Although the 46 tales in this collection are as varied as their origins, nearly all of these stories have been passed on by immigrants to America. As a result, this collection is a world tour between two covers, but not at the expense of the unifying element common to these stories: their uniquely Jewish flavor of doing the right thing, on surviving by cleverness and kindness and on the need for keeping a good sense of humor." Sherman's collection includes magical tales; stories about clever folks; tales of ghosts, gilguls, and other strange things; fables that deal with doing the right thing; and stories about the delightfully silly Wise Men of Chelm. Entertaining and illuminating story notes give additional information on the origins and different versions of the tales.
When a village is terrorized by a lion, the hunter Kambili wishes to track down the beast. But his wife Kumba warns that the lion is an evil wizard. This is an adaptation of a Malinke story.
When the north wind blows away the flour carried by a baker's young son, he sets out on a journey to insist it be returned. This Norwegian tale shows the value of perseverance nd gifts of nature.
The lyrical story of a young girl who shares a special celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival with her parents, who tell her ancient tales about Chang-E, the woman who lives on the moon; Wu-Gang, the woodcutter; and Jade Rabbit.
A poor, hungry man has to pay for simply smelling soup! Here comes the wise Turkish folk hero Hodja to the rescue. What will he do to help?
In the African pourquoi tale, long ago people could take bites of the delicious sky whenever they wanted to. People gobbled and gobbled and gobbled the sky. Soon the sky had to make some changes.
This is a Lakota Indian tale about Iktomi, a lazy trickster who cannot be bothered to hunt for himself. Instead, he plays tricks and steals rather than earn an honest living. Will Muskrat teach him a lesson?
