the animals, especially Share the Lion. Cheerful illustrations, and yet underneath it all an important message. This book fills a tremendous gap in our children's literature in that it is a fun and light-hearted look at the ways in which we understand or misunderstand both people and events. For conscientous parents who are neither moralistic nor trendy. This charming book deals with problem solving in an innovative way.

I have used this tale with many children ages 6 to 12 in schools around the United States. It is a terrific vehicle for asking higher order questions and for teaching thinking and questioning strategies. In Central Asian educational systems, the "teaching story" is a vehicle for indirectly teaching concepts that are not always possible to get across in more direct, intellectual ways. They also have a deconditioning effect, that is, they prepare the listener or reader so that when faced with difficult circumstances he/she can chose a less automatic, more conscious solution. My students have thoroughly enjoyed this tale and easily understand the concepts that many adults have trouble getting. It's a great discussion starter for helping children understand the differences between irrational and beneficial fears.

This book is classic Dobie in style and is "the" book on Texas Longhorns. Dobie takes us through the history of the breed, through the animal, through the men and women that loved, used and abused them, and through the many tales that surround them, both fiction and fact. The animal stands large in this work, but the flavor of the old days, of the hardships, of the ranch life, of the love for the land of the people who lived and died there is a part of it too. For anyone with an interest in this breed, this book is a must read. For anyone else with a feel for the Southwestern United States, Texas, cowboys, or the land, it's time well spent.

As horses were introduced to America by the Spanish, so too were cattle, and both species became feral, then wild, and learned to survive on their own under extreme conditions in the west. Not infrequently some retained some of their domestication. Texas was the land of their beginning as catalysts to a lifestyle peculiarly western because of how they developed. The Longhorns were tough individuals as well as part of a breed apart, and Dobie was just the sort of person to describe them for what they were, and the men who made it their purpose to use them. Dobie is a story teller of exceptional talent as well as an historian of necessity if his stories are to carry any weight. Each Chapter deals with an aspect of the beast and its habitat from which they were removed to form enormous herds driven north by cowboys over tractless miles to railheads when they arrived or to distant markets before their coming. Cowboys were tough, but also gentle as they crooned softly to the cattle on a stormy night hopefully to prevent "stompedes." Dobies' tales of individual Longhorns illustrates that within the being of some was a spirit that exceeded normal expectation, and contributed to human emotions in spite of themselves. The Longhorns began to fade as bloodlines were mixed to improve the breed, and as railheads came closer to the herds. For "improved" cattle had not the prowess or the ability to survive without the help of man as did the pure Longhorns. They were a breed in transition from one life style to another, but their memory remains because of Dobie and his tales. Fascinating reading.

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT COLLECTION OF STORIES ON THE LONGHORN. IT STARTES WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF CATTLE AND HOW THE LONG HORN CAME TO BE. THERE ARE A FEW TALES OF THE LONG HORNS LONG HORNS,AND AFEW ON WHY IT WAS THE PERFECT ANIMAL FOR TEXAS CATTLEMEN.THE BOOK IS ENDED ON A SAD NOTE THAT TALKS ABOUT THE LAST OF THE WILD LONG HORNS

Frank Dobie, a University of Texas professor, spent years collecting stories of the old southwest. Many are tales that he wrote down of 19th Century life. Several are collected into volumes about important parts of life at the time, including "Longhorns" and "The Mustangs".

They provide great insight into the origin of those animals and their importance to people who lived in those times.

Another excellent Dobie book is "I'll Tell You a Tale," with excerpts from these two books and others. The anthology includes tales of gold, stories of irony, Old West characters, and saddle stories.

J. Frank Dobie spent his life documenting the grassroots history of Texas and this book is probably his finest examples. I've read all of his books and found this one to be the most informative. There's also a wonderful collection of photographs of many of the different variations of horn and hide at the rear of this book. You'll learn how the cattle came north from Mexico in the beginning and how early settlers rooted them out of the thickets of East Texas to start their herds. You'll learn about many of the principal cattlemen of early Texas including their drives north to the Kansas railhead.

If you enjoy Texas history you'll really enjoy this book.

I suppose I was always going to say that, having already been converted myself to Louie Louie as "the only rock and roll song you'll ever need" (collected 60+ versions to date). It's just a fascinating journey with so many unexpected twists and turns but the ever present "duh duh duh". And still amazingly relevant today. And funny!

A new preface by the author graces the pages of Louie Louie: The History & Mythology Of The World's Most Famous Rock N Roll Song. While it's hard to see how any song, however famous, could earn an entire book discussion, once you delve into Dave Marsh's Louie Louie, with its intrigue, high drama, and twists and turns, it's hard to see what took so long for the full tale to come to light - and yes, it earns its own book. This new edition provides a new preface by Marsh as it covers the complexities of a song which involved even the FBI.

Okay--truth be told, I bought this book as a joke. This book is no joke. Dave Marsh, an excellent writer, put together a real page-turner. (...)

By following the fate of one song Marsh gives us an excellent feel for how culture operates at a middle scale, somewhere between the micro-scale of individual performances and listenings and the macroscale of decades-long changes in musical styles. If you're interested in "memetics" but tired of empty bloviation about mind viruses and such, read this book and follow one musical meme on its tour of the memesphere.

Half way through this book I knew more about this rock song then I had ever wanted to know and then it kicked in to the history of Paul Revere and the Raiders. I keep on and she what other obscure trivia is to be revealed.

[....] It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

When she was a child, my daughter adored this tale. It is wonderful to find it again, in a volume of its own with splendid illustrations. It seems to provoke in a child courage for the difficult experiences of daily life, and enthusiasm for the realm of the imagination. It would be a valuable contribution to any child's library.

There are so many mysterious twists and turns to the telling of this amazing and complex story. I read this book to all my classes (third graders). The kids hang on every word in spellbound silence. How important in this technological, materialistic culture for our kids to be exposed to the very notion of a "heart's desire," to the idea of life as a richly complex journey with multiple dimensions and possibilities beyond our wildest dreams - possibilities that we must stretch ourselves to discover and realize. I highly recommend this book for kids of all ages.

The notion that certain folk tales, "mere playthings" might have more noble capacities is beautifully exemplified in this ancient tale.This story appeared in a collection of tales, "A Caravan of Dreams" some 30 years ago and I am now delighted to see it turned into a richly illustrated, children's book. The story has multiple meanings, and can evoke deep examination, such as children's grappling with the tensions between technology and more simple realities, academics and practical views. A school librarian I visited in Seattle, WA, places this book in a section called "For Readers of All Ages" because she realizes that there is a genre of picture books that has many layers and can appeal to all. Teachers realize the great need to help children learn how to develop thinking skills and this story allows children a situation that they can reference when trying to explain certain issues they might not otherwise be able to verbalize. It gives them a story which acts as vehicle on which to hang their experiences. This is a function of certain folk tales that surpasses the usual moral endings we are more used to expecting. We are all storytellers, and use story to explain our sitations and make the complex simple. There is a genre of tales, "The Magic Horse" being part of this genre, that allows the reader an opportunity to experience insights into his/her own psyche that are often hidden by more dominant patterns. The fact that this is done in an entertaining fashion, often confuses the reader into thinking that this is just a "mere plaything." But stories can have many levels of capacity, just as orange juice is refreshing, tasty, and provides Vitamin C. Idries Shah spent years collecting and making available these amazing tales, intuitively understanding this was something needed in our evolving culture. They are like nothing else I have ever read. And this one has always been one of my very favorites. One can learn so much about oneself and others by reflecting on this story and using it as a mirror to see one's hidden prejudices. And, the tale itself echoes the notion that things that appear to be "mere playthings," like magic horses, are really much more powerful than we realize. There are children's books with messages, morals, and meaning. "The Magic Horse" is an instrument that both entertains and helps the reader "learn how to learn." But to give the story away would be like trying to "Send a kiss by messenger." It's a story that I will keep on reading to kids.

This book is a real treat, both visually (the illustrations are gorgeous) and narratively (the rich plot is sure to keep adults as well as children enthralled). My 10-year-old daughter loves it, and each time I read it with her I notice something in it that I hadn't noticed before - which is rare indeed for a children's book. The story, which has been told for more than a thousand years in Central Asia and the Middle East, doesn't batter the reader with clumsy morals, but instead seems to offer something subtler and, I suspect, of far greater value. It revolves around a boy who finds and achieves his heart's desire with the help of a magical wooden horse that carries him on its back as it flies through the air to wondrous places. Readers of this marvelous book are sure to soar right along with them.

Truth be told, I wasn't expecting a whole lot of sophistication from the uneducated peasant culture of overwhelmingly rural Haiti. Imagine my surprise, then, to discover that I was being treated to a marvelously tightly integrated ethnographic study-cum-anecdote chrestomathy. In addition to some uniquely Haitian elements, there are, of course, the to-be-expected plethora of archetypal folkloric motifs as catalogued by Aarne and Thomson. The stories were generally brief and worked quite well, and Wolkstein's detailed notes about the physical setting and orator of each tale make the reader feel as if he's actually taking part in a rural Haitian storytelling session under the full moon in the sweltering sugar cane fields. Bravo, Dr. Wolkstein!

If you're looking for stories with pat, solid endings, this is not the book for you. But, if you're looking for something that reflects the eccentricity and style of Haiti, then this is it. The stories are magical and you can almost see the people telling them for themselves! Kric?

The amazing thing about this collection is Wolkstein's introductions...she tells you about the teller and the setting in which each tale was collected...it is like taking a storytelling tour of Haiti. I require all of my storytelling students to read these intros to understand the variety of the storytelling tradition. Plus the stories are really great for telling. AND she includes the music! EVERY school and public library should own this!

I lived in a remote village in Haiti for five years and found this book while home in the USA for a visit. I found its stories unusual and charming -- and authentic! When I returned to Haiti I had a wonderful time with my Haitian friends as I related the stories I had read in this book and they would finish telling them with me and share how their mothers and fathers had shared these same stories with them.

By the author's own admission, these stories weren't necessarily the best-told she encountered while researching folk tales in Haiti. The flat page lacks the beauty of the oral tale, and some of these stories may have been a little weak in the telling; but on the page they reveal a great deal about Haiti, and are a fascinating read besides.

Folk tales reveal a great deal about a culture-what it values, how members of the society relate, what their beliefs are. These tales do exactly that. While they aren't as clear-cut, with a defined beginning, middle, and end, as American readers have become accustomed to, they do give away a great detail about Haiti. Life is unfinished; hardship is to be embraced and studied; the spirit world is right here at hand, not a million miles away above the clouds.

Even on their own, they stand as a monument to the creative act and the power of the human intellect. These stories will infect your head like a virus, spreading and replicating, until you have to pass them on. Read them casually, and you will be enlightened. Study them seriously, and you may be transformed.

I've read or recommended Ji-li Jiang's retelling of the classic Monkey stories to dozens of kids, and have never met a kid who wasn't completely captivated. This selfish, boastful, impulsive, hilarious creature causes the worst kinds of trouble, and seems to get away with it all.

The more chaos Monkey stirs up, the more stunned we are that no one can stop him.

Kids seem to zero in on the unfairness of a creature being so powerful, and yet so unworthy of the power he's been given. We hope against all evidence that Monkey will gain some wisdom.

This volume contains only the beginning of the Monkey saga. And we hope the rest will be published soon.

A film based on Monkey King is in production now with Jet Li and Jackie Chan which I'm sure will fan interest in the original stories, once it is released.

Ji-li Jiang's retelling is the best available in English for intermediate students. We look forward to her finishing the story. And seeing more of You-shan Tang's energetic and fresh ink painted illustrations.

I purchased this book, hoping it would stimulate my ten year old grandson to enjoy his introduction to The Monkey King, and want more. It did just that! He has enjoyed the action, and the unique stories, and is now ready to delve further into a more mature rendering of The Monkey King. This book is an excellent first step into this magical world.

Excellent!. These Monkey King episodes have kept the interest of middle school students examining the idea of heroes and superheroes.

Also available in a paperback edition (1885008255, $6.95), The Magical Monkey King is a retelling of classic Chinese folktales by Ji-Li Jiang. Ideal reading for children ages 7 to 10, and enhanced with black/white drawings by Youshan Tang. The Magical Monkey King tells of the Monkey King's rambunctuous adventures, from his studies with a wise sage to learn the secret of immortality, to taking a job as royal gardner in the Kingdom of Heaven, and his encounter with the great Buddha. Simple yet delightful prose of Monkey King's fantastic exploits make The Magical Monkey King an amazing, enjoyable, and whimsical read for all ages.

My kids are a bit familiar with this story already, because we live in Hong Kong and have seen parts of the series on TV and because they've also read parts of it extremely abdridged in Chinese "comic book" form.

They (aged 7 and 5) loved this book. It is written in clear English, that nonetheless gives a feel for the names amd action of the characters. It is abridged enough so the kids don't get bored, but is complete enough to be faithful to the full-length novel. We just finished reading it aloud 5 days ago and the kids REALLY wanted to know what happens next.

Unfortunetely, the second installment of the story is not yet published. So, my family is now waiting impatiently for the next bit.

The only thing that could be better were the illustrations. They were small and in black and white. While I know that making the book larger and with color illustrations would have made it more expensive, I would have been willing to pay for it.

Excellent book.